Early Career Language Educators Experience Joy and Purpose in the Creation of Multilingual Classroom Ecologies

The goal of this phenomenological study was to intensely analyze and interpret the experiences of a select sample of early career language teachers as they reflected on their languaging interactions with their learners. To answer the research question: How do early career language teachers experience the creation of multilingual classroom ecologies?, four individuals participated by collectively providing 14 interviews, submitting 13 bi-weekly journals, and sharing 17 self-selected semiotic images over a two month time period. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1996) was then employed using a double hermeneutic to uncover themes in each case by elucidating descriptions and then cohesively analyzing all sets of data. Findings included that each teacher experienced reported translanguaging moments as joy, purposeful connection, and the analysis of ecological factors. Subsequent major learnings included the following regarding the early career language teacher experience: 1) they felt joy when they were able to use or help students to use multilanguaging, 2) they associated the use of multiple languages as a way of supporting connections with and for students holistically, academically, culturally, and linguistically, and 3) they were both conscious of and conscientious with multiple facets of their ecological experience related to language use. The dissertation concludes with a call for further exploration of the experiences of language educators to forward our shared understandings of translinguistic practices within a multilingual educational context

Affecting L2 attitude and motivation through drama

What effect do play creation and performance experiences have on the motivation of low-intermediate secondary ELL learners toward speaking the target language? The basis of this study includes theories and previous research in the areas of the communicative approach, language learning motivation, and drama in education. Participating students created a self-written play and performed for a larger community. General results included data indicating dramatic intervention with secondary ELLs can lead to meaningful increases in motivation to learn the target language. This was based on Attitude and Motivation Test Battery questionnaire results. The experimental class reported meaningful growth in the areas of motivational effort, language anxiety, and attitude towards the learning situation. The control class reported meaningful growth in the areas of integrativeness and instrumental orientations. Secondary language instructors are therefore encouraged to think about using the play creation process in their classroom