This case study enabled researchers to understand the knowledge embedded in a world language teacher's enactment of content‐based instruction (CBI) through the lens of a theoretical model inspired by Shulman's (1987) construct of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The model, called integration pedagogical content knowledge (I–PCK), represents an adaptation of PCK that explicitly addresses the expanded set of content knowledge that is necessary for teachers to effectively implement CBI. Through descriptions of the participant's knowledge and experiences, the case study documents the I–PCK model in action, highlighting her strengths when integrating both academic content and world language learning and allowing specific areas that were in need of further development to be pinpointed. Findings suggest that the model can inform the work of language teacher education and professional development focused on CBI.
To date, research on the Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) has focused principally on student performance, largely neglecting the experiences of instructors. This is a substantial gap, for it is instructors who are responsible for both designing and administering the IPA. The present study, therefore, used concepts from the literature on educational innovations to investigate instructors’ attitudes toward summative IPA use in a postsecondary intensive summer language program, a context that is novel to research on the IPA. Findings include attitudes toward standardizing task procedures, using the IPA rubrics and assigning grades, and the sustainability of the innovation in the program. Based on these data, the authors call for the continued development of IPAs whose content/context correspond with the adult intellect, in addition to further research on IPA implementation and adaptation across a range of program types.
From an empirical standpoint, relatively little is known about learning outcomes associated with foreign language teacher preparation programs in the United States. In order to address this gap, the present study considers a Spanish student teacher's learning about language pedagogy during her yearlong licensure program. Using symbolic interactionist and teacher socialization lenses, the study conceptualizes learning in social terms, with identity as the unit of analysis. Findings highlight the messages that were communicated to the participant by significant others in universityand student teaching-based settings about how she should take up the role of Spanish teacher, in addition to the unique ways in which she folded-or did not fold-these messages into her self-concept. The notion of progress in the field of foreign language teacher education is discussed in light of these findings.
Washback, that is, the effect of tests on teaching and learning, has captured the interest of scholars in applied linguistics for almost 30 years. However, most research has been conducted on large-scale tests, rather than classroom-based language assessments like ACTFL’s Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA). The present study explored washback of the IPA on teachers of Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish in a higher education intensive summer language program. Through a series of interviews, participants explained ways in which the IPA influenced not only their practices, but also their thinking about language teaching. Directions for future research and considerations for changes to IPA implementation are shared based on these findings.
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