In this talk, I will discuss the results of a federally-funded, large-data project, carried out at three state universities. Over a three-year period of time, we collected speaking, listening, and reading proficiency data from students studying 10 languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. This resulted in a database of more than 9000 tests from students in years 1-4 of foreign language programs. I will report data from some of these languages focusing on the following areas: 1) What does it take to reach advanced proficiency?, 2) What levels of proficiency do language majors reach? and 3) Does the starting point of language study matter?, 4) What about heritage status?, and 5) How can students be incentivized? I will end with a discussion of the public availability of this large database.
Lecture will be followed by a reception.
Susan Gass is University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University.
Presented by the Language Studies Spring 2022 Lecture Series and sponsored by the Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures and the Departments of East Asian Languages and Literatures, French and Italian, Germanic Languages and Literatures, Near Eastern Languages and Culture, Slavic and Eastern European Languages and Cultures, and Spanish Portuguese.
