Language in a global world: A case study of foreign languages in U.S. K–8 education

Abstract

Over the past decade, there have been numerous calls to update U.S. education to reflect an increasingly global world (Hull & Hellmich, 2018). Foreign languages (FLs) are often perceived as central to these efforts (American Academy of Arts & Sciences, 2017). Despite this centrality, less is known about how FLs are understood in U.S. K–12 education today, particularly at the individual and school levels. Using an ecological theoretical frame and a case study research design, this article focused on one K–8 immersion school and examined (1) the discourses that teachers, administrators, parents, and students used to understand FLs in education; (2) how their understandings impacted the learning environment; and (3) how local beliefs and behaviors aligned with larger societal philosophies and practices. Findings revealed areas of both alignment and divergence from previous literature and highlight the complex understandings that are used to position and guide FL education.

Student attitudes and Cantonese proficiency in a Cantonese dual immersion school

“…Interview data produced similar findings in a recent study on a private immersion school with French and Spanish as the partner languages (Hellmich, ). In that study, a heritage speaker of Spanish expressed that learning Spanish was important to her because Spanish skills will be helpful for future careers, and both heritage speakers and nonheritage speakers in the study mentioned that learning the partner language is useful when they travel to other countries.…”

“…The survey and focus group interview methods were used to assess students’ attitudes, as in previous studies (Bearse & de Jong, ; Hellmich, ; Lindholm‐Leary, ). Eight background questions adapted from Lindholm‐Leary () were used to elicit the demographic information reported above.…”

School administrators’ perspectives of French immersion programs

“…Tedick and Wesely (2015) assert that there is little peer‐reviewed, empirical evidence of the components of effective FLIP administration. Studies have shown a need for educational leaders to better understand FLIPs characteristics and design (Cammarata & Tedick, 2012; Hellmich, 2018; Olson Beal et al, 2012). This study addressed these research gaps by examining school administrators’ understanding and planning of the FLIP's components within the specific context of French Immersion.…”