This mixed-methods explanatory sequential study aimed to identify the most commonly used World Language curriculum models in New Jersey high schools, assess the level of curriculum coherence in Spanish programs, and examine their impact on student learning. Surveys and interviews with high school Spanish teachers revealed that, while theoretical…

The number of English Language Learner students is rapidly rising. Yet, our understanding of how to provide culturally and linguistically responsive teaching to these diverse populations of students remains limited. Research has shown that incorporating students' cultural knowledge and home languages in the instruction and treating them as assets…

Previous research suggests that the intensity of student engagement in the learning process is a consistent predictor of language achievement (Gardner, 2010; Masgoret & Gardner, 2003). Research from educational psychology indicates that learners are more engaged in learning when their teachers' autonomy-supportive motivating practice supports…

Stakeholders at DoD language training organizations seek to improve foreign language learner test scores. The method selected for the researched organization was to add foreign language immersive virtual reality games into the learning environment at the current institute. Earlier studies provided evidence of other organizations pursuing similar…

The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) compiled and synthesized information to assist in building a well-rounded English Language program. The SLR used 190 articles to articulate the importance of creating a positive learning environment while teaching differentiated lessons. The collaboration between the mainstream teacher and the ELL specialist…

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) have been undergoing a quantum leap in foreign language training applications. Department of Defense (DoD) military and civilian linguists have traditionally been reluctant to speak the target language in Defense Language Institute (DLI) and National Cryptologic School (NCS) language enhancement classes. This…

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) have been undergoing a quantum leap in foreign language training applications. Department of Defense (DoD) military and civilian linguists have traditionally been reluctant to speak the target language in Defense Language Institute (DLI) and National Cryptologic School (NCS) language enhancement classes. This…

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) have been undergoing a quantum leap in foreign language training applications. Department of Defense (DoD) military and civilian linguists have traditionally been reluctant to speak the target language in Defense Language Institute (DLI) and National Cryptologic School (NCS) language enhancement classes. This…

This dissertation employs a multiple case study approach to explore the views and expectations of Latino-Hispanic parents of ELLs regarding their children's school English language acquisition programs (ELAP). The central research question investigates the perceived effectiveness of these programs and their alignment with parents' aspirations for…

Internationalization at institutions of higher education in the United States results in greater linguistic diversity of the student body. Admission policies for international students include English proficiency standards which are meant to ensure that multilingual students for whom English is an additional language can function linguistically in…

Despite their permeation in standard French, language variations, such as "argot" and "verlan" are seldom included in the curriculum of French university language programs in the U.S. Variations are often perceived negatively, leading to stigmatization towards the social groups who use them (Bourdieu 1982; Devereaux and Palmer,…

COVID-19 pandemic has profound global impact not only as a health crisis, but also as a time period that gave birth to radical social changes. Following the suggested measure of social distancing, responses of US educational system--shifting the mode of instruction to online only--present the significance of technology towards the contemporary…

Institutions of higher education (HE) and language programs (LPs) are ecologies or complex adaptive systems whose components constantly interact to create innovation and change (see Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008; Lichtenstein et al., 2006; Pennington & Hoekje, 2010a, 2010b; Uhl-Bien et al., 2007). As part of these complex dynamics,…

The promotion of language ideologies, policies and pedagogies that treat languages as separate and hierarchical has become a central concern for critical education scholars. In this case study, I explore how school actors at Colegio Colombiano (CC), an international school in Colombia, engaged with critical approaches to bi/multilingual education…

There is a pressing need for language instructors and programs to develop a critical consciousness of how teaching and institutional practices may perpetuate harmful language ideologies and an urgency to promote structural changes (e.g., at the curricular level, via teaching training and equitable pedagogies) to meet the needs of both L2 and…