290 research outputs found
Rethinking the concept of progression in the National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages: a research perspective
No full textThis paper reviews problems with the model of linguistic progression which underpins the National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages in England, and argues that the curriculum in its present form has been a missed opportunity for “languages for all”. Among other difficulties, the model is poorly informed by current research-based understandings of the nature of classroom-based interlanguage development. Current levels of learner motivation and learner achievement are known to be problematic, and UK society is sceptical about the need for languages as a compulsory curriculum component. In this difficult situation, it is argued, curriculum renewal must draw on research-based theory and data much more systematically, if a more successful language learning experience is to be provided for the majority of school age learners
Policy and practice in foreign language education: case studies in three European settings
No full textThis paper arises from the work of the LINEE research network (http://www.linee.org on language education policy and practice in three European countries (England,Hungary and Italy). The paper first examines different educational ideologies which underpin the development of European language education policies, noting the increased reflection of competence and outcomes-based ideologies in the discourse of documents such as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and tensions between these and other more traditional humanistic educational discourses. The recent evolution of language education policy in each national context is examined in detail. Secondly, observational case studies of foreign language classroom practice documented in the three settings are examined, to clarify to what extent they reflect current competence-oriented discourses, or other more progressivist and classical humanist education traditions. Conclusions are drawn about the interactions between European level and national level declarations about language education, and their influence on local student experience
Still gardening in a gale: policy, research and practice in foreign language education in England
No full textThis paper reviews the recent evolution of foreign language education policy and research in England. The first main section deals with the impact on foreign languages of the introduction of a National Curriculum in the 1990s. Initially this curriculum centralisation led to an increase in foreign language learning in secondary schools, but by the 2000s this was followed by a significant decline, counterbalanced to some extent by growth of languages in primary schools. It is argued that stress on achieving pre-determined learning outcomes and accountability of schools and teachers through examinations have stifled experimentation, and made it harder to devise a viable foreign language curriculum for an Anglophone environment. The second main section reviews selected research fields receiving attention in the English context: learner motivation, early language learning, and learning strategies. This research evidence converges to show that attention to classroom processes can promote more positive attitudes to language learning, even where broader contextual and societal support is weak
The development of social relations during residence abroad
No full textLanguage students in the UK undertake their ‘year abroad’ with high hopes for a linguistic and social ‘immersion’ experience. However, past research shows that language learning success, while real, can be uneven, and that many Erasmus exchange students form social relations largely with other international students (Muprhy-Lejeune, 2002; Papatsiba, 2006). New virtual media make it easy and cheap for the current student generation to sustain existing social networks, blurring previous clear distinctions between ‘home’ and ‘abroad’ (Coleman & Chafer, 2010). This paper draws on data from a larger 2-year study of UK students undertaking residence abroad in France, Spain and Mexico (the LANGSNAP project). The participants were involved in 3 different placement types: as teaching assistants, as exchange students, and as workplace interns. A series of pre- sojourn and in-sojourn interviews with 28 students spending an academic year in France are analysed, to identify both the social networking opportunities available, and the actual social relationships which were developed. The analysis shows that all three placement types offered structured opportunities for interaction with French nationals, whether as professional mentors and colleagues in school or office, or as teachers and fellow students in university settings. For almost all participants these regular structured relations led to moderate degrees of social networking. However only a minority of participants developed closer relationships of friendship with locals, from which they drew emotional support. These relationships generally took time to develop, and arose from shared interests such as sport or music, or from romantic encounters, as well as from workplace or campus contact in some cases. The majority of participants developed close relations with other international sojourners/ Erasmus participants, facilitated by joint living arrangements and organised induction activities, as well as commonality of situation. Participants were thus negotiating their language and intercultural learning as members of complex and dynamic networks involving home and international as well as local contacts
Rosamond Thaxter Correspondence
No full textEntries include the typed transcripts of letters from 1959 to the director of Wake-Brook House and Rosamond Thaxter upon receipt of a reproduction of a book written by Thaxter\u27s grandmother, a typed letter of introduction in 1962 from the Maine State Library to Rosamond Thaxter concerning her recent title, a handwritten letter from Thaxter presenting her book Sandpiper, and a typed letter on receipt of the exhibit copy of her book for the Maine Author Collection
Career entry of modern languages graduates: The long term impact of study abroad on graduate identity
No full textFor students of modern languages, study abroad (SA) is a significant opportunity for linguistic, sociocultural and personal development. Less is known about the durability of these developments, once students progress to graduate careers. This paper reports a study of 33 specialist languages graduates from a UK university, 3 years post-graduation, who had previously participated in a longitudinal study tracking their development through a 2-semester stay abroad. The follow-up study gathered further data on personal biographies and career pathways, on maintenance of skills in the language studied, on social and professional uses of other languages, and on beliefs relating to language identity. This paper offers insights into the career entry and related identity development among UK languages graduates, including the ongoing impact of SA. We highlight the challenges involved in supporting participants’ maintenance of a long-term multilingual identity and meeting societal needs for committed languages specialist
Documenting L2 input and interaction during study abroad: approaches, instruments and challenges
No full textA major rationale for study abroad (SA) from the perspective of second language acquisition is the presumed opportunity available to sojourners for naturalistic second language (L2) “immersion”. However, such opportunities are affected by variations in the linguistic, institutional and social affordances of SA, in different settings. They are also affected by the varying agency and motivation of sojourners in seeking second language (L2) engagement. For example, many sojourners prioritize mastering informal L2 speech, while others prioritize academic and professional registers including writing. Most will operate multilingually, using their home language, a local language, and/or English as lingua franca for different purposes, and the types of input they seek out, and language practices they enter into, vary accordingly. Consequently, whileresearchers have developed varied approaches to documenting L2 engagement, and have tried to relate these to measures of L2 development, these efforts have so far seen somewhat mixed success. This article reviews different approaches to documenting SA input and interaction; first, that of participant self-report, using questionnaires, interviews, journals, or language logs. Particular attention is paid to the popular Language Contact Profile (LCP), and to approaches drawing on Social Network Analysis. The limitations of all forms of self-report are acknowledged. The article also examines the contribution of direct observation and recording of L2 input and interaction during SA. This is a significant alternative approach for the study of acquisition, but one which poses theoretical, ethical and practical challenges. Researchers have increasingly enlisted participants as research collaborators who create small corpora through self-recording with L2 interlocutors. Analyses in this tradition have so far prioritized interactional, pragmatic and sociocultural development, in learner corpora, over other dimensions of second language acquisition (SLA). The theoretical and practical challenges of corpus creation in SA settings and their wider use to promote understandings of informal L2 learning are discussed
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