Reevaluating Curricular Objectives Using Students' Perceived Needs: The Case of Three Language Programs

Abstract

Investigating students' needs in three foreign language departments in a liberal arts college setting, the present study aims to find (1)similarities and differences in language needs among students enrolled in Spanish, French, and German, and (2)the extent to which students' perceived needs match the mission the departments have defined for their respective language programs. Student needs encompass a variety of aspects, including their motivations to study the language, their perceptions of language skills, and their anticipated uses of the language. Results from this study suggest that there are indeed similarities and differences in students' perceived needs across languages. The similarities include students' emotional ties to the languages, their interest in acquiring communicative skills, and their plans in terms of using the languages for career purposes. Students, however differ in both their perceptions of the language requirement and in the ways in which they use languages outside of the classroom. An interesting finding is that students use French and German more often with native speakers than Spanish students do. Based on the results of this study, several practical recommendations me made. These include improving the content of language courses, emphasizing the role of culture in language teaching, and linking language study to career preparation.

How Do I Satisfy the General Education Language Requirement? University Students' Attitudes Toward Language Study

“…Alalou (2001), Bateman (2002), and Glisan (1987) found similar results; that is, students enrolled in a language class just to fulfill a graduation requirement showed little desire to continue their study of the L2. The crosstabulation of expectations for future language study versus the first choice ''to satisfy the general education requirement language'' (po.001) showed that 73% (32 students) who selected the general education requirement stated that the class in which they were enrolled was as far as they were planning to study; 2% (one student) planned a minor; no students planned a major; and 25% (11 students) were not sure.…”

“…Researchers have already shown that instructors need to know their students' attitudes and expectations at the beginning of the semester (Alalou, 2001;Alalou & Chamberlain, 1999;Glisan, 1987). Researchers have already shown that instructors need to know their students' attitudes and expectations at the beginning of the semester (Alalou, 2001;Alalou & Chamberlain, 1999;Glisan, 1987).…”

Don Quixote Meets Ser and Estar: Multiple Perspectives on Language Learning in Spanish Literature Classes

“…Two thirds of the students expressed positive attitudes toward the study of literature; this positive attitude was positively correlated with the amount of pleasure reading done in the FL and with learners’ preferred learning styles. More recently, Alalou (2001) surveyed over 500 students enrolled in beginning‐ and intermediate‐level language courses (Spanish, French, and German) at a large research university. Although few of these learners were language majors, they ranked literature courses second only to conversation courses in terms of classes they would be interested in taking beyond the language requirement.…”

“…Although the studies reviewed here are not directly comparable to each other, taken together they suggest three important points. First, it seems that students are not opposed to the study of FL literature (Alalou, 2001; Davis et al, 1992; Martin & Laurie, 1993), although they may not necessarily see literature as a defining feature of FL culture (Chavez, 2002). Second, learners of all levels seem to prioritize improving their language skills over other types of knowledge that might be gained in an FL course.…”

Language ideologies and the production of identities: Spanish as a resource for participation in a multilingual marketplace

“…The proximity of the U. S. to Central and South America and the presence of roughly 35 million Latinos in the U. S. has led to an awareness among some college students that expertise in Spanish is one key to professional success both abroad and at home (Alalou 2001;Dahl 2000;Roca 1999). U. S. newspapers are rife with job announcements that seek Spanish-English bilinguals in fields like medicine, education, law, advertising, publishing, and social work.…”