Competencias sociolingüísticas y socioculturales adquiridas en experiencias de inmersión cultural en el programa “Au pair” en Estados Unidos.

Abstract

This research was developed by three students of the Master's program in Bilingual Learning Environments (MABA) at Universidad Santo Tomás. This proposal is based on a cultural exchange experience carried out by one of the team members, and was implemented with a sample of 5 women, who had previously participated and completed their experience in the Au Pair program. The focus of this research is on the analysis of two key competencies that emerge throughout the experience: sociolinguistic competence and sociocultural competence. These competencies will be conceptualized and defined in the terms established by Ayora (2017). Several studies, such as those by Byram (1997) and Bustamante and López (2018), have evidenced that cultural immersion plays a fundamental role in improving fluency and accuracy in a foreign language. The present study proposes to observe aspects of sociolinguistic and sociocultural competence, focusing on the construction of identity. This concept, essential in the development of cross-cultural interaction, is defined by Deardorff (2009) as the ability to interact and understand diverse cultures effectively.