Enhancing Language Learning: Student Perceptions and Academic Performance in Secondary Classrooms

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

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

11. Language use – teacher in classroom

12. Language use – students in classroom

14. Language purpose – give information

15. Language purpose – instructions

16. Language purpose – discuss

17. Language purpose – explain

18. Language purpose – social purposes

20. Correlations

21. Discussion • Small but significant correlations • Strongest for community in • Chinese 2 • French 3 • German 3 • Italian 2 and 3 • Japanese 2 and 3

22. Correlations

23. Discussion • Instructional use • Chinese 2 • French 2 and 3 • German 2 • Indonesian 2 • Italian 2 and 3

24. Correlations

25. Discussion CommunityStudents Chinese 2 French 2 German 3 German 2 Italian 3 Indonesian 2 Japanese 2 Teachers Japanese 3 Italian 2

26. Correlations

27. Discussion • Instructions Discuss French 2 Chinese 2 German 2 French 3 Indonesian 2 Social Italian 2 German 3 Italian 3 Explain Japanese 3 Japanese 2

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

29. 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

30. 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? • 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 • as supportive data demonstrating the link between use of the TL and student performance on the ALC