{"title":"Ensuring Program Success during Difficult Times: A Descriptive Case Study and Actionable Recommendations","authors":"Sabine H. Smith","doi":"10.1111/tger.70014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Challenges to German Studies in the United States have been well documented and include questions of disciplinary mission and program viability. Existential threats stem from declining enrollments and increasing demands on faculty to sustain programs that require expanded expertise, opportunities, and networks. Calls for disciplinary transformation advocate for comprehensive curricular changes. However, some German Studies programs may need smaller-scale interventions for immediate implementation as recommended, for example, by AATG and other associations. Examining, as a case study, the trajectory of resourcefulness and resilience in the German Studies program at Kennesaw State University, a public R2 institution in Georgia, the author reports on successful, scalable initiatives over a 10-year period (2014–2024). The report details the strategic pursuit of mutually beneficial partnerships within and beyond the institution, addressing faculty performance expectations and inevitable overload in view of institutional mandates for program survival and success. Recommendations include that faculty collaborate within and beyond their field to leverage team-led efforts in teaching, service, and research projects; engage with feeder schools and peer institutions, internal and external stakeholders, and adopt high-impact practices to develop undergraduates’ transferable skills and career-relevant experiences. The report concludes by proposing three objectives and subordinate goals and action steps for potential adaptation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"3-12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144574227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multimodal Interaction of L2 Learners at Extracurricular Learning Sites: Exploring the Dynamics of Smartphone-Guided Engagement","authors":"Tanja Fohr","doi":"10.1111/tger.70016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article focuses on the multimodal support of L2 education when learners visit extracurricular learning sites. As part of a design-based research project, a team of students, cooperative partners, and the researcher developed an educational game using Actionbound to enhance on-site cultural and language education. The aim of this paper is to document and analyze the multimodal interplay between the context and the behavior of B1-level L2 German language learners, as guided by digital stimuli during a scavenger hunt. The analysis of the multimodal interplay offers insight into the potential for culturally and linguistically adapted learning support. A corpus of video, photo, and audio recordings is utilized to analyze the multimodal interaction of L2 learners (<i>n</i> = 7; July 2024) as they engaged with the application. The case study of one learning group (<i>n</i> = 3; aged 15, 16, and 17 years) at the secondary school level illustrates how the context of the combined virtual and physical sites is perceived by the learners and to what extent the tasks within this context contribute to linguistic and cultural learning.</p>","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"80-93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tger.70016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144573847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond “Standard Language”: Investigating L2 Learners’ Perceptions of Language Use by Native Speakers of German","authors":"Nick Ott","doi":"10.1111/tger.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Second language acquisition (SLA) research emphasizes the role of imagination in language learning, with learners often envisioning themselves engaging with native speakers. However, learners’ language preferences may differ from those of native-speaker communities. For example, while regional language is used in native-speaker communities to express identity and group affiliation, L2 learners may overlook its social importance. This exploratory study examined how sojourning L2 learners (<i>n</i> = 8) perceived the use of so-called “standard language” when directed at them by their German native-speaker peers at three timepoints during their sojourn. Results from Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed no significant differences in sojourners’ preference toward standard language. To deepen the interpretation of results, qualitative data explored a shift in the directionality of sojourners’ average perception under the dimension related to their L2 German proficiency. Taken together, these findings suggest learners’ preferences may challenge conventions present in native-speaker communities as well as the goal of speaking “like a native speaker.” Implications emphasize the need for learners to critically reflect on classroom language versus real-world use, which in turn, also encourages students to develop realistic expectations, value diverse linguistic identities, and ultimately reduces pressure to conform to native-speaker norms.</p>","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"68-79"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tger.70015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144573313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teaching an Advanced German Course Through the Lens of Soccer","authors":"Lieselotte Sippel","doi":"10.1111/tger.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article explores how soccer can be used as a lens to teach about German history, culture, and society. I outline three sample modules for an advanced German course at the high school or college level: The first module focuses on soccer in German history, the second on sexism and LGBTQ-related topics in soccer, and the third on soccer and racism. I present a variety of authentic materials for the German classroom, ranging from songs and short articles to documentaries, feature films, and books. This article is theoretically motivated by the interaction approach, which emphasizes the importance of input, interaction, and output for successful second language acquisition. I discuss how educators can create a language-rich environment through authentic soccer-related materials, and I demonstrate how these materials can be used to design class activities and assessments that promote interaction, discussion, and output in the German classroom.</p>","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"31-38"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tger.70013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144574245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Decoding Ideology in Textbooks: Teaching Culture in the German Integration Course","authors":"Richmond Embeywa","doi":"10.1111/tger.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article explores how ideology is embedded in the cultural content of textbooks used in Germany's integration courses for migrants. Using critical multimodal discourse analysis, I analyze two dimensions of meaning in linguistic and visual (multimodal) texts: meaning as representation and meaning as inter/action. I analyze how social actors are visually and linguistically represented and how their sociological agency is distributed. I also scrutinize the interactional functions of texts and corresponding pedagogical tasks by exploring how learners are (dis)invited to engage with the content. Findings show that social actors have both positive and negative sociological agency in various social contexts, with instances of othering as well as elements of tokenization and erasure among minoritized racial and religious social actors. These insights are relevant for educators and curriculum developers interested in critically assessing and redesigning language and culture teaching materials.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"58-67"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144573901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing Student Participation: Equity Concerns and Opportunities for Student Learning","authors":"Beate Brunow","doi":"10.1111/tger.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article examines equity concerns in assessing student participation in the foreign language classroom and proposes alternative approaches for more equitable assessment practices. The article presents several approaches for reimagining participation assessment. These approaches aim to create more equitable assessment of student participation with a focus on student learning.</p>","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"129-132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tger.70011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144573850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparing Anti-Black Racisms While White: Anecdote and Evidence of Racism in Germany and the United States","authors":"J. Brandon Pelcher","doi":"10.1111/tger.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Courses of Black German culture taught in the United States implicitly confront expectations of comparison between, if not ranking of, anti-Black racisms of the two countries. Through a critical self-reflection and evaluation of my own experiences teaching Black German culture as a White instructor, I suggest that White instructors of these courses, who have not experienced anti-Black racism themselves, may grasp for what they perceive as canonical evidence in order to counteract that lack. Overvaluation of evidence and devaluation of anecdotal anti-Black racism, a dynamic deeply ingrained in predominantly White academia, is precisely what such courses are meant to critique. This article explores how anecdote and evidence can function for a White instructor; when and how that process can become particularly problematic; and a series of pedagogical practices and works of Black German culture that can help to preclude those problems. This combination reveals the importance of deconstructing the evidence-anecdote hierarchy to the Black German movement itself and, therefore, the importance of that deconstruction to courses on Black German culture</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"39-44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144574033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Building rapport, encouraging intrinsic motivation, and reducing anxiety with labor-based grading","authors":"Gwyneth Cliver","doi":"10.1111/tger.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Since fall 2021, the author has practiced a method of ungrading, labor-based contract grading, in all courses in the small German program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The author has anecdotally observed less anxiety, fewer incidents of cheating, more cooperation among students, stronger rapport between students and instructors, growth of minors and majors, and more excitement and energy in the program. To familiarize the German language acquisition community with the literature, the article presents a comprehensive review of the harms of normative grading practices and the theories backing and questioning ungrading methods as alternatives. The mixed-methods study used pre- and post-semester surveys to measure the students’ perceptions of the benefits and disadvantages of the unconventional grading system and found that while there are opportunities to improve, almost all students approve of the method and see value in its emphasis on learning and de-emphasis on metrics for assessing language growth.</p>","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"111-123"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tger.70008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144573406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disability, universal design for learning, and alternative assessment methods","authors":"Petra Watzke","doi":"10.1111/tger.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.70005","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43693,"journal":{"name":"Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German","volume":"58 1","pages":"133-137"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144573624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}