Service learning in Spanish for the health professions: Heritage language learners’ competence in action

Abstract

The present study examined the impact of a service learning activity on students’ perceptions of language, identity, and community in an advanced Spanish for the Health Professions course. Forty-five advanced Spanish heritage learners (SHLs) participated in health fairs as assistants to health-care providers as part of the curriculum requirements. The mixed-methods analysis of students’ reflection essays shows that this experience had the greatest effect on participants’ confidence in the use of Spanish as a professional language, on their awareness and understanding of the local Hispanic communities’ needs, and on their emerging identity as Hispanic health-care professionals. The findings also support the value of service learning as a domestic immersion experience, targeting the specific language and professional needs of SHLs.