{"title":"Meta-analyses of anxiety, motivation, performance, satisfaction, and self-efficacy in virtual reality-assisted language education","authors":"Zhonggen Yu, Peng Duan","doi":"10.1111/flan.12748","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12748","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The popularity of virtual reality (VR) technologies has increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a paucity of meta-analytic studies that have investigated the use of VR technologies in language education. This current study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic analysis of 41 randomized controlled studies conducted between 2008 and 2021, examining the effects of VR technologies on language educational outcomes. The findings indicate that VR technologies reduce anxiety levels while enhancing motivation, performance, satisfaction, and self-efficacy in language learning when compared to traditional learning methods. These outcomes are observed regardless of whether learners engage with immersive or nonimmersive environments and whether they use head-mounted displays or nonhead-mounted displays. Future research can investigate the impact of VR on intercultural communicative competence and collaborative problem-solving abilities.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 2","pages":"550-580"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139518688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond accuracy: The development of syntactic complexity in middle school Spanish immersion","authors":"Mandy R. Menke","doi":"10.1111/flan.12746","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12746","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Language immersion programs seek to develop multilingual, multiliterate individuals able to engage with academic content. Studies of immersion students' language development provide details regarding language proficiency and accuracy, yet they generally do not address how features of written, academic language, for example, syntactic and lexical complexity, develop. To this end, this study seeks to understand if and how the syntactic complexity of written texts produced by middle school Spanish immersion students differs across grades. It examines discipline-related, persuasive texts written by 186 Grade 6–8 Spanish immersion students from five programs, analyzing syntactic complexity at the phrasal, clausal, and supraclausal levels and considering both length-based and subordination measures. Findings suggest that syntactic complexity does not change significantly in middle school for immersion students unlike findings with nonimmersion students. Explanations for and implications of the findings are explored.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 3","pages":"844-866"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/flan.12746","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139516101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Foreign language education in Louisiana: A cluster analysis","authors":"Erin Fell","doi":"10.1111/flan.12737","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12737","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Louisiana is currently the only state in the United States that requires foreign language (FL) study for some, but not all of their high school students, and these requirements are undergoing seismic changes. Considering that <i>geographic</i>, <i>economic</i>, and <i>integration</i> factors contribute to whether a school can provide FL at all—and biased counseling dissuades minoritized students from taking FL—this study asks: <i>has FL education been equitably accessible to all Louisiana high school students who want to pursue it, regardless of race or economic background?</i> To address this question, this paper presents results from two analyses. First, program-internal equity variables (e.g., [dis]similarity between school-wide and FL student demographics) were clustered to produce “profiles” of FL programs. Next, a multinomial logistic regression using program-external factors (e.g., federal funding status, desegregation orders) was conducted to isolate the factors impacting equity. Federal funding and rurality were both found to be significant, with schools receiving federal Title I funds and rural schools being much more likely to exhibit inequitable access to FL courses. In (a) identifying schools with enrollment inequities and (b) the outside factors associated with greater inequity, this paper aims to provide policymakers with empirically based tools to address (in)equity in Louisiana high school FL education. These findings can be especially helpful in light of the state's recent (2023-2024 school year) expansion of FL requirements to accept computer science courses.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 3","pages":"698-724"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139055844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the experiences of heritage speakers as world language teachers of Spanish: Professional experiences and challenges","authors":"Miguel Á. Novella, Carolina Bustamante","doi":"10.1111/flan.12739","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12739","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This follow-up study explored the experiences of eight Latina heritage speakers (HSs), who were initially enrolled in world language teacher preparation programs at two educational institutions in the United States and who became in-service Spanish teachers. Using data from interviews, classroom observations, and a focus group, this qualitative multiple-case study investigated their motivation to stay in the profession, professional development needs, challenges they experienced as teachers of Spanish, and how their self-perceptions and attitudes about their use of Spanish evolved from pre- to in-service teacher stages regarding their proficiency, use of code-switching and register, and knowledge of grammar. Findings highlight the importance of supporting HSs as an essential component of teacher education programs and the workforce in world language teaching; the need for coursework that illuminates register differences but always values and legitimizes their own way of speaking; the need for world language education and Spanish language faculty in teacher preparation programs to establish common, coordinated goals for preservice teachers; and academic training for HSs in pedagogy and sociolinguistics, not only at the preservice teacher level, but also as professional development for all members in world language departments, in both K-12 and higher education settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 3","pages":"725-746"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138580834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Foregrounding learner voice: Chinese international students' interpretations of strategy use during oral discourse socialization in Germany","authors":"Yao Long, Yuting Ding","doi":"10.1111/flan.12742","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12742","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although multilingualism is becoming a more important topic of inquiry, a closer look at intercultural studies on Chinese overseas students reveals that they are inclined to contrast the learning behaviors of these students with Western learning conceptions and practices and interpret their learning ways based on Western assumptions. The study used qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate how this cohort of minoritized learners leveraged a material-centered approach highlighting repetition, reading aloud, rote learning, and translanguaging to increase the salience and processing of the target language input. Additionally, this study performed a comparative analysis of the use frequency and interpretations of learning strategies between self-reported successful and currently less successful students from China. The results indicate that the former cohort was more concerned with self-directed activities in favor of input processing and the model of input-output connection. Lastly, this highlights the importance of legitimization of their approach resource repertoire by foregrounding their interpretations of their own learning behaviors in the new academic environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 2","pages":"403-424"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/flan.12742","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138980058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of questioning strategies on target language production and learner confidence","authors":"Angela Gardner, Karen Lichtman","doi":"10.1111/flan.12743","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12743","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigated how questioning strategies impact language learner performance. Specifically, it explored how questioning strategies influence (i) verb production and subject–verb agreement in the target language, and (ii) learner confidence in completing tasks without translation software. Sixty-eight novice language learners enrolled in a high school Spanish I course participated. The students were divided into two groups. After a pretest, one group completed an activity with divergent (open-ended) questions, while the other group did the same activity with contingent (either/or) questions. Participants then completed a posttest and rated their temptation to use translation software. Writing on the pre- and posttests was evaluated for verb production, verb conjugation, and subject–verb agreement. Results show that as compared with divergent questions, contingent questions (i) help students produce significantly more conjugated verbs and more accurate subject/verb agreement, and (ii) significantly reduce the temptation to rely on translation software.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 1","pages":"256-275"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138580838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Research on university-based Spanish heritage language programs in the United States: The state of affairs in 2022","authors":"Sara M. Beaudrie, Anna Marrero-Rivera","doi":"10.1111/flan.12741","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12741","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research on Spanish heritage language (SHL) education has grown exponentially in the last two decades. The most recent nationwide study on SHL programs in US postsecondary institutions was conducted a decade ago. To continue this line of research, the primary aim of this study is to provide an update about the current state of SHL course offerings at 4-year universities in the United States. SHL programs can promote academic success for Latinx students who see their language and culture asserted. In turn, valuing their heritage language skills and supporting their language development can help Latinx students expand their multilingual abilities for use with their families and communities, as well as in professional contexts. Results reveal that the last decade (2012–2022) witnessed tremendous increase in the availability of SHL programs, although some of the challenges reported in prior research still remain nationwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 1","pages":"10-26"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138547593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Issue Information - Ed Board, ACTFL Officers Page","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/flan.12626","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12626","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"56 4","pages":"807-808"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/flan.12626","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138550431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From intercultural engagement to intercultural communicative competence: The case of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean","authors":"Jiwon Hwang, Eriko Sato, Agnes W. He","doi":"10.1111/flan.12738","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12738","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As the objective of language teaching is shifting from producing so-called “native-like” speakers to fostering speakers competent in intercultural communication, it has become necessary to identify the kinds of learning resources that may be related to the learner's development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in today's context of globalization and technological innovation. Employing a mixed-method approach with focus group interviews (<i>n</i> = 46) and a survey (<i>n</i> = 342), this study examines Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language learners' out-of-class intercultural experience and examines how interpersonal engagement and media usage are associated with the three dimensions of ICC: <i>approach</i>, <i>analyze</i>, and <i>act</i>. The study found that while both interpersonal interactions and media usage related to target language were positively associated with self-reported gains in all three dimensions of ICC, media use consistently had a greater effect on ICC than interpersonal interactions. The implications of these findings for language educators are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 1","pages":"67-92"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138547467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alyssia M. Miller De Rutté, Isabel María Kentengian, María E. Pérez, Pilar Ortega
{"title":"The current state of undergraduate medical Spanish: Results of a national survey","authors":"Alyssia M. Miller De Rutté, Isabel María Kentengian, María E. Pérez, Pilar Ortega","doi":"10.1111/flan.12731","DOIUrl":"10.1111/flan.12731","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigated the following research question: What is the landscape of medical Spanish offerings in undergraduate, 4-year universities in US states with large Spanish-speaking populations? Forty-four percent of institutions responded to the survey, which explored institutional characteristics, medical Spanish programs and individual courses, and instructors. Nonrespondent institutions' web sites were manually searched. The findings revealed that 43% of institutions offer medical Spanish programming. Based on results from the study, recommendations for undergraduate medical Spanish programming include starting with learners who have at least an intermediate level of Spanish language proficiency, recruiting students studying health professions, focusing on linguistic and intercultural competence, incorporating topics that impact health, developing a series of medical Spanish courses, expanding medical Spanish teaching and research positions, and collaborating across disciplines. The results emphasize the importance of continued research on medical Spanish and development to better prepare healthcare professionals to provide linguistically appropriate and culturally relevant healthcare to the growing Spanish-speaking population.</p>","PeriodicalId":47560,"journal":{"name":"Foreign Language Annals","volume":"57 1","pages":"27-47"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138547778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}