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, ; Tschirner & Malone, ). 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.

World language teachers have historically relied on the notion of teaching methods to inform elements of design and procedure in their instructional practice. Teacher beliefs about teaching methods, however, have been shown to be significantly influenced by their context, including their institution and their learners. This phenomenon has led some scholars to identify a postmethod condition, where teachers prioritize making responsive, principled decisions about instruction based on their context. This qualitative study investigated the patterns and realities of the postmethod condition in practice through the lens of teacher beliefs about teaching methods, focusing on ten secondary-level world language teachers of French and Spanish in the USA. Data sources included a survey about teaching methods, in-depth interviews, and classroom observations. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, multiple phases of coding, and integrating analysis of the three sources. Findings indicated that teachers in this group largely identified as adhering to one main teaching approach, with eight of the ten self-identifying as using primarily comprehensible input and/or TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) methods. However, through investigating their beliefs about grammar and accuracy; the four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking; the importance of input and output; and instructional flow, we found that the teachers examined and reexamined their teaching methods regularly, largely due to the influences of their learners and their institution. The relationship between the teachers’ beliefs and practices was mediated by context-driven instructional decision-making, indicating the presence of a postmethod condition.

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