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Articles 1 - 30 of 183
Full-Text Articles in Language and Literacy Education
Take Flight With Languages, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Christiane Fäcke
Take Flight With Languages, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Christiane Fäcke
Dimensions
T his article attempts to bridge language education fields from Europe and the United States by sharing language learning terms, concepts, and teaching and learning theories and practices across the Atlantic in response to the call for papers for the 2026 Dimensions special issue on Plurilingual Education. In order to situate the ways in which the instructional materials, resources, and practices for plurilingual language learning that are described by European contributing authors to the special issue might look across contexts, this article addresses both European and U.S. unique linguistic landscapes and social contexts, societal norms and expectations toward speaking more …
Intercomprehension In Theory And Practice: Teaching And Learning Plurilingual Competence In A European Context, Claudia Polzin-Haumann, Christina Reissner
Intercomprehension In Theory And Practice: Teaching And Learning Plurilingual Competence In A European Context, Claudia Polzin-Haumann, Christina Reissner
Dimensions
Plurilingualism and multilingualism have long been central to human interaction. However, in the context of increasing global mobility, digital communication and ongoing migration, they have gained renewed importance. This article examines some aspects of language diversity and plurilingual teaching and learning in Europe. It situates current European language policies as pivotal in fostering plurilingual competence and intercultural understanding through education. The discussion foregrounds exemplarily the pluralistic theoretical and didactic model of intercomprehension, defining its core principles and summarizing central concepts. It highlights digital and social learning environments and shows the importance of the human factor for successful plurilingual education. In …
Awakening To Languages: Preparing A Peaceful Multilingual World, Michel Candelier, Jean François De Pietro
Awakening To Languages: Preparing A Peaceful Multilingual World, Michel Candelier, Jean François De Pietro
Dimensions
Awakening to Languages (AtL) is a teaching approach that proposes multilingual activities and accompanies language teaching to foster the learners’ awareness of and openness to multilingualism, while increasing their reflexive metalinguistic abilities. In this article, we describe ATL as a component of Didactics of Plurilingualism (DP) and its main aims and characteristics which will be illustrated through multiple examples of activities and teaching materials. We further discuss the reported effects of AtL on learners, teachers, and parents, followed by current trends in integrating AtL in schools. We then turn to a comparison of core concepts of AtL and DP to …
Teaching Materials For Plurilingual Practices: Insights From Austrian Vocational Schools, Michaela Rückl
Teaching Materials For Plurilingual Practices: Insights From Austrian Vocational Schools, Michaela Rückl
Dimensions
T his article explores how plurilingualism is reshaping educational language policy by shifting the focus from monolingual proficiency to an integrative model that draws on learners’ full linguistic and cultural repertoires. European language policies and perspectives are described, highlighting goals such as promoting global citizenship through plurilingual education. Specific attention is placed on Austria’s innovative curriculum for vocational schools, which embeds plurilingual, pluricultural, and transversal competences in the new subject “International Communication with Focus Language” (InCo). Preliminary findings from a pilot study emphasize the value of activating learners’ linguistic resources, incorporating real-life tasks, and using AI tools to enhance foreign …
Opening A Dialogue Between Translanguaging And Interlectal Practices: Constrained Freelanguaging For Peaceful Language Education, Christian Ollivier, Logambal Souprayen-Cavery
Opening A Dialogue Between Translanguaging And Interlectal Practices: Constrained Freelanguaging For Peaceful Language Education, Christian Ollivier, Logambal Souprayen-Cavery
Dimensions
Translanguaging concepts and practices have gained great attention across the globe, at risk of overshadowing and obscuring the contributions of research and theories from non-Anglophone areas. For example, research from the Francophone world that has long investigated interlectal practices, a form of translingual practice in Creole-speaking areas, yet remains lesser known. This theoretical paper aims to initiate a dialogue between less-known peripheral studies about interlectal practices and the omnipresent North American translanguaging approach. Specifically, this paper presents the concepts and linguistic dimensions of translanguaging and interlectal practices as defined in the literature, highlighting similarities and differences in the ways of …
Democratizing Knowledge In Plurilingual Education, Angelica Galante, Yunjia Xie
Democratizing Knowledge In Plurilingual Education, Angelica Galante, Yunjia Xie
Dimensions
T his article reports efforts to mobilize and democratize research-informed knowledge and resources for plurilingual education through the Plurilingual Lab, a research laboratory based in Canada. Situated in the highly multilingual city of Montreal, Quebec, the Lab showcases findings from research on plurilingual education and fosters collaborative knowledge mobilization among researchers and educators. Grounded in principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and decoloniality (EDID), the Plurilingual Lab’s initiatives seek to advance and inform both plurilingual research and pedagogical practices. Moreover, by making resources openly accessible, the Lab helps democratize knowledge production and dissemination, extending its reach to communities that might otherwise …
Minoritized Students’ Internship Experiences In World Languages: A Call For Research, Mathias Guerreiro-Aires, Paula Garrett-Rucks
Minoritized Students’ Internship Experiences In World Languages: A Call For Research, Mathias Guerreiro-Aires, Paula Garrett-Rucks
Dimensions
Higher education has undergone important shifts over the past two decades, with U.S. universities placing more emphasis on career readiness and internships becoming an integral part of academia (National Association of Colleges and Employers [NACE], 2021). Moreover, the student population in U.S. universities has become more diverse (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2023), which has drawn more attention to issues of equity and access to career readiness initiatives such as internships (Greenman et al., 2022). Disparities exist for students from historically marginalized racial and ethnic communities, such as Black, Latinx, and Afro-Latinx students, from their White peers not only …
Incorporating Extensive Reading Into The Foreign Language Curriculum, Jane E. Hardy, Victoria Rodrigo
Incorporating Extensive Reading Into The Foreign Language Curriculum, Jane E. Hardy, Victoria Rodrigo
Dimensions
Extensive reading is an approach to language learning that encourages learners to read a large quantity of easy reading material. A substantial body of research confirms the effectiveness of this approach for developing proficiency in both first (L1) and second (L2) languages. This paper explains what extensive reading is, why it is important, and how it can be incorporated as part of a language curriculum. The paper also provides a review of research on the effectiveness of extensive reading in several different languages and recommends many extensive reading resources, including open access materials, to facilitate the implementation of extensive reading …
Demonstrating A Free Listing Data Collection Approach To Cultural Instruction, Gregory De La Piedra
Demonstrating A Free Listing Data Collection Approach To Cultural Instruction, Gregory De La Piedra
Dimensions
Free listing tasks are a common data collection method used by cultural anthropologists, language historians and linguists (Nolan, 2002; Ryan et al., 2000; Weller & Romney, 1988; Wolfram & Schillings-Estes, 1998). These tasks are interviews in which a researcher asks groups of respondents to list words or expressions that come to mind for a given cultural topic. This study focused on a free listing task collected from working class Mexicans about fiestas y celebraciones [parties and celebrations]. Although this topic is routinely included in second language (L2) teaching materials, common terms or slang used by Spanish speaking populations that U.S. …
Resources And Approaches For Integrating High-Leverage Teaching Practices: A Content Analysis, Sara Ahnell
Resources And Approaches For Integrating High-Leverage Teaching Practices: A Content Analysis, Sara Ahnell
Dimensions
Implementing high-leverage teaching practices (HLTPs) for language learning can help ensure teachers create and deliver a high-quality curriculum, especially when working with Novice learners who require more scaffolded instruction. This study aimed to fill a gap by identifying print resources and approaches available to support world language teachers’ integration of HLTPs into instructional design for Novice learners in middle and high school classrooms (grades 6-12). In the Fall of 2022, various resources were analyzed according to their use in assisting teachers with integrating HLTPs, state standards, and current second language acquisition (SLA) research into instructional design. These resources included several …
Why World Language Teachers Stay: Teacher Retention In West Virginia, Challenges And Opportunities, Laura Guglani, Tori Gastón
Why World Language Teachers Stay: Teacher Retention In West Virginia, Challenges And Opportunities, Laura Guglani, Tori Gastón
Dimensions
The present study investigates World Language (WL) teacher retention and the challenges and opportunities of teaching a WL in a rural state. Data came from ethnographic interviews conducted with 10 participants, current Spanish teachers teaching throughout West Virginia. Through thematic analysis, eight themes emerged: Lack of Exposure to Cultural Diversity, Lack of Qualified Teachers, Toll on Mental Health, Pressure to Defend the Value of WLs, Remaining in West Virginia, Passing on the Love of Language and Cultural Learning, Innovative Pedagogical Approaches, and Strong Professional Support Systems.
Dimensions Volume 60 - Full Issue, Editors, Dimensions
Dimensions Volume 60 - Full Issue, Editors, Dimensions
Dimensions
SCOLT Dimensions Volume 60
Bridging The Artificial Gap: Tesol Frameworks For World Language Education And Advocacy, Michelle Back, Manuela Wagner
Bridging The Artificial Gap: Tesol Frameworks For World Language Education And Advocacy, Michelle Back, Manuela Wagner
Dimensions
In this position paper we present research and data demonstrating how pedagogical frameworks traditionally used in TESOL contexts can be harnessed by world language (WL) educators to scaffold language learning and advocate for emergent multilingual language learners (EMLLs). Focusing on three pedagogical frameworks–Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP), translanguaging, and multilingual ecology– we discuss how we have utilized these frameworks with WL teachers and teacher candidates and offer suggestions for how they might be used effectively in WL classrooms to both scaffold language acquisition and foster a greater appreciation for and pride in multilingualism.
Border-Crossing In Language Teacher Education, Colleen Hamilton, Xiaoning Chen
Border-Crossing In Language Teacher Education, Colleen Hamilton, Xiaoning Chen
Dimensions
In this paper, we bridge fields of English as a Second Language, Bilingual, and World Language teacher education through curricular innovation in methods coursework for future Chinese language teachers. We apply a language curricularization framework to analyze theoretical, ideological, political, and contextual factors underlying connections and distinctions across disciplinary borders and to guide collaboration within a language equity lens. Our work indicates the affordances of translanguaging approaches, a multilingual turn, and critical curricular analysis in preparing critically conscious language educators.
An Examination Of World Language Teacher Practices Regarding Target Language Instruction, Edris Brannen, Victoria Russell, Krista Chambless
An Examination Of World Language Teacher Practices Regarding Target Language Instruction, Edris Brannen, Victoria Russell, Krista Chambless
Dimensions
In this study, 96 world language teachers in the state of Georgia completed a survey regarding their delivery of instruction in the target language. While ACTFL (2010, 2021) recommends using the target language 90% or more of the time to deliver instruction, only 20% of the world language instructors who were surveyed reported doing so. According to ACTFL (2010, 2021), delivering instruction in the target language is necessary to create an acquisition-rich environment where learners are exposed to significant amounts of comprehensible input—a key factor for second language acquisition to occur (Krashen, 1982). This study examined three factors that may …
Bridging Language Education Fields: An Interview With Kim Potowski, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Jason A. Kemp
Bridging Language Education Fields: An Interview With Kim Potowski, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Jason A. Kemp
Dimensions
At the beginning of the year (2024), interviewers Jason Kemp and Paula Garrett- Rucks had the pleasure of meeting with Kim Potowski over Zoom in a video- recorded, semi-structured interview to discuss Language Education. Transcripts from the recording were slightly edited and organized in the following question and response structure
Expanding Conversations: Experiential Learning Through Film In Asynchronous Online World Language Courses, Kelly F. Davidson, Karen Acosta
Expanding Conversations: Experiential Learning Through Film In Asynchronous Online World Language Courses, Kelly F. Davidson, Karen Acosta
Dimensions
Many educators face challenges with online learning since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Online modalities became common in world language courses; however, challenges remain in creating communicative contexts. This study examined university student perceptions of an experiential learning sequence using films in Spanish and French at the intermediate level in an asynchronous online environment. Students were required to watch a movie and complete activities related to language and culture learning goals, followed by an in-depth survey about the experience. Participants expressed positive perceptions of the activities, finding them helpful in increasing interest and motivation, as well as in expanding their thinking …
Bridging Instruction Of The Spanish Subjunctive: Exploring Task Types For Heritage And L2 Learners, Sara Fernández Cuenca
Bridging Instruction Of The Spanish Subjunctive: Exploring Task Types For Heritage And L2 Learners, Sara Fernández Cuenca
Dimensions
To this day, there are only a few studies that have used a controlled instructional intervention on specific linguistic structures to investigate if language instruction is beneficial for heritage learners (HLs), in the same way it is for second (L2) language learners, and more research in this area is rapidly needed (Bowles, 2018). The results from this small body of research suggest that explicit language instruction can be beneficial for HLs, but overall L2 learners still appear to benefit from language instruction more than their HLs counterparts (Potowski et al., 2009; Torres, 2018, inter alia). The present study seeks to …
Dimensions Volume 59 - Full Issue, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Jason A. Kemp
Dimensions Volume 59 - Full Issue, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Jason A. Kemp
Dimensions
SCOLT Dimensions Volume 59
Fostering Novice L2 Pleasure Reading: The Role Of Comprehension, Text Difficulty, And Enjoyment, Victoria Rodrigo
Fostering Novice L2 Pleasure Reading: The Role Of Comprehension, Text Difficulty, And Enjoyment, Victoria Rodrigo
Dimensions
This study reviews the effect of comprehension and perceived text difficulty in promoting reading enjoyment and interest to read more among novice learners practicing extensive and pleasure reading. Sixty-seven college students in their first semester of Spanish were asked to read a children-like story picture book in Spanish and were then given both a comprehension test and a brief perception questionnaire about how much they had enjoyed the story, how difficult they thought the reading had been, and whether they had interest to read more. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses show that (1) students’ perception on the level of difficulty …
Word Analysis: Contemplating The Word La Madre To Develop An Approach For The Instruction Of Cultural Perspectives, Gregory De La Piedra
Word Analysis: Contemplating The Word La Madre To Develop An Approach For The Instruction Of Cultural Perspectives, Gregory De La Piedra
Dimensions
Word Analysis is an approach to teach second language (L2) students about cultural perspectives which are understood collectively as the ideas, values, beliefs, and experiences many native speakers have regarding cultural domains within their own cultures. Word Analysis is anchored on the relationships between language and communication, and language and culture. The present study researches the history behind the dual value of the term “la madre” [mother] in Mexican Spanish to deliver a practical method that language instructors easily could easily incorporate within their materials to teach L2 culture, or that publishers could integrate within their textbooks. The primary purpose …
Collaboration And Writing Development In L2 Spanish: A Microanalytic Perspective, Brian Olovson
Collaboration And Writing Development In L2 Spanish: A Microanalytic Perspective, Brian Olovson
Dimensions
This case study focuses on how two learners position themselves as partners in a collaborative writing activity in a Spanish Writing course. I utilize a micro-discourse analytic approach (Eskildsen & Markee, 2018; van Compernolle, 2015, 2018) to highlight the situated nature of collaboration and the dynamicity of the collaborative writing process as it unfolds turn-by-turn during their interactions. This type of analysis permits researchers to explore how learners orient to their partners and to the language they are producing, and what learners do with their talk (Markee, 2000), so that researchers can observe their competence-in-action (Pekarek Doehler, 2013). The discursive …
Transformative Experiences Of Beginner L2 Learners In The Italian Classroom For Social Justice, Giulia Negretto, Borbala Gaspar
Transformative Experiences Of Beginner L2 Learners In The Italian Classroom For Social Justice, Giulia Negretto, Borbala Gaspar
Dimensions
Focusing on two beginner Italian courses, this study demonstrates participants’ perceptions of and engagement with social justice topics and materials in a semesterlong project. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of surveys, triangulated with interviews and artifacts, such as comments by students during lessons and in their video responses, provide us with a better understanding of students’ previous expectations, perceptions and experiences with learning Italian; their background knowledge on social justice; and their reactions to the activities implemented throughout the course. Our findings indicate that learners value classroom activities and learning tools that allow them to share, collaborate, and reflect together. …
A Review Of Language Practice Exercises Within Commercially-Available Ebooks And Electronic Companion Practice, Carolyn Gascoigne
A Review Of Language Practice Exercises Within Commercially-Available Ebooks And Electronic Companion Practice, Carolyn Gascoigne
Dimensions
Following a brief historical review of the second language teaching profession’s relationship with first- and second-year textbooks, this article examines the treatment of language practice activities as found in beginning post-secondary French eBooks, as well as their accompanying electronic workbooks and online learning platform practice. Using Aski’s 2003 typology, five post-secondary eBooks and accompanying electronic practice are reviewed in order to examine their use of mechanical drills, meaningful drills, communicative drills, and communicative practice. Two structures were targeted for review across all formats. Electronic workbook and learning platform practice was found to be both more mechanical in nature and more …
Multi-Level World Language Classes: Teacher Perspectives And Practical Solutions, Christina Huhn, Patricia Davis-Wiley
Multi-Level World Language Classes: Teacher Perspectives And Practical Solutions, Christina Huhn, Patricia Davis-Wiley
Dimensions
Multi-level classes, classrooms that incorporate multiple levels of learners simultaneously, have existed for decades, yet have received little scholarly attention with respect to world language programs. This article presents a review of relevant literature on the topic and reports an analysis of the data from a national survey of U.S. K-16 world language teachers who currently teach or have taught multiple levels or multiple languages in the same class period (n=124). The findings of this exploratory study confirm the longstanding existence of multi-level classes in the U.S. educational landscape and offer suggestions to support teachers confronted with this challenge and …
Teaching Languages Virtually During A Global Pandemic: Perspectives From Post-Secondary Language Educators, Dieter A. Waldvogel, Tiffany Robayna
Teaching Languages Virtually During A Global Pandemic: Perspectives From Post-Secondary Language Educators, Dieter A. Waldvogel, Tiffany Robayna
Dimensions
This survey study explores how second language (L2) educators at institutions of higher education quickly transitioned from face-to-face (F2F) teaching to an online, technology-based environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what their perspectives are on the use of virtual technology after the pandemic. A total of 574 language educators at colleges and universities in the U.S. submitted responses to the survey. Results show that two-year college instructors and women favor the use of virtual technology in L2 education significantly more than instructors at four-year colleges and universities and men overall. In general, the majority of L2 educators surveyed embrace the …
Language Teachers’ Perceived Advantages And Disadvantages Of Emergency Remote Teaching, Jarom Hickenlooper, Teresa R. Bell
Language Teachers’ Perceived Advantages And Disadvantages Of Emergency Remote Teaching, Jarom Hickenlooper, Teresa R. Bell
Dimensions
This study investigates university-level German instructors’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of synchronous emergency remote teaching during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic at five universities across the United States. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered by means of an electronic questionnaire from 16 instructors of beginning German regarding their experiences with live remote instruction in 2020. Survey questions centered on the five goal areas of the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages and online instructional practices. Findings indicate that the language instructors from the sample perceived emergency remote instruction—switching to teaching live online—to be overall more detrimental than advantageous to their students’ language …
Instructors As Designers Of Learning Experiences: A Case Study Of A Flipped Intermediate Spanish Course, Nadia Jaramillo Cherrez
Instructors As Designers Of Learning Experiences: A Case Study Of A Flipped Intermediate Spanish Course, Nadia Jaramillo Cherrez
Dimensions
This study investigated the experiences and perceptions of two instructors while designing, teaching, and evaluating a flipped, intermediate Spanish course. Qualitative data was gathered through pre-post semi-structured interviews, curriculum design documents, class observations, and student course evaluations. The findings revealed that beliefs about teaching and learning, tensions between pedagogy and technology choices, appropriateness of CALL and in-class tasks, and sustainability of the learning environment shaped the instructors’ approach to design and teach the flipped CALL course. Discussion on how the flipped approached served to facilitate and sustain communicative, task-based instruction with opportunities to integrate tasks and technology are presented.
It Took A Village: A Demonstrated Need Of Institutional Support For Successful Online Teaching, Gwendoline Aaron, Aria Zan Cabot, Daniele Forlino, Susana Solera Adoboe
It Took A Village: A Demonstrated Need Of Institutional Support For Successful Online Teaching, Gwendoline Aaron, Aria Zan Cabot, Daniele Forlino, Susana Solera Adoboe
Dimensions
While many language instructors were encouraged throughout the pandemic to rethink their teaching methods, instructional modalities, and course design in order to successfully pivot from in-person to remote learning environments, it quickly became clear that the burden of pandemic teaching could not be sustained by individual faculty members. Instead, successful instances of emergency remote instruction were often aided by preexisting online curricula and extensive institutional support in the form of additional funding, training, and shared expertise. This chapter outlines the type of resources and support available to support the teaching and learning of languages during the shift to emergency remote …