Enhancing instructor candidate oral proficiency through interdepartmental collaboration

Abstract

National trends indicate that approximately half of world language instructor candidates in the United States struggle to meet the benchmark oral proficiency standard established by ACTFL (Kissau, 2014; Swender, 2003) and measured by the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). Given the critical instructor shortage, more needs to be done to help aspiring world language instructors to successfully complete this gatekeeper assessment. To help world language instructors develop the strong oral communication skills they need to successfully complete the OPI, an online, proficiency‐based interdepartmental course was designed to enhance the oral communication skills of nonnative speakers of Spanish, many of whom were aspiring K–12 Spanish instructors. Interview and OPI data suggested that the course succeeded in enhancing students’ oral proficiency when communicating in Spanish. The study presents a collaborative model demonstrating how education and language and literature faculty can work together to better prepare the next generation of world language instructors.

Enhancing foreign language teacher candidates’ oral proficiency: An international comparison

“…Many states, including the state where this study was conducted (North Carolina), require completion of a teacher preparation program at an accredited institution to receive a teaching license. Specific to the preparation of foreign language teachers, approximately half of the country’s 50 states require aspiring teachers to provide evidence of oral proficiency in their intended language of instruction via completion of the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI; Kissau et al, 2019). The OPI is a standardized test that assesses an individual’s oral communication skills in a foreign language.…”

“…The struggles of aspiring foreign language teachers in the United States to meet benchmark proficiency expectations are well documented (Glisan et al, 2013; Kissau, 2014; Kissau and Algozzine, 2017; Kissau et al, 2019; Swender, 2003). In one of the largest studies of its kind in the United States, Glisan et al (2013) found that only approximately half (54.8%) of 2881 aspiring teachers of 11 different foreign languages were able to meet the proficiency expectation of Advanced Low established by ACTFL for their respective language.…”

“…The few studies that have investigated specific strategies to enhance the oral proficiency of current and aspiring foreign language teachers have focused on adding or enhancing coursework in teacher preparation programs (Bale, 2016; Kamhi-Stein, 2009; Kissau et al, 2019; Le and Renandya, 2017). Bale (2016), Kamhi-Stein (2009), and Le and Renandya (2017), for example, all advocated the integration of language skill development into methodology coursework to give teacher candidates the opportunity to practice and enhance language skills in the context of learning instructional strategies.…”

“…Bale (2016), Kamhi-Stein (2009), and Le and Renandya (2017), for example, all advocated the integration of language skill development into methodology coursework to give teacher candidates the opportunity to practice and enhance language skills in the context of learning instructional strategies. To specifically enhance the oral communication skills of Spanish majors, many of whom were aspiring Spanish teachers, Kissau et al (2019) developed and implemented an online, proficiency-based course for students whose first language was not Spanish (non-native speakers). In addition to exposing the students to authentic resources in Spanish and providing them with multiple opportunities to interact in the language, the course required students to complete the OPI at both the beginning and end of the semester, analyze their performance, and develop a performance improvement plan.…”

“…Compounding this concern, inadequate target language proficiency is preventing aspiring foreign language teachers from pursuing the profession at a time of critical shortage (Kissau et al, 2019). In the United States, for example, where recent reports indicate the shortage of qualified foreign language teachers is the worst on record (ACTFL, 2017), aspiring foreign language teachers are often denied entry to the profession due to their inability to meet benchmark proficiency standards established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL, 2012).…”