(Im-)Plausible Classroom Communities: World Language Learners‘ Perceived Accuracy of Stereotypical Attributions to Teachers of German

Abstract

ABSTRACT Grounded in self-based and community-oriented concepts of motivation research into learning world languages, this study investigated stereotypes about native-speaker and non-native speaker teachers of German that 110 novice learners of French, German, Russian, and Spanish had encountered. It furthermore analyzed how participants rated the accuracy of the described stereotypes. With the goal to explore whether stereotypical attributions to teachers of German speak to Chavez’s (2021) concept of the plausible foreign-language self, the study examined how clichés about instructors and their perceived accuracy differ between learners and non-learners of German. Statistical analyses showed students awareness of stereotypical notions about teachers of another language and differences between learners and non-learners in perceived accuracy scores. Findings indicate that students’ language choice reflects how strongly students believe in the target-language community’s acceptance of differing characteristics of native speakers and non-native speakers. Ultimately, the study discusses implications for world language classes, programs, and institutions.