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Abstract
The growth of immigrant groups in the United States has affected the teaching and learning of additional languages in several ways. The demand for classes in less frequently taught languages, such as Korean, is increasing. In addition, large numbers of learners are now seeking to acquire or improve their competence in their heritage languages (HLs), that is, languages identified with their families ethnic or national backgrounds. In spite of growing recognition of the special status of HL learners with respect to motivation for learning and prior cultural competence in the target language, little research on learning HLs has been conducted, and few models for HL instruction have been tested, especially for less frequently taught languages at the postsecondary level. The present study is attuned to issues of learner motivation and identity is rooted in a sociocognitve perspective that highlights the role of interaction in language learning. Accordingly, this study examined how the complex linguistic, ethnic and social backgrounds of HL and non-HL learners were associated with their motivations and interactions with native Korean speaking conversation partners. Demographic and motivational questionnaires were collected from 141 college students studying Korean at three class levels. Ten dimensions of language learning motivation were derived from previous research. In addition, conversations of 16 Korean language learners with their native Korean-speaking conversation partners (CPs) were both quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed to distinguish HL learners conversational patterns from those of non-HL learners. In addition, elements of CP interactions were linked to both learner background variables and to motivational factors. Findings revealed that learners of Korean as a HL exceeded non-HL learners in all dimensions of learner motivation with the single exception of value motivation. Moreover, in the analysis of learner conversations with CPs, HL learners exceeded non-HL learners on the total number of Korean words produced as well as on Korean code-switching initiatives, whereas non-HL learners exceeded HL learners on English code-switching initiatives. The associations of heritage-oriented motivation and identity motivation with the conversational features were predictive of learners production of words and code-switching initiatives. The qualitative analyses of conversational discourse and learner diary entries complemented the findings from the quantitative analyses, suggesting that to HL learners, code-switching played a role in the development of shared norms and the establishment of solidarity with their CPs. To non-HL learners, code-switching functioned more as a conversational management resource. This study supports a conception of heritage language status as a continuum rather than as a