Spoken Spanish Language Development at the High School Level: A Mixed-Methods Study

• Published in: Foreign language annals 2014-06, Vol.47 (2), p.210-240
• Main Authors: Moeller, Aleidine J., Theiler, Janine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: classroom-based research; College Instruction; Communicative Competence (Languages); French as a second language; German language; Hierarchical Linear Modeling; High School Students; Language acquisition; Language instruction; Language Proficiency; Language teaching methods; Language Tests; Longitudinal Studies; longitudinal study; Medium of instruction; Methods; mixed methods; Mixed Methods Research; Oral Language; oral language development; Outcomes of Education; Research design; School Districts; Scores; Second Language Learning; Secondary schools; Spanish; Spanish language; Spoken language; Students; Studies; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0015-718X; 1944-9720
• DOI: 10.1111/flan.12085

Communicative approaches to teaching language have emphasized the centrality of oral proficiency in the language acquisition process, but research investigating oral proficiency has been surprisingly limited, yielding an incomplete understanding of spoken language development. This study investigated the development of spoken language at the high school level over five consecutive years, involving more than 1,500 students representing 23 school districts. Quantitative Standards‐Based Measure of Proficiency speaking scores and student‐produced qualitative spoken samples (n > 6,000 samples) contributed to an understanding of the development of spoken language. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed a consistent growth trajectory of spoken language development, and results indicated that 18–30% of the variance in student outcomes may be attributed to the teacher variable. Video & Discussion