ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the institutionalization of heritage language (HL) teaching in postsecondary institutions in the U.S., including what are known as “four-year colleges and universities,” as well as two-year colleges (typically called community or junior colleges). 1 In keeping with the thrust of this volume, this chapter takes as its point of departure Ekholm and Trier’s (1987) definition of institutionalization as “an assimilation of change elements into a structured organization, modifying the organization in a stable manner” (p. 13). The “change element” (or innovation), to be examined here is HL-specific instruction or pedagogy, which, broadly speaking, is an approach to language teaching premised on the idea that heritage language learners’ (HLLs) linguistic and socio-affective needs are different from those of second language learners (L2Ls) and warrant specialized instructional attention. Though typically associated with HL courses, HL-specific instruction can also be implemented in other instructional contexts, such as mixed classes, i.e., classes with HLLs and L2Ls, independent studies, etc. The primary “structured organization” to be examined here are postsecondary foreign-language programs or departments that teach HLLs.
