Developing Foreign Language Frameworks: An Evaluation Study

Abstract

In order for Standards‐based foreign language (FL) instructional methods to be successfully implemented, teachers need to be confident in using them in their classrooms and capable of explaining Standards‐based instruction to parents and community. The Nebraska Foreign Language Standards/Frameworks Project involved a substantial proportion of Nebraska's FL teachers in an intensive process of Standards development and dissemination, with more than half participating in one or more Frameworks activities. The study examined these FL teachers' beliefs about foreign language teaching and learning as they related to the processes of Standards development. Results indicated that increases in teaching efficacy, professional advocacy, and Standards‐based conceptions of FL teaching were associated with Frameworks participation. Instruments developed for the assessment of efficacy beliefs and conceptions of teaching also are presented.

Teacher beliefs about instructional choice: A phenomenological study.

“…Support for teacher-related variables (e.g., course content, management style, experience, and efficacy) can be found in the research literature as well. Choice has been used successfully in many content areas, including art (Amabile & Gitomer, 1984), reading (Guthrie & McCann, 1997; Pressley, Yokoi, Rankin, Wharton-McDonald, & Mistretta-Hampston, 1997; Turner, 1995), and foreign language (Bruning, Flowerday, & Trayer, 1999). Teachers’ management styles, experiences, and efficacies play a role in implementation of choice.…”

Technology integration for teaching and learning Spanish in elementary schools: voices of designers, teachers and students

“…As can be seen in Table 1, (1) attend year-long (summer, fall, and spring) staff development sessions for which university credit and salary incentives were offered, (2) practice basic second language acquisition teaching methodologies and effective means of implementing the foreign language student standards (Bruning, Flowerday, & Trayer, 1999), and (3) examine ways of integrating content of other subjects into the integrated Spanish activities. During the second year of professional development (1999)(2000), the project director asked teachers to prepare a thematic plan to integrate technology into their classrooms ).…”