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: This article reports on the implementation of diagnostic assessment in an advanced Spanish language program at the university level. Particular attention is given to the use of dynamic assessment practices as a way to assess language abilities, intervene in learning, and document learners' growth. Dynamic assessment is conceptually based on sociocultural theory, specifically on Vygotsky's notion of Zone of Proximal Development (Lantolf & Thorne, 2006; Minick, 1987). Assessment procedures conducted with third‐year Spanish language majors are described with the purpose of illustrating the potential of dynamic assessment for second language learning contexts. Students took a five‐part diagnostic test. Two parts of the test, the writing and speaking sections, were conducted following dynamic assessment procedures. A qualitative analysis of the results shows that dynamic assessment allows for a deeper and richer description of learners' actual and emergent abilities, which enables programs to devise individualized instructional plans attuned to learners' needs.

The present study analyzes the effects of two variables on the proficiency development of 907 university students of Spanish and French: years of high school experience; and level of initial placement into university language study. A 3‐year grant‐funded project administered ACTFL proficiency tests in reading, listening, and speaking to students enrolled at the fourth‐, sixth‐, and eighth‐semester curricular levels. Results showed that both of these aspects of pre‐university experience exert an important influence on proficiency ratings throughout the curriculum and that this effect is especially acute in the case of initial language placement. The findings reveal the lasting importance of pre‐university language learning experience, for students completing required coursework as well as for language majors, and are discussed in terms of their implications for university language curricula. The Challenge Students entering university language programs, whether to complete a degree requirement or language major, bring with them a diverse range of prior language learning experiences. What effects does pre‐university experience have on language proficiency within the university language curriculum and what impact does it have on the postsecondary curriculum?

In this paper, a teacher-educator and two students of a B.A. program in foreign language teaching (English and French) of a public university in Colombia discuss our pedagogical experiences in a research seedbed. First, we present the conceptualizations underlying our analysis: research seedbeds, undergraduate research education, and curriculum as a process. Second, we describe our contextual background. Third, we analyze our experiences using three themes: creating and recreating curriculum, negotiating the official and non-official curriculum, and taking positions as teacher-researchers. We conclude that research seedbeds can broaden the pedagogical repertoire of undergraduate research education in foreign language programs and that it becomes necessary to conduct studies in this area in Colombia.

Learner perceptions toward and utilization of L1 glossed feedback in an automated writing evaluation (AWE) program were investigated in an Intensive English Program (IEP) class. This small case study focused on two Chinese students who responded to weekly surveys, semi-structured interviews, and screen capture videos of their revisions over a four-week period. In weeks 1 and 3, the students received English-only feedback (L2), and in weeks 2 and 4, the students also received feedback in their native language (L1). The data were recorded, transcribed, and coded. Because the L1 has been shown to be helpful in students’ learning, it was hoped that the L1 glossed feedback in AWE would prove helpful as well. The participants felt a need for the glosses but also expressed reservations about relying on the L1. While the participants’ revision behaviors sometimes differed, both showed a positive attitude toward the L1 glossed feedback, toward increased noticing of errors, and toward their autonomy while using AWE.

In 2016 the University of Padova and its Language Centre ( – CLA) became involved in the two-year “Cultura e accoglienza” Project (see Dalziel and Piazzoli in this volume), the aim of which was to encourage around 30 refugees and asylum seekers to pursue university studies by means of a personalized training programme with support from language teachers and tutors. This report first describes some of the main national projects regarding the inclusion of refugee/asylum seekers in Italy and then describes the “Cultura e accoglienza” project, highlighting some of the opportunities and challenges it presented. For the Language Centre this was the very first experience of this kind.

In this article, educators' experiences of working in diverse classrooms designed to provide English language education as part of Intensive English Language Programs (IELPs) in South Australia are considered. To this end, responses to qualitative interviews with 14 educators working in three schools are examined using Braun and Clarke's method of qualitative thematic analysis. Results indicate that the model of education provided within IELPs is seen by teachers as the best approach to educating young refugees and migrants in Australia.

Dual language bilingual education (DLBE) is a unique form of bilingual education that has the potential to preserve and develop the heritage languages of emergent bilinguals, foster high levels of bilingualism, and address academic disparities, thereby changing emergent bilinguals’ educational conditions and learning outcomes. Yet, DLBE schools and programs are nested within a broader sociopolitical context which may attenuate the benefits of DLBE. To address the construction of DLBE as a panacea for equity, this study examines a cohort of emergent bilinguals’ academic achievement, middle school course placements, and course grades across 6 school years. The conceptual lens of equity traps is employed to demonstrate how equity is metaphorically trapped within the institutional constraints of schools, specifically master schedules that have courses that range from remedial to advanced. Findings demonstrate that emergent bilinguals in DLBE programs have higher achievement in English language arts (ELA) and math over emergent bilinguals in English as a second language programs. However, emergent bilinguals in DLBE programs also are shielded from advanced-level electives, reducing future opportunities to learn math and science in high school, demonstrating a unique form of exclusionary tracking. The authors propose a structural matrix that stakeholders can use to examine the equity constraints of DLBE.

The recent trend of the internationalization of higher education has increased the significance of English as a medium of instruction and communication on campus in non-English speaking countries. Within this context, this study explores emotional vulnerability of teachers of Korean as a second language (KSL) over their foreign language competency, particularly English. Analysis of interviews of twelve KSL teachers demonstrates these teachers’ divergent ways of interpreting and implementing Korean-only instruction, a prevalent norm within the language program, according to their perceived foreign language competency and relevant emotional vulnerability. KSL teachers with proficiency in other foreign language(s) tended to challenge the monolingual norm by utilizing their bilingual skills and experiences as resources for their teaching. Monolingual KSL teachers interpreted Korean-only narrowly and supported a monolingual immersion approach as a way to secure their teacher authority. Regardless of their attitudes towards the Korean-only instruction, however, most teachers experienced various levels of anxiety concerning their perceived lack of adequate English proficiency in the KSL classroom. The results suggest how second language teachers struggle to maintain legitimacy and authority against the hegemony of English in non-English second language contexts, providing implications for the language teacher education.

Given the exponential growth in the popularity of early foreign language programs, coupled with an emphasis of evidence-based instruction, assessing young learners’ (YLs) foreign language abilities has moved to center stage. This article canvasses how the field of assessing young learners of foreign languages has evolved over the past two decades. The review offers insights into how and why the field has developed, how constructs have been defined and operationalized, what language proficiency frameworks have been used, why children were assessed, what aspects of their foreign language proficiency have been assessed, who was involved in the assessment, and how the results have been used. By surveying trends in foreign language (FL) and content-based language learning programs involving children between the ages of 3 and 14, the article highlights research into assessment of and for learning, and critically discusses areas such as large-scale assessments and proficiency examinations, comparative and experimental studies, the impact of assessment, teachers’ beliefs and assessment practices, young learners’ test-taking strategies, age-appropriate tasks, alternative and technology-mediated assessment, as well as game-based assessments. The final section of the article highlights where more research is needed, thus outlining potential future directions for the field.

This article is the first large‐scale study to document the speaking proficiency outcomes of intensive programs in less commonly taught languages in US higher education. Speaking proficiency was measured by pre‐ and postprogram ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interviews (N = 484) in 14 languages: Arabic, Bengali, Brazilian Portuguese, Hindi, Indonesian, Kazakh, Persian, Tamil, Thai, Tibetan, Turkish, Urdu, Uyghur, and Uzbek. The intensive programs are usually taught face‐to‐face but were offered fully online during the COVID‐19 pandemic. No significant difference in speaking proficiency outcomes, as measured by the ACTFL OPI, was found between the face‐to‐face and online formats. Students at all levels of instruction made significant gains in speaking proficiency, with greater gains made by students in Level 1 than at Levels 2‐3, and with wide variation within instructional levels. The average speaking proficiency outcomes were Advanced Low (Level 3), Intermediate High (Level 2), and between Intermediate Low and Intermediate Mid (Level 1).