Lexical diversity in an L2 Spanish learner corpus

This study examines the impact of two topic-related variables (i.e., valence polarity and everyday-life closeness) on the lexical diversity scores (i.e., MTLD) of learners of L2 Spanish at different proficiency levels. The analysis included 3,045 texts written in response to two pairs of prompts by 1,165 students enrolled in an L2 Spanish program. The first pair of prompts asked learners to narrate an event: prompt 1 focused on a perfect vacation (positive event), while prompt 2 asked participants to tell a terrible story (negative event). The second pair asked to describe a person: prompt 1 required that the subject be famous, thus not close to the writer, whereas prompt 2 required that the subject be special and close to the writer. Results indicate that lexical diversity scores were higher for the texts written about the positive event and the famous subject across all proficiency levels.

Clínica Comunitaria Esperanza: Strategy for Health Promotion and Engagement With Hispanic Communities

A 2009 community needs assessment highlighted the health care gap facing Hispanic residents in Hampton, Virginia, one of the major cities served by Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). Survey respondents indicated the following as health care barriers: language, lack of knowledge, and lack of a community health center. EVMS students worked to bridge the health care gap between existing needs and services by establishing and maintaining the Clínica Comunitaria Esperanza, a culturally and linguistically competent student-run free clinic serving uninsured Hispanics in the Hampton Roads area. This article provides a model for engaging effectively with a priority population through partnerships that facilitate understanding of the community concerns, values, culture, and existing local resources that serve as determinants of health. This article further illustrates how the integration of two preexisting EVMS programs, the HOPES (Health Outreach Partnership of EVMS Students) Clinic and the Medical Spanish program, has supported the development and sustainability of Clínica Comunitaria Esperanza. The HOPES Clinic is a student-run free clinic that provides both general and specialty care to uninsured patients. EVMS’ Medical Spanish program is a longitudinal service learning initiative composed of medical students, faculty, and staff dedicated to providing inclusive health care to meet the needs of the local Spanish-speaking community.