| Foreign language is an important part of a student's education. Historically, foreign language was studied only by those who went to college and its purpose was to prepare students for leadership. Over time, foreign language study became available to a diverse student body and the purpose became more pragmatic. Examining the purpose of a particular subject is significant as it ultimately drives the curriculum and determines the nature of its instruction.;The purpose of this study was to examine the trends related to the role and purpose of foreign language learning, its curriculum and instruction, and the role of technology, as found in The Voice of WAFLT (Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers) from 2000-2012. An explanatory mixed methods design was used with quantitative data collection first, and then examination of quantitative results with qualitative analysis of content. In the first, quantitative phase of the study, data was collected via frequency analysis by counting content-specific codes found in The Voice to assess the frequency of themes in foreign language education promoted by the Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers at the annual conference. The purpose of the second, qualitative phase was to tell the story behind the coding and frequency analysis related to the trends and themes uncovered in the study.;Culture and communication were the two main trend areas of focus. This study confirmed the hypothesis that language instruction has moved away from a focus on the analysis of language towards one that focuses on the study of language within a broad, social studies setting. The results indicated that culture (global orientation) and communication were prominent themes with considerably less focus on grammar and mechanics. Technology provided motivation in instruction. Findings related to curriculum and instruction showed a trend towards the use of activities, projects, and tactile approaches in learning a foreign language. |
