This study highlights the complexities associated with learning a heritage language (HL) abroad, specifically with regard to identity, expectations, and beliefs about language and language learning, by examining the ways that HL learners talk about themselves. These are important topics to study because perceptions of language learning have been shown to influence language acquisition in the study abroad context (Wilkinson, 1998). In addition, study abroad programs are becoming more popular and so are attempts to design language courses to meet the unique needs of HL learners. The study explores the experiences of 17 HL learners who chose to study abroad in 2007 or 2008 to improve their HL proficiency. These HL learners had at least a basic ability to comprehend and communicate in the language that their parents or grandparents speak natively, and were themselves dominant in English. The participants included 5 males and 12 females who went abroad to 14 different countries to study Spanish (7), Hebrew (1), Tigrinya (1), French (1), German (1), Korean (1), Cantonese (1), or Mandarin (4). Data collected include 17 hours of interviews both before and after the sojourns, 34 email reflections written while abroad, blog entries, and a focus group. Data were analyzed using discursive psychology, which views discourse as being variable, co-constructed, purposeful, and context-dependent. By analyzing the data to find the interpretive repertoires, ideological dilemmas, and subject positions used (Reynolds & Wetherell, 2003; Edley, 2001), a deeper understanding of studying abroad as a HL learner was attained. Findings include that the participants lack interpretive repertoires to discuss their HL and being a HL learner, used their HL as a resource to access other learning opportunities while abroad, encountered difficulties fully immersing themselves in the HL while abroad, received insufficient pre-departure support from the study abroad offices, and had backgrounds and HL learning experiences that varied considerably. The study's findings have implications for what topics to cover in classes and study abroad advising sessions that may help HL learners make decisions about where to study abroad, as well as help students process the experiences they have learning their HL and studying abroad. / text

Orientadores: Maria Rita Salzano Moraes, Cláudia Hilsdorf Rocha / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T12:22:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BisantiReis_Ilariados_M.pdf: 1694886 bytes, checksum: 473887acc7df8a0e25350e4bca237752 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Ao começar um curso de língua estrangeira, cada aluno leva para a sala de aula um universo pessoal, composto por visões de mundo, valores, marcas culturais e um conjunto de representações quanto à língua e cultura-alvo. Tomando como pressuposto que esse universo influencia o processo de ensino e de aprendizagem da língua estrangeira, esta pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa e de base etnográfica (André, 2003), teve como objetivos: (1) levantar, identificar e inferir as crenças que alunos brasileiros possuem em relação ao ensino/aprendizagem do italiano como língua estrangeira (LE) e também em relação ao povo italiano, à Itália, à língua-cultura italiana; (2) analisar as possíveis implicações dessas crenças para o processo de ensino/aprendizagem de italiano LE. Para alcançar tais objetivos, buscamos respaldo teórico nos estudos da área de ensino/aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras que tiveram como foco de investigação a questão das crenças (Barcelos, 2004; Vieira-Abrahão e Barcelos, 2006; e outros), a visão de linguagem como discurso (Bakhtin, 2003, 2004) e os pressupostos da interculturalidade no ensino de línguas estrangeiras (Balboni, 2007). Os dados foram coletados em uma escola de idiomas do interior paulista, por meio de observação de aulas, questionários mistos aplicados aos alunos e entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com as professoras. A reflexão acerca do impacto que as crenças podem ter no processo de ensino/aprendizagem da língua, pode fornecer a professores da área específica do ensino do italiano LE, informações importantes para a elaboração de práticas de ensino mais reflexivas, críticas e menos carregadas de preconceitos e estereótipos, levando assim os aprendizes à (re)construção de novas percepções da própria e da outra cultura / Abstract: When starting a foreign language course, every student brings to the classroom his or her personal universe, which consists of his or her world perception, values, cultural beliefs and an amount of representations as to the target language and its related culture. Taking for granted that this universe has an effect on the foreign language teaching and learning process, this research, which reveals a qualitative and ethnographic nature (Andre, 2003), has as its main objectives (1) to identify and infer Brazilian students' and teachers' beliefs concerning Italy, the Italian people, and the Italian language and culture; (2) to investigate and analyze the possible impacts of such beliefs on the Italian teaching and learning process. The theoretical support of this work is based on the concept of beliefs in the language teaching and learning process (Barcelos, 2004; Vieira-Abrahão e Barcelos, 2006), on the bakhtinian view of language as discourse (Bakhtin, 2003, 2004) and on the importance of the intercultural dimension within foreign language teaching (Balboni, 2007). The data have been collected from classes observation at a language school located in the countryside of São Paulo State, from mixed questionnaires applied to students and from semi-structured interviews made with teachers. It is believed that the carried out discussions about the impact of students' and teachers' beliefs on the Italian teaching and learning process can present the language teaching field with important information as to the perceptions, values and ideas that both students and teachers bring to class. The results of this study can therefore be useful to help educators to develop more effective, reflective and critical pedagogical practices, as far as language and culture are concerned / Mestrado / Mestra em Linguística Aplicada