The number of students in the U.S. who speak a language other than English has increased dramatically since 1985. Where they can, these students often choose to study their heritage language (HL) as their foreign language elective. The HL literature has focused on the differing linguistic/cultural backgrounds and needs of HL students compared to traditional foreign language (FL) learners. However, for enrollment and budgetary reasons these two groups are often placed together. How do students in such classes react to this learning environment ? Pino and Pino (2000) examine the attitudes of 200 university students enrolled in mixed HL/non-HL Spanish classes. They conclude that despite some misgivings the majority of students "seemed to be fairly well satisfied and little interested in separate classes" (p.5). The current study seeks to extend this line of enquiry into the high school setting. Fifty students in three Korean classes in a Los Angeles County high school were surveyed and 11 interviewed. Attitudes in four areas were analyzed : the mixed HL/non-HL learning environment, pedagogical appropriateness, peer tutoring, and social interaction between the two groups. The majority of students did not view the mixed HL/non-HL format as problematic : both survey and interview data indicated that non-HL students viewed the presence of HL classmates positively and visa versa. Both groups saw peer tutoring as a learning opportunity : non-HL students viewed their HL classmates as resources while HL students felt "proud" as they became the "experts". Pedagogical appropriateness, especially grading policies that treated the two groups as separate entities, contributed to the overall positive evaluation. Social interaction, inside and outside the classroom, saw friendship networks that cut across ethnic lines become established. Mixed classes can thus be rich learning environments and even where separate tracks are feasible, bringing HL and non-HL students together for some activities has distinct benefits.

Pino, B., & Pino, F. (2000). Serving the heritage speaker across a five-year program. ADFL Bulletin, 32(1), http ://www.mla.org/adfl/bulletin/V32N1/321027.htm, pp. 27-35.