Exploring the effects of foreign language instructional practices on student proficiency development

• Reuben Vyn ^[1] ; Pamela M. Wesely ^[1] ; Diane Neubauer ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Iowa

     University of Iowa

     City of Iowa City, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Foreign language annals, ISSN 0015-718X, Vol. 52, Nº. 1, 2019, págs. 45-65
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • While a growing body of research has addressed the outcomes of K–12 foreign language (FL) study, relatively little is known about the relationship between teachers’ practices and students’ proficiency development (Hlas & Hlas, 2012; Tschirner & Malone, 2012). To fill this gap, the current study, set in a large urban school district, investigates how differences in teachers’ (N = 26) self‐reported use of the target language (TL) and explicit grammar instruction relate to secondary FL students’ (N = 2,179) yearlong gains on a standardized language performance assessment. Findings reveal a largely positive effect for TL usage, which was most pronounced in the beginner levels. Meanwhile, explicit grammar instruction yielded mixed results, beginning with a negative effect in Level I and transitioning toward a positive effect by Level IV. Collectively, the findings suggest that best practices for FL teaching may in fact vary according to the level of instruction.