1 Integrating Culturally Appropriate Resources in the Teaching of Spanish (Level 1) by Karla Alpizar Veloz A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION with an emphasis in CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, UT February 3rd, 2025 Approved ______________________________ Katarina Anderson, Ph.D. ______________________________ David R. Byrd, Ph.D. ______________________________ Gisela Martiz, Ph. D. 2 Table of Contents Integrating Culturally Appropriate Resources in the Teaching of Spanish (Level 1) ..................................... 5 Literature Review........................................................................................................................................... 7 Culture in Spanish Teaching....................................................................................................................... 7 Cultural Competence ................................................................................................................................. 9 Resources Available and Their Limitations ..............................................................................................11 Initiatives in Utah .....................................................................................................................................13 Traditional Spanish Classes in Utah Schools ............................................................................................15 Methods and Design ....................................................................................................................................16 Design Considerations .............................................................................................................................16 Wireframe of the Website .......................................................................................................................20 Sitemap Development .............................................................................................................................22 Results ..........................................................................................................................................................33 Discussion ....................................................................................................................................................39 Limitations ...................................................................................................................................................40 References ...................................................................................................................................................42 3 Abstract The integration of culturally appropriate resources into foreign language instruction is critical for effective language learning, as language and culture are deeply interconnected. Proficiency in a target language (TL) requires an understanding of its cultural context, which fosters intercultural communicative competence and enhances critical thinking and cross-cultural interaction. Despite this, cultural instruction remains underrepresented in traditional foreign language (FL) curricula, which often prioritize grammar. Teachers face challenges in incorporating culture into their lessons due to limited resources, insufficient institutional support, and the complexity of selecting appropriate materials. Furthermore, many educators lack adequate preparation to teach cultural elements confidently, contributing to a minimal allocation of class time to cultural topics—often less than 10%. This project aims to address these challenges by creating a comprehensive repository of curated cultural resources tailored for Spanish Level 1 classes in secondary education. The repository provides authentic, culturally relevant materials—including videos, music, interactive activities, and readings— aligned with instructional units and designed to emphasize the products, practices, and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures. By offering user-friendly resources that accommodate varying levels of technological proficiency and cultural knowledge, this initiative seeks to empower teachers to seamlessly integrate culture into their classrooms. The goal is to enhance student engagement, motivation, cultural competence and retention in language programs by presenting Spanish not merely as a linguistic system but as a vibrant, interconnected cultural experience. Keywords: (foreign language education, Spanish instruction, cultural competence, cultural resources, secondary curriculum)) 4 Acknowledgements I extend my deepest gratitude to my family for their unwavering patience, support, and encouragement throughout this journey. To Brian, my husband, your understanding and sacrifices have been the cornerstone of my success. To my biggest cheerleader, Rosy, for teaching the priceless value of education. To my advisors and mentors, thank you for your gentle guidance, insightful corrections, and steadfast encouragement. Your wisdom and kindness have been invaluable in shaping this project and my growth as a scholar. To all the remarkable female academic researchers who complete advanced degrees while navigating the additional responsibilities inherent to our gender, your resilience and dedication are a source of inspiration. To Oliver and Sophia, my cherished children, thank you for understanding that Mom needed her study time. Your patience and love have made this accomplishment even more meaningful. Finally, I am grateful to God, my maker and savior, for providing me with skills, strength, perseverance, and guiding providence through every step of this journey, Soli Deo Gloria. 5 Integrating Culturally Appropriate Resources in the Teaching of Spanish (Level 1) The importance of culture in language instruction is well established (Genc & Bada, 2005; Jiang, 2000; Kramsch, 2013; Lessow-Hurley, 2013; Mahn & John‐Steiner, 2012; Shaules, 2016) and cannot be overstated. Culture and language are intertwined, and the proficiency in a language is compromised when students lack the ability to understand the culture of target language (TL) (Brdarić, 2016; Byram, 2008; Doganay, 2013; Lessow-Hurley, 2013; Taşdemir & Gürbüz, 2021). During the language acquisition process, immersing students in the cultural aspect of the language helps them achieve intercultural communicative competence, while fostering critical thinking and cross-cultural interaction (Tomalin & Stempleski, 2013). According to Taşdemir and Gürbüz (2021), when teachers incorporate cultural elements into a foreign language (FL) class, meaningful contexts, such as products, practices, and perspectives from the TL are experienced. For those and similar reasons, the need for cultural resources that are readily available for teachers to incorporate in FL instruction is constant. The problem is, however, that institutions such as school districts and foreign language departments in schools don’t always facilitate resources for teacher’s instruction to incorporate cultural elements in their instructions without many more additional layers of research or training. On the other hand, teachers do not want to invest the time and money in creating resources that should be more readily available (Hawk, 2024). As one can see, for language teachers, integrating culture and cultural perspectives in the language teaching process poses another layer of effort (Gay, 2013). In addition, the selection of curated culture-related materials in FL instruction can be a very complex task for teachers, as traditional FL curricula is developed around grammar, while cultural competence is left on the periphery (Gonen & Saglam, 2012; Lawrence, 2010). Another problem that teachers encounter lies in finding paths to improve the ways to connect the National Standards with their own courses (Brooks, 1968; O'Dowd, 2011; Stockwell, 2018; Yang & Chen, 2016). Many teachers also shy away from including culture in the language classroom, as culture can be 6 highly complex and teachers do not always possess the required notions to lead students to have a perspective in the cultural areas of the TL. Regardless of the language teacher experiences, they tend to doubt what culture elements to add into their curriculum as they try to confidently teach cultural subjects and weave them into their lessons (Furstenberg, 2010; Kramsch, 1993; 2013; Yang & Chen, 2016). Other studies have also shown that teachers needed more preparation to change their perception of multicultural education to serve culturally diverse students and embrace the linguistic diversity in our communities (Alismail, 2016; Gonen & Saglam, 2012; Hawk, 2024; Nieto, 2001; Stockwell, 2018). The exclusion of cultural elements in teaching is problematic because without them, language instruction is ineffective (Lessow-Hurley, 2013). Some case studies show that a student’s motivation towards language acquisition may be impacted by the teacher’s attitude and content of the courses (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010; Kramsch, 2009; Yang & Chen, 2016). As teachers, we can make students of Spanish fall in love with the language through culture, but rarely if focus is on grammar exclusively. Not only is this a problem of the barriers for teaching culture in the FL classroom, but also one of student retention in the language programs (Mantle-Bromley & Miller, 1991; Yang & Chen, 2007). According to a study on learning to teach culture, on average, only 13.81% of total class time is dedicated to teaching culture. However, it is more common to observe teachers dedicating less than 10% of class time to this topic, suggesting that culture is still viewed as a secondary aspect of language learning (Byrd, 2014). Gathering content into a repository that aids teachers of Spanish as a FL is the complex process of selecting culturally appropriate resources to approach the cultural aspects in the classroom. The purpose of this project is to build such a repository. The proposed repository of appropriate cultural resources will be readily available for teachers to weave into their Spanish Level 1 classes inside traditional secondary education. The main goal is to facilitate the access to authentic curated resources, 7 that have been produced and used by native speakers, in an organized and simple way, so foreign language teachers can support their instruction regardless of their knowledge and domain of new technologies, computer access, or cultural connection to the language (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010). To that end, a variety of multimedia formats: videos, music, interactive activities and reading resources organized based on cultural products per instructional units defined in the curriculum of Spanish 1 classes for secondary education. The resources provided to teachers will emphasize the products, perspectives, and practices protocol for teachers to include in their Spanish courses. Literature Review Culture in Spanish Teaching In the context of Spanish language teaching, culture refers to the shared practices, perspectives, and products of the Spanish-speaking world. This includes not only the visible aspects such as art, music, literature, and traditions, but also the invisible elements like values, beliefs, communication styles, social norms, and everyday practices (Byram, 1997; Esteban, 2015; Kramsch, 1993; Moran, 2001). The inclusion of concepts of products, practices, and perspectives in instruction are essential for understanding and teaching culture. This approach to the three concepts is part of the "cultural framework" that helps language learners grasp not only the language but also the cultural nuances that shape communication with speakers of the TL (Lafayette, 1997). According to Gonzalez Urbina (2021), these three P’s approach of products, practices and perspectives to achieve interpersonal cultural competence as defined by the ACFTL. Products. Products are tangible and intangible cultural artifacts created or used by a society. These can include physical items like art, food, clothing, and architecture, as well as intangible creations such as music, literature, laws, and systems of belief. In teaching, products help students connect with concrete aspects of the culture associated with the language they are learning. Some products that are tangible from the Spanish cultures can be the works of literature, by well-known authors like Gabriel 8 García Márquez or Federico García Lorca, as well as paintings by Diego Velázquez or Frida Kahlo and musical genres like flamenco, salsa or pop in Spanish. Intangibles products, such as folktales, proverbs, and traditional recipes can provide a deeper understanding of the target culture (Puren, 2015). Practices. Practices refers to patterns of behavior and social interaction that are common in a culture. These practices include rituals, customs, everyday routines, and norms of politeness. Teaching practices helps students understand how people in the target culture typically behave in different situations, such as greetings, meals, holidays, and conversational etiquette. Social protocols are practices embedded in the culture, such are greetings, politeness, conventions, holiday celebrations (e.g., Día de los Muertos, La Tomatina), and rituals. These practices can also vary based on regional language variations, idiomatic expressions, and communication styles (formal vs. informal). Perspectives. Perspectives underlay values, beliefs, and worldviews that shape both the products and practices of a culture. Perspectives help explain why people in a culture behave in certain ways and what they consider important or meaningful. Understanding perspectives enables learners to develop deeper insights into the cultural mindset and worldview of the speakers of the target language (ACTFL, 2015; Moran, 2001). The perspectives of the values and beliefs, represented in the structure of families, religious practices (e.g., Catholicism), concepts of time, and attitudes towards gender roles, are also very important, and vary widely according to the country of origin from the Spanish speaking world (Byram, 1997). Together, products, practices, and perspectives provide a comprehensive approach to teaching culture in language education. They guide students in understanding not only what people in another culture do, but also why they do it, fostering cultural competence and deeper appreciation of the TL. Another aspect of culture is the worldview from each country’s perspective about the understanding of historical events, national identity, and cultural pride in the Spanish-speaking world (Kramsch, 2009). According to Bennett (1998), there are two types of culture: upper-case Culture and lower-case culture, 9 like the modernist view of culture with big C and little c. Differentiating the two defined types of culture from the formal culture, fine arts and traditions and the more mainstream urban culture that sometimes adapts to the times is a necessity. The aspects and kinds of culture, as well as materials to be included in the instruction of FL, are widely discussed and raise an issue for teachers to be prepared to board cultural subjects of the TL in the classrooms to guide students towards cultural competence (Kramsch, 2009; Nault, 2006). Inclusion of assignments and assessments that explicitly focus on teaching culture, would benefit the methods used by teachers in their instruction (Byrd, 2014). The style of teaching, the needs of learners and the learning targets, as well as the priorities of educational institutions are some of the considerations to determine the best way to include culture in the content of FL courses. Cultural Competence The traditional model of teaching languages is rooted in structured methodologies such as grammar-translation and direct instruction. These approaches focus on explicit grammar rules, vocabulary memorization, reading comprehension, and written translation exercises. Benefits of this model include a clear understanding of linguistic structures, precise language use, and the development of strong reading and writing skills. While the traditional model emphasizes accuracy and formal knowledge, it can be less effective in fostering speaking fluency or real-world communication skills without additional conversational practice. However, when combined with modern pedagogies, it provides a solid foundation for language acquisition. Studies suggest that learners who follow this method exhibit higher proficiency in reading and writing, though they may require more immersive, interactive techniques for oral fluency (Richards & Rodgers, 2014; Celce-Murcia, 2001). According to Celce-Murcia (2001), the traditional model often teaches language as a decontextualized set of rules and vocabulary, without integrating the cultural and social contexts in which the language is spoken. Understanding the nuances, idioms, and colloquialisms of a language like Spanish—particularly its diverse dialects across countries—requires a more immersive approach. 10 In the context of an increasingly interconnected global community, the world stage highlights the great importance of the competence of speaking a second language (Bialystok et al., 2012; Byram, 2020; De Jong et al. 2013; Littlemore & Low, 2006; Risager, 2007; Rustamov & Mamaziyayev, 2022). The role of cultural competence in language education has become ever more critical (Gazzola & Wickström, 2016; Graddol, 2006). For educators teaching Spanish, understanding and integrating cultural elements into the curriculum extends beyond mere language instruction; it fosters a more profound connection with the language and its speakers (Byram, 2020; Lessow-Hurley, 2013; Kramsch, 1993; Taşdemir & Gürbüz, 2021). Cultural competence in Spanish language education encompasses not only the knowledge of cultural norms and values but also the ability to navigate and respect cultural diversity. This approach enhances students' engagement and promotes a more nuanced understanding of the Spanish-speaking world (Moran, 2001; Risager, 2007; The College Entrance Examination Board, 2004). Students don’t need to speak the language at an advanced level to understand the cultural perspectives that allow them to use their language skills in fields like healthcare, social work, law, education and many more (Gazzola & Wickström, 2016; Neeley, 2012; Saiz & Zoido, 2005). The American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) emphasizes that cultural competence is essential for achieving proficiency in a second language (ACTFL, n.d.). From this perspective and under the common premise that language and culture are intrinsically linked, effective language learning requires an awareness of cultural contexts to improve the students overall cultural competence (Kramsch,1993; Risager, 2007). Additionally, DeCapua and Wintergerst (2016) argue that cultural competence helps learners avoid stereotypes and fosters intercultural communication skills, which are crucial in today’s diverse society. Even in pop culture, the importance of cultural awareness towards a language or culture have been documented. In a recent concert of Metallica in Mexico City, the band performed a few Spanish 11 songs. They connected to their audience, related to the locals and honored Mexican culture by playing popular iconic songs from different genres of Mexican music (Cano, 2024). By incorporating cultural competence into Spanish language education, educators can provide students with a richer and more authentic learning experience, preparing them not only to communicate effectively but also to appreciate and respect cultural diversity. This holistic approach aligns with contemporary pedagogical standards and prepares students for meaningful interactions in an increasingly multicultural world (Byram, 2008; Dewaele & Wei, 2013; Martin & Nakayama, 2013). Resources Available and Their Limitations In 2007, the Modern Language Association (MLA) of America reported that foreign language learning in higher education was focusing on the importance of teaching both language and culture at the post-secondary level. This report demonstrates that culture continues to be an important element in foreign language education in the 21st century (Yang & Chen, 2016). There are many resources that can be added to the Spanish instruction. Authentic materials, produced by and for Spanish native speakers (Gilmore, 2007), like music, films, literature, news articles, and social media content are readily available online and can be used to bring real-life cultural contexts into the classroom. Teachers can find Spanish authentic resources with ease of access on online platforms for music videos, streaming services for films and documentaries, and websites for news articles (Herron et al., 2002). Other options for language teaching that incorporate cultural content are digital platforms and apps that offer language lessons which include cultural notes and examples. Teachers can use these apps to supplement their lessons, providing students with interactive cultural content, and engage them in activities that combine language practice with cultural learning (Borrero, 2019). Many modern language textbooks now include cultural sections that offer insights into the daily lives, traditions, and values of people in Spanish-speaking countries. These textbooks often come with supplementary materials like workbooks, videos, and online resources. Textbooks such as Así se dice!, 12 ¡Que Chevere! and ¡Avancemos! are widely used and include cultural readings, videos, and projects designed to enhance students' cultural competence (Gilmore, 2007; Terrel at al., 2010). Gatski & McMullan’s book Triangulo (2000) is another tool available for teaching Spanish culture. Cultural exchange programs, whether in-person or virtual, provide students with the opportunity to interact directly with native speakers and experience cultural immersion. Virtual pen pal programs can connect students with peers in Spanish-speaking countries (Lee, 2011). In 1971 the MLA, which provided guidance and professional development for scholars of language and literature in the United States, established the cultural element as a requirement in the curricula of FL classes. The pressure to cover the extensive language curriculum often leaves little time for cultural content. Teachers may prioritize grammar and vocabulary over cultural lessons due to time limitations (Donato & Tucker, 2010). Every school district must dedicate funds for textbooks or licensing of digital materials to use in classrooms (Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010). However, not all schools have access to the latest technology, digital resources, or funding for cultural materials. This limitation can hinder the ability to provide students with rich, culturally immersive experiences. Some teachers may lack the training or confidence to effectively integrate cultural content into their lessons. Professional development opportunities specifically focused on cultural competence in language teaching may be limited (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010; Kramsch, 1993; Sercu, 2006). Another limitation to the inclusion of culture in language teaching is the emphasis on standardized testing in many educational systems often reduces the focus on cultural instruction, as tests typically measure language proficiency rather than cultural knowledge (Shohamy, 2011). The Davis School District in Utah adheres to the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards for the Foreign Language program. In their mission, the afore-mentioned district mentions their dedication to creating multilingual citizens, by preparing them to participate in 13 our global society. The goal for the District’s FL department is to promote multilingualism and intercultural interaction and understanding by offering students proficiency-based world language instruction (Davis School District, 2024). In an ideal world, every teacher would be able to immerse students in some elements of the target language content, unfortunately based on academic results and studies, this is not the case (Collier & Thomas, 2009; García & Wei, 2015; Kramsch, 1993; Soltero, 2016). Although the available resources may be vast, the limitations highlight the current landscape of cultural integration in Spanish language teaching. The purpose of the proposed project is to emphasize the importance of accessible materials and aiming to adequately support the Spanish teachers to fully incorporate cultural education into their language instruction in the Davis School District. The repository proposed, aims to benefit the FL teachers of Spanish in the Davis School District in Utah, while encouraging collaboration from teachers statewide. Initiatives in Utah In Utah, second language acquisition, particularly for Spanish, has seen significant growth due to the state’s large Spanish-speaking population and its emphasis on bilingual education. However, the state’s language learning programs, particularly in public schools, still reflect some of the challenges and limitations of traditional language teaching methods. In the state of Utah, unprecedented and ambitious initiatives have been implemented to help fulfill the need of a multilingual workforce in the areas of government, education and business (Quagliata-Rabot, 2020; Wimmer, 2011). In 2008, funding was provided to create a world-class dual language immersion (DLI) program to allow students in the state to become linguistically proficient and culturally competent in multiple languages, these programs are now widely available for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds (Roberts et al., 2018; Safina, 2014). With the increased demand for Spanish instruction programs of quality in the public schools, not only for DLI, but for traditional instructions, 14 such as the one addressed in this thesis, teachers and administrative teams need to execute successful programs of instruction of language and consider students’ success in the acquisition of a new language. Utah has been at the forefront of dual language immersion (DLI) education in the United States, with a significant expansion of these programs over the past decade (American Councils for International Education, 2017; Hawk, 2024; Utah State Board of Education,2021). According to the different language centered associations, Utah is leading the nation by implementing DLI instruction programs in over 150 schools across the state and serving over 30,000 students across multiple languages (Jaumont, 2017). Dual language immersion programs are designed to be prescriptive and strict protocols are in place to guarantee the schools providing DLI classes are implementing them uniformly (Utah DLI, n.d.). The benefits of such programs are well-documented, including enhanced cognitive development, improved academic performance, and greater cultural awareness (Díaz & Elejalde, 2013). According to research from the Utah State Board of Education, students enrolled in DLI programs show significant gains in both language proficiency and overall academic achievement compared to their peers in traditional language programs (Utah State Board of Education, 2020). These statistics point to the importance of Culture Courses, not only in Dual Language Immersion Programs, but also in any FL class. In the curriculum for DLI units, a separate instructional week is designated for Culture content (Utah DLI, 2024). (See Figure 1). Figure 1 Spanish DLI Course Structure 15 Traditional Spanish Classes in Utah Schools The curriculum for traditional instruction is not as structured as it is for DLI courses, and therefore, the cultural aspects often lack in the traditional Spanish instruction (Collier & Thomas, 2009; García et al., 2015). In the Davis School District, students can choose between immersion in elementary and traditional language courses in secondary. During 7th to 12th advanced language courses are offered Spanish, and French. Secondary students that choose to study a second language course but were not enrolled in a DLI program in elementary level, can enroll in elective language classes. Courses for Spanish 1, 2 and 3 are offered in selected junior high schools and some high schools throughout the state (Davis School District, n.d). Other school districts in Utah follow the same model, all secondary schools in Granite School District offer Spanish 1 and 2 courses, and all high schools offer courses for Spanish 1 through 4 (Granite School District, n.d.). 16 Secondary language courses follow the traditional model, focusing heavily on grammar, translation and vocabulary memorization. Speaking and listening skills take second place and culture a third place, if at all included. According to the Davis School District, a student who begins learning a language in kindergarten and continues through high school, can possibly have a fluency rating in the advanced range by the 12th grade with the DLI track. Students who select learning a language in 7th grade, and continue for five or six years, could reach a fluency rating in the intermediate-mid to intermediate-high ACFTL range. Traditional methods in Utah often present Spanish as a subject isolated from its cultural context. Without cultural immersion, students may miss out on essential sociolinguistic skills, such as understanding idiomatic expressions and regional dialects common in Utah’s Spanishspeaking communities. The cognitive load of learning grammar rules and the lack of immediate application can result in low motivation and high attrition rates, particularly among students who do not see immediate practical benefits from language study (Larsen-Freeman & Anderson, 2011). The aim of this project is to take some elements from DLI programs into the current traditional methods in Utah’s Spanish programs and teach culture in the classroom. This approach should lead students to rely less on translating from English to Spanish. The use of cultural elements in the traditional classes should help students think directly in the target language. Current models for Spanish teaching have a heavy reliance on English for instruction and on teacher’s perspectives, which can slow down the transition to Spanish fluency (Richards & Rodgers, 2014). Methods and Design Design Considerations Research shows that language acquisition needs to be comprehensive. Immersing students in the cultural aspect of the language helps them achieve intercultural communicative competence (Tomalin & Stempleski, 2013). Teachers need to incorporate cultural elements into Spanish language lessons by demonstrating products, practices, and perspectives from the TL (Taşdemir and Gürbüz, 17 2021). Therefore, the need for cultural resources that are readily available for teachers is constant, but teacher’s instruction doesn’t need to include many more additional layers of research of culture resources. (Hawk, 2024). Currently, for language teachers to integrate culture and cultural perspectives in the language teaching process poses another layer of effort (Gay, 2013). Recent studies show that curriculum (re)design and material selection has become a challenging and complex process. According to Parra (2017), language scholars have determined that all program designs should include components that consider: (1) identification of students’ needs, (2) establishment of principles and theoretical foundations that support the design, (3) establishment of goals, (4) decisions on content and presentation sequence, (5) material and activity design, (6) monitoring and learning evaluation, and (7) course evaluation. In addition, the selection of curated culture-related materials in FL instruction can be a very complex task for teachers, because the cultural competence aspect is left on the periphery (Gonen & Saglam, 2012; Lawrence, 2010). This process, called “curricularization,” is far from a simple, neutral process that can proceed independent of institutional and political factors, or conceptualizations about various learning (Valdés, 2015). Using the research from previous sections, resources have been compiled and organized (see Figure 2 for details) in a way that teachers can incorporate them seamlessly into any lesson. The rationale behind the creation of this website is to provide Spanish teachers at the secondary level with readily accessible cultural tools and curated resources for Spanish instruction. The aim is to benefit educators who may feel uncertain about the specific cultural content suitable for their instruction. 18 Figure 2 Planned organization for resources by country groups in a Spanish 1 course unit. Based on this rationale, I decided to follow the existing model for Spanish 1 curriculum for traditional instruction used in the Davis School District. Teachers are already familiar with this curriculum and it the organization of the cultural resources for Spanish culture teaching easily accessible (see Figure 3). 19 Figure 3 Spanish 1 Course Units for Secondary The resources I wanted to include for the site are resourced from different countries covering products, practices and perspectives defined by Gonzales Urbina as the three P’s (2021) and they follow the model of the Utah DLI model (see Figure 4). These aspects would need to be explained on the website so teachers can use them. This cultural lens approach is an alternative allowing teachers to align the available resources to the culture aspects of their lessons. 20 Figure 4 Culture aspects adapted from Utah DLI Spanish website Wireframe of the Website After analyzing the initial considerations for the design, I created a simple wireframe. A wireframe is a simplified outline of the product containing boxes, words, lines and sometimes descriptions (Hall, n.d., which was meant to help me visualize the final product organization (see Figure 5). According to the same author, the wireframe is meant to lay a framework of where to start and the components of the website. The design I came up with for the look and feel of the site helped me start building the content and organize the pages. As you can see, the menu navigation on top categorizes the resources by units, as previously mentioned. 21 Figure 5 Wireframe for resources home site. As part of the wireframe, I also considered organizing the resources by both type of resource and country. However, I quickly realized that categorizing by type would complicate the site's structure more than I had anticipated, at least for the designing tool I have planned to use. Therefore, I decided to organize the resources based on instructional units and countries only. I planned the structure for each Unit page to be similar between pages so I can avoid cognitive overload (Chen, 2018) for users (see Figure 6). After all, the main purpose is to reduce the layers of research for teachers. This is when I decided that the features of the website include: title, describing the type of resource, country of origin, duration of video or difficulty level of worksheets or texts, and a brief description of content of the resource. 22 Figure 6 Initial wireframe for resources by country pages. Sitemap Development To keep the website organized in a basic and easy to navigate structure, I decided to organize the resources based on instructional units and countries. Before starting the implementation of the project on the Google sites platform, I defined the structure of the website as a sitemap in a spreadsheet (see Figure 7), which follows the current curriculum of Spanish 1, as it is published by the Davis School District in Utah. 23 Figure 7 Site navigation map for home page. The Spanish 1 curriculum is divided into 5 units, each containing different topics for basic information that students can present about themselves and about their culture. The basic description and topics for each unit are shown in Figure 8. The creation of this sitemap helped me categorize the resources I have planned to use on the site following the logic by the unit’s topics. Since the country of origin is important to expose students to different accents in Spanish, sorting the resources by country would ease the workload of the user. This process to sort the resources helped me and will aid the user of the website to locate the needed resources in a familiar categorization of content subjects and pages of the website. 24 Figure 8 Sitemap for website navigation by units and countries. Website Design After conducting a literature review, recognizing a problem worth solving and generating a list of Spanish speaking countries’ resources that I wanted to include in this website, I researched development tools to implement for the website design. I worked in the technology sector for many years and I am familiar with Web technologies. I hold a Bachelors in Computer Science, therefore, I felt confident to design this website by myself. My project advisor collaborated with me to provide some 25 guidance and serve as a technology and education subject matter expert (SME), a professional who has advanced knowledge in a field of study or an authority in a particular subject and who is uniquely qualified to provide strategy and guidance (indeed.com, 2021). I served as the web developer (Peslak, 2019). I also investigated the online resources available and found nothing already existing on the market with the features and organization that I wanted to include on my website. I found a site with cultural resources, presented in a very similar way, but on that website, all the resources listed were not organized by course units. I chose to host the website on Google Sites. Google Sites is a popular choice for developing websites due to its simplicity, accessibility, and integration with other Google services like the survey form I will need for usability testing (Krug, 2014). Google Sites also offer access and editing capabilities to a website from any device with an internet connection. The ease of use allows me to develop this website for educational purposes in a faster manner. Google Sites was considered because it offered enough features to create simple sites to host content for classroom learning materials and links to other online resources. The features of this product are stable enough for the purpose of this project (Google, n.d). I named the online repository I designed and implemented “Recursos en Español”. This website is published on the Internet at this URL: https://sites.google.com/view/recursosespanol. The cultural resources are organized for easy navigation, with the general structure shown previously. The look and feel of the website show colors and elements representative of the Spanish culture. The homepage shows an overview of the website and its purpose as a master's project. It also includes an example of the use of cultural artifacts on the site. This example is shown in Figure 9. 26 Figure 9 Example of how to apply the cultural aspects of the resources. These aspects of culture from the 22 Spanish-speaking countries are also identified in the home page and the previous example shows how to use each available resource. Using the research of culture teaching models, following the one used in the Spanish Culture curriculum or the Dual Language Immersion organization (Utah DLI, n.d.). I created icons to represent Products, Practices and Perspectives for those teachers that want to apply the Three Ps approach to culture artifacts. 27 Figure 10 Icons represent the three P’s elements. I wanted to provide some of my credentials as a native Spanish speaker and as a Web developer for the website. Thus, the homepage features a biography section of the site's author (see Figure 11), but I did not want the section to take up too much space, so it does not deter from the main content of the website. For that reason, the section is collapsible. Figure 11 Website creator information. 28 I wanted to include a section on Spanish speaking countries awareness. On the home page, I designed a section to further review some basic facts about the 22 countries that use Spanish as their official language (see Figure 12). This section in the Home page showcase Spanish-speaking countries worldwide, delving into each continent, with dedicated pages for Europe (including Spain), Africa (including Equatorial Guinea), and Latin America (comprising Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, and others). Notably, Puerto Rico is also included, given its significant Spanish-speaking population. These country-specific pages provide flags, currencies, and links to official tourism websites, recognizing the importance of cultural exposure in language education. I believe this section is important as it offers teachers a starting point for incorporating cultural elements into their lessons. By focusing on tourism, teachers can leverage the concept of cultural exposure, a common theme in secondary-level world language curricula. These pages, primarily presented in Spanish, provide supplementary resources for teachers and offer students opportunities to connect with content that aligns with their prior knowledge (Mar-Molinero, 2006). Figure 12 Spanish Speaking Countries Section in Home page 29 During the design revisions, I changed the names of the Units to use shorter names for the navigation menu and talked about having longer descriptions on each Unit page, but in the interest of uniformity for the website, I changed the names to match the menu descriptions as shown in Figure 13. Figure 13 Unit Description Convention Within each unit, I collected varied cultural elements, such as videos, pictures, texts, classroom activities, news, etc… to provide teachers with enriching materials for their lessons. The resources listed in the Unit were also organized by topic. As an example, I have planned to use the resource shown in Figure 14 for Unit 2, titled “Likes & Dislikes”. The resource presented as an image, can be used to prompt students to make notes and mark differences in the way these students practice the sport in their country. After categorizing the resources, however, I realized this resource was a much better fit for Unit 4, titled School, as it is an after-school activity. For that reason, it got moved to the respective Unit page. 30 Figure 14 Image resource sample of a martial arts workshop for youth in Mexico City (Barraza- Garcia, 2019) Each resource included on the website contains the following elements: title, with the type of resource, country of origin, duration of video or difficulty level of worksheets or texts and a brief description of content of the resource (see Figure 15). Figure 15 Resources listing by topic with description 31 The site, called “Recursos en Español” (see Figure 16) is now available at the following URL address: https://sites.google.com/view/recursosespanol Figure 16 Snapshot of the navigation in Home page for “Recursos en Español” website. This website includes the Home page, 3 pages for the regions of Spanish Speaking Countries, 5 pages for each Unit and 9 pages for the countries. The website only has a page for those countries I knew a teacher from. I decided to only include the countries for which I can verify the quality and authenticity of the provided resources through colleagues I know that are native speakers from those countries, which can serve as reviewers. By involving these reviewers, I can mitigate concerns about cultural appropriation (Rogers, 2006). This digital prototype allowed testers to have a real feel for what it would be like to use the published website (See Figure 17), which allowed me to have a better sense of the intended user experience, before we asked our reviewers for feedback. 32 Figure 17 Final version of the website prototype The workflow that the website follows is described in Figure 18. This is how the teachers access the resources following the site implementation. Figure 18 Culture resources workflow 33 Results Usability Testing Once the final product was completed, I proceeded to usability testing (Krug, 2014) with twelve Spanish teaching colleagues, whose varied teaching experiences was intended to enhance the content and quality of the site. This group of cultural and professionally diverse group of Spanish teachers were invited to participate in usability testing. The teachers I invited to complete the survey came from nine different countries listed on Table 1. The product was shared with teachers from diverse backgrounds and cultures to gather their knowledge and feedback by using an online survey (see Appendix A for the list of questions). Table 1 List of initial reviewers for the website. Reviewers Tester 1 Tester 2 Tester 3 Tester 4 Tester 5 Tester 6 Tester 7 Tester 8 Tester 9 Tester 10 Tester 11 Tester 12 Country of origin Spain Mexico Colombia Dominican Republic Peru Argentina Mexico Guatemala Puerto Rico Chile Spain Venezuela Usability Testing Feedback After using the website, eight participants answered the survey and provided valuable feedback about the website. The demographic data for the eight respondents is shown on Table 2. These data reflect their answers to the initial 5 questions. 34 Table 2 Participants Characteristics Level of teaching Years teaching Spanish Native Speaker Birth country Experience Residing in a Residence history Spanish Speaking Country Secondary 10 Yes * Yes Childhood Secondary 10 Yes Spain Yes Childhood Secondary Secondary Secondary Secondary Elementary Secondary 4 7 2 10 2 10 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Mexico Spain Colombia Mexico Dom. Rep. Peru Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Childhood Childhood + 10 years ago Childhood Childhood Childhood * Signifies missing data The feedback from the users was very positive. The results were gathered through the following questions in the survey. This section will document the responses of the remainder questions of the survey to support the reported results. For the question of overall satisfaction with the website, 62.5% of the participants reported to be very satisfied with the experience, while a 37.5% reported to have had a satisfactory experience using the website. These data are represented in Figure 19. Figure 19 Results on Satisfaction 35 While providing details on satisfaction, participants reported perceiving the website as “easy to navigate”, “well-organized” and containing “useful resources”. One person suggested that “more categories” are added in the future. The participants really like the project, and how it is organized by countries and units. They mentioned the resources included in the website were useful. Figure 20 shows the results of question #8, which asked about ease of navigation. Over 62.5% of the participants found that the resources on the site were super easy to find, while 25% of them mentioned that it was only easy to find resources, and a 12.5% reported to have neutral opinion on the question. Figure 20 Results on Easy of Navigation Participants reported having “no problems” accessing the resources. They mentioned the resources were well-organized and the site was easy to navigate. One user suggested hosting the site where a more robust search function can be provided, which was not financially feasible for me at this point, but I am willing to consider in the future. The responses for the categorization of the materials are shown in Figure 21. Reviewers split their opinions about the categories for resources. 37.5% expressed the materials are extremely well organized. Another 37.5% reported the materials very well organized and 25% thought the resources were somewhat well organized. 36 Figure 21 Results on Categorization The results of the survey about relevancy were very positive, 62.5% of users reported the content being very relevant for teaching Spanish, while the remainer 37.5% mentioned it is somewhat relevant. Figure 22 represent the responses of the reviewers. Figure 22 Results on Relevancy Participants expressed the website is successful in providing diverse materials for many Spanish speaking countries. One participant mentioned that this was the advantage of the website, as in other materials “Spain and Mexico are [usually] overrepresented”. The variety of materials were perceived to 37 facilitate teaching visual learners and that the curated content was engaging and meaningful to students. One participant suggested that more content from Venezuela and Cuba, should be presented in a section for those countries, which are represented as Spanish speaking countries, but were not included as their own site because there were not reviewers available to me from these countries. Overall, reviewers praised the diversity of the authentic materials from many Spanish speakingcountries. All the participants indicated that the website included engaging multimedia resources related to Spanish culture (see Figure 23). Figure 23 Results on Engagement The participants provided varied feedback about enhancing the usability of the website. A teacher outside of the Davis School District mentioned that a guide to the unit’s content will be useful for someone that is not as familiar with the curriculum structure With regards to teachers’ willingness to recommend the website to other Spanish teachers, 87.5% of the participants answered they would recommend the website to other Spanish teachers. One 38 of participants answered that they might recommend the site to other teachers. Figure 24 shows these results. Figure 24 Results of Willingness to Recommend the Website Participants answered question #17 stating that they really liked the website for the diversity of countries, variety of videos, organization by countries and the easy navigation. One participant indicated that “I really like the website and think this is a great start to gather in one place diverse cultural content from various Spanish speaking countries.” One participant who teaches a Culture focus course stated that “take the kids to real scenarios where they can see how is the real life in places beyond their small worlds.” and she would use the site to show cultural resources to her students. The specific functions and features that were particularly liked about the website were: the way it was organized by Units and Countries, diversity of resources, the visual resources were engaging for students in secondary schools, and the ease of navigation. Participants found it easy to navigate and understand. They also found it was simple to use and helpful to find cultural resources. 39 Suggestions for Improvement The reviewers of the site offered a variety of suggestions for improvements for later use that they would like to be included on the website, including: links to other resources like public materials and broadcast from Spain and Latin America, games like Quizlet or Gimkit, songs from every country, accents, and more celebrations resources from different countries. The feedback given for improvements included additions of content units, have the website in Spanish, relocate sections to make it more accessible, and categorization by topics instead of units. Planned Revisions In the future, I plan on adding more resources from other countries like Cuba and Equatorial Guinea. The additional countries and resources will help increase the pool of choices for the Spanish teacher community that will use the website. I also would implement a membership feature for teachers that would like to access additional courses and topics that I will create, to enhance the scope for this project. Discussion Participant feedback about the website is consistent with the literature provided in this thesis. The reviewers consider this website a useful tool because they understand the importance that culture plays in the teaching of languages, and fostering cultural competence critical (Gazzola & Wickström, 2016; Graddol, 2006). It is clear from the participants’ opinions that educators teaching Spanish, try to integrate cultural elements into the curriculum (Byram, 2020; Kramsch, 1993; LessowHurley, 2013; Taşdemir & Gürbüz, 2021). The feedback related to the variety of material sources and the diversity of the resources, reinforces the theories in which this website was conceived, with an approach that enhances students' engagement and promotes a more nuanced understanding of the Spanish-speaking world (Moran, 2001; Risager, 2007; The College Entrance Examination Board, 2004). 40 The interest shown by my colleagues about this website and the suggestions to expand its contents, demonstrate what researches have been noticing; teachers do not want to invest time and money in creating resources that should be more readily available (Hawk, 2024). Including culture in the language teaching process poses another layer of effort for language teachers, and this website is useful for teachers to integrate culture and cultural perspectives in the classroom (Gay, 2013). From the perspective of the school districts, funding restrictions make the technology and research pool for teachers limited (Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010). This website attempts to mitigate this limitation, providing teachers with the ease to provide students with rich, culturally immersive experiences. Limitations One of the limitations of this study is the scope I chose, including only the content units for Spanish 1, the topics are limited. Little research has been done in terms of what is the best model of categorization of cultural resources. Adding more resources will enrich the pool of materials the teachers can use, but it will require time. Incorporating the suggestions made by the reviewers will enhance the appeal to other teachers to use the website. Another limitation for this project is the pool of reviewers testing the website. All of the participants are personal acquaintances. Therefore, their answers about the usability of the website could be biased. I choose the participants based on their knowledge of the culture they are familiar with, as well as their experience in teaching. Even when they are a trusted source, their opinions could be influenced by their connection to me as a colleague or friend. I have recently found a similar website that is hosted in a different platform and it offers a membership to teachers for the whole set of resources, the organization is a bit different. The website I designed for this project can expand to include a wider variety of countries and resources, studies exist 41 in regards to facilitating curated cultural resources, specifically as it refers to teaching of Spanish as it pertains to my subject. 42 References American Councils for International Education. (2017). 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Please provide a detailed explanation of your level of satisfaction. 8. How easy or difficult was it to locate the teaching materials you were looking for? 51 A. Super easy B. Easy C. Neutral D. Difficult E. Super difficult 9. Please provide a detailed explanation of your experience with difficulty. 10. How well were the teaching materials categorized? A. Extremely well B. Very well C. Somewhat well D. Neutral E. Somewhat confusing F. Very confusing G. Extremely confusing 11. Was the cultural content relevant and useful for teaching Spanish? A. Yes, very relevant B. Somewhat relevant C. Neutral D. Somewhat irrelevant E. Not relevant at all 12. In your opinion, how successful was the website in providing diverse cultural content from different Spanish-speaking regions? 13. Did the website include engaging multimedia resources (e.g., videos, audio, images) related to Spanish culture? 52 A. Yes B. No 14. If your previous answer is "no", what type of multimedia would you like to see? 15. What improvements would you suggest for enhancing the usability of the website? 16. Would you recommend this website to other Spanish teachers? A. Yes B. No C. Maybe 17. What do you particularly like about this website? 18. Do you have any additional resources you would like added to Unit 1 - Greetings, introductions and farewells? 19. Do you have any additional resources you would like added to Unit 2 - Likes and Dislikes? 20. Do you have any additional resources you would like added to Unit 3 - Family and Friends? 21. Do you have any additional resources you would like added to Unit 4 - School? 22. Do you have any additional resources you would like added to Unit 5 - Fun?