Postsecondary Foreign Language Research Articles

Foreign Languages in Higher Education in the US -- Issues and Advocacy

Foreign language learning has been disrupted by declining enrollments, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the benefits of languages are well known, few US students study another language. Beyond the decline in enrollment and lack of qualified language teachers, issues facing languages in US colleges and universities include the crisis in the humanities, the curriculum, and online learning. In a globalized world, the need for international education is evident. Advocacy is needed, including K-16 and interdisciplinary collaborations, to rebuild the number of foreign language learners so that there will be a sufficient number of students with the interests and skills to pursue pre-professional language studies at the postsecondary level. A national language policy would encourage language learning and reduce divisions within our increasingly multilingual society. The leadership role of faculty in making the case for languages, developing interdisciplinary and K-16 partnerships, supporting access to foreign language learning for all interested students from the earliest grade levels, and expanding the postsecondary foreign language curriculum to include multiple career pathways, is essential.

Genre instruction, textual borrowing, and foreign language writing: Graduate teaching assistant perspectives and practices

Although writing plays a significant role in communication, 21st century literacies and academic foreign language learning, little research has investigated approaches to and instructional practices of writing in foreign language (FL) contexts. To address this gap, the current study explores how postsecondary FL teachers conceptualize writing instruction and apply their conceptual knowledge in the classroom. Using a sociocultural theory perspective, this qualitative study focuses on genre-based writing instruction and the teaching of textual borrowing among three graduate teaching assistants in a lower-level French as a FL course. Findings, based on analysis of classroom observations, teaching materials, and interviews, demonstrate that participants’ conceptualizations and implementation of textual borrowing were emergent, variable, and influenced by their everyday understandings and experiences of writing. These findings suggest several implications for FL writing instruction and teacher professional development and lay the groundwork for future investigations into how writing pedagogy is implemented in postsecondary FL programs.

Using Innovative Approach to Forming Foreign Language Professional Communicative Competence at Bachelors of Science in Mining Engineering

This article discusses the authors’ methods and techniques in the system of innovative pedagogical technologies proposed by postsecondary foreign language teachers providing effective control of knowledge and skills of Bachelors of Science in Mining Engineering in all types of speech activity in an innovative approach. A system of innovative tests in running control has been developed and presented which can be used both in the classroom of a teacher with students at a University and in the conditions of remote online communication throughout the process of training bachelors in mining specialties. It has been found that the formation of a foreign-language professional communicative competence of a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering, among other things, depends on a well-designed and tested innovative system of items in a test form.

The Effects of Music in the Foreign Language Learning Classroom

In this paper the author poses and seeks an answer to the question, “Is music an effective tool in secondary and post-secondary foreign language learning classrooms?” By observing articles and research ranging from the historic intertwinement of language and music to its use as a medium for learner choice, the author details music’s benefits on foreign language learner cognition, affect, motivation, and identity as well as the challenges involved. Additionally, the author presents some possible ways the introduction of music into the classroom can be a catalyst for learner and teacher autonomy.

Toward a Capacity Framework for Useful Student Learning Outcomes Assessment in College Foreign Language Programs

The educational impacts of mandated assessment in U.S. colleges is part of a growing research agenda focused on how methodologies of program evaluation best enable educators to improve teaching and learning. Accordingly, research has tried to identify the key aspects of evaluation/assessment ‘capacity’ in college language departments (i.e., environmental conditions and personnel factors) that seem most associated with meaningful reform and evaluation use. This article reports on a provisional framework of evaluation/assessment capacity for university foreign language (FL) programs. Factor analysis was performed on questionnaire data from 204 university language educators reporting on their program assessment activities. Results suggested a set of program‐level and institutional capacity elements grouped into 7 categories: (a) institutional support (funding, training, expertise, etc.), (b) institutional governance and leadership, (c) facilitative infrastructures (e.g., curricular maps, assessment plans), (d) program‐level support (financial, personnel resources), (e) a prevailing program ethos conducive to educational innovation, (f) pro‐assessment attitudes, and (g) high‐quality assessment activities and abilities (i.e., dimensions of assessment practice at advanced levels of skill and experience). The framework delineates a provisional set of theory‐based, empirically supported program factors linked to assessment usefulness in postsecondary FL education and provides educators a set of guidelines to develop their assessment capabilities.

Designing and Sustaining a Foreign Language Writing Proficiency Assessment Program at the Postsecondary Level

AbstractWriting in postsecondary foreign language contexts in North America has received far less attention in the curriculum than the development of oral proficiency. This article describes one institution's process of confronting the challenges not only of recognizing the contribution of writing to students' overall linguistic development, but also of implementing a program‐wide process of assessing writing proficiency. The article reports writing proficiency ratings that were collected over a 5‐year period for more than 4,000 learners in 10 languages, poses questions regarding the proficiency levels that postsecondary learners achieved across 2 years of foreign language instruction, and relates writing proficiency scores to Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview ratings for a subset of students. The article also articulates the crucial relationship between professional development and writing as well as the role of technology in collecting and assessing writing samples.

Current Issues in Heritage Language Acquisition

An increasing trend in many postsecondary foreign language classes in North America is the presence of heritage language learners. Heritage language learners are speakers of ethnolinguistically minority languages who were exposed to the language in the family since childhood and as adults wish to learn, relearn, or improve their current level of linguistic proficiency in their family language. This article discusses the development of the linguistic and grammatical knowledge of heritage language speakers from childhood to adulthood and the conditions under which language learning does or does not occur. Placing heritage language acquisition within current and viable cognitive and linguistic theories of acquisition, I discuss what most recent basic research has so far uncovered about heritage speakers of different languages and their language learning process. I conclude with directions for future research.

Computer Mediated Communication: Tools for Instructing Russian Heritage Language Learners

The unique needs, goals, and constraints of heritage language learners in U.S. higher education and the multiple ways that they differ from those of second and foreign language (L2) learners have been well documented (Brisk, 2000; Chevalier, 2004; Grosjean, 1982; Kagan & Dillon, 2003). Each population uses its two languages in diverse ways, for differing purposes and with vastly dissimilar levels of proficiency. Shaping these distinctions are the contexts and purposes in which and for which learners are and/or become fluent. In the mother tongue, these contexts and purposes are most often interpersonal and involve home and family. By contrast, the contexts and purposes in which and for which a ‘school educated’ learner tends to master the foreign language are public and academic. This study examines Russian heritage learners in a U.S. university Russian language course and how computer mediated communication (CMC) was used to support their acquisition of academic literacy in the mother tongue. The CMC approaches reported can serve as models for accommodating heritage learners in post-secondary foreign language classes in ways that benefit all learners.

Creating a Culture for the Preparation of an ACTFL/NCATE Program Review

This article examines what one university has done to prepare for its program review for recognition by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), a Specialized Professional Association (SPA) of NCATE. The history of the Standards movement within higher education is neither long nor exhaustive; however, with the publication of the ACTFL/NCATE Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (2002), universities must begin to focus efforts on the training of future K‐12 foreign language teachers. Six considerations are offered to foreign language and pedagogy faculty: (1) engaging all faculty in the program review process, (2) establishing a culture of oral proficiency, (3) educating faculty on standards, (4) revising curricula, (5) preparing the seven assessments required by ACTFL/NCATE, and (6) making use of technology for data collection.

Behaviors and Attitudes of Effective Foreign Language Teachers: Results of a Questionnaire Study

Abstract: This article reports on a study of teacher perceptions concerning teaching behaviors and attitudes that contribute to effective foreign language teaching and learning. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire to which 457 postsecondary foreign language teachers of French, German, and Spanish who are members of ACTFL responded. Based on current research on second language acquisition (SLA), various teaching behaviors and attitudes of effective foreign language teachers were identified for inclusion on the questionnaire. The results indicate an emerging professional consensus regarding a number of teacher behaviors and attitudes related to foreign language teaching. The more that is known about teacher beliefs, the more likely the profession will be to create models for foreign language teacher preparation and evaluation that reflect relevant behaviors and attitudes of foreign language teaching.

It's Not “Just a Matter of Time:” A Response to Rifkin

Foreign Language AnnalsVolume 37, Issue 3 p. 470-476 It's Not “Just a Matter of Time:” A Response to Rifkin Eileen W. Glisan, Eileen W. Glisan Indiana University of PennsylvaniaSearch for more papers by this authorRichard Donato, Richard Donato University of PittsburghSearch for more papers by this author Eileen W. Glisan, Eileen W. Glisan Indiana University of PennsylvaniaSearch for more papers by this authorRichard Donato, Richard Donato University of PittsburghSearch for more papers by this author First published: 31 December 2008 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2004.tb02704.xCitations: 4AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume37, Issue3October 2004Pages 470-476 RelatedInformation

A Statewide Professional Development Program for California Foreign Language Teachers

Abstract: The California Foreign Language Project (CFLP), established in 1988, is a voluntary professional development program designed to improve and expand elementary, secondary, and postsecondary foreign language teaching in California. CFLP consists of nine regional sites that work in conjunction with a central office to increase professional development for over 600 foreign language teachers annually. CFLP provides teacher participants with three major professional development services: (1) workshops provided by the regional sites, (2) partnerships with low‐performing schools/districts, and (3) an annual Summer Leadership Seminar. Sites submit a portfolio at the end of each program year that allows them to demonstrate their effectiveness in meeting CFLP's goals. Evaluation results indicate that over a three‐year period, the CFLP increased opportunities for participants to strengthen academic content knowledge and develop teacher leadership skills. Results also show that participants incorporated workshop materials in their sample lesson plans and their classroom teaching.

Chicago's "Heritage Language Teacher Corps": A Model for Improving Spanish Teacher Development

Few postsecondary foreign language teacher-training programs include coursework on teaching Spanish to native speakers (SNS), even at institutions that offer SNS tracks for their own undergraduates and that prepare high school teachers to work in areas with high Latino concentrations. This article describes a model of in-service SNS teacher training called the Heritage Language Teacher Corps offered through a collaboration between the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Chicago Public Schools. The program offers three graduate-level courses that prepare teachers in accordance with several of the necessary teacher competencies for teaching SNS outlined in the AATSP volume Spanish for Native Speakers (2000, 88). This article offers a description of the HLTC model: the three courses; workshops and other activities; program evaluations; and future directions.

Evaluation of Professional Development for Language Teachers in California

Abstract: The California Foreign Language Project (CFLP), established in 1988 by the California legislature, is a professional development program designed to improve and expand foreign language teaching in California while promoting access and equity within educational institutions for every student. As one of the nine content areas of the California Subject Matter Project, CFLP is a voluntary project that served 609 elementary, secondary, and postsecondary foreign language teachers from 43 counties in 1998/1999. This article describes the origin and rationale of the California Foreign Language Project and discusses the importance of professional development programs, a topic of growing interest given the nationwide focus on student performance and school reform. Finally, the components of professional development program evaluation, and specifically of CFLP's Evaluation Design, will be presented, along with the findings from the 1998/1999 program year.

Improving Cooperation among Secondary and Postsecondary German Programs

It is no secret that enrollment in postsecondary German language has decreased over the past decade (Jedan; Berman; Tatlock, Prospects; Tatlock, Special Report). One crucial step toward understanding and potentially remedying current postsecondary enrollment trends is to explore why high school (HS) German students choose either to continue or discontinue their German study at the postsecondary level. The AATG undertook such a study, and in 2000 an AATG committee surveyed 4,711 HS juniors and seniors enrolled in German. The AATG questionnaire sought to learn what motivates students of German in high school to continue their study of German beyond high school and into college/university (Tatlock, Survey).1 In a 2000 presentation at the ACTFL conference in Boston, Tom Lovik, Michigan State University, reported preliminary results of the AATG survey and posed the question What is the message from these high school students for college and university programs? A variety of factors seemed to play a role in students' decisions to extend their language study to the postsecondary level. For all college-bound students who planned to take German or were undecided, the four highest ranked motivating factors (out of 18) for continuing to study German were: (1) the possibility of good grades, (2) the love of German, (3) the possibility of enjoyable classroom activities, and (4) knowing I would feel comfortable in German class. It seems, then, that knowing more about college and university foreign language (FL) and classes could positively impact a stud nt's decision to continue his or her FL study at the postsecondary level. According to Lovik, another important factor wa encouragement by high school teacher. Thus, it appears that HS teachers can also have a positive influence on their students' decision to enroll in college or university FL classes. This marks an important consequence for postsecondary FL nstructors. It is our responsibility to communicate and collaborate with HS teachers to promote continued FL study and to facilitate cooperation between the two programs. Tatlock urged that above all, we need to improve our relationships with our feeder schools and with the German teachers at th se schools.... We should never assume that high school teachers know what is going on in college and, vice versa, that college teachers are familiar with high school programs (Prospects 43). Yet, even this task can seem formidable. How can postsecondary FL instructors improve our relationships with area high schools? Where do we begin? As I mentioned earlier, Lovik asked What is the message from these high school students for college and university programs? This paper poses another pertinent question: What is the message

Introducing Action Research into the Education of Postsecondary Foreign Language Teachers

Abstract:This article reports on the introduction of an action research component into an existing graduate foreign language teaching methodology course for beginning foreign language teachers (graduate teaching assistants and graduate students) at the college level. The authors discuss the implementation, benefits, and caveats of such a project, illustrated with samples of feedback from the graduate teaching assistants' journals, evaluations, and follow‐up interviews. Graduate teaching assistants reported positive attitudes about the project overall, at the same time expressing concerns about time constraints and risk taking (e.g., doing action research as beginning teachers). Limitations concerning the depth of graduate teaching assistants' understanding of action research were noted. Four possible options for change are listed, and some conclusions are drawn about the importance of a cyclical and exploratory approach to change in foreign language teacher education programs in general.

Spanish, French, and German: An Edwardian Pattern for a Postmodern World

As enrollments in Spanish classes increase and those in French and Ger man decline, our predictable response has been to seek ways to protect our colleagues and preserve their programs. Given that we value both, the re sponse is not indefensible. But the needs of the nation and the unlikelihood of additional resources for foreign language study argue that we should seek alternatives to Spanish, French, and German as the standard pattern in most United States schools. Disconcerting though it might be, we may need to shift money and people from French and German to other major languages of the world: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Por tuguese, and Russian, for example. Despite recent changes in the world's economies and trade patterns, most secondary and postsecondary foreign language programs in the United States still reflect the Edwardian view that the country's academic and pragmatic interests are primarily Eurocentric and that French and German are therefore both necessary and sufficient. This pattern is rein forced by a plethora of available instructors and established programs in French and German accompanied by a dearth in the less commonly taught major languages. Responsible leadership in the study of foreign languages requires exploration of alternative views, regardless of the dislocations that might ensue.

Cooperative Learning in the Portuguese-for-Spanish-Speakers Classroom

ABSTRACT Cooperative learning has a fifteen year history of research and application in primary and middle schools throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel. This paper briefly describes that history in terms of research conducted in primary education and in foreign- and second-language education. It also outlines the components that make up cooperative learning. The discussion then describes a specific application of some cooperative learning structures in a post-secondary foreign language classroom. The paper notes examples of successful structures as well as student reactions to the experiment and an assessment of the results.

Faculty Professional Growth in the Small Postsecondary Foreign Language Department

Faculty Professional Growth in the Small Postsecondary Foreign Language Department