The Development of the Linguistic Persona in the Context of Professionally Oriented University-Level Foreign Language Education

The article discusses a number of issues related to developing the linguistic persona and intercultural competency and focuses on educational ideas, strategies, technologies, and practices that embody intercultural approaches to foreign language education. To ensure the high quality of foreign language education, our priorities must include the development of competences in the area of professional communication in foreign languages. In that regard, the article identifies pedagogical conditions conducive to fostering the socio-cultural competence and the successful development of the learner’s linguistic persona. The authors present mechanisms of implementing the said pedagogical conditions in the following areas: a) developing communication skills and competencies of foreign language instructors; b) modeling situations with communication barriers in diverse ethnocultural environments; c) acquiring and selecting ethnocultural information; d) integrating in-class and out-of-class activities in a foreign language; and e) establishing a good rapport between an instructor and her students. The authors go on to describe the methodological basis for designing the content of foreign language programs, identify optimal approaches to teaching and learning foreign languages, and reflect on the context of the intercultural paradigm in university-level foreign language education.

Research agenda: Researching grammar teaching and learning in the second language classroom

We propose five research tasks targeting grammar teaching and learning, focusing on extending previous research and exploring under-studied features and contexts. The first two tasks outline replications and extensions of seminal studies on pedagogical grammar, Toth (2008) and Samuda (2001), designed to advance our understanding of the teacher role in providing rich practice opportunities. Another task examines how features of peer interaction during oral communication might encourage attention to grammar among young second language (L2) classroom learners in school-based foreign language programs, a common yet under-studied context. A fourth task investigates the unique properties of spoken grammar across languages and effective approaches for its teaching and learning, and the fifth explores the (re)design and use of corpus-based tools to enhance accessibility and learner autonomy in data-driven grammar learning. Each task is designed to be feasible across a variety of classroom contexts and target languages. We highlight concrete implications for language pedagogy and include suggestions for capturing both learning outcomes and participants’ perspectives on their learning and teaching, using a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. We end with some thoughts on repetitive practice for learning certain features of grammar, and recommendations for collaborative research that would encourage greater replication of future studies.

The Few, the Proud, the Profs

For an academic field so self-consciously preoccupied with intelligence, the humanities don’t seem to be run very intelligently. Humanities fields now account for only around five percent of all baccalaureate degrees awarded annually, hundreds of foreign language programs have been lost, and the job market for newly minted Ph.D.s is abysmal. “But humanities departments are way too busy being brilliant,” Mark Bauerlein writes, “to be sensible and managerial.”

Foreign Language Curricula and the Influence of Immigrant-Origin Groups

Despite theoretical claims that assimilation is a multidirectional process, most studies assess the behaviors of immigrants and their children. The author departs from this tradition to ask whether immigrant-origin populations influence the availability of Advanced Placement Spanish and Chinese/Japanese language courses. Building on past work, the author treats foreign language programs as a marker of institutional change and a greater acceptance of immigrant culture. County-level data are pooled from the American Community Survey, the Common Core of Data, the Voting and Elections Collection (CQ Press), and the College Board between 2000 and 2017. The results indicate that Hispanic and Chinese/Japanese populations exert an influence on school curricula, but this relation varies depending on historical patterns of immigrant settlement. The author also finds that Spanish and Asian foreign language programs are most likely to be demanded in locations with highly educated populations. This article provides evidence that mainstream institutions can move toward immigrant and minority culture.

Assessing young learners’ foreign language abilities

Given the exponential growth in the popularity of early foreign language programs, coupled with an emphasis of evidence-based instruction, assessing young learners’ (YLs) foreign language abilities has moved to center stage. This article canvasses how the field of assessing young learners of foreign languages has evolved over the past two decades. The review offers insights into how and why the field has developed, how constructs have been defined and operationalized, what language proficiency frameworks have been used, why children were assessed, what aspects of their foreign language proficiency have been assessed, who was involved in the assessment, and how the results have been used. By surveying trends in foreign language (FL) and content-based language learning programs involving children between the ages of 3 and 14, the article highlights research into assessment of and for learning, and critically discusses areas such as large-scale assessments and proficiency examinations, comparative and experimental studies, the impact of assessment, teachers’ beliefs and assessment practices, young learners’ test-taking strategies, age-appropriate tasks, alternative and technology-mediated assessment, as well as game-based assessments. The final section of the article highlights where more research is needed, thus outlining potential future directions for the field.

Washback Effects of Board-Based Speaking Tests

This study analyzes the opinions of a group of three English as a Foreign Language programs, on the washback effects of board-based oral tests on the students’ language proficiency and foreign language anxiety levels, and on the professors’ instructional choices and decision making. With purposive sampling strategies and triangulation techniques, strong washback effects on learners’ foreign language anxiety levels and professors’ instructional choices, with lesser effects on learners’ proficiency levels and instructors’ decision making, were identied.

ARABIC ENGLISH JAPANESE LEARNING PROGRAM IN MADRASAH DINIYAH TAKMILIYAH (MDT): A STUDY ON THE ROLE OF MDT IN BANDUNG CITY

Research Purpose: The purpose of this study is to propose a plan that will effectively integrate a 3-years foreign language program of Arabic-English-Japanese in three different Islamic schools, “Madrasah Ibtida’iyah, Madrasah Tsanawiyah, and Madrasah Aliyah” in Cipadung Sub-District, Cibiru District. Research Method: The study utilizes a mix of both qualitative and quantitative research approach with a detailed analytical method. The research gathered its primary data by the school (madrasah) statistics, for example, curriculum activity assessments, student’s involvement in the lecture, test scores, sample questionnaires, and some sample exercises. However, the data is analyzed by organizing the primary data in charts or graphs. Principal Findings: The main findings obtained from this study is, the implementation of smart and creative learning methodologies will create a student’s engaging and enjoyable learning environment. A properly designed curriculum developed teaching strategies, utilization of audio/visual resources boosts the student’s interest in learning foreign-language courses. Thus, the effective implementation of foreign-language-programs can create better growth opportunities for the youngsters of Indonesia. Application: The integration of three different foreign languages into a single curriculum is although very difficult, but once it is embedded in the course, it has several applications as well. This study is an inherent part of most academic research, which is based on creative curriculum designs for schools and colleges. This is also impactful and suitable in modern technological based teaching and learning research activities. Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty that makes this study more prominent as compared to the previous ones is the blend of technology in the traditional way of teaching. The use of audio/visual gadgets firmly grasps the interest of students of all ages throughout the lecture. Similarly, the smartly planned curriculum based on student’s caliber has ultimately helped in advancing the existing knowledge of each understudied student.