Meagan Driver

driverme@msu.edu

B365 Wells Hall
619 Red Cedar Rd
East Lansing, MI 48824

FacultyRomance and Classical StudiesSecond Language Studies

Assistant Professor
Spanish

ORCID: 0000-0002-6712-4521

Biography

Meagan Driver is an assistant professor in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies and a core faculty member in the Second Language Studies (SLS) Ph.D. Program.

Dr. Driver is an applied linguist who specializes in mixed-methods approaches to heritage and Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Within this realm, her research implements cognitive theories and methodologies to explore topics including emotion, bilingualism and multilingualism, and study abroad and the relationship with a range of linguistic, psychological, and social factors, including vocabulary learning, moral judgment, and identity, to name a few. A heritage speaker of Spanish herself, she aims to adapt instruments and methodologies in her research that address the reality and needs of linguistically and socially diverse learner populations. Presently, her work explores the relationship between various emotions, including anxiety, interest, and linguistic insecurity, motivation, and questions surrounding linguistic and ethnoracial identity, specifically with respect to the acquisition of a heritage or foreign language. At MSU, she teaches undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D. courses in applied linguistics and SLA in both the Spanish and SLS programs and serves as Content Director for the Basic Spanish program.

Degree: Ph.D., Georgetown University

Research Interests: Heritage Language Education, Second Language Acquisition, Bi-/multilingualism, Study Abroad, Third Language Acquisition

Relevant Links: WebsiteGoogle ScholarResearchGate

Projects


Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

Goetze, J., & Driver, M. (In preparation). Learning is believing? – A meta- analysis of self-efficacy in SLA. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, Special issue on Individual differences and learning contexts: Meta-analytical studies in SLA research.

Heritage Speakers of Spanish in Study Abroad

Leeman, J., & Driver, M. (Forthcoming). Spanish heritage speaker identity and study abroad. In R. Pozzi, C. Escalante, & T. Quan (Eds.), Heritage Speakers of Spanish in Study Abroad. New York: Routledge.

The Cambridge handbook of corrective feedback in language learning and teaching

Leow, R., & Driver, M. (Forthcoming). Cognitive theoretical perspectives on corrective feedback. In H. Nassaji & E. Kartchava (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of corrective feedback in language learning and teaching. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

Driver, M. (2020). Switching codes and shifting morals: How code-switching and emotion affect moral judgment. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.

University News

Fulbright Scholar Award to Support Linguistic Landscapes Research
Published May 24, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
A Fulbright Global Scholar Award received by Meagan Driver for the 2023-2024 academic year will support research on how to bring students’ own “linguistic landscapes” into their foreign…Read now »
Graduate Student Wins Award for Best Abstract at Portuguese and Hispanic Symposium
Published April 19, 2022 in College of Arts & Letters
A picture of a woman with glasses and long hair smiling at the camera.
Andrea Hernando, a second-year graduate student in Spanish as a Second or Bilingual Language at Michigan State University, recently won the 2022 Best Abstract in Linguistics Award at the Graduate…Read now »
College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff
Published September 1, 2020 in College of Arts & Letters
graphic that reads "welcome our new faculty & staff college of arts and letters"
This semester, the College of Arts & Letters is pleased to welcome 22 new faculty and staff members. Please join us in welcoming the following people to Michigan State University and the…Read now »