Dr. Laura Valentín-Rivera

Associate Professor and Heritage Learner Coordinator

 

Contact Information

• Email: lvalentin@ksu.edu
• Office: Eisenhower 213

Education and Research

Dr. Laura Valentín-Rivera holds a PhD in Spanish Linguistics (Texas Tech University, 2009) and her research interests mainly reside on L2 literacy in Foreign and Heritage settings as the result of instruction following a Writing-to-Learn approach. Her work has been published in domestic and international venues, such as Foreign Language Annals and Estudios de Lingüística Aplicada (UNAM). Most recently, Dr. Valentín-Rivera, in collaboration with Dr. Yang, published an edited collection on writing in Chinese L2 contexts titled “Developing Writing Competence in L2 Chinese Classrooms: Research and Application”, which was published by Multilingual Matters. This and other research endeavors completed by Dr. Valentín-Rivera can be accessed via her Research Gate profile.

Courses Taught

During her tenure at Kansas State University, Dr. Valentín-Rivera has taught varied advanced courses that mainly focus on the growing presence of Spanish in the USA, the history of the Spanish language, the comprehension and teaching of culture-related matters, and Second Language Acquisition Theories. At the intermediate level, Dr. Valentín-Rivera has created two of the three Spanish courses that are offered for heritage language learners (i.e., SPAN 411 and the section for said learners of SPAN 550), which she also often teaches.

Study Abroad

Dr. Valentín-Rivera has created a Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program in Mexico, which takes place in the summer. This was originally run in Querétaro but is currently situated in Playa del Carmen.

Grants and Awards

• Laura Valentín-Rivera and Li Yang were awarded a USRG grant of $7,824.99 in the Spring for their research on Writing Processes across Two Languages and Working Modes: Understanding Individual and Collaborative Writing Strategies in Spanish and Chinese FL contexts. (2016)

• Laura Valentín-Rivera and Angélique Courbou received $5,000 from the Alternative/Open Textbook Initiative to develop an open access textbook for their Spanish Composition and Grammar course. (2016)

• Laura Valentín-Rivera was awarded a USRG grant of $2,836.25 in the Fall, for her research on Understanding the Writing Practices of Spanish Heritage Language Learners. (2015)