Toward a Basic Needs-Supportive World Language Pedagogy: Four Illustrative Examples

Reviewed by: Transforming World Language Teaching and Teacher Education for Equity and Justice: Pushing Boundaries in US Contexts ed. by Beth Wassell and Cassandra Glynn Diana Ruggiero Wassell, Beth, and Cassandra Glynn, editors. Transforming World Language Teaching and Teacher Education for Equity and Justice: Pushing Boundaries in US Contexts. Multilingual Matters, 2022. Pp. 202. ISBN 978-1-78892-650-8. In Transforming World Language Teaching and Teacher Education, editors Beth Wassell and Cassandra Glynn alongside contributing authors to this edited volume illuminate the ways in which educators are working toward greater social equity and justice in the world language classroom. In the process, they also critically reflect on how the structural and institutional dynamics of the field as well as their own respective backgrounds are complicit in upholding and perpetuating systemic injustice and inequity in world language education. Consciously drawing on a diverse range of perspectives from scholars on the margins of the field, many of them first-time authors, the chapters provide a snapshot of world language education in a state of transformation as scholars rethink the assumptions that inform how educators think about and approach world language teaching today. Introspective, critical, and bold in its honest assessment of and efforts to reform world language education, this book and its conclusions are both timely and relevant for a field in need of such critical reassessment and transformation. The volume consists of ten chapters, including an introduction, and is divided into two main sections. The introduction provides the premise for and approach to the book as well as a brief synopsis of the book’s contents relative to the major arguments. The remainder of the chapters are divided into two equal parts, the first part addressing systemic challenges to equity and social justice in world language programs as well as responses to them by educators, presenting theoretical frameworks and curricular models based on authors experiences and [End Page 164] research along the way. The second part similarly addresses more directly ways in which world language educators on the margins of world language education are addressing curricular reform. For instance, Dorie Conlon Perugini and Manuela Wagner present a model for integrating and foregrounding intercultural citizenship in world language education as a way of moving beyond a focus on vocabulary and grammar and engaging issues of social justice in the classroom. Similarly, Mary Curan and Joan Clifford in their respective chapters discuss the significance of community engagement in redressing issues of social justice in world education; Curran through a presentation of her pre-service Urban Social Justice Teacher Education Program at Rutgers University, and Clifford through the presentation of a curricular model that blends community-based language learning and global health to likewise enact greater equity and social justice in the world language curriculum. Though there are many books and edited volumes now calling for change and transformation in world language education, this book is unique in its call for and focus on critical self-reflection. Indeed, as a framing device for the book’s contents and approach, Wassell and Glynn use the tropes of “calling out” and “calling in.” By “calling out,” they mean looking at how educators themselves may be complicit in the process of maintaining and perpetuating systemic racism and social inequities in the classroom. This could include biases and unquestioned standards and norms in teaching world languages stemming from one’s own privilege (stemming from gender, race, ethnicity, etc.). By “calling in” they mean similarly reflecting on the ways in which the field itself is likewise complicit in perpetuating systemic racism, social inequity, and injustice. This includes an assessment of the field as a whole as well as the curriculum, standards, and approaches at the local, state, and national levels of world language teaching. While this level of critical self-reflection is not new in the field, Wassell and Glynn remind us that a positive first step in redressing these problems begins with recognizing that there is indeed a problem and that we, as educators trained within a field founded and situated within a specific historical context worth examining for its shortcomings, have much to rethink in order to and as we move forward. While the book presents...

This chapter presents motivational theories beneficial for language learning with examples from author’s experience to illustrate implications of theories. Four theories are presented in this chapter; stimulus appraisal, motivation and attention, self-determination, and mindset theories. Stimulus-appraisal theory explains how a person creates value system and how it relates to language learning motivation. Motivation and attention topic illustrates how stress and attention affect motivation in language learners, while self-determination theory suggests the importance of intrinsic motivation in language learning and how educators can positively influence learners’ intrinsic motivation. Lastly, mindset theory shows how fixed and growth mindsets towards own abilities can help or hinder language learning. These theories provide us with useful implications for improving motivation in language learners.

Chinese language learning is undoubtedly vital in Thai education, and most Thai students start learning it through their primary education. However, many Thai students still encounter substantial challenges in their Chinese learning journey, such as loss of interest and lack of self-confidence. Short videos are more conducive to delivering language input to learners during their fragmented time and boosting their language learning interests. This study investigated the impact of Thai high school students' behavior of watching short videos on their motivation and self-efficacy in Chinese language learning. This study employs a quasi-experimental design, where participants are divided into three groups: a control group (n = 76) that does not receive any intervention, an experimental group 1 (n = 32) that engages with short videos directly related to Chinese language learning, and an experimental group 2 (n = 45) that watches other types of Chinese-related short videos. The study revealed that the weekly watching hours of short videos significantly impacted participants' intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy in Chinese language learning, whereas the interaction ratio could only impact intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, short videos specifically focused on Chinese language learning significantly outperform other short videos in enhancing Thai learners' Chinese reception self-efficacy. However, they showed significantly lower effects in boosting intrinsic motivation. Different types of short videos and distinct viewing behaviors influence Chinese learners' motivation and self-efficacy. Educators could strategically choose appropriate short videos according to specific learning objectives to maximize the effectiveness of language learning.

The lack of multilingual individuals in the United States is affecting the 21st century workforce as well as global relations and national security. It is known that the U.S. needs more multilingual individuals and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act states that world languages is a core content. Despite these known facts, school districts fail to prioritize world language education, mainly due to other prioritized demands from the state level. The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and improve the implementation of world language education in earlier grades at the research organization and provide opportunities for students to further develop their second language proficiency as a means of reaching multilingualism. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of middle school teachers and administrators that would help to understand the implications and solutions for implementing a world language program in the middle school. Action steps including listening to student voice through alumni participants and taking those suggestions to the teacher participants for an interdisciplinary project involving world languages were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to provide additional opportunities to expand their world language learning. Findings confirmed that multilingualism is essential in our 21st century society, language learning needs to begin in the elementary years, and that there are substantial barriers to expanding a world language program. Further on findings unveiled that the 2021 Massachusetts World Languages Frameworks encourages and supports interdisciplinary curriculum and in order to sustain teacher motivation to collaborate on these projects, the teachers need to stay consistent in communication, organized, and find spaces of time for common planning. Implications for the organization included a creative way to implement more world language to sustain the expansion of the program. The study concluded that schools and districts should make every effort to implement world language education beginning in elementary school and when not possible, to start small and collaborate with other teachers to enhance the WL curriculum through interdisciplinary lessons. --Author's abstract

Motivation has been considered one of the main contributing factors to academic success, particularly in foreign language learning classes where there is little contact with the target language community. This is because highly motivated students tend to be ready to learn and engage themselves in the lesson, which allows them to receive more input that will help them to succeed in language learning. Hence, motivation is regarded as an internal power that drives students’ abilities to perform well. However, it is worth noting that motivation in foreign language learning is complicated as every language student walks into the class with different levels of motivation, requiring teachers to be creative in designing the lesson to help them meet their needs and goals. This article discusses common types of motivation and their importance, as well as ways to sustain students’ motivation in language learning. The article concludes with a variety of classroom tips that can be useful in keeping students motivated in learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professional isolation, a familiar issue in world language education, has been exacerbated by the COVID‐19 pandemic. This article addresses this issue by providing world language educators with practical guidance related to establishing high‐functioning professional networks online. Empirical findings related to computer‐mediated communication (CMC) in language learning and teacher training contexts support the articulation of four critical considerations for successful online professional communities: that participants (a) possess requisite technical knowledge to navigate the platforms being utilized; (b) develop requisite reflective and evaluative competencies; (c) exhibit ongoing, sustained engagement; and (d) engage collaboratively with other participants. In concert, successful treatment of these considerations not only provides practitioners with a temporary solution to engage in physically distant collaboration, but also may help establish a more robust, sustainable professional development infrastructure for world language teachers in the future.

This quantitative-oriented study investigates junior middle school EFL teachers’ beliefs about motivational practices in the language teaching process. Grounded in self-determination theory, the study examined teachers’ beliefs in three basic psychological needs (relatedness, competence and autonomy) and the effect of their teaching experience on these beliefs. Data were obtained from 84 Chinese junior middle school English teachers through a questionnaire. Results suggested that teachers recognized motivational practices for relatedness and competence satisfaction while showing relatively low recognition of a few motivating practices for autonomy satisfaction. Teaching experience was found to have no influence on teachers’ conception of needs-related motivational practices. Findings reveal that traditional activities like collective lesson preparations may have a negative influence on teachers’ beliefs about motivational practices. They also present the necessity for adjustments on educational regulations, and for modern professional training to help teachers understand students’ basic psychological needs, and to encourage new ideas to bolster students’ intrinsic motivation for language learning.

Contents: Introduction. Part I: Important Social Contexts in Research on Second Language Teaching and Learning. Introduction. M.E. Brisk, Bilingual Education. M.R. Hawkins, ESL in Elementary Education. P.A. Duff, ESL in Secondary Schools: Programs, Problematics, and Possibilities. D.E. Murray, ESL in Adult Education. S. Carkin, English for Academic Purposes. P. Master, English for Specific Purposes. C. Roberts, English in the Workplace. B. Tomlinson, English as a Foreign Language: Matching Procedures to the Context of Learning. Y. Kachru, Teaching and Learning of World Englishes. Part II: Methods in Second Language Research. Introduction. L. Harklau, Ethnography and Ethnographic Research on Second Language Teaching and Learning. L. van Lier, Case Study. A. Lazaraton, Quantitative Research Methods. D. Nunan, Classroom Research. A. Burns, Action Research. Part III: Applied Linguistics and Second Language Research. Introduction. T. Pica, Second Language Acquisition Research and Applied Linguistics. S.L. McKay, Sociolinguistics and Second Language Learning. J. Zuengler, K.M. Cole, Language Socialization and Second Language Learning. G. Kasper, C. Roever, Pragmatics in Second Language Learning. J.P. Lantolf, Sociocultural and Second Language Learning Research: An Exegesis. N. Markee, Conversation Analysis for Second Language Acquisition. R.B. Kaplan, Contrastive Rhetoric. S. Conrad, Corpus Linguistics and L2 Teaching. Part IV: Second Language Processes and Development. Introduction. G. Ioup, Age in Second Language Development. R. DeKeyser, A. Juffs, Cognitive Considerations in L2 Learning. Z. Han, L. Selinker, Fossilization in L2 Learners. M. Swain, The Output Hypothesis: Theory and Research. E. Tarone, Speaking in a Second Language. M. Rost, L2 Listening. T.G. Wiley, Second Language Literacy and Biliteracy. P. Byrd, Instructed Grammar. D.E. Eskey, Reading in a Second Language. I.S.P. Nation, Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. J.S. Hedgcock, Taking Stock of Research and Pedagogy in L2 Writing. E. Hinkel, Analyses of Second Language Text and What Can Be Learned From Them. Part V: Methods and Curricula in Second Language Teaching. Introduction. S.J. Savignon, Communicative Language Teaching: Strategies and Goals. S. Fotos, Traditional and Grammar Translation Methods for Second Language Teaching. J. Williams, Form-Focused Instruction. M.A. Snow, A Model of Academic Literacy for Integrated Language and Content Instruction. R. Ellis, Instructed Language Learning and Task-Based Teaching. M. Celce-Murcia, E. Olshtain, Discourse-Based Approaches: A New Framework for Second Language Teaching and Learning. C.A. Chapelle, Computer-Assisted Language Learning. N.J. Anderson, L2 Learning Strategies. Part VI: Second Language Testing and Assessment. T. McNamara, Introduction. A.J. Kunnan, Language Assessment From a Wider Context. A. Davies, C. Elder, Validity and Validation in Language Testing. M. Chalhoub-Deville, C. Deville, A Look Back at and Forward to What Language Testers Measure. T. Lumley, A. Brown, Research Methods in Language Testing. D. Douglas, Testing Languages for Specific Purposes. C. Leung, Classroom Teacher Assessment of Second Language Development: Construct as Practice. Part VII: Identity, Culture, and Critical Pedagogy in Second Language Teaching and Learning. Introduction. T. Ricento, Considerations of Identity in L2 Learning. M. Byram, A. Feng, Teaching and Researching Intercultural Competence. S. Canagarajah, Critical Pedagogy in L2 Learning and Teaching. Part VIII: Language Planning and Policy and Language Rights. R.B. Baldauf, Jr., Introduction. R.B. Baldauf, Jr., Language Planning and Policy Research: An Overview. T. van Els, Status Planning for Learning and Teaching. A.J. Liddicoat, Corpus Planning: Syllabus and Materials Development. R.B. Baldauf, Jr., R.B. Kaplan, Language-in-Education Planning. D.E. Ager, Prestige and Image Planning. S. May, Language Planning and Minority Language Rights.

This study investigates the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between learning motivation and learning efficiency among junior high school students at Jinshan Central School in Gaozhou City, Guangdong Province. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, the research explores how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and personal and academic resilience influence students’ ability to learn efficiently. Employing a quantitative, correlational, and mediation analysis design, data were gathered from 200 students using validated instruments, including the Learning Process Questionnaire (LPQ), Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), Nicholson McBride Resilience Questionnaire (NMRQ), and the Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30). Findings revealed that intrinsic motivation and personal resilience are significant predictors of learning efficiency, while extrinsic motivation and academic resilience showed moderate associations but were not individually predictive. Mediation analysis further demonstrated that individual and academic resilience significantly mediate the relationship between motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) and learning efficiency. These results underscore the importance of fostering motivational drivers and resilience skills in students to enhance academic performance. The study culminates in developing a Supportive Classroom Environment Model that integrates emotional support, instructional scaffolding, and motivational strategies. Recommendations include implementing resilience training, promoting autonomy-supportive teaching practices, and designing school policies that cultivate intrinsic motivation and psychological adaptability. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the psychological dynamics shaping student learning and offers practical frameworks to improve educational outcomes in diverse learning contexts.

A surge in empirical investigations in second language (L2) learning motivation in recent years has revealed a growing link between emotions in the foreign language classroom and language learner motivation. Nonetheless, there remains a distinct focus on the impact of negative emotions such as frustration and anxiety. The current year-long study investigates the links between positive emotions such as enjoyment, interest and excitement, and intrinsic motivation. The enquiry explores the influence of the Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) strategy on students’ motivation and emotions using a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) lens. The study analyses the extent to which a group of French language students perceive that TPRS satisfies SDT’s three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness. It employs a mixed-methods, longitudinal case study approach, using data obtained from motivational questionnaires, reflective journals, classroom observations, focus group interviews and individual interviews at four stages throughout one academic year. The findings conclude that TPRS results in sustained, heightened positive emotions in the FL classroom and can be a highly effective tool to intrinsically motivate students of FLs. The autonomous nature of co-created stories results in an increased sense of language ability, whilst also fostering strong connections within the class. The students’ positive motivational and emotional trajectories were maintained at the end of the academic year. The findings resonate with conclusions from other studies on the importance of positive emotions in the FL classroom for engagement and motivation whilst reflecting previous studies linking increased student motivation to increased teacher motivation.

Primary school teachers in Ghana are non-specialists but are required to teach physical education (PE) in addition to the regular subjects taught in primary classrooms (CS). Using a Self-Determination Theory, this study examined classroom teacher trainees’ (TT) perceived competence and intrinsic motivation in learning to teach PE. In addition, the study compared TTs’ competence and motivation in PE and CS. Participants included a purposive sample of 190 from two colleges of education in Ghana. They completed modified forms of the Perceived Competence Scale (PCS) and the Intrinsic Motivation (IM) subscale of the Perceived Locus of Causality once. Descriptive statistics showed most TTs had moderate to high levels of competence and intrinsic motivation both in PE and CS. Independent Samples t-Test and One-Way ANOVA analyses indicated significant gender and grade level differences for PCS in PE. A Paired-Samples t-Test analysis indicated TTs’ PCS mean score was significantly higher in CS than that in PE. However, TTs’ motivation in PE and CS were similar. The classroom teacher trainees in this study perceived themselves to be less competent in PE than in non-PE contents (CS), even though their levels of motivation to learn to teach in both contexts were similar. This is consistent with extant literature that teachers in Ghanaian primary schools are not adequately prepared to teach PE. The development of children’s PE programs in the country’s teacher education institutions is warranted.

Chinese has been the fastest growing modern foreign language in British schools and universities in the last decade, due largely to the perceived growing importance of mainland China as a global economic and political power and the substantial investment in Confucius Institutes (CIs) and Classrooms (CCs) by the Chinese government. This article focuses on how China's geopolitical strategy of promoting Chinese as a global language has been received and implemented in the UK and how different groups of learners of Chinese have been differentially affected by the implementation of the policies of the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, commonly referred to as Hanban. Based on conversations with key stakeholders of the Confucius Institutes and Classrooms, including managers, teachers, and students, as well as observations in these settings, we investigate the different motivations and ideologies of the different interest groups. We also examine the cultural elements that are being taught in the CIs and CCs. A particular focus is on how ethnic Chinese learners in the CIs and CCs react to the teaching of Chinese culture. The effect of promoting Putonghua on ethnic Chinese students who speak other varieties of Chinese and how ‘foreignness’ is constructed in the CIs and CCs are specific concerns of the present study. The study contributes to the wider discussions of language ideology, language attitudes, motivations for language learning, and learner identity vis‐à‐vis modern foreign language education.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Some mistake are finding in teaching and learning language at the schools until today. This condition happened because there is some mistake in teaching and learning language at the schools. Because of that, the process of teaching and learning literature at schools must be change by using the effective models of teaching and learning language which can improve student literacy. One of the models for teaching and learning literacy is Whole Language Model. The problems of this research are (1) what is real condition of learning and teaching language process in the schools? (2) how to development whole language models which can improve student’s literacy? (3) are there influence in using whole language model toward student’s literacy improvement? .Method of this research is research and development. The subject of this research is student in Primary School Laboratory UPI Cibiru Campus. Measurement utilizes test and observation. The statistic analysis technique is using to analysis the date. Result of this research concludes that (1) teacher needs the good model of learning and teaching language to improving student’s literacy in the school; (2) whole language model can implementating by three step that is introduction step, process step, and closing step; (3) implementation of whole language model of teaching and learning language can improving student’s literacy in the primary school.</p><p>Key Word: Whole Language, Elementary Student, Literacy</p>

A lot of discussion in language learning and teaching roams around two key factors, which are motivation and attitude. These variables are considered to impact the success or failure in learning a language. Gardner (1985) believes that students who are highly motivated and have positive attitude are better at mastering and learning language than those with less or no motivation and negative attitude. In order to gain success in language learning both motivation and positive attitude need to coexist together. This study was conducted to find attitudes, motivation and their relationship among intermediate level students in Matyari district. For this research study, a questionnaire was adapted from Gardner’s (1985) AMTB to collect data. The data was analyzed in SPSS through descriptive and inferential analysis. The results revealed that intermediate level students in Matyari district have positive attitude towards English. Further, the study found students intrinsically more motivated than extrinsically. Moreover, it was found that attitudes and motivation have positive relationship. It was concluded that those learners who have positive attitude tend to have more intrinsic motivation.

Some studies have been conducted to relate motivation with second /foreign language learning. Belmechri and Hummel (1988) introduced intensity and desire in exploring motivation in the acquisition of a second language. In some studies motivation was classified into integrative and instrumental (Gardner and Lambert, 1972; Ely, 1986; Oxford and Shearin, 1994; and Sung and Padila, 1998), while some other studies motivation was classified into extrinsic and intrinsic (Dornyei (1994; Ramage, 1990; and Noels et al. 1999). Unlike the concept of motivation introduced by Oller et al.(1977 and Spolsky ( 1969), who did not separate attitude from motivation in language learning motivation in language learning in the study is separated from attitude. This study attempted to investigate how individual differences with regard to attitude and motivation are correlated in language learning. The participants in this study consisted of 75 students of a university in Indonesia who have been learning Lampungese language, a local language, since Elementary School. The data of attitude and motivation, which were collected through questionnaires, were analyzed by undertaking correlation analyses. The findings show that attitude and motivation was significantly correlated. The pedagogical implications were also provided in this study.