Dialectal variation and Spanish Language Teaching (SLT): perspectives from the United Kingdom

This article presents the results of an empirical investigation into the teaching practices and opinions of UK-based Spanish teachers concerning the treatment of language varieties in the L2/FL classroom. Qualitative and quantitative data obtained through an online survey provide the basis for an analysis of participants’ knowledge of dialectal varieties and how to teach them, their perceptions of their own and other varieties, and the extent to which they accept new Pan-Hispanic ideologies and the conception of Spanish as a pluricentric language. The study reveals a lack of correlation between teachers’ declared knowledge about Spanish dialectal varieties and their own teaching practices.