Development and Assessment of the Effectiveness of an Undergraduate General Education Foreign Language Requirement

Abstract

This article describes a faculty‐led, multiyear process of formulating learning objectives and assessing the effectiveness of a foreign language requirement for all College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates at a research university. Three interrelated research questions were addressed: (1) What were the levels and patterns of language courses completed under the language requirement compared to those under the previous curriculum? (2) To what extent was the oral proficiency learning objective being attained? and (3) How did oral proficiency vary by course level and the patterns of courses completed to satisfy the language requirement? The oral proficiency of 614 students was assessed with the Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview and categorized in terms of ACTFL ratings. Study findings indicated that 76% of students met or exceeded the objective of the Intermediate Mid level of oral proficiency and that oral proficiency differed by course level and the pattern of courses completed to satisfy the language requirement. In particular, the impact of completing an advanced‐level course was clear, which in turn had implications for curricular policies and academic advising. It is argued that faculty‐led evaluation of program effectiveness, in which assessment approaches are both summative and formative and findings are routinely used to improve educational practices as well as document student learning, is the necessary context for developing an evidence‐based approach to undergraduate language education.

Designing and Sustaining a Foreign Language Writing Proficiency Assessment Program at the Postsecondary Level

“…Further, a cost-effective, validated mechanism existed that enabled large-scale assessment in the form of the Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview, or SOPI (Kenyon & Tschirner, 2000;Malone, 2000; Shohamy, Gordon, Kenyon, & Stansfield, 1989;Stansfield & Kenyon, 1992). The SOPI has been used successfully in large-scale program assessment (R. Thompson et al, 2014).…”

An Integrated Curriculum in Collegiate‐Level German Studies with Accompanying Proficiency Ratings

“…The SOPI was adopted as a primary global assessment tool in 1997. The SOPI is a cost‐effective, validated mechanism (Kenyon & Tschirner, 2000; Malone, 2000; Stansfield & Kenyon, 1992) and has been used successfully in large‐scale program assessment (Thompson et al, 2014). The correlation between the SOPI and the OPI has been reported at between .85 and .91 across a number of studies (Clark & Li, 1986; Kenyon & Tschirner, 2000; Shohamy, Gordon, Kenyon, & Stansfield, 1989; Stansfield & Kenyon, 1992).…”

The Use of Visual Arts in World Language Instruction to Increase Student Motivation and Attitude

“…According to several studies and national testing data, several language students in grade schools graduate from language programs with a proficiency level that does not allow them to have a confortable conversation with members of the language they have studied (Thompson, R., Walther, I., Tufts, C., Lee, K., Paredes, L., Fellin, L., Andrews, E., Serra, M., Hill, J., Tate, E., & Schlosberg, L., 2014). Typically, a student needs three years of instruction to obtain a minimum of language proficiency.…”

“…Typically, a student needs three years of instruction to obtain a minimum of language proficiency. To achieve intermediate language proficiency, most high school students need to be enrolled in the same language for at least three years (Thompson et al, 2014). During the first and second year, students are usually rigid in the way they use the language because they still have to think how to place words together, and determine the grammatical forms they have to apply.…”

“…During the first and second year, students are usually rigid in the way they use the language because they still have to think how to place words together, and determine the grammatical forms they have to apply. When students are in upper level classes, they start to "create" with the language, and make better connections between word meaning and its context (Thompson et al, 2014). In order to achieve proficiency or near proficiency, students need to study the target language throughout their four years in high school.…”