Abstract
This case study took place in two Spanish as a second language (L2) university writing classes in the United States. Specifically, this work investigated the role that genre-based instruction, in combination with the multiliteracies framework Learning by Design, can play in the development of heritage (HL) and L2 students’ multimodal writing. All the instructional materials were grounded in these frameworks and were open. The focus of the investigation were the joint and individual written products in the expository and instructional genres developed by 36 (22 L2; 14 HL) learners. The joint construction was organized into the following student pairs: L2-L2, HL-L2, and HL-HL. The patterns of interaction and production in the different groups were analyzed. In addition, we drew on Systemic Functional Linguistics to examine the joint and individual drafts and final essays in order to determine whether changes in lexical density and grammatical complexity had occurred. The results of the study point to development in the participants’ writing, but not at the same rate. The data also show that the student pairs approached the joint task in a variety of ways, which might have been related to both personal factors and their level of performance. In addition, the findings suggest that learners’ work in the joint phase was more comprehensive and effective than in the individual products, even in the case of the HL participants. The paper discusses these results, and the affordances offered by theoretically-grounded OERs. Suggestions for materials development and implementation are also provided.
Presenters
Gabriela C. ZapataAssociate Professor in Education, School of Education, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Learning by Design, Genre-Based Instruction, L2 Spanish Writing, OER
