In recent years, the use of external proficiency-based tests to measure learners' language ability has increased significantly, in part thanks to the Seal of Biliteracy movement. However, there exists very limited research investigating the influence of such tests and their subsequent outcomes data on teachers' practices. As such, this study…

The overarching objective of the World Language Professional Life Survey (WLPLS) was to determine the K-20 World Language (WL) profession's familiarity with both the "World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages" (5 Cs) and with the Can-Do Statements (Can-Dos). The survey strove to identify how both sets of principles might…

Previous research has explored the possibility of changing preservice teachers' beliefs and has examined the role of methods courses and field experiences in shaping their pedagogical views. This study uncovers the beliefs of preservice Spanish teachers by examining how they evaluate a lesson at the beginning and end of a methodology course and…

Research on social media in the foreign language classroom has grown significantly in the last 10 years. However, there continues to be a gap in how social media, Twitter in particular, can be used as a tool to build community within a Spanish as a second-language literature classroom. The current action research project seeks to address this gap.…

This study reports the findings of a national survey on PreK-12 world language teacher development (WLTD), and was conducted in order to assist the profession as simultaneously it confronts the intersecting challenges of a nationwide world language (WL) teacher shortage, strives to meet new teacher preparation standards, and ensures the future of…

This article contributes to broader discussions of the knowledge base for language teacher education; the standards and policies that inform world language teacher education; and the need for a systematic, principled, and robust theory of language to underpin contexualized world language teaching and learning. Specifically, it proposes that the…

edTPA is a performance-based assessment used in teacher licensure programs across the country as evidence of a candidate's readiness to teach. Although multiple studies have indicated it to be a challenging assessment and have offered multiple recommendations for candidate support, few have examined the impact of specific means of support. In this…

This study examined the development of interactional competence (Hall, 1993; He & Young, 1998) by beginning learners of Spanish as indexed by their use of alignment moves. Discourse analysis techniques and quantitative data analysis were used to explore how 52 learners expressed alignment and changes in participation patterns in two sets of…

Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) provide elementary, secondary, and postsecondary instructors with the opportunity to align standards-based foreign language instruction with assessment practices. While IPA guidelines make it clear that all three modes of communication are to be assessed, the limited body of research on IPAs provides few…

Research has demonstrated that students in dual-language immersion programs perform as well as, or better than, their peers in core academic content areas by late elementary school. However, the extent to which immersion education fosters bilingualism has received less attention in the literature. Using data from a four-year efficacy study of…

The ability to make effective use of technology is becoming increasingly important for prospective language teachers. As a result, many teacher preparation programs include some form of training in computer assisted language learning (CALL). This study focuses on one component of such training, the textbooks used in methods courses, and employs…

This study compared the Mandarin performance of elementary immersion program students and high school world language program students in the same school district. A cross-sectional design was employed to gather information on Mandarin proficiency of fourth and fifth graders and Level 4 and Level 5 (AP Chinese) high school students who took the…

Although participation in multilingual communities around the world has been understood to be the raison d'etre for foreign language study, the Communities standard has been portrayed as an extracurricular experience and more difficult to weave into instruction than the other standards. This article addresses two questions: (1) Does a study abroad…

The renewed national focus on teacher quality and effectiveness has resulted in more rigorous standards that describe the knowledge and skills required of teacher candidates across all disciplines. In the area of foreign languages, three sets of professional standards address the oral proficiency of teachers in the target languages they teach…

The teaming of ACTFL and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education resulted in the requirement that teacher candidates speak at the Advanced Low (AL) or higher level on the Oral Proficiency scale. Providing the means to help candidates meet that minimum standard for certification is a fundamental consideration. This article…