Effective teaching behaviors and attitudes as perceived by foreign language teachers

Abstract

Schrier and Hammadou (1994) assert that in order to evaluate effective foreign language (FL) teaching, attributes of effective teaching should first be identified, should be agreed upon as being worth evaluating, should be identified on repeated occasions, and should be proved worthwhile in many settings. The more that is known about successful FL teaching and learning, the more likely FL teachers will be to create models for FL teacher preparation and evaluation that implement relevant behaviors and attitudes of effective FL teaching. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher perceptions concerning the teaching behaviors and attitudes that contribute to effective FL teaching and learning. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire to which 457 post-secondary FL teachers of Spanish, French, and German who are members of ACTFL responded (the response rate was 45.7%). The 80-item questionnaire elicited responses to FL teaching behaviors and attitudes on a Likert-type scale from 1 (not important at all for effective FL teaching) to 5 (essential for effective FL teaching), based on teachers' perceptions regarding how important each attribute is for effective teaching. Based on current research on second language acquisition (SLA), on pedagogical theories underlying current teaching methodologies, and on teaching behaviors and attitudes found to be effective in the field of general education, various teaching behaviors and attitudes of effective FL teachers were identified for inclusion on the questionnaire. The results indicate that there is emerging professional consensus regarding a number of teacher behaviors and attitudes related to FL teaching. This study contributes to the knowledge of what acceptable classroom teaching behavior is. The more that is known about successful FL teaching and learning, the more likely FL teachers, administrators, and curriculum developers will be able to create models for FL teacher preparation and evaluation that reflect effective behaviors and attitudes for FL teaching.