A Shared Story of Successful Spanish Learning: An Embedded Multiple Case Study

Student success is on the American mind, and rightfully so, as indicators point to inequitable educational experiences in a nation that emphasizes equity and opportunity for all (NCES, 2009, 2010; Peterson, Woessmann, Hanushek, & Lastra-Anadón, 2011). The occasional story of academic success in the face of obstacles inspires a desire to make these stories of success mainstream rather than scattered occurrences. With this desire for widespread academic success, we arrive upon the challenge of fully understanding the inherently complex path to student success. One manner in which to understand the phenomenon of student success is to empirically identify situations of consistently impressive academic outcomes, entering into those situations and exploring the phenomenon at a deep, holistic level (Imig & Imig, 2006). This embedded multiple case study explored three situations of student Spanish learning success identified through hierarchical linear modeling. Successful Spanish learning was defined as situations empirically identified as exhibiting the greatest overall student growth in Spanish proficiency over time. Each of these situations of empirically supported student success was explored both qualitatively (interviews, observations, artifacts, narratives) and quantitatively (matrix observations, surveys, demographical information) at both the building/community-level and classroom/teacher-level. Findings were presented through a narrative story of student success and then discussed through Goodwin’s What Matters Most Framework (Goodwin, 2011). Findings supported Goodwin’s assertion that “we can make a tremendous difference for students---especially if everyone is on the same page and working to the same ends” (p. 160, italics added). This story of student Spanish success reflected buildings and communities unified in supporting instructional staff so that they could focus on classroom instruction. Within this supportive and collaborative environment, reflective Spanish practitioners presented students with high expectations and actively engaged them with activities strategically designed to enable efficient and successful Spanish communication. In the words of one of the principals in this study, the outcome seemed to be a bit of a “daily, mini immersion”, that allowed students to maximize their learning experience. Advisor: Aleidine J. Moelle

Learning Languages in a Digital World

Aleidine J. Moeller, Editor Janine Theiler, Assistant Editor I. Embracing Technology: Tools Teacher Can Use to Improve Language Learning — Introduction to the section: Frauke Hachtmann, Katie Hayes, Leyla Masmaliyeva, Malia Perkins 1 Rich Internet Applications for Language Learning — Dennie Hoopingarner and Vineet Bansal 2 Leveraging Podcasting for Language Learning — Dan Schmit 3 Using PowerPoint Templates to Enhance Student Presentations — J. Sanford Dugan II. Teacher Education and Professional Development: Agents of Change — Introduction to the section: Silvia Betta and Janine Theiler 4 Preparing for the ACTFL/NCATE Program Report: Three Case Studies — Susan Colville-Hall, Bonnie Fonseca-Greber, and Isabel Cavour 5 Preparing Teacher Candidates to Integrate Technology in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Teacher Educator’s Perspective — Elvira Sanatullov-Allison and Marat Sanatullov 6 Training Elementary World Language Teachers to Use an Immersion-based Approach: Modeling and Methods Instruction Delivered via Video/DVD — Jean M. Hindson 7 Action Research on a Technology Integrated Elementary School Foreign Language Methods Course — Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch and Hsueh-Hua Chuang 8 National Board Certification in World Languages: A Worthwhile Journey — Meg Graham 9 Enhancing Learner Self-Efficacy through Continuous Self-Assessment: Implications for the Foreign Language Classroom — Javier Coronado-Aliegro III. Teaching Culture through Divergent Paths — Introduction to the section: Gabriel Cote and Amy Struthers 10 Japanese Language and Culture Learning through E-mail Communication — Yuki Ozawa 11 A Road Less Traveled: The Chemin de Saint-Jacques from LePuy to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port — Lisa Signori, Steven M. Gardner, and Carlos Mentle

Goal Setting and Student Achievement: A Longitudinal Study

The connection between goals and student motivation has been widely investigated in the research literature, but the relationship of goal setting and student achievement at the classroom level has remained largely unexplored. This article reports the findings of a 5-year quasi-experimental study examining goal setting and student achievement in the high school Spanish language classroom. The implementation of LinguaFolio, a portfolio that focuses on student self-assessment, goal setting, and collection of evidence of language achievement, was introduced into 23 high schools with a total of 1,273 students. By using a hierarchical linear model, researchers were able to analyze the relationship between goal setting and student achievement across time at both the individual student and teacher levels. A correlational analysis of the goal-setting process and language proficiency scores reveals a statistically significant relationship between the goal-setting process and language achievement (p \u3c .01)