Andi Hernando Presents Research on Learning Language Success
Andi Hernando received the Georgetown Americas Institute grant in Fall 2025 to support the presentation of two interconnected research projects on emotions, social interaction, and language development in study abroad contexts.
With this funding, she presented her research at the Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) in Flagstaff, Arizona, and participated in the International Association for the Psychology in Language Learning (IAPLL) Doctoral School in Graz, Austria.
Her interest in study abroad research stems from the recognition that immersion alone does not guarantee language learning success. Previous work has shown that emotional experiences and the quality of social interactions play a crucial role in shaping learning outcomes abroad. However, most research up to date has focused on exploring these factors in isolation. As a result, little is still known about how emotional experiences shape access to social relationships abroad, how those relationships in turn influence emotions, and how both develop together with language proficiency. \
By integrating these perspectives, her dissertation explores the dynamic relationships among emotions, social networks, and language development over the course of study abroad programs in Spanish-speaking countries. Initial stages of this work were shared at SLRF and at the highly selective IAPLL Doctoral School, where she received expert feedback from scholars in language psychology.
Thanks to the GAI grant, she was able to share her findings with international audiences, refine her research design through feedback from experts, and build professional networks that will support the completion of her dissertation and her future academic trajectory.