Alejandra Donoso

Alejandra Donoso’s research has since 2014 focused on the field of Heritage languages with a special interest in academic writing among university students of Spanish. Within this field, Donoso and her colleagues have studied, among other topics, the written production of students of various linguistic backgrounds: L2 Spanish learners (L1 Swedish), Heritage language speakers of Spanish (bilinguals in Swedish and Spanish since early childhood) and Spanish native speakers. Variables such as language contact, motivation to maintain and to learn Spanish and attendance to mother tongue instruction have been under the scope of this research.

In this line of research, Donoso and colleagues have organized two International Workshops at Stockholm University (2014 and 2019) and an International Colloquium on the subject of Academic Writing in Multilingual Educational Settings (Universidad de Chile, 2021).

As part of the project "Spanish as a Heritage Language in Sweden", Donoso and colleagues have published a research article in the volume  Multilingual contributions to writing research: Towards an equal academic Exchange (2021). Another paper, entitled Back to the Initial Condition: Experiences that trigger the need to develop language skills among university Spanish students has been published in Humanetten 48 (2022). The latter publication builds on the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei 2009) and explores Multilingual University students' language learning experiences beyond formal educational settings.

Donoso is also engaged with studies that delve into the relation between home and school through pedagogical translanguaging (PT). In this line of research, Donoso and colleagues draw from previous findings that point out to the benefits of including multilinguals' entire linguistic repertoires in the classroom. A paper on this matter, Strategies for collaboration between school and parents – homework in general and translanguaging homework in particular was published in 2022 by Donoso and colleagues (Svensson, Donoso & Svensson 2022).

Alejandra Donoso has a Ph.D. in Spanish linguistics from Stockholm University. She graduated in 2016 with a dissertation entitled "Motion expressions in Spanish as a second language and as a heritage language: Conceptualization and encoding of Path, Manner and Ground". At present, Alejandra works as a lecturer in Spanish linguistics at Linnaeus University where she conducts instruction in several subjects, such as academic writing, oral communication, and language didactics.

Undervisning

Alejandra Donoso imparts courses in Spanish didactics, second language acquisition, oral and written proficiency and academic writing.

Forskning

Currently, her research interests are related to the field of second language acquisition, multilingualism, motivation and multiliingual writing repertoires, pedagogical translanguaging and Spanish as a heritage language.

Alejandra Donoso participates in the Educational Linguistics Research Group at Linnaeus University.