Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
Spring 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Department
Honors Interdisclipinary
Advisor(s)
Chin Hong Wang
Lisa C. Schick
Stephanie Wasta
Abstract
The paper is a reflexive ethnography documenting the researcher’s change and growth “as a result of doing fieldwork” (Ellis, Adams, & Bochner, 2011, p. 278) in the United States of America, the Dominican Republic, and Spain. The purpose of this research is to examine and reflect on the researcher’s journey of acquiring language proficiency in Spanish, developing cultural competence, and navigating cross-cultural interactions. This paper also explores how readily students may be able to access language education in both the native and foreign realms and examines the emphasis placed on language education in each of the countries, as observed by the researcher. These concepts are explored in depth through a first-person auto-ethnographic style that highlights a personal narrative accompanied by analysis through the lenses of two specific theorists dealing with language acquisition and intercultural sensitivities and competencies.
Recommended Citation
Hawkins, Mary Margaret, "An auto-ethnographic study of foreign and native language education in the United States of America, the Dominican Republic, and Spain" (2018). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 515.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/515
