Carolina Viera, an assistant professor, and Kelly Arispe, an associate professor in the Department of World Languages, presented their paper at the seventh Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February.
Their presentation,“Competencia discursiva oral de estudiantes de español como lengua de herencia” (Oral Competence for Spanish Heritage Students), reported on a six-year longitudinal mixed method study. The study analyzed 125 oral proficiency interviews to determine the level Spanish heritage language students achieve during their final semester as well as the specific discourse qualities they employ at the advanced and superior levels.