This small-scale study reported American students' perception of the effect of their internship conducted in a study abroad program on their development of Chinese language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional knowledge. The results indicate that a self-evaluated successful internship allows interns with intermediate-level…

The 2007 Modern Language Association report spurred research regarding the professional development of foreign language graduate students. This article first reviews existing proposals for the professional development of graduate students, then addresses the relevance of helping graduate students to develop the knowledge and skills that are needed…

Despite the sizeable portion of foreign language (FL) instruction provided by graduate students now as teaching assistants (TAs) and in the future as faculty, few studies have considered TAs' perspectives on their own professional development. To inform the professional development of FL graduate students as teachers, the present study updated and…

How well are our schools preparing students to become global citizens who can communicate in languages other than English? To answer this question, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 5,000 U.S. public and private elementary and secondary schools. Results identify current patterns and shifts over time in five key areas of…

Arabic and Chinese are 2 of 13 languages designated as "critical" by the U.S. Department of State. There is an urgent need to expand the teaching force in these languages. Understanding how best to prepare critical language teachers from abroad is imperative. This study examined the perceptions of 16 pre- and in-service teachers (6 Arabic and 10…

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the ACTFL suggest that a high proficiency in the Spanish language is essential for all Spanish teachers. With the growth of the Spanish-speaking population in the United States and the diversity of Hispanic culture, teacher education programs need to ensure that teacher candidates are…

The Bay Area Foreign Language Program (BAFLP), one of nine regional sites of the California Foreign Language Project, offers ongoing, year-round professional development programs for world language educators. In addition, its leadership program prepares selected educators to assume leadership positions at their school sites, building capacity for…

This article describes an apprenticeship model that was developed and implemented across several language areas within one department at a large Canadian university. The apprenticeship provides two semesters of training for graduate foreign language teaching assistants before they are put in charge of their own classes. The purpose of this study…

As professional development models of teacher education that allow for self-directed, collaborative, inquiry-based learning are increasingly replacing more traditional top-down models, researchers acknowledge the impact of teachers' reflective practices. Although many different types of reflective practices are reported, the differences across…

Although a substantial amount of professional literature argues for the potential benefits of content-based instruction, limited research exists on how this type of instruction actually is appropriated, understood, and carried out in practice by foreign language teachers. This study examines the role of two sixth grade Spanish teachers' discursive…

Describes the origin and rationale of the California Foreign Language Project, a professional development project designed to improve and expand foreign language teaching in California while promoting access and equity within educational institutions for every student. (Author/VWL)

Examined Midwestern foreign language teachers responses to the Foreign language Education Questionnaire (FLEQ) to determine the extent to which their beliefs are consistent with major constructs underlying the Standards for Foreign language Learning in the 21st Century. The purpose of the study was to provide direction for teacher education,…

Discusses Florida's requirement that staff development be provided to teachers for teaching English-as-a-second-Language students. Colleges of education in Florida crated various professional development models. One of these models is described. (Author/VWL)

This case study looked at the transition of preservice teachers from world language education methods courses at a major U.S. university to a 5-week field experience in secondary school classrooms. Data included lesson plans and self-critiques of two lessons implemented during the field experience, world language teaching philosophies the…

Includes descriptions of successful careers in language teaching as told by the professionals themselves and offers suggestions for career adjustment. These include: find role models; get advice; do a self-survey; fantasize about your career; discuss your situation with professional colleagues; network with others at midpoint in their careers to…