Resumen del examen
Estudiante: Waldetrudis Echegaray | Asignatura: Diversidad lingüística en el aula de lengua castellana | Idioma: EN
Pregunta 1
Formal learning versus natural learning of the goal language by migrants.
Respuesta del estudiante
Formal learning of the goal language refers to institutionalized instruction, typically in school settings, characterized by planned syllabi, explicit teaching of grammar and vocabulary, metalinguistic reflection, controlled input, and systematic correction. It promotes literacy, academic registers, and conscious awareness of linguistic norms, which are essential for school success and social mobility. Natural learning, by contrast, occurs through immersion in everyday communicative contexts, without explicit instruction, relying on interaction, negotiation of meaning, and abundant contextualized input. It usually leads to faster development of basic oral communicative skills and pragmatic competence, but often results in incomplete acquisition of morphosyntax, limited academic language, and fossilization. For migrants, both processes are complementary: natural learning supports communicative integration, while formal learning is necessary for full linguistic development and educational inclusion.
Pregunta 2
Fill in the missing names in this chart, corresponding to the ten largest immigrant groups in Spain, by country of origin. (Note: Assume chart is provided)
Respuesta del estudiante
1. Romania
2. Morocco
3. Italy
4. United Kingdom
5. China
10. Venezuela
Pregunta 3
How has the proportion of students entering high school in Spain evolved in recent decades, considering the variable of nationality (Spanish/foreign)?
Respuesta del estudiante
In recent decades, the proportion of students entering high school in Spain has increased overall, but with clear differences by nationality. The number and percentage of foreign students rose sharply from the late 1990s and especially during the 2000s, reflecting immigration flows and family reunification. Although this growth slowed and partially stabilized after the economic crisis of 2008, the presence of foreign students has remained significantly higher than in previous decades. Despite this increase, foreign students have consistently been underrepresented in high school entry compared to Spanish nationals, showing lower transition rates, although the gap has gradually narrowed over time.
Pregunta 4
How does the process of exclusion take place, according to Pulido? Indicate the stages and the critical moment.
Respuesta del estudiante
According to Pulido, exclusion is not an immediate act but a progressive social and educational process articulated in successive stages. First, a stage of differentiation, in which the student is identified as “different” on the basis of linguistic, cultural or ethnic traits. Second, a stage of hierarchization, where that difference is evaluated negatively and transformed into inequality through stereotypes, deficit views and lower expectations. Third, a stage of marginalization or exclusion, in which the student is separated symbolically or materially from full participation in school life (segregation, curricular lowering, or academic failure). The critical moment of the process occurs in the transition from difference to inequality, when diversity stops being a neutral fact and becomes a criterion for devaluation and unequal treatment.
Pregunta 5
Explain the main difficulty for Arabic speakers learning Spanish at the suprasegmental level.
Respuesta del estudiante
The main difficulty for Arabic speakers learning Spanish at the suprasegmental level lies in the acquisition of lexical stress and intonation patterns. In Arabic, stress is largely predictable and does not have a distinctive lexical function, whereas in Spanish stress is contrastive and can differentiate meaning between words and grammatical forms. This leads to frequent errors in stress placement, which can affect intelligibility. In addition, differences in rhythmic organization and intonational contours between Arabic and Spanish make it difficult for learners to internalize Spanish prosody, especially in declarative and interrogative sentences.
Pregunta 6
Differences in birth rates between Spain and the countries of origin of Hispanic American immigrants.
Respuesta del estudiante
Spain has maintained very low fertility rates in recent decades, well below the replacement level, characterized by delayed motherhood and small family size. In contrast, most countries of origin of Hispanic American immigrants traditionally present higher birth rates and earlier ages at first birth, associated with younger population structures and different socio‑economic and cultural patterns. Although fertility in Latin America has declined, it continues to be significantly higher than in Spain, which explains the comparatively greater contribution of Hispanic American immigrants to population growth and school-age cohorts in the Spanish educational system.
Pregunta 7
How does the chosen second language textbook approach the teaching of vocabulary? (topic 6)
Respuesta del estudiante
The chosen second language textbook approaches vocabulary teaching from a communicative and functional perspective, integrating lexical items into thematic units linked to meaningful contexts and everyday situations. Vocabulary is presented inductively through texts, dialogues, and tasks, prioritizing high-frequency and high-utility words. Lexical learning is reinforced through recycling across units, contextualized practice, and activities that promote semantic relations, inferencing strategies, and active use rather than memorization of isolated word lists.
Pregunta 8
What is the shortcoming of the textbook that the chosen supplementary material (topic 6) addresses, and by what means would it achieve this? Maximum 10 lines.
Respuesta del estudiante
The main shortcoming of the textbook is its limited attention to the development of communicative competence in Spanish as L2, especially oral interaction and pragmatic use of language in real contexts. The chosen supplementary material addresses this gap by providing contextualized communicative tasks, authentic audiovisual input, and guided interaction activities. Through scaffolding, repetition, and meaningful use of language, it reinforces oral comprehension and production, promotes functional vocabulary acquisition, and facilitates the integration of immigrant students into everyday classroom communication.