How Important are the Learner's Past Experiences and Attitudes?
by Joanna Sturiano
Case Studies 1-13
choose from a case study:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
Student 1 had studied German before, during courses taken in middle and high schools, and through time spent in a German-speaking environment, during a period of over two years. This student studied German through speaking & oral drills, repeating what others/teachers said, memorizing German dialogues, copying down vocabulary & memorizing lists of words & phrases in German, writing paragraphs/short papers/ written assignments in German, free conversation with classmates/family/friends/peers/teachers/ in German, watching t.v. programs/videos in German, and singing songs in German. This student felt that only some of the methods used to learn German helped, and others did not. Student 1 also felt some of the methods used were not well-suited to her preferences; her favorite method for learning German in the past was rewriting vocabulary for review. She had studied Latin before as well, in a high school course, for two years. The methods used in that class were copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing paragraphs/short papers/written assignments in Latin, and reading texts in Latin. She felt she had learned well and effectively by those methods, and her favorite methods for learning Latin were repetition of vocabulary and grammar study.
Student 1 stated she was taking the Intensive Elementary German class to satisfy the college language requirement, because of an interest in the language, and because of a desire to communicate with family/friends who are native speakers of German. She expected to be using the following methods to learn German in this semester: speaking and oral drills, repetition, memorizing dialogues, copying down and memorizing lists of vocabulary and phrases, free conversations, and reading texts. Student 1 rated herself as having a background in German, but needing to brush up & refresh her skills and enhance them with new knowledge. Student 1 considered herself a good language learner at the beginning of the semester, with foreign language being one of her favorite classes. She said she finds learning languages to be easy and exciting because one can learn about not only the language but the culture as well. Student 1 said learning a foreign language is an important and worthwhile part of a college student's curriculum, and that she was approaching the coming semester of German with a positive attitude. Student 1 grew up speaking English, and English is the language mainly spoken in her household now.
Upon completing the second survey, student 1 reported having used the following methods of language learning in the German class: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos/TV programs, reading texts and varied media, and using computer exercises. Her favorite methods used in the semester were copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, and using computer exercises. Student 1 felt she had learned effectively during the semester by those methods, and she still considered herself to be a good language learner. However, here she answered that foreign language class was no longer her favorite class, and that language learning is not easy, but it is fun. She still agreed that language learning is an important part of college study. Student 1 characterized her attitude at the end of the semester toward learning German as very enthusiastic. She recommended more direct study of vocabulary in order to easily recognize words and in what context they are used, as one thing missing from the class during the semester. Another recommendation for change was to focus more on vocabulary learning.
Student 1 also stated that she had no preference between the two methods she had been learning with to learn German. She reported she would not study a foreign language she was interested in, if the methods used to teach the course were her least preferred methods of learning. She reported uncertainty as to whether or not she wanted to continue studying foreign languages in the future. Student 1 reported that her favorite thing about language learning was integrating culture into the language study, because it helps to understand why certain things are done or said. Her least favorite thing about foreign language learning was on-the-spot oral question answering. She reported herself as someone who finds language learning more interesting after having taken the Intensive German course, and she felt she had received from the course all that she had set out to get. She reports that the methods used in the class were the same as those she would have chosen to use. She also reported that she thought her opinion of the course was related to how well and how closely the methods used to teach her were similar to those she would have preferred to use. Student 1's idea of the best way to learn foreign languages was through speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing word lists, writing, free conversation, reading various texts and media, and using computer/written exercises.
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Student 2 had studied German before, in courses taken from elementary school through high school, spending time in a German-speaking environment, and through her parents, who spoke German at home. This student had studied German for over two years, using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing word lists, writing, free conversation, and reading texts and various media in German. Student 2 felt that only some of the methods used to teach her German were helpful, and that she does not find studying as helpful for her. She said the only reason she had learned German was because of time spent in Zurich and hearing Swiss German as a child. In the past, student 2 reported having also studied Spanish, in a college course for between two and six months of study. She reported using the following methods to learn Spanish: writing, watching TV/video programs, and reading texts and various media. Student 2 reported feeling that her learning experience while studying Spanish was not best for her needs & situation. Her favorite method for learning Spanish was to do the homework.
Student 2 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class to fill the college language requirement, and to be able to speak another language. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 2 rated herself as needing to refresh her previously learned skills in German, and that she did not consider herself a good language learner, unless she is in the country. Foreign language classes were not her favorites. She hated learning in the classroom unless she was in the country. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, but said she did not consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 2 grew up speaking English and a little Swiss German and Ukrainian; she now speaks mainly English in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 2 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, writing, free conversation, watching TV/videos, and reading in German. She said her favorite method for learning German that semester was reading. Student 2 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she still did not consider herself a good language learner, and that language class was still not her favorite. This student reported still to not enjoying learning only in the classroom, and that she only remembers things when applicable to objects or situations. She agreed that learning a foreign language was still an important part of college study, and characterized herself as indifferent toward learning German. She felt more free speech and lab time to be missing from the class, and mentioned reading a funny little novel as her most memorable aspect of the course. Student 2 recommended a shorter class period, for better concentration, and she also stated that she preferred the methods used to learn German in this class to those used in the past. Student 2 would not study a foreign language she had interest in, if the methods used to teach it were her least preferred methods, and she said she was interested in studying more German further in the future. Student 2 said she is interested in learning other languages, but that her background in German was what allowed her to succeed in this class, whereas in Spanish she had no clue. Her favorite thing about language learning was being able to speak in another language, and her least favorite thing was memorizing. She considers herself someone who finds language learning at about the same level of interest now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she has accomplished her goals in taking the course, although the methods used to teach her were not her preferred methods of learning. She does not see a relation to her opinion of the course, and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is to live with people who only speak that language, while taking a class in the language.
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Student 3 had studied German before from spending time in a German-speaking environment, and through taking a self-taught German course from the internet or another source. Student 3 studied German for between six months and one year, using speaking and oral drills, free conversation, and reading texts and various media in German. Student 3 felt that only some of the methods used to teach her German were helpful, and her favorite methods for studying were speaking with natives and spending time in the culture. In the past, student 3 reported having also studied Sanskrit, in a college course for between one and two years of study. She reported using the following methods to learn Sanskrit: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, and reading texts and various media. Student 3 reported feeling that her learning experience while studying Sanskrit was the best for her needs & situation.
Student 3 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of an interest in the language, a need to communicate in future travels abroad, and a desire to communicate with friends and family who are native speakers, and a desire to know German to be able to read German texts and understand textual/literary references. Student 3 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, free conversation, watching videos and tv, and reading texts in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 3 rated herself as needing to have further instruction in order to communicate in German, despite her background, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were her favorites. She liked learning foreign languages, because she is excited to use it later. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 2 grew up speaking English; she now speaks mainly English in her household, and also Tamil and Hindi.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 3 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, writing, free conversation, watching TV/videos, singing songs, using the worldwide web for German sites, and reading in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were speaking and oral drills, free conversation, watching tv/video programs, and using the web. Student 3 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she still did consider herself a good language learner, and that language class was not her favorite. This student reported enjoying learning, and that this class was her "fun" class. She agreed that learning a foreign language was still an important part of college study, and characterized herself as very enthusiastic toward learning German. She mentioned group work to write dialogues on overhead guides in class, and using the web for teaching and culture learning as her most memorable aspect of the course. Student 3 recommended perhaps removing one additional book to read, and to focus more on one book, and she also stated that she preferred the methods used to learn German in this class to those used in the past. Student 3 would not study a foreign language she had interest in, if the methods used to teach it were her least preferred methods, and she said she was interested in studying more German further in the future, in order to be a more effective spoken communicator. Her favorite thing about language learning was the ability to communicate and understand a culture better, and her least favorite thing was learning genders and words since it is illogical and must be memorized, which is monotonous. She considers herself someone who finds language learning more interesting now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she has accomplished her goals in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were her preferred methods of learning. She does see a relation to her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, and reading texts and various media.
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Student 4 had never studied German before In the past, student 3 reported having also studied English, Spanish and French. She studied English from her parents who spoke it at home, and from spending time in an English-speaking area, and from courses in English taken from elementary school through college level, for over two years of study. She reported using the following methods to learn English: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, writing, singing songs and reading texts and various media. Student 4 reported feeling that her learning experience while studying English was the best for her needs & situation, and that her favorite methods were conversation with native speakers, and music.
Student 4 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of an interest in the language, a desire to try a new foreign language, and to be able to read texts and understand textual/literary references. Student 4 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, and watching videos and tv in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 4 rated herself as never having formally learned German, and having no knowledge or experience in German, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were her favorites. She liked learning foreign languages, finding that once you realize there is a grammatical pattern, it all falls together. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 4 grew up speaking Urdu; she now speaks both English and Urdu in her household..
Upon administration of the second survey, student 4 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary, memorizing lists of words and phrases, and writing in German. She said her favorite method for learning German that semester was speaking and oral drills. Student 4 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she still did consider herself a good language learner, and that language class was her favorite. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, because she has a boyfriend who speaks German. Her favorite thing about language learning was the ability to understand some words from conversations, and her least favorite thing was writing assignments, because they are so hard for beginners. She considers herself someone who finds language learning more interesting now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is only partially satisfied with the goals she has set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were her preferred methods of learning. She does see a relation to her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, singing songs and reading texts and various media.
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Student 5 had never studied German before In the past, student 5 reported having also studied English and Japanese. She studied English from courses in English taken in middle school, for over two years of study. She reported using the following methods to learn English: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, singing songs and reading texts and various media. Student 5 reported feeling that her learning experience while studying English was the best for her needs & situation, and that her favorite methods were speaking and oral drills, and repeating what others/teacher said.
Student 5 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of an interest in the language, a need to know the language for communication during future travels abroad, and to be able to read texts and understand textual/literary references. Student 5 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, singing songs, reading texts, using a tutor and watching videos and tv in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 5 rated herself as never having formally learned German, and having no knowledge or experience in German, and that she did not consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were not her favorites. She did not like learning foreign languages, finding that she feels embarrassed if she cannot get things right as quickly as others. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 5 grew up speaking Chinese; she still speaks primarily Chinese in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 5 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary, memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, singing songs, reading texts and writing in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, singing songs, reading texts and computer work speaking and oral drills. Student 5 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she still did consider herself a good language learner, and that language class was her favorite. Student 5 remarked that in language learning, it depends on whether the professor is doing a good job to attract the students' interests, as to whether or not the class is enjoyable. She agreed that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as mildly enthusiastic about learning German at that time. She said she felt that more practice of reciting dialogues was missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her was doing well on the midterm. Student 5 could give no recommendations for the class, citing that it was already well-organized. Student 5 was not sure if she would study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, to know more than two or three foreign languages altoghether. Her favorite thing about language learning was to learn foreign culture through languages, and her least favorite thing was vocabulary, although it is important. She considers herself someone who finds language learning more interesting now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were her preferred methods of learning. She does see a relation to her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, singing songs and reading texts and various media and making free sentences through oral drills.
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Student 6 had studied German before, in a course taken at the college level, for between six months and one year, using the following methods: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary, writing, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, singing songs, reading texts and acting in plays and watching films, and script study. Student 6 felt that only some of the methods used to teach her German in the past were helpful, others were not. Her favorite methods for learning German were singing, acting, natural language-context interactions, immersion-type activities. In the past, student 6 reported having also studied Spanish, Latin, Ancient Greek and French. She studied Spanish from courses taken in high school, for over two years of study. She reported using the following methods to learn Spanish: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, singing songs, language lab work and reading texts and various media. Student 6 reported feeling that her learning experience while studying English was only somewhat suitable to her needs & situation, and that her favorite methods were singing and dopey conversations.
Student 6 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of a desire to be able to read texts and understand textual/literary references, and to work with the specific professor, for her knowledge of integrating new technologies into language teaching.. Student 6 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, reading texts, using the web and computer exercises, watching films and watching videos and tv in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 6 rated herself as having a background in German, but needing further instruction to be able to communicate, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were not always her favorites. She found grammar aspects to be easy. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 6 grew up speaking English; she still speaks primarily English in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 6 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary, memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, reading texts and using computer drills and web exercises in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were writing, and reading texts. Student 6 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester but that her oral component was not up to the high standard of the rest of her skills gained in class, and that she still did consider herself a good language learner. Student 6 remarked that she does find language learning to be easy and exciting. She agreed that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as interested about learning German at that time. She said she felt that pronunciation study and intonation study were missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her was use of the workbook and computer drills, which could make it easier to isolate and correct areas of weakness. Student 6 recommended revamping or improving the oral component of the class, where each student had to record a tape for each quiz, and then go over it individually with the teaching assistant in lab. Student 6 found that she liked components of each of her experiences learning German equally. Student 6 would study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods, although she reported that would make it very difficult. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, so as to reach the intermediate level of comprehension. Her favorite thing about language learning was discipline, and her least favorite thing was also discipline. She considers herself someone who finds language learning at about the same level of interest now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were only partially the same as her preferred methods of learning. She does see a relation to her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is a mix of speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, singing songs and reading texts and various media and total immersion techniques.
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Student 7 had never studied German before. In the past, student 7 reported having also studied French, Russian and Spanish. She studied English from courses taken from elementary school through high school, and from spending time in an area where the language was spoken, for over two years of study. She reported using the following methods to learn English: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, writing, watching tv/video, singing songs, and reading texts and various media. Student 7 reported feeling that her learning experience while studying English was suitable to her needs & situation, and that her favorite methods were talking a lot to natives, but knowing the grammar well, too.
Student 7 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of an interest in the language. Student 7 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, reading texts, watching videos and tv in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 6 rated herself as having no background in German, and no knowledge or experience with the language, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were her favorites. She found it exciting to get to know the culture of different nations through their langauges. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 6 grew up speaking Hungarian; she now speaks primarily Hungarian in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 7 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, writing, watching videos/tv programs, and reading texts in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, and reading texts and other media. Student 7 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she still did consider herself a good language learner, with foreign language classes still her favorites. Student 7 remarked that she does find language learning to be easy and exciting, because it is the best way to find out about the culture of others. She agreed that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as very enthusiastic about learning German at that time. She said she felt that more emphasis on vocabulary building was missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her was having already finished reading a German work. Student 7 recommended reducing the class size, and watching more, longer length films. Student 7 was not sure if she would study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, so as to learn more about the culture of other places. Her favorite thing about language learning was being able to read in another language and to get to know the way of thinking of other nations, and her least favorite thing was verb conjugations. She considers herself someone who finds language learning more interesting now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were the same as her preferred methods of learning. She sees only a partial relation between her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, singing songs and reading texts.
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Student 8 had never studied German before. In the past, student 8 reported having also studied Finnish, French, Latin and Spanish. She studied Finnish from her parents speaking it at home and from spending time in an area where the language was spoken, for over two years of study. She reported using the following methods to learn Finnish: free conversation. Student 8 reported feeling that her learning experience while studying Finnish was suitable to her needs & situation, and that her favorite methods were speaking with natives.
Student 8 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of a need to know the language for communication during future travels abroad. Student 8 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, reading texts, and watching videos and tv in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 8 rated herself as having no background in German, and no knowledge or experience with the language, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were not her favorites. She found learning languages to come naturally. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 8 grew up speaking English and Finnish; she now speaks primarily English in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 8 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrasse, writing, watching videos/tv programs, and reading texts in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were reading texts and other media. Student 8 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she did no longer consider herself a good language learner, with foreign language classes still not her favorites. Student 8 remarked that she does find language learning to be difficult, but very rewarding.. She agreed that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as mildly enthusiastic about learning German at that time. She said she felt that more attempts at free dialogue were missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her was learning more German the weekend before the midterm than in the first half of the course. Student 8 recommended more vocabulary exercises. Student 8 would study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, so as to pursue study and a career in Europe. Her favorite thing about language learning was the opportunity to use th language in conversations, and her least favorite thing was reliance on grades to test progress; she thought language study should be less stressful than other courses. She considers herself someone who finds language learning at about the same level of interest now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were the same as her preferred methods of learning. She sees only a partial relation between her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, and reading texts.
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Student 9 had studied German before, in a high school course for over two years. This student used the following methods to learn German in the past: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing exercises, watching videos/tv programs, singing songs, and reading texts and various media in German. She felt her past experiences learning German were only partially helpful because of the methods used; her favorite methods for learnign were drills, review in class, and more attention to pronunciation of words. In the past, student 9 reported having studied no other language besides German
Student 9 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of a desire to fill the college language requirement, an interest in the language, desire to communicate with family/friends who are native speakers, and a desire to know German to be able to read texts in German and understand textual/literary references made to/in German, and a need to know the language for communication during future travels abroad. Student 9 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, reading texts, singing songs and watching videos and tv in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 9 rated herself as having a background in German, but needing further instruction to brush up her skills and to communicate, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were her favorites. She found learning languages to be least easy and exciting when studying grammar in depth. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 9 grew up speaking English; she now speaks primarily English in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 9 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, writing, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, singing songs and reading texts in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were speaking and oral drills, free conversation and reading texts and other media. Student 9 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she did consider herself a good language learner, with foreign language classes still not her favorites. Student 9 remarked that she does not find language learning to be difficult, but it is a lot of memorization. She agreed that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as mildly enthusiastic about learning German at that time. She said she felt that vocabulary lists were missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her was reading two little books. Student 9 recommended shorter class periods. Student 9 preferred the methods used in her original German language class to those learned this semester in Intensive Elementary German. Student 9 would study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, because it is very valuable to speak another language. Her favorite thing about language learning was learning a different way of saying the same thing, and actually understanding it if someone speaks to you, and her least favorite thing was not understanding grammar or word order. She considers herself someone who finds language learning at about the same level of interest now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is only partially satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were only partially the same as her preferred methods of learning. She sees only a partial relation between her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, and reading texts, and tons of worksheets.
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Student 10 had studied German before, in a high school course for between six months and one year. This student used the following methods to learn German in the past: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, and singing songs in German. She felt her past experiences learning German were helpful because of the methods used; her favorite methods for learning were speaking and oral drills in the classroom, especially reading aloud, teacher speaking almost exclusively in German, vocabulary memorization combined with short writing and grammar exercises. In the past, student 10 reported having studied French and Russian, in addition to German. This student learned French through spending time in a French-speaking area, and taking courses in French from elementary school or earlier, up through high school, for a period of over two years. The methods used to learn French were speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching tv and videos, singing songs and reading. This student reported feeling that the methods used helped her learn well. Her favorite methods for learning French were reading and acting out familiar English childrens' stories translated to French, role playing, and making picture books.
Student 10 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of a desire to fill the college language requirement, to be able to research family geneology in remote areas of Germany and a need to know the language for communication during future travels abroad. Student 10 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, and reading texts in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 10 rated herself as having a background in German, but needing further instruction to brush up her skills and to communicate, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were her favorites. She found learning languages to be fun and exciting, however challenging at times. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 10 grew up speaking English; she now speaks primarily English in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 10 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, watching videos/tv programs, and reading texts in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were speaking and oral drills. Student 10 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she did consider herself a good language learner, with foreign language classes now not her favorites. Student 10 remarked that she finds language learning to be easy and exciting. She agreed that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as mildly enthusiastic about learning German at that time. She said she felt that activities which involve right and left brain work like singing in German and other creative, arts type activities were missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her was working in small groups to write dialogues or letters, which they then put on overheads and corrected as a class. Student 10 recommended requiring that students who take the course have a maximum course load of 16 credits, because this is the only way the students can absorb the needed amount of material. Student 10 preferred the methods used in her original German language class to those learned this semester in Intensive Elementary German. Student 10 would not study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, because she wants to be able to communicate with as many people as possible. Her favorite thing about language learning was becoming connected to more people and other cultures, and her least favorite thing was dealing with the first year, when every other language you know comes to you quickly, but you just can't remember the words in the new language. She considers herself someone who finds language learning at about the same level of interest now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is only partially satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were only partially the same as her preferred methods of learning. She sees only a partial relation between her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, reading texts, and having organized conversations within small groups.
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Student 11 had studied German before, because her father speaks it, and through taking a few German courses at the college level, for less than two months. This student used the following methods to learn German in the past: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing paragraphs and free conversation. She felt her past experiences learning German were helpful because of the methods used; her favorite methods for learning were structured, in-class conversation, explanation of grammatical concepts, applying new vocabulary and grammar in spoken and written sentences and studying vocabulary. In the past, student 11 reported having studied French and Spanish, in addition to German. This student studied Spanish from elementary school through high school, and from hearing her grandmother speak it, for over two years. The methods she used to learn Spanish were speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching tv/videos, singing songs, reading texts and giving presentations and playing games in Spanish. She felt that she learned Spanish well using those techniques, and her favorite methods were writing [especially longer pieces], studying vocabulary and reading.
Student 11 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of an interest in the languaage, desire to try a new foreign language,, and a desire to know German to be able to read texts in German and understand textual/literary references made to/in German, and a because of a general love of language learning. Student 11 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, reading texts, and watching videos and tv in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 11 rated herself as having a background in German, but needing further instruction to brush up her skills and to communicate, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were her favorites. She found learning languages to be easy and exciting, because they are like codes, and they all sound so beautiful; she loved being able to say things four different ways. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 11 grew up speaking English; she now speaks primarily English in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 11 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, singing songs, surfing the net, and reading texts in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were writing, free conversation and reading texts. Student 11 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she did consider herself a good language learner, with foreign language classes still her favorites. Student 11 remarked that she finds learning languages to be easy and exciting, because she loved seeing how vocabularies and grammars of different languages were combined. She agreed that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as very enthusiastic about learning German at that time. She said she felt that vocabulary quizzes were missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her were web discussion forums. Student 11 had no preference between the methods used in her original German language class and those learned this semester in Intensive Elementary German. Student 11 would study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, because she wanted to combine language classes with linguistics and philosophy of language [and linguistic anthropology] courses, to design her own major. Her favorite thing about language learning was the feeling of "cracking the code" and watching a movie or reading a magazine she wouldn't have been able to read or understand otherwise, and seeing the connections between several languages, and her least favorite thing was the frustration that comes from being able to say something in three languages, but not the one you have to use at the time. She considers herself someone who finds language learning at about the same level of interest now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were not the same as her preferred methods of learning. She sees no relation between her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is writing, free conversation, watching videos and tv programs, and reading texts.
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Student 12 had never studied German before In the past, student 12 reported having studied Spanish, Portugese and Japanese. She learned Spanish from spending time in a Spanish-speaking area, and from classes taken from elementary school through high school, for over two years. She reported having used speaking and oral drills, repeating what others said, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words, writing paragraphs, free conversation, watching videos and tv, singing songs and reading to learn Spanish. She felt she had learned well using those methods, and her favorite methods were written assignments, reading poetry and short stories and conversation.
Student 12 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of an interest in the language, a desire to try a new language and a desire to know German to be able to read texts in German and understand textual/literary references made to/in German. Student 12 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, and reading texts in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 12 rated herself as having no background in German, and needing instruction to communicate, and that she did consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were her favorites. She found learning languages to be easy and exciting, but she was not sure why; she reported that it seems very logical to her, exciting because it's great to be able to communicate with more people. She agreed that foreign language learning was worthwhile, and said she did consider herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 12 grew up speaking English; she now speaks primarily English in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 12 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, writing, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, and reading texts in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were computer program drills and reading texts and other media. Student 12 reported feeling she had learned well by the methods used during the semester, and that she did consider herself a good language learner, with foreign language classes still her favorites. Student 12 remarked that she does find language learning to be easy and exciting because usually languages make intuitive sense to her, and she likes being able to communicate with all sorts of people. She agreed that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as mildly enthusiastic about learning German at that time. She said she felt that more written exercises, time to work with new information were missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her was the German reader, which felt like an accomplishment to be able to understand. Student 12 recommended making web work optional for extra credit. Student 12 preferred the methods used in her original German language class to those learned this semester in Intensive Elementary German. Student 12 would study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, because she loves to travel, and wants to live in different places when she graduates, and wants to be able to be familiar with a variety of languages. Her favorite thing about language learning was understanding more about a culture through its idioms, and her least favorite thing was unproductive and not helpful busywork. She considers herself someone who finds language learning more interesting now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is only partially satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were the same as her preferred methods of learning. She sees only a partial relation between her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, writing, free conversation, and reading texts.
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Student 13 had never studied German before In the past, student 13 reported having studied French and Greek. She learned French from spending time in a French-speaking area, and from a class taken in high school, for over two years. She reported having used speaking and oral drills, repeating what others said, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words, writing paragraphs, free conversation, watching videos and tv, singing songs and reading to learn French. She felt she had not learned sufficiently well using those methods and that the methods used were ill-suited to her needs, and her favorite methods were speaking a lot, managing to learn grammar simply and trying to make sense of conjugation.
Student 13 reported having signed up to take the Intensive Elementary German class because of a desire to fulfill the college language requirement and a need to learn German quickly so as to leave room in her schedule for other courses; language related or not. Student 13 expected to be using speaking and oral drills, copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, and reading texts in the upcoming semester. At the time of the first survey's administration, student 13 rated herself as having no background in German, and needing instruction to communicate, and that she did not consider herself a good language learner. Foreign language classes were not her favorites. She found learning languages to be unenjoyable, because she does not enjoy learning languages from a book. She was not sure that foreign language learning was worthwhile as a part of a college curriculum, and said she was not sure if she considered herself to be approaching the class with a positive attitude. Student 13 grew up speaking English (and Greek until age 4); she now speaks primarily English in her household.
Upon administration of the second survey, student 13 reported having used the following methods to learn German during the semester: copying down vocabulary and memorizing lists of words and phrases, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, and reading texts in German. She said her favorite methods for learning German that semester were free conversation, watching videos/tv programs, and singing songs in German. Student 13 reported feeling she had learned well using only some of the methods used during the semester, and that she still did not consider herself a good language learner, with foreign language classes still not her favorites. Student 13 remarked that she does find language learning to be difficult, saying she enjoyed speaking and listening, but hated grammar in the the other foreign languages that she knows. She was still unsure that foreign language learning is important in college study, and characterized herself as disinterested about learning German at that time, even to the point that she was resentful that she was forced to take a language when she doesn't want to, just for distribution requirement. She said she felt that fun was missing from the class, and that the most memorable thing to her was a role play during lab, of being in a restaurant.. Student 13 recommended more on-the-spot questioning, and going around the room answering questions. Student 13 would not study a foreign language she was interested in even if the methods used to teach it were not her preferred methods. This student reported she was interested in studying more German in the future, because she enjoys speaking and comprehending the language, but she doubts that [unless for a job] she will ever formally learn a language again. Her least favorite things about foreign language learning were grammar, verb tenses and memorization She considers herself someone who finds language learning less interesting now as when compared to the beginning of the course. She feels she is only partially satisfied she has met the goals set for herself in taking the course, and that the methods used to teach her were only partially similar to her preferred methods of learning. She sees only a partial relation between her opinion of the course and the similarity between her preferred learning methods and those used in the course. Her idea of the best way to learn a foreign language is speaking and oral drills, free conversation, watching videos/tv programs and singing songs.
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this site last updated 5/4/99
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