As a new resident of Costa Rica, it can be intimidating to utilize your Spanish skills in real-world scenarios. Immersion, however, is a proven method of rapidly accumulating language and culture (Savage & Hughes, 2014) and this app provides the initiatives to harness this immersion for personal development. The tool we have created seeks to:
Introduce Costa Rican-specific vocabulary and phrases.
Help new residents adapt to a new culture.
Tap into the user's identity in sharing their experiences
Embrace the increasing mobility and interconnectedness of residents around the world, and specifically in Costa Rica & Canada.
The Strategy of ¡¿Sos Tico?! is not to begin with traditional formal language learning, but rather to allow users to explore the language and construct their learning based on their day-to-day needs. The app allows learners to choose the methods that work best for them, whether that is listening and speaking exercises, vocabulary-building exercises, common phrases, or cultural content.