But for this specific type of learner, heritage Spanish speakers, performance is not limited to sufficient input, because additionally, they have to navigate expectations of how they should or should not speak the language based on others’ opinions.

For heritage Spanish speakers, or those who grew up with some element of the language in their house or in their family, speaking expectations are intertwined with 1) past performance, 2) the value that the family places on the version of that language (ex. Puerto Rican Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Dominican Spanish, etc), and, of course, 3) opportunities to practice listening comprehension.