Student perceptions of TL use in the secondary classroom

1. Student perceptions of TL use in the secondary classroom Bernadette Brouwers and Luc Le

2. The Assessment of Language Competence • Annual international certificate program • Listening and reading comprehension tests • Multiple choice format • Six languages – CH, FR, GE, IN, IT, JA • Three levels – Certificates 1-3 • Some questions in TL at level 2 and 3

3. Research Methodology Data • 2010 ALC student results • Certificates 2 & 3 listening & reading tests in Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian and Japanese • Approx 20, 000 students • Student survey data

4. Research Methodology • Research question • How does students’ perceived use of the target language in the classroom and school/community environment affect their results on the ALC?

5. Why is this interesting or useful? • Queries about nature of language programs • Expectations about use of TL • Developments in the national curriculum • Development of professional standards • Focus on intercultural language learning

6. Assumptions • The purpose of language learning is to be able to communicate proficiently in the target language • learners learn a language best when they are provided opportunities to use the target language to communicate in a wide range of activities … in meaningful situations … . P 41, ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century • teacher use of the target language is crucial as it provides the learners’ principal, even only, source of live, scaffolded input … p 7, Crawford in RELC Journal 35:1

7. Research Methodology Analysis • Item calibration using Rasch modelling • Item discrimination and test reliability index • Relationship between perceived TL use and purpose and student performance in ALC tests

8. ALC student survey

9. Survey frequency

10. Language use local community • 1 never • 2 sometimes • 3 usually • 4 always

11. Language use teacher in classroom • 1 never • 2 sometimes • 3 usually • 4 always

12. Language use most students in classroom • 1 never • 2 sometimes • 3 usually • 4 always

13. Language purpose give information • 1 never • 2 sometimes • 3 usually • 4 always

14. Language purpose instructions • 1 never • 2 sometimes • 3 usually • 4 always

15. Language purpose discuss • 1 never • 2 sometimes • 3 usually • 4 always

16. Language purpose explain • 1 never • 2 sometimes • 3 usually • 4 always

17. Language purpose social purposes • 1 never • 2 sometimes • 3 usually • 4 always

18. Correlations

19. Discussion - listening • Small but significant correlations • Strongest languages for community use: • Chinese • French 3 • German 3 • Italian 2 and 3 • Japanese 2 and 3

20. Correlations

21. Discussion - listening • Small but significant correlations • Strongest languages for instructional use: • Chinese 2 • French 2 and 3 • German 2 • Indonesian 2 • Italian 2 and 3

22. Correlations

23. Discussion - reading • Small but significant correlations • Strongest languages for community: • Chinese 2, German 3, Italian 3, Japanese 2, Japanese 3 • Strongest languages for teachers: • Italian 2 • Strongest language for students • French 2 • German 2 • Indonesian 2 Indonesian French 3 Italian 2 Italian 3

24. Correlations

25. Discussion • Small but significant correlations • Strongest languages for instructions: French 2, German 2, Indonesian 2, Italian 2, Italian 3, Japanese 2, Japanese 3 • Strongest languages for discussion: Chinese 2, French 3 • Strongest language for social purposes: German 3 NB No languages showed their strongest correlation for information or explanation purposes French 2 Chinese 2 German 2 French 3 Indonesian 2 Social Italian 2 German 3 Italian 3 Explain Japanese 3 Japanese 2

26. Limitations • Data not triangulated • Teacher background not taken into account

27. Summary • Some variance according to language • Positive correlation with performance on ALC tests • Effect greater at Certificate 2 than at Certificate 3 level • Effect slightly greater for listening than for reading

28. How can I use this information in my school? • to stimulate discussion with colleagues • What are my school’s views/practices on the use of the TL? • How does the practice in my school reflect the ALC data? • Do we expose students to authentic interactions optimising the use of the TL? • How does the use of the TL relate to our understandings of our own professional knowledge and practice? • to review the languages program and look at any underlying assumptions about the use of the TL