The effect of studying abroad on students' language production has been extensively researched. However, a question that has not been addressed is whether study abroad programs lasting six weeks or less offer sufficient time and contact for students to demonstrate measurable development in their command of the language. The current investigation reveals the effects of a short-term study abroad program in Spain on students' recognition, comprehension, and production of region-specific linguistic forms. In this study, pre- and post-program survey data as well as observational data were gathered from a group of students during a four-week study abroad program in an effort to access their exposure to, and use of, the vosotros form.

Learning a foreign language promotes new ways of seeing the world and the self in relation to it (Gee, 1996), making practices and perspectives underlined through the acquisition of vocabulary and grammatical structures available for appropriation (Bakhtin, 1981; Kramsch, 1993, 2009). Using a combination of interviews and self-reported questionnaires, this study explores what may influence learners' preconceived images and cultural representations of the French language and culture in an introductory French language course. Data analysis shows that participants started a reflection on how learning a foreign language opens access to the cultures that speak it and embodies cultural acts. However, the findings suggest that at the beginning level, the reflection on the interconnection between a language and its culture needs to be nurtured within the course content itself in order to encourage the process of developing cross-cultural understanding.

This study examines bilingual vocabulary knowledge in relation to arrival age among first language (L1) Japanese students attending hoshuukoo (i.e., supplementary academic schools for Japanese-speaking children) in the United States. It also examines the relationship between L1 Japanese and English as a second language (L2), as motivated by Cummins's (1979, 1991) notion of linguistic interdependence. One hundred and twenty-two high school students ages 15–18 from eight hoshuukoo took Japanese and English vocabulary tests designed by Ono (1989). Students who came to the United States by age 9 or younger were three grades behind in L1 Japanese and were either ahead of or at their U.S. grade level in English. In contrast, those who arrived at age 10 or older were just one grade behind in Japanese and were two to five years behind in English. High vocabulary knowledge in one language was associated with low knowledge in the other, and the negative correlation between L1 and L2 became statistically nonsignificant when arrival age was controlled. Consequently, arrival age remains an important factor in accounting for hoshuukoo students' bilingual vocabulary learning, and the notion of linguistic interdependence must be reexamined in factors in addition to vocabulary knowledge.

This article aims to reconceptualize pronunciation teaching and learning according to the tenets of the 2007 MLA Report and its call for translingual/transcultural competence. The critical discussion of current teaching and research practices shows that the realm of pronunciation has benefitted little from debates on intercultural language learning. In order to link the teaching of pronunciation with learner needs in intercultural encounters, this article develops the concept of pronunciation-as-language. The theoretical exploration of this concept is supported by a narrative analysis of study-abroad learners' accounts, contrasting learners' perceptions of teaching practices with the complex role pronunciation plays in second language-mediated interactions. The results underline the importance of pedagogical approaches that encourage the critical reflection on and creative use of pronunciation beyond structural elements and native-speaker norms.

The renewed national focus on teacher quality and effectiveness has resulted in more rigorous standards that describe the knowledge and skills required of teacher candidates across all disciplines. In the area of foreign languages, three sets of professional standards address the oral proficiency of teachers in the target languages they teach across the career continuum. For teacher candidates, the ACTFL/NCATE Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (2002) establish minimum oral proficiency levels based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines—Speaking (2012). Utilizing ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) data, this study examines to what extent candidates are attaining the ACTFL/NCATE Oral Proficiency Standard of Advanced Low in most languages or Intermediate High in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Findings indicate that 54.8% of candidates attained the required standard between 2006 and 2012 and that significant differences emerged for language, year tested, and university program results. Further research that takes into account additional contextual information about candidates and programs will inform continuing professional dialogue about the oral proficiency of teacher candidates entering the profession.

Research suggests that second/foreign language teachers' sense of humor is directly related to many outcomes for teachers and their students. This research investigates the relationship between the perceived sense of humor of in-service Spanish teachers' (n = 102) and their students' (n = 5,419) score on the National Spanish Exams using the affective filter hypothesis as a conceptual framework. Statistical analyses indicate that Spanish teacher sense of humor is related to student achievement on the exams. This research has implications for language teachers and teacher educators.

Educators have generally believed that foreign language instruction should begin in kindergarten or earlier to promote optimum oral language development (e.g., Abbott, ; Curtain & Dahlberg, 2010; Rhodes & Pufahl, ; Rosenbusch, ; Swender & Duncan, ). This article describes two Spanish programs in the Westport (Connecticut) Public Schools district: their new, long-sequence K–8 program and the short-sequence Grade 5–8 program it replaced. A five-year study examined students' oral and listening comprehension proficiency levels in each program at the end of Grades 5 and 8. Results at these grade levels were compared to determine program effectiveness. Students who began in kindergarten attained statistically higher proficiency levels than those who began in Grade 5. This longitudinal study strongly supports school-based language instruction beginning in kindergarten.

According to national standards for foreign language (L2) teacher education programs established by the ACTFL and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), L2 student teachers must be supervised by university faculty who are qualified L2 educators. An exploratory study was conducted to better understand the impact of content-specific pedagogical knowledge, L2 experience, and qualifications on the effectiveness of the university supervisor. Its purpose was to compare the beliefs of L2 teacher candidates and supervisors with and without L2 teaching qualifications to explore the extent to which these three groups share similar beliefs about effective L2 teaching. Results indicated that all participants demonstrated general pedagogical knowledge associated with good teaching practices. However, supervisors without L2 teacher training and experience were less familiar with theories of L2 acquisition, standards, and best practices than were their counterparts with L2 teaching qualifications. Lacking pedagogical content knowledge related to L2 teaching, the generalist supervisors were unable to provide appropriate feedback to their L2 interns, had lower expectations for their interns, and relied more heavily on others to provide them with support.

The ability to make effective use of technology is becoming increasingly important for prospective language teachers. As a result, many teacher preparation programs include some form of training in computer assisted language learning (CALL). This study focuses on one component of such training, the textbooks used in methods courses, and employs content analysis to investigate how popular methods textbooks discuss CALL. Criteria based on standards for teacher training and the professional CALL literature revealed that overall, the textbooks can serve as a valuable springboard for early training. Based on the coverage of CALL in their methods textbook(s) and the needs of their particular student teachers, methods instructors should expand the discussion of CALL to provide a solid basis for continued professional development. Several key criteria for such well-rounded training are included in this article.

This article examines collaboration during small-group tasks with young language learners studying Spanish. After five days of classroom dynamic assessment (DA) targeting WH-question formation, students worked in small groups on a collaborative writing task. This research sought to determine whether learners were able to mediate their peers during this task and if so, whether this mediation might be traced back to participation in classroom DA. Findings revealed that students drew upon collective knowledge to complete the task. While the learners did not appropriate forms of mediation used during DA, characteristics such as repetition and first language usage appeared in peer scaffolding. We conclude that classroom DA can be supplemented by small-group tasks and that assistance, albeit in different forms, emerged in these two contexts.

This article presents a descriptive and Co-Constructive Approach to feedback related to performance in the interpersonal mode of communication on the Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA). The goal of this research study was to describe the discursive features of effective IPA feedback. To this end, critical discourse analysis of a feedback session between a teacher and one student is presented and discussed. Based on this analysis, the discourse features of feedback that encourage self-reflection and self-regulation are extrapolated. Characteristics for effective feedback are presented to serve as guidelines for teachers implementing the IPA in their classrooms.

The validation of ability scales describing multidimensional skills is always challenging, but not impossible. This study applies a multistage, criterion-referenced approach that uses a framework of aligned texts and reading tasks to explore the validity of the ACTFL and related reading proficiency guidelines. Rasch measurement and statistical analyses of data generated in three separate language studies confirm a significant difference in reading difficulty between the proficiency levels tested.

As a critical part of the internationalization movement in college curricula, study abroad initiatives are becoming more and more popular and the need to assess their outcomes more and more evident. While numerous studies have investigated the language gain associated with study abroad, researchers are also beginning to look at potential gains in the areas of cultural and regional competence. This study presents a theoretical background for a three-tiered model for assessing student outcomes during study abroad in three domains—language proficiency, cross-cultural competence, and regional awareness—and presents the quantitative data gathered from the implementation of this model. Results show the feasibility of assessing these outcomes in a holistic manner through formal assessment instruments and participant coaching pre- and post-immersion.

This article presents preliminary data correlating students' scores on measures of speaking, listening, and reading with their grades in Spanish courses. As might be expected, students with higher grades generally scored higher on performance assessments than did classmates with lower course grades. However, large score ranges resulted within a single letter grade. In addition, some students with low course grades scored rather well on certain measures of performance while some students with high course grades had low scores. In sum, the relationship between course grades, GPA, and performance level as evidenced by these data were far from predictable and underscored the need for (1) more research using a variety of methodologies, and (2) more careful alignment of course grades with demonstrated abilities to use language in interpretive and interpersonal settings.

An important task for foreign language (FL) instructors and researchers is to understand how the development of each language skill affects other aspects of language acquisition. This case study seeks to determine if speaking and writing proficiencies develop at similar rates among FL learners. Seventeen students enrolled in beginning, intermediate, and advanced Spanish courses at a mid-sized U.S. university were administered the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview and Writing Proficiency Test. Speaking and writing proficiency scores were then correlated. Results showed a fairly strong correlation between speaking and writing scores among experimental group participants, but much weaker correlations between proficiencies when each of the three groups was examined individually. Some students were more proficient writers than speakers, others better writers than speakers, and others equally proficient.

This study investigates how students of the Japanese language regulate the learning of kanji (Japanese written characters). Skill in reading kanji has an important effect on learners' progress in interpretive reading. Data collected over one year were drawn from interviews with 12 students. The study highlighted an inability for many students to control emotions, manage commitments, and control boredom and procrastination when studying kanji. Moreover, advanced learners were more prone to a loss of self-regulation due to frustration caused by a lack of progress in learning, or due to self-criticism over an inability to reach goals. This study raises an understanding of struggles faced by language learners and offers pedagogical implications for instructors to lessen the burden of kanji learning on students.

This study explores second/foreign language (L2) learners' attitudes toward task-based language learning (TBLL) and how these attitudes relate to selected learner variables, namely anxiety, integrated motivation, instrumental motivation, and self-efficacy. Ninety-one college students of Korean as a foreign language, who received task-based language instruction, participated in this questionnaire study. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. A correlation analysis between variables indicated that students' attitudes toward TBLL were positively associated with self-efficacy and integrative motivation while they were negatively associated with anxiety. A multiple regression analysis further revealed that only one variable, self-efficacy, was the significant predictor of learners' attitudes toward TBLL.

Recent surveys and research on second language (L2)/foreign language acquisition help explain the challenges that postsecondary students in lower-level foreign language (FL) courses may experience. The present study extends this line of research by examining changes in students' affective profiles in a two-year Japanese program (n = 382) at an American university. The results indicated that students who reached the end of the program perceived more social, economical, integrative, and other value in learning Japanese than those at the beginning of the program. Results also showed that students appeared to expend significantly less effort in learning the language at the end of the program than at the beginning. This article urges FL instructors, especially those in lower-level courses, to carefully consider issues of motivation in these and other courses.