This study's goal was to determine if appropriately designed, completely virtual formats of language courses are able to engender in students speaking ability progress comparable to that fostered within traditional face-to-face (F2F) classrooms. The study further sought to clarify language learners' perceptions of online Japanese courses. The…

According to the functional model proposed by Sampasivam and Clément in 2014, the two determinants that build towards second language confidence (L2C) are "richness and self-involvement" of the contact experience. This study adds to previous research by investigating, for the first time, the role of interlocutor type in the context of…

This project investigated vocabulary learning from a sociocultural perspective--in particular, the way in which lexical knowledge was mediated in Spanish second language (L2) learners' and native speakers' (NSs') interactions. Nine students who were enrolled in an advanced conversation course completed an oral portfolio assignment consisting of…

This article presents the quantitative and qualitative results of a nationwide survey of the perceptions of faculty, alumni, and students regarding the contribution to the undergraduate Spanish major curriculum of various types of courses and experiences. Quantitative results indicated that all participants valued the importance of study abroad as…

This article reviews what we know about integrating film into our foreign language classes and addresses the aspects of film and the media literacy issues that impact deeper understanding of the target language and culture. In addition, I illustrate the interplay of these factors in planning instruction that integrates film in the third and fourth…

This study examined whether foreign language learner anxiety and motivational goal orientations remained stable across two different classroom contexts: a reading course and a conversation course. The researcher measured anxiety and four types of motivational goal orientations by surveying 59 Korean college students learning English in both…

This study examined the amount, the purposes, and the reasons why L1 is used in L2 classrooms. Data consist of video and audio recording of samples of two instructors' L2 classes over the course of a 12-week semester in two second-year German conversation university courses, instructor interviews, and stimulated recall sessions. Results revealed…

Believes current audiolingual approach to foreign language teaching lacks opportunities for spontaneous speech. Author shows why this is and offers suggestions such as oral exercises and games to compensate. (Author/BK)

A study of learner-to-learner talk during a Spanish conversation course suggested that an interview-type speaking activity does not necessarily provide negotiation opportunities and provided an example for a speaking activity that promotes negotiation among foreign language learners. (17 references) (Author/CB)

Many service learning studies support the positive effects of expanding the classroom into the community. The rapidly shifting demographic composition of the United States calls for a postsecondary education system that is able to prepare students to enter a global society. Service learning provides an opportunity for students to connect with the…

This case study investigated spontaneous interpersonal communication in a high school Spanish classroom, using instructional conversation as a framework for analysis. Instructional conversations are collaborative, extended verbal exchanges in which students develop a coherent topic, supported by the teacher's contingent questions and feedback. The…

A great variety of authentic cultural elements may be introduced in the foreign language classroom, not at the expense of language learning but as an interrelated system. (Author)

Describes a technique that uses the materials of the language laboratory to develop fluency at the advanced level of Russian. Each week students receive a picture and a vocabulary list that relates to a story that they then listen to on a cassette. A conversation class completely in Russian follows. (SED)

Describes the Interactive Tour Schema, a course modeled on the relationship between a guide and the tourists who make use of his or her services. The structure of the course requires excursions away from the classroom and to various campus and off-campus locations where tours are given by student tour guides. (SED)

Discusses a three-stage approach for teaching advanced conversation. Students master related course material, write and perform a miniplay based on that material, and then "survive" in a situation based on the material. Use of the videotape recorder can bring added motivation and better performance. Its advantages and disadvantages are discussed.…