Heritage Learners in the Russian Classroom

Megan SwiftUniversity of Victoria

• The following slides present the results of a research project into Russian Heritage speakers and their experience in the 1st year Russian classroom at U Vic

• The research project was conducted between 2009 and 2010.

• Heritage speakers make up approximately 10% of our first-year population

• Most of them come from the Doukhobor communities based in the Kootenay mountain region of British Columbia

Doukhobor Communities in British Columbia

Kootenay Mountain Region

x

x

Do you have one or more relative who spoke Russian in the family

home?

Russian spoken at homeRussian spoken but mostly EnglishNo Russian

For how many years did you take Russian in the public school system?

6 years 12 years

What was the average number of contact hours per week?

• Elementary School – 3 hours a week

• Secondary School –7.5 hours a week

Did you continue your Russian language training at university

beginning in your first year?

First YearSecond Year

50 % began in first year50% in second year

Did you or do you intend to complete all four years of language

training?

100% said yes

Did you or do you intend to go on a travel/study abroad program to

Russia or Ukraine?

Series1

60% yes40% no

Are you or do you intend to become a Russian major or minor?

yesno

When you took Russian 100A and B were you familiar with:

The case system (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative,

prepositional, instrumental); if not, which ones?

Verbal aspect (imperfective and perfective verbs)?

80% were partially familiarwith the cases but not at allwith verbal aspect20% were not familiar witheither

Approximately what percent of the vocabulary from Russ 100A and B were

you familiar with? (Answers ranged from 20% to 75%)

20% 75%

How would you rate your first year experience in Russian

language at U Vic (great, very good, good, okay, not good)

GreatVery Good

17%

83%