– Preliminary Thesis Abstract –

Developing a Spanish for Heritage Speakers Program for Universities in Texas

In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 37.6% of the persons in Texas were of Hispanic or Latino origin, up from 32.0% in 2000. As demographic trends across the state show growing numbers of Hispanic populations, Texas universities also feel the shift towards increasingly Hispanic classrooms. For university-level Spanish programs, this shift provides a notable dilemma of how to deal with the differences between heritage speakers of Spanish and Spanish foreign language students. While some universities have chosen to implement Spanish for Heritage Speakers Programs, there exists a continuing need for state-wide reform in the teaching of Spanish for heritage speakers. This thesis will argue for the development of Spanish for Heritage Speakers Programs among universities in Texas by presenting some approaches to the teaching of Spanish for heritage speakers and by investigating the success of those programs that are already in place, namely, the heritage programs in the University of Texas system, the Texas A&M University system, and the University of Houston system. Through a presentation of relevant literature, the study will discuss the challenge of teaching Spanish to heritage speakers and will provide a basis for the development of such a program, focusing on three specific issues that must be overcome: the testing process, the importance of grammar in the classroom, and the issue of language and identity for heritage speakers. Finally, the thesis will discuss the need for such programs in Texas and propose the development of these programs on a state-wide level as well as the possible ramifications of such a program on the national stage.