Research has shown that world language learners' listening comprehension skills develop at a slower pace than reading or speaking skills, possibly because a systematic approach to developing listening skills is often neglected in classroom contexts. To address this issue, the present study investigated whether listening skills can be improved…

This paper provides concrete suggestions for teaching two Holocaust testimonies, Irene Hauser's diary and Ruth Klüger's memoir "Still Alive." Hauser's and Klüger's texts effectively illustrate the differences between diaries and memoirs while recounting similar experiences. Such a comparative analysis, I argue, achieves two goals: First,…

German plural formation appears unsystematic and largely arbitrary to many second language (L2) learners. While some approaches have attempted to identify patterns and rules to help L2 learners (e.g., Anton et al., 2017; Di Donato & Clyde, 2020; Kraiss, 2014), one central observation from linguistic analysis has been absent from pedagogical…

Genre, defined as a "staged goal-oriented social process" (Martin, 2009), has long stood as a key principle in second-language writing instruction. This article presents the principles underpinning genre theory as it relates to the language curriculum and the five phases of genre-based L2 writing pedagogy. This pedagogy provides the…

In the literature on intercultural competence, such competence, or set of competencies, is desirable precisely because a globalized world needs world citizens who are at home everywhere and can deal effectively with alterity -- presumably in order to be agents of positive change. To remain relevant, we as teachers in German Studies need…

Sociocognitive (Atkinson, 2011) and complex dynamic systems approaches (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008) highlight the inextricable connectedness of social and cognitive phenomena in second language (L2) learning. Previous research found numerous ties between L2 learning and both learners' sociocultural background as well as their affective…

In this conversation, two U.S.-trained German language and culture educators discuss their approaches to intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Working in different educational settings -- in a German and Global Studies program at a public university in the U.S., and at the Institute for Intercultural Communication of a German university…

Striving to be more representative in their answer to the question, "What is German," many programs are expanding their curricula to include the history and perspectives of Black Germans and Austrians. Through discussion of a course on "Die afrikanische Diaspora im deutschsprachigen Europa," this article argues that examining…

As online educational programs and courses increase (Allen & Seaman, [Allen, I. E., 2014]), it is important to understand the benefits and limitations of this delivery format when assessing students and when comparing learning outcomes. This article addresses the following two questions: (1) What are some of the best practices in assessing…

Preparing lifelong, world-ready German learners means German language instructors must intentionally incorporate globalized themes and tasks into the high school German curriculum. In 2010, the College Board redesigned the AP German Language and Culture Exam to meet these needs. The new exam encompasses six course themes and requires students to…

Small German programs need to reach out to first-year students in order to expand the pool of potential majors and minors and to increase program visibility on campus. This article demonstrates how an interdisciplinary Seminar for Freshmen on Vienna and Berlin can be used to introduce students to the study of the German-speaking world by comparing…

Compares the treatment of one specific communicative function--the expression of concessive relation--in six recent grammar books of German as a foreign language. Shows that the presentation of grammar in these books is deficient, because in each of them only a part of the existing means for the realization of this function is commented on. (VWL)

Examines the attributive and predicate adjectives produced by 27 students of German (L2) in both chatroom and face-to-face small group discussions. Compares the accuracy and occurrence in each context. data indicated that students produced twice the number of attributive adjectives in the chatroom. Also examined whether students produced more…

Recounts one teacher's experience in teaching the concept of childhood and 19th-century German children's books in a fourth semester German course. Outlines the methodology, evaluates the accomplishments of the course, and discusses the problems encountered. The students' familiarity with some of the images, symbols, and experiences shown in the…

This study compared the performance of college students completing an advanced-level German language course with that of high school-level candidates on the Advanced Placement (AP) German examination. Successful high school-level AP candidates demonstrated a language competency equal or superior to that of college students who received…