Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Teachers’ Oral Proficiency: What Happens After They Graduate?, Karen Leonard, Nancy Bonilla

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Presentation Location: Warming House, Olivet Nazarene University

Abstract

It is widely agreed that a high level of speaking proficiency in the language of instruction is desirable, if not essential, for language teachers. Previous research has looked at the development of teacher candidates’ speaking proficiency prior to certification, but very little research has addressed the question of how teachers’ proficiency does or does not change once they begin teaching.

The current study aims to address this gap in the research. Ten current Spanish teachers who graduated from Olivet’s Spanish education program participated in a semi-structured interview to explore their perceptions …

Bilingualism And The American Family, Caitlin M. Nickerson

Senior Honors Projects

Bilingualism is the ability to speak more than one language fluently. People of all ages may aspire to learn a second or third language in order to fulfill both personal goals and communicate with a variety of people in different contexts. Irrespective of one’s walk of life or socioeconomic status, being bilingual is a valuable skill. Although English is the language of power in the United States, there are hundreds of other languages spoken in this country.

There are a number of different ways in which children can become bilingual. For example, they may enter the school system speaking the …