"Gina's social and psychological distance to Spanish language, culture and speakers"

Social Distance

1. Social Dominance. Whose social group is more dominant?
The dominant group is native English speakers, Gina's first language is English and we are going to teach Spanish her but in her country.

2. Integration Pattern. How much do learners integrate, or do they do most things apart from the mainstream?

3. Enclosure. To what extent does learner's group have their own resources for interaction, such as church, publications, clubs?
Gina can interact with Sapanish speakers in classes and also in some places of the university she can find some other Spanish speakers that are from Mexico.

4. Size. How large is the group?

5. Cohesiveness. How much does the group "stick together"?

6. Cultural Congruence. How are the cultural patterns and customs of the home culture and the target culture alike or different?
The home culture and the target culture are very similar in some aspects, have similar customs, some of they are different, maybe if we talk about food and ways of living, but there are more simililarities that diffrences.

7. Attitude. What attitudes do the home and target cultural groups have toward one another?
The group where Gina is has very good and positive attitudes about the culture of the target language. There is no problem with this issue

8. Intended lenght of residence. How long does the learner intend to stay in the new country?


Psychological Distance

1. Motivation. Does the learner want to learn the new language?
Gina is too motivated, since she did classes to the Spanish speakers she wants to learn Spanish.

2. Attitude. How does the learner feel toward the target-culture group?
She feels very good in the group.

3. Culture Shock. Is the learner suffering culture shock?

Gina in spite of the fact that is not living in a country where the language is Spanish she can learn it because of her high motivation to do it. And I'm sure that she has the best teachers from Chile!