Graduation Year

2024

Graduation Month

May

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

School or Department

Linguistics

Major

English – Linguistics

Faculty Mentor Department

Modern and Classical Languages

Faculty Mentor

Dora LaCasse

Keywords

foreign language, language instruction, second language, adult learners, linguistics, teaching methodology

Subject Categories

First and Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

Kindergartners learn much differently than high schoolers or college students. Yet, when it comes to foreign language (FL) instruction, adult learners are often back at square one, like kindergarteners. Though learning capacity and maturity differ greatly between kindergarten and college, are there any common threads in the method of instruction across all these levels? This project was carried out by observing foreign language classrooms from kindergarten to college, identifying the main means of instruction in each class, and analyzing whether any commonalities exist between all the levels. Language is universal, and in an increasingly global world, contact with other languages inevitable. The need to learn foreign languages is great and the need to teach them effectively is greater. Being a foreign language student and linguist myself, I have experienced various approaches to foreign language instruction and am curious whether there are common threads between all foreign language classes. Identifying commonalities across language learning levels will highlight shared characteristics of successful language instruction. I believe analyzing these methods of FL instruction from kindergarten to college will reveal the main keys to successful language learning and how success is supported through teaching methodology.

Honors College Research Project

1

GLI Capstone Project

no

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© Copyright 2024 Bethany A. Tafoya