Premium
Two Sides of the Communicative Coin: Honors and Nonhonors French and Spanish Classes in a Midwestern High School
Author(s) -
Morris Michael
Publication year - 2005
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/j.1944-9720.2005.tb02488.x
Subject(s) - psychology , class (philosophy) , elite , mathematics education , maturity (psychological) , foreign language , tracking (education) , communicative language teaching , pedagogy , language education , developmental psychology , political science , politics , computer science , law , artificial intelligence
This study compares the instructional practices in honors and nonhonors French and Spanish classes at a Midwestern high school, as well as factors influencing those practices. The researcher observed 54 class sessions and used questionnaires and interviews to obtain teachers' perspectives on instruction. Analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between type of class and type of activity, with honors classes having more communicative activities. Teachers attributed differences to student expectations for the two levels, students' level of motivation for language study, and their maturity level. Findings generally paralleled those of other studies that have examined ability tracking. The researcher proposes that foreign language educators must address the issue of reserving communicative teaching for elite students for the profession's future viability.