Sustainability of Foreign Language Programs

Foreign language teachers and administrative leaders in Louisiana K-12 schools are tasked with providing foreign language education in various settings and under very different teaching environments. The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) require college track high school students to fulfill 2 Carnegie Units. Achieving a fluent level of proficiency in two years (2 Carnegie Units) is impossible. For students in Louisiana to reach high levels of proficiency, they have to obtain adequate foreign language instructions throughout the developmental years in classroom settings with certified and qualified personnel under the approach that best suits the community and sufficient administrative support to sustain the viability and momentum of foreign language programs. This study investigates reasons that inhibit the development and sustainability of foreign language programs in Louisiana. Numerous research areas deserved attention in the study; however, the researcher attempts to grasp the human experience of foreign language teachers in the field to understand the complexity of sustainability better. In the field of foreign languages, this conversation about the decline of foreign language education is common in the literature. It has previously been addressed by various scholars. However, the causes of such decline are not always clear and may depend on the geographical region. This study seeks to investigate reasons that inhibit the sustainability of foreign language programs, specifically in Louisiana. Using a basic conceptual framework to display the theoretical perspective of the literature, the researcher enhances the theory of the FL-CAS diagram with the findings of the concurrent mixed method research approach. The survey results were analyzed, and the data provided was triangulated to provide a clearer landscape of the experience of foreign language teachers in Louisiana on the conceptual framework diagram FL-CAS. The research was conducted with the assistance and permission of the Louisiana Foreign Language Teacher Association. The researcher concluded that the funding formulas need to be reevaluated in Louisiana to see if the need for foreign language education extends not to two years in the high school curriculum but three years. Most states in the northern United States are requiring at least three years. Prestigious universities are requiring at least three years as well. The researcher also discovered that more foreign language instruction has to happen in the earlier years to expect higher proficiency levels during high school. Teachers need to be aware of the level of instruction necessary to yield higher proficiency levels. Teachers may become more effective teachers by attending professional development opportunities like the Louisiana Foreign Language Teacher Association or the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]