Above and beyond the syllabus: transformation in an adult, foreign language classroom

Abstract

While many students in a foreign language classroom are successful at learning the prescribed curriculum, they may never move beyond the grammar and vocabulary to experience transformative learning. On the other hand, students who do not achieve proficiency may experience a perspective transformation as a result of studying a foreign language. This study examines the experiences of three adult women who completed two semesters of a college level Spanish course. Data were collected through the Learning Activities Survey and interviews. Results showed participants experienced perspective transformation in three areas: 1) identified with Hispanic cultures, 2) increased awareness of diversity, and 3) became aware of ethnocentricity. Three types of classroom activities appeared to make significant contributions to perspective transformation: 1) meeting native speakers, 2) collaborative learning, and 3) viewing and analysing films. IntroductionA typical course description for second-semester, college Spanish might include statements about students demonstrating mastery of the present and past verb tenses, the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and cultural concepts. These foundational concepts are reiterated in the syllabus and in the course assessments. However, despite the undeniable importance of learning the content, this knowledge is only the beginning of learning for many adult students. There are other kinds of learning that take place in a foreign language class when students are confronted with a language and culture different from their own. Studying a foreign language can be a transformative experience.Few college students who study foreign language go on to attain linguistic proficiency (Malone, Rifkin, Christian, & Johnson, 2005). A survey of foreign language enrolments in the United States (Furman, Goldberg, & Lusin, 2007) revealed that while 8.6% of postsecondary enrolments were in foreign language courses, only 1.4% of those enrolments were in advanced courses. The large majority of the students studying foreign language in American post-secondary institutions are not majors studying advanced content courses, but rather students taking elementary and intermediate language courses to fulfil degree requirements or for other reasons.As part of the general education requirement for college and university students in the United States, elementary Spanish courses tend to value certain types of learning experiences over others. In order to make good grades in a Spanish class, students must demonstrate factual knowledge, such as the vocabulary and grammar. While many students are successful at learning the facts, not all of those students move beyond the grammar and vocabulary to experience deeper, transformative learning. There are also students who never achieve proficiency in foreign language yet experience a meaningful perspective transformation as a result of studying foreign language.Through this study, we will tell the stories of three adult students who experienced transformati...

Staging transformative learning across collegiate language curricula: Student perceptions of structured reflection for language learning

“…More recent work linking transformative learning to FL study has pointed to the language classroom as a rich site for students to question how and why cultures differ. Learning outcomes identified in research on transformative learning in FL learning contexts have included: deepening students’ understanding of culture, both of the target language and of their own (Goulah, 2007; Ivers, 2007; Johnson, 2015; King, 2000; Sosulski, 2013), shifts in how learners view and position themselves to the target language and its cultures (Crane, 2018; Johnson & Mullins Nelson, 2010; Johnson, 2015), and changes in how they see themselves as language learners (Johnson, 2015; King, 2000). In the following, we trace recent L2 learner studies that adopt an explicit transformative learning approach to describe what perspective transformation and their attendant pedagogies may look like in FL instruction.…”

“…His students were asked to reflect on their responses, and in so doing confront their heretofore‐unchallenged assumptions. Similarly, Johnson & Mullins Nelson (2010) used case studies to document the learning experiences of three adult female African‐American college students enrolled in a first‐semester Spanish course and found that all three learners experienced perspective transformation as a result of communicating with native speakers, participating in collaborative class activities, and analyzing Spanish language films. These learners now identified with Hispanic cultures, developed an understanding of diversity within Hispanic cultures, and demonstrated an awareness of their own culture's ethnocentricity.…”

“…A common question that arises in the decision to use critical reflection in FL instruction has to do with the medium of language. Although more research is needed to understand the trade‐offs in using the L1 vs. the target language, current thoughts regarding this issue support the use of the L1 in student reflection, especially for beginning learners (Johnson & Mullins Nelson, 2010; Johnson, 2015). In Johnson's (2015) study, English (the students’ L1) was found to play an especially facilitative role for the learners in their ability to process course content with enthusiasm while making rich connections between the L1 and L2.…”

“…Taking a curricular approach to perspective transformation, this contribution seeks to build on recent efforts to bridge transformative learning and world language education (e.g., Clifford & Reisinger, 2019; Crane, Fingerhuth, & Huenlich, 2018; Johnson, 2015; Johnson & Mullins Nelson, 2010; Randolph & Johnson, 2017; Sosulski, 2013) by studying how perspective‐shifting can be fostered among collegiate second language (L2) learners through regular reflection on language and intercultural learning at different instructional levels. After describing transformative learning and recent applications of the theory to language learning contexts, we consider how critical reflection—considered a cornerstone for individuals’ ability to question and transform their meaning perspectives—can be used to stage perspective‐shifting moments for students.…”

EFL learners’ metaphors and images about foreign language learning

“…The benefits of this awareness can be both "instrumental" and "transformative," to use a dichotomy by Mezirow (as cited in Johnson & Nelson, 2010, p. 36). According to Johnson and Nelson (2010), learning in the context of a foreign language classroom can happen on two levels: Students may learn the content and skills; they may also critically reflect on their own assumptions about learning and try to make sense of information in relationship to the real world and themselves, a process which may lead to "perspective transformation. "…”