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Exploring the effects of foreign language instructional practices on student proficiency development
Author(s) -
Vyn Reuben,
Wesely Pamela M.,
Neubauer Diane
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/flan.12382
Subject(s) - grammar , psychology , foreign language , language proficiency , set (abstract data type) , mathematics education , individualized instruction , teaching method , pedagogy , linguistics , computer science , philosophy , programming language
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, [Hlas, A. C., 2012]; Tschirner & Malone, [Tschirner, E., 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.