The student view on effective practices in the college elementary and intermediate foreign language classroom

Abstract

The majority of foreign language learners on our college campuses today are those that are engaged in such study in order to fulfill an institutional requirement, a common example being successful completion of the fourth-semester course. Once the requirement has been met, formal foreign language study tends to cease. What does this particular type of foreign language student think of the foreign language-learning experience? From their point of view, what activities or strategies are seen as being effective for their learning? This article brings to light their opinions on some learning issues, notably those of expressivity and accuracy of target-language production. The picture that emerges from the data suggests a blend of two leading considerations: using a structural approach involving corrective feedback and grammar, as well as a communicative approach where language is used for real communication purposes.