Cote Parra, Gabriel 2009 PDF

Understanding Foreign Language Teachers’ Beliefs and Classroom Practices: A
Multiple-Case Study of Four Teachers’ Experiences With LinguaFolio
by
Gabriel E. Cote Parra
A DISSERTATION
Presented to the Faculty of
The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska
In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements
For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Major: Educational Studies
Under the Supervision of Professor Aleidine J. Moeller
Lincoln, Nebraska
August, 2009
Understanding Foreign Language Teachers’ Beliefs And Classroom Practices: A
Multiple-Case Study of Four Teachers’ Experiences With LinguaFolio
Gabriel E. Cote Parra, Ph. D.
University of Nebraska, 2009
Adviser: Aleidine J. Moeller
The purpose of this multiple-case study was to understand the beliefs, classroom
practices and experiences of four foreign language teachers using LinguaFolio, a self-
assessment tool that allows learners to reflect on their language knowledge and cultural
experiences. This study involved four Spanish teachers in four Midwestern towns. Data
were collected using different methods including in-depth interviews, observations, field
notes, and document analysis.
Consistent with multiple case studies, after analyzing each case separately, a cross
case analysis was performed to contrast and compare the themes across the four cases. As
a result, three interrelated themes emerged: a facilitator role; fostering self-regulated
learners; and moving from teaching to learning. As facilitators, teachers played a more
supportive role that implied modeling and scaffolding ways of learning, facilitating
knowledge and creating an optimal environment for learning. All Participants agreed that
LinguaFolio has helped learners become self-regulated learners, more creative, reflective,
organized and accountable for their own learning. The four participants claimed that
moving from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered approach allowed them to empower
learners. Findings also revealed that although the four participants faced challenges with
first-time LinguaFolio users, they agreed that after some time, students were able to
demonstrate what they knew about the language and culture, reflect about their learning
and self-assess their own language progress.
!
Author’s Acknowledgments
I want to acknowledge many people who helped me accomplished this work, my
advisor, committee members, LinguaFolio Teachers, family and friends.
I will forever be indebted to my advisor, Dr. Aleidine Moeller, for her constant
support, motivation and guidance throughout the program. I want to sincerely thank her
for inviting me to be part of LinguaFolio. This was indeed a significant experience as a
foreign language teacher.
I want to sincerely extend my gratitude to the other members of my dissertation
committee, Dr. Margaret Latta, Dr. Harriet Turner and Dr. John Raible, I will always be
grateful for their insightful feedback.
I also want to thank everyone who participated in this study, in particular, the four
Spanish teachers who graciously allowed me in their classrooms. I appreciate their
willingness and patience.
I cannot find the words to express my gratitude to my wife, Gloria Arciniegas,
who has been my inspiration. Thank you for always being there.
I also owe a great debt of gratitude to my mother, my aunt Rosa, brothers and
sisters. It is very difficult to find the words to thank you.
I would also like to thank all my friends, especially Alexis Lopez, my critical
friend, who has helped me before and after I embarked upon this academic journey.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1—Introduction ............................................................................................ 1
Context of the Study ............................................................................................ 1
From The European Language Portfolio (ELP) to the LinguaFolio

USA................................................................................................................ 1
LinguaFolio Nebraska.................................................................................... 3
Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................ 7
Research Questions .............................................................................................. 8
Grand Tour Questions .................................................................................... 8
Sub-Questions ................................................................................................ 8
Limitations of the Study....................................................................................... 8
Significance of the Study ..................................................................................... 9
Definitions and Terms.......................................................................................... 10
Organization of this Manuscript .......................................................................... 12
Chapter 2—Literature Review ................................................................................... 13
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 13
Teacher Beliefs .................................................................................................... 13
Teacher Change and Classroom Practices ........................................................... 14
Chapter 3—Methodology .......................................................................................... 20
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 20
Participants Selection ........................................................................................... 21
Sites ...................................................................................................................... 23
Data Collection Procedures.................................................................................. 23
Interviews ....................................................................................................... 23
Classroom Observations ................................................................................ 24

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Artifacts.......................................................................................................... 25
Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 25
Case Analysis ................................................................................................. 26
Cross-Case Analysis ...................................................................................... 28
Verification Procedures ....................................................................................... 29
Ethical Considerations ......................................................................................... 30
Chapter 4—Description and Understanding of Cases ............................................... 31
Case Study 1: Rachel ........................................................................................... 31
Introduction .................................................................................................... 31
Beliefs ............................................................................................................ 32
Teaching................................................................................................... 32
Learning ................................................................................................... 33
Practice and Observation ............................................................................... 34
First Day................................................................................................... 34
Second Day .............................................................................................. 36
Themes ........................................................................................................... 38
“A Facilitator Rather than an Instructor” ................................................. 38
Fostering Independent Learners............................................................... 39
“Thinking Outside the Box” .................................................................... 41
A Dual Environment ................................................................................ 42
Case Study 2: Maria ............................................................................................. 45
Introduction .................................................................................................... 45
Beliefs ............................................................................................................ 47
Teaching................................................................................................... 47
Learning ................................................................................................... 47
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First Day................................................................................................... 48
Second Day .............................................................................................. 50
Themes ........................................................................................................... 52
“A Facilitator of Knowledge.................................................................... 52
LF: A Partnership for Learning................................................................ 55
LF: Empowering Learners ....................................................................... 56
The Reflection Process: “Needs to Reflect Reality”................................ 57
Case Study 3: Jane ............................................................................................... 58
Introduction .................................................................................................... 58
Beliefs ............................................................................................................ 60
Teaching................................................................................................... 60
Learning ................................................................................................... 61
First Day................................................................................................... 62
Second Day .............................................................................................. 65
Themes ........................................................................................................... 68
Systematic and Sustained Change ........................................................... 68
Giving Voice to the Learners ................................................................... 71
Learning is “more fun . . . more interesting” ........................................... 72
Student’s Reflection: “To Take Ownership for Their Learning” ............ 74
Case Study 4: Sue ................................................................................................ 75
Introduction .................................................................................................... 75
Beliefs ............................................................................................................ 78
Teaching................................................................................................... 78
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Learning ................................................................................................... 79
First Day................................................................................................... 79
Second Day .............................................................................................. 82
Themes ........................................................................................................... 85
“Students as Vehicle for Change”............................................................ 85
The Teacher as a Guide............................................................................ 86
Empowering Learners .............................................................................. 88
Goal Setting: A Life Skill ........................................................................ 90
Chapter 5—Cross-case Analysis and Interpretation .................................................. 92
A Facilitator ......................................................................................................... 93
Fostering Self-Regulated Learners ...................................................................... 95
Goal Setting ................................................................................................... 97
Collecting Evidence ....................................................................................... 98
Self-reflection ................................................................................................ 98
Self-assessment .............................................................................................. 100
From Teaching to Learning ................................................................................. 101
Chapter 6—Synthesis and Implications ..................................................................... 107
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 107
Revisiting the Research Questions....................................................................... 107
Research Question 1 ...................................................................................... 108
Grand Tour Question ..................................................................................... 111
Implications for Using LinguaFolio..................................................................... 112

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Goal Setting ................................................................................................... 112
Collecting Evidence ....................................................................................... 112
Self-reflection ................................................................................................ 112
Self-assessment .............................................................................................. 113
Implications for Future Research ......................................................................... 113
Final Thoughts ..................................................................................................... 114
References .................................................................................................................. 115
Appendices ................................................................................................................. 121

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List of Tables
Table 1 Characteristics of the Participants............................................................ 22
Table 2 Characteristics of the Schools .................................................................. 23
Table 3 Themes and Descriptors in Rachel’s Case ............................................... 44
Table 4 Themes and Descriptors in María’s Case ................................................ 59
Table 5 Themes and Descriptors in Jane’s Case................................................... 76
Table 6 Themes and Descriptors in Sue’s Case .................................................... 91
Table 7 Themes Across the Cases......................................................................... 92

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List of Appendices
Appendix A First Contact E-Mail .......................................................................... 121
Appendix B Second Contact E-Mail ...................................................................... 123
Appendix C Interview Protocol.............................................................................. 125
Appendix D Observation Protocol ......................................................................... 127
Appendix E Informed Consent Form ..................................................................... 129
Appendix F Los Lugares Interesantes (TPRS) ...................................................... 132
Appendix G Lesson Plan ........................................................................................ 134
Appendix H Lesson Plan ........................................................................................ 136
Appendix I Un Anuncio ........................................................................................ 138
Appendix J Horario de Hacer los Anuncios .......................................................... 140
Appendix K Self- Reflection Guide ....................................................................... 142
Appendix L Lesson Plan ........................................................................................ 144
Appendix M La Zapatería ....................................................................................... 146
Appendix N Lesson Plan ........................................................................................ 148
Appendix O Proposal Sheet.................................................................................... 150
Appendix P Proposal Self-Assessment Sheet ........................................................ 152
Appendix Q Class Activity ..................................................................................... 154
Appendix R Lesson plan ........................................................................................ 156
Appendix S Class Activity (Indirect Object Pronouns) ......................................... 158
Appendix T Homework.......................................................................................... 160
Appendix U Lesson plan ........................................................................................ 162

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Abbreviations
ACTFL .................American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
FL .........................Foreign Language
LF .........................LinguaFolio
Int. (I, II) ..............Interview (I: 1st; Int. II: 2nd)
FN ........................Field Note
Obs. (I, II) ............Observation (I: 1st day; II: 2nd)
NCSSFL ...............The National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages.
UNL .....................University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

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Chapter 1
Introduction
Context of the Study
The National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages sponsored and
adopted LinguaFolio USA as an official project aimed at helping educators, schools and
other institutions to connect U.S. standards and proficiency guidelines to the
internationally accepted Common European Framework for Languages (NCSSFL, n.d.).
LinguaFolio is a systematic collection of best pieces of work chosen by students
that allows them to self assess and reflect on their language and cultural experiences
(Kohonen, 2001; NCSSFL, 2006; Van Houten, 2004).
From The European Language Portfolio (ELP) to the LinguaFolio USA
The European Language Portfolio was developed as an application of the
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF) “which is intended as
a common basis for all kinds of products for planning, carrying through and evaluating
modern language teaching and learning” (Schneider & Lenz, 2001). The Principles and
Guidelines by the Council of Europe ascribes to the ELP the following properties: (a) it is
a tool to promote plurilingualism and pluriculturalism; (b) it is the property of the learner;
(c) it values the full range of the learner’s language and intercultural competence and
experience regardless of whether it was acquired within or outside formal education;
(d) it is a tool to promote learner autonomy; (e) it has both a pedagogic function to guide
and support the learner in the process of language learning and a reporting function to
record proficiency in languages; (f) it is based on the Common European Framework of
Reference with explicit reference to the levels of competence specified in the model;
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(g) it encourages the learner’s self assessment (which is usually combined with teacher
assessment) and assessment by educational authorities and examination bodies; and (h) it
incorporates a minimum of common features, which make it recognizable and
comprehensible across Europe (Principles, 2000).
According to The Principles and Guidelines approved by the Council of Europe
the components of the ELP are: The Language Passport, the Language Biography and
the Dossier. The Language Passport provides an overview of the individual’s proficiency
in different languages at a given point in time; the overview is defined in terms of skills
and the common reference levels as described in the Common European Framework.
Students record formal qualifications and describe language competencies and significant
language and intercultural learning experiences including information on partial and
specific language competencies. This section of the portfolio includes evidence as regards
self-assessment, teacher assessment and assessment by educational institutions and
examinations boards. The information entered in the Passport states on what basis, when
and by whom the assessment was carried out (Principles, 2002, p. 3).
The Language Biography facilitates the learner’s involvement in planning,
reflecting upon and assessing his or her learning process and progress. It encourages the
learner to identify what he/she can do in each language and to include information on
linguistic and cultural experiences gained in and outside formal educational contexts. The
Biography section is organized and designed to promote plurilingualism i.e. the
development of competencies in a number of languages (Principles, 2000, p. 3).

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The Dossier offers the learner the opportunity to select materials that document
and illustrate achievements or experiences recorded in the Language Biography or
Language Passport (Principles, 2000, p. 3).
In 2005, the Year of Languages, The National Council of State Supervisors for
Foreign Languages (NCSSFL) adopted the LinguaFolio initiative as the official project
(NCSSFL, 2006). Initially known as LinguaFolio USA!, this project is based on the
European Language Portfolio and adapted to meet National Foreign Language Standards.
LinguaFolio USA! is aligned with the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign
Languages Performance and Proficiency Guidelines. LinguaFolio USA is intended to:
(a) encourage the learning of all languages; (b) emphasize the value of knowing many
languages-plurilingualism and pluriculturalism; (c) contribute to global understanding;
(d) promote autonomous learning and the ability to assess one’s skills; (e) facilitate
articulation among language programs based on a clear and commonly accepted
description of language proficiency; (f) serve as a tool to assess language learning;
(g) recognize and value heritage languages; and (h) promote language learning as a life-
long endeavor (NCSSFL, 2006).
In the United States, several projects have been piloted (Nebraska, Kentucky,
Indiana, Virginia, among others) and implemented within the LinguaFolio to fit specific
needs, resources and initiatives.
LinguaFolio Nebraska
LinguaFolio Nebraska developed through a collaborative effort between the
Nebraska Department of Education and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was initially
named Nebraska World Languages Portfolio (NWLP). It was piloted with 10 teachers in
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Lincoln Public Schools and 25 Spanish teachers across Nebraska. As a result, revisions
and changes have helped LinguaFolio Nebraska become a more user friendly and
effective tool for learners and teachers. Re-named the Nebraska LinguaFolio, a 5-year
study was undertaken to measure the impact of using LF with 7-12 learners.
Nebraska LinguaFolio is based on the objectives of the European Language
Portfolio with the needs of the United States educational system in mind (NCSSFL,
2006) and “designed to enhance students’ reflection and analysis of their own learning in
grades 7 – 12 through a language journal, a series of checklists identifying language
knowledge, skills, cultural understanding, and proficiency levels” (Moeller, Scow, &
Van Houten, 2005).
Although there is not a unique LinguaFolio, all of them are comprised of three
main components: My Language Journey which aims to help students understand and
explore their current and past experiences with language and culture as well as their
current learning habits and strategies; Passport which aims to help students understand
their level of proficiency in the language being learned as well as their growth in
proficiency; and a Dossier of Evidence which aims to help students understand their
language growth through the creation of goals, collection of evidence representing
achievement goals, and reflections on the learning experience (LinguaFolio Nebraska
Teacher Guide, n.d.). The LinguaFolio Nebraska, aligned to the ACTFL proficiency
guidelines, is being implemented in 64 classrooms across Nebraska, and it aims to
(a) develop reflectivity and autonomous learning in students; (b) increase value of
multi-purpose language learning, heritage languages and interculturality; and (c)

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provide common criteria for evaluating language competence (Moeller et al., 2005,
p. 135).
In order to fully understand the implementation process of LinguaFolio and how
teachers integrate it into the language classroom, I conducted two informal pilot research
projects in three Midwestern high school Spanish classes. The first, a case study
investigated language teachers’ perceptions on how LinguaFolio influences language
proficiency among Spanish language learners. The second, a multiple case study aimed at
understanding how two high school teachers were using LinguaFolio in two Midwestern
high school Spanish classes. Findings from the first study revealed that LinguaFolio
provides learners with meaningful and authentic learning experiences that allow students
the opportunity to personalize their learning. Data from the second study showed that
LinguaFolio allows students to become more active participants in the learning process. I
also found that the optimal use of LinguaFolio may require an investment of time, a full
understanding of all its components, and an adaptation derived from the particularities of
every classroom.
In 2006, prior to the research studies mentioned above, I was invited to take part
in a Summer Spanish Immersion Program, a ten day professional development
opportunity for K-12 teachers offered through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Initially funded in 2003, the Improving Teacher Quality Grant was funded again in 2004,
2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. The program immerses participants in the Spanish language
and culture in an effort to improve language, culture and literature skills as well as
acquaint the participating teachers with the LinguaFolio for implementation in their
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classrooms. More than 140 Spanish teachers have taken part in these two-week Summer
Immersion Programs.
One of the purposes of the Spanish Immersion program is to offer foreign
language teachers firsthand experience in using LinguaFolio. It provides language
teachers with research-based strategies, pedagogy, and technology that can be
implemented in their classrooms. Simultaneously, teachers are provided with theoretical
foundations on autonomous learning, self-assessment, goal setting, and reflection and
tools that enable participants to use the online LinguaFolio. In order to provide
continuing professional support to participating teachers as they implement the
LinguaFolio Nebraska, the program initiated, developed and maintained a Blackboard
website to facilitate interaction among participants and instructors, as well as hosting on
site regional workshops.
During the immersion program, I played different roles that allowed me to
become familiar with LinguaFolio. First, as a BlackBoard discussion participant, I
actively contributed to the online discussion of the book, “La Ciudad de las Bestias”
(City of the Beasts). This text served as the venue for discussions aimed at building
community among the participants and to ensure careful reading of the text as they shared
interpretations and reactions. I responded regularly to participants’ comments and
insights while reading the book. Second, as a native Spanish speaker, I tutored
participants during meals and breaks during the immersion; I specifically assisted
advanced students on language structure usage. Third, as a conversation facilitator and
resource person, I interacted with participants during group work, responding to
questions and helping them with pronunciation.

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That Summer Immersion Program awakened my interest in LinguaFolio; I wanted
to understand how teachers were implementing and using LinguaFolio on a regular basis.
Their experiences and challenges fascinated me. More importantly, I started wondering
whether teachers, as a result of implementing LinguaFolio, changed their beliefs about
teaching and learning and what the impact of the LinguaFolio was on their classroom
practice. My curiosity increased as I read research studies that revealed the way beliefs
affect teacher instructional practice and curricular decisions (Pajares, 1992; Prawat,
1992). Williams and Burden (1997) noted that “teachers are highly influenced by their
beliefs, which in turn are closely linked to their values, to their views of the world and to
their conceptions of their place within it” (p. 56). Similarly, Richardson et al. (1991) in
their study on beliefs and practices in reading found that teachers beliefs were closely
related to their classroom practices.
According to Schraw and Olafson, “virtually all [research on teacher beliefs] has
focused on what students know and believe, while very little has been said thus far about
the role of teachers’ epistemological beliefs and world views, and how these world views
affect classroom practice” (2001, p. 59). Accordingly, the present research is an attempt
to study teacher beliefs in the context of implementing LinguaFolio from the perspective
of the teachers themselves.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this multiple-case study is an attempt to understand foreign
language teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices in the context of implementing
LinguaFolio. This study involved in-depth interviews, observations, field notes, and
document analysis in order to explore teacher beliefs and classroom practices.

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Research Questions
This study attempts to answer these specific questions:
Grand Tour Question
What happens to teacher beliefs and classroom practices by using LinguaFolio?
Sub-Questions
1. How do teachers describe the LinguaFolio implementation process?
2. How do teachers describe their teaching practices and beliefs before the
implementation of LinguaFolio?
3. How do teachers describe their teaching practices and beliefs after the
implementation of LinguaFolio?
Limitations of the Study
The limitations of this study are inherent in qualitative research. First, the findings
of this multiple case study may not be generalizable. As Patton (2002) explained, “[t]he
purpose of a case report is not to represent the world, but to represent the case” (p. 460).
In other words, this multiple case study will help to understand how teachers change their
beliefs and practices as a result of implementing LinguaFolio. Second, although I
conducted non-participant observations, the researcher’s presence might have influenced
the participants’ behavior. According to Patton “the observer may affect the situation
being observed in unknown ways” (p. 306). Third, according to Patton “[f]ield work
should last long enough to get the job done-to answer the research questions being asked
and fulfill the purpose of the study.” I observed the teachers’ interactions with their
students for two hours; although perhaps a longer time devoted to data gathering would
have allowed a deeper understanding of the problem. Fourth, I did not conduct an entry
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survey. Since I was interested in teachers who have changed due to the use of
LinguaFolio, I invited 18 Spanish teachers to participate in a study from among those
who had been implementing it. On a voluntary basis, two open-ended questions were
administered to these potential candidates.
Finally, being a FL teacher and a co-researcher of LinguaFolio might have
resulted in a subjective observation on my part or might have affected the way the
participants reported the information during the interviews. Nevertheless, I assumed an
“emphatic neutrality” (Patton, 2002) that suggests to remain, as a researcher, in the
middle ground between becoming too involved and remaining too distant. Having
assumed this stance allowed me to remain impartial towards the participants and the
central phenomenon being investigated. I tried to be unbiased while gathering data,
analyzing it and writing the report. As Patton (2002) noted, “the investigator’s
commitment is to understand the world as it unfolds, be true to complexities and multiple
perspectives as they emerge, and be balanced in reporting both confirmatory and
disconfirming evidence with regard to any conclusion offered” (p. 51). I was always
critical and reflective to ensure impartiality.
Significance of the Study
This study is significant in that it will help to explain if and how the change
process occurs in the language classroom. This study will provide the participants with an
opportunity to reflect upon the process they have gone through while implementing
LinguaFolio. Although the LinguaFolio Nebraska has collected data on goal setting,
student achievement, and the implementation of LinguaFolio (Moeller, 2004) minimal
research has been centered on the use of LinguaFolio in Nebraska. Therefore, a multiple
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case study describing four teachers’ experiences on the use of LinguaFolio will provide
an in-depth understanding of the issues involved in its implementation and teacher
practices. It will also provide foreign language teachers with an opportunity to challenge
themselves to look at their own classrooms and discover opportunities for improvement.
Ultimately, this multiple-case study may help foreign language teachers to better
understand the multiple facets of LinguaFolio. It may also help LinguaFolio designers to
find ways for its improvement.
Definitions and Terms
The following key terms are operationally defined in order to establish a
consistent and common meaning throughout this study.
Case Study—”a case study is an exploration of a ‘bounded system’ or a case (or
multiple cases) over time through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple
sources of information rich in context” (Creswell, 1998, p. 61).
LinguaFolio Nebraska—LinguaFolio Nebraska is a student centered self-
assessment tool that consists of three important characteristics: it helps develop reflective
and autonomous learning; demonstrates the value of multi-purpose language learning,
heritage languages, and interculturality; and provides common criteria for evaluating
language competence (Moeller et al., 2005, p. 135).
Member checking (Lincoln & Guba, 1985)—Member Checking “is a process in
which the researcher asks one or more participants in the study to check the accuracy of
the study. This check involves taking the findings back to participants and asking them
(in writing or in an interview) about the accuracy of the report” (Creswell, 2005, p. 252).
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Meta-matrices—”Meta-matrices are master charts assembling descriptive data
from each of several cases in a standard format. The simplest form is a juxtaposition-a
stacking-up-of all of the single-case displays on one very large sheet or wall chart” (Miles
& Huberman, 1994, p. 178).
Multiple-Case Study—Also known as collective case study (Stake, 1995), “in
which multiple cases are described and compared to provide insight into an issue. A case
study researcher might examine several schools to illustrate alternative approaches to
school choice for students” (Creswell, 2005, p. 439). “In a collective or multiple case
study, the one issue or concern is again selected, but the inquirer selects multiple case
studies to illustrate the issue” (Creswell, 2007, p. 74).
Nonparticipant Observer—”Nonparticipant observer is an observer who visits a
site and records notes without becoming involved in the activities of the participants. The
nonparticipant observer is an “outsider” who sits on the periphery or some advantageous
place to watch and record the phenomenon under study (i.e., the back of the classroom)”
(Creswell, 2002, p. 212).
Observational Protocol—Observational Protocol “is a form designed by the
researcher before data collection that is used for taking field notes during an observation
(Creswell, 2002, p. 223).
One-on-one Interviews—One-on-one interview is a data collection process in
which the researcher asks questions to and records answers from only one participant in
the study at a time.

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Open-ended Questions—Open-ended questions allow participants to “best voice
their experiences unconstrained by any perspectives of the researcher or past research
findings” (Creswell, 2002, p. 214).
Peer debriefing—“A process of exposing oneself to a disinterested peer in a
manner paralleling an analytic session and for the purpose of exploring aspects of the
inquiry that might otherwise remain only implicit within the inquirer’s mind” (Lincoln &
Guba, 1985, p. 308).
Triangulation—“Triangulation is the process of corroborating evidence from
different individuals (e.g., a principal and a student), types of data (e.g., observational
field notes and interviews), or methods of data collection (e.g., documents and
interviews) in descriptions and themes in qualitative research” (Creswell, 2005, p. 252).
Organization of this Manuscript
Chapter 1 provides the context of the study, background information on
LinguaFolio, teacher beliefs, classroom practices and teacher change. This chapter also
introduces the purpose of the study, research questions and the definition of key terms.
Chapter 2 presents a review of research focused on teacher beliefs, teacher change and
classroom practices. The main definitions on teacher beliefs are provided along with the
main factors encompassing its relationship to classroom practice and teacher change.
Chapter 3 describes the methodology and procedures used to collect and analyze data for
this study. Chapter 4 presents a thorough description of the participants’ beliefs and their
practices during the two-day observation. Chapter 5 presents the analysis and discussion
of findings.
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Chapter 2
Literature Review
Introduction
This chapter focuses on the philosophical foundations and research literature on
teacher beliefs, teacher change and classroom practices. First, I will provide the main
definitions of teacher beliefs and the main factors encompassing its relationship to
classroom practice. Then, I will present the different factors affecting teacher change and
classroom practice, followed by the major models used to study teacher change. Finally, I
will provide a review of the main studies on teacher beliefs and how these beliefs might
have an impact on teacher practice or vice versa.
Teacher Beliefs
There is no consensus as regards the definition or the terms used to refer to
beliefs. The term teacher belief has been used interchangeably with other terms such as:
attitudes, values, judgments, conceptions, principles of practice, personal constructs, and
epistemologies (Clandinin & Connelly, 1997; Kagan, 1992; Pajares, 1992).
Beliefs have been described in very diverse ways. Kagan (1992) suggested that
teacher belief is a particularly provocative form of personal knowledge that is generally
defined as pre- or in service teachers’ implicit assumptions about students, learning,
classrooms, and the subject matter to be taught (p. 66). Similarly, Alexander, Schallert,
and Hare (1991) regard knowledge and beliefs as an overlapping concept. They argued
“knowledge encompasses all that a person knows or believes to be true, whether or not it
is verified as true in some sort of objective or external way” (p. 317). Defining beliefs as
a form of knowledge might not consider the differences between belief systems and
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knowledge systems. Nespor (1987) made the distinction between beliefs and knowledge.
Beliefs rely more on affective and evaluative components than knowledge. Pajares (1992)
described beliefs as values, “which house the evaluative, comparative, and judgmental
functions of beliefs and replace predisposition with an imperative action” (p. 314),
underscoring the evaluation and judgment elements associated with beliefs.
For this study I am using the following definition: “Beliefs are an individual’s
understanding of the world and the way it works or should work, may be consciously or
unconsciously held, and guides one’s action” (Richardson, 1994, p. 91). This definition
was chosen because in the context where the study takes place, beliefs can be seen and
described as a way of understanding the classrooms, students, the nature of learning, the
teacher’s role in a classroom, and the goals of education.
Teacher Change and Classroom Practices
Like most educational aspects, teacher change encompasses a wide range of
perspectives and conceptions. Teacher change has been described by researchers “in
terms of learning, development, socialization, growth, improvement, implementation, of
something new or different, cognitive and effective change and self-study” (Richardson
& Placier, 2001, p. 905).
In search of understanding the intricacies of teacher change, several models have
been developed and implemented through professional development programs. Guskey
(1986) introduced The Model of Teacher Change that suggests that significant change in
teacher beliefs and attitudes occurs primarily after improvements in student learning. In
other words, teachers may adopt new methodologies, pedagogical strategies or classroom
15
practices only if they work in their classrooms. For example, the use of these methods,
strategies or practices may result in an increase in student achievement.
Drawing from two theories on teacher change, Richardson (1994) developed a
third model regarding how teacher change occurs. The first theory suggests that teachers
change their beliefs after they change their practices (Fullan, 1985; Guskey, 1986) while
the second theory suggests that a change in teacher beliefs is followed by a change in
their practices (Richardson, Anders, Tidwell, & Lloyd, 1991, as cited in Richardson,
1994, p. 90). Richardson’s model suggests that this “change process may begin either
with changes in beliefs or changes in practice” (p. 90).
Studies have shown that a change in practice might be followed by a change in
teacher beliefs. Beijaard and De Vries (1997) focused their study on the development and
change of teacher beliefs. After interviewing eight experienced secondary school
teachers, they found that teachers’ personal experiences in the classroom appear to be the
most important source for changing their beliefs about learning. Changes took place after
an incident made them realize that they had to teach differently. This study also
developed four patterns of development or change of teachers’ beliefs about student
learning: internally-driven vs. externally-stimulated, radical change, versus gradual
changes, individual versus collaborative, and content of teachers’ beliefs.
Other studies have focused on the relationship between teacher beliefs and
classroom practices. According to Johnson (1994), teacher beliefs affect perception and
judgment that may affect their classroom practices. This relationship is echoed by
Turnbull’s (1999) study that found that four ninth-grade French teachers modified their
methods to render them compatible with their own beliefs. Often times teachers
16
compromise their beliefs in order to respond to their classrooms practices. Graden (1996)
found that six French and Spanish teachers from three public schools subordinated their
beliefs in order to respond to their students’ low proficiency, or lack of motivation.
Although these six teachers believed that “the use of the target language is preferable for
reading instruction, and that oral reading interferes with reading comprehension” due to
the poor student performance and lack of motivation, teachers’ practices varied
noticeably from their beliefs about appropriate reading instruction.
Other studies suggest change occurs as a result of professional development.
Findings indicate that entering a Master’s degree, a teaching program or a certification
program may result in a change in instructional practice and beliefs. Cryns and Johnston
(1993) conducted a five-year case study of an elementary classroom teacher studying the
changes she experienced as she entered a Master’s program and how these changes
influenced her classroom practices. Cryns and Johnston found that the teacher’s reflective
thoughts evolved as a result of the scholarly encounter provided by the master’s program
which fostered critical self-reflection. At the end of the program, the participant became
more eloquent and refined when discussing her teaching practices, and “expanded her
understanding of her classroom practice and its connectedness to the larger social and
political world” (Cryns & Johnston, 1993, p. 157).
Similarly, Freeman (1993), through a longitudinal study of change in teacher
practice, examined how four foreign language teachers integrated new ideas from a
masters’ program into their practice. Freeman introduced four concepts that emerged as
findings: conception of practice that “guided them in the face of new problematic
situations on their classrooms”; tensions understood as “simply competing demands

17
within their teaching”; articulation, “the process through which the teachers gain access
to their thinking about their classroom practice”; and local language which “voices the
teachers’ explanations of teaching prior to entering the in-service program” and
professional language “a discourse, built upon a set of socially constructed facts.”
According to this study, participants “reconstructed their classroom practice, using
professional discourse to rename their experience and thus to assign new or different
meaning to their actions” (p. 485).
Brownlee and Boulton-Lewis (2001) suggested that changes might occur as a
result of the implementation of a teaching program with a group of 29 pre-service
graduate teacher students in Australia. Employing questionnaires and semi-structured
interviews, researchers used a research group and a comparison group, and surveyed
participants at the beginning and at the end of the study. They found that the research
group students demonstrated an increased sophistication of their epistemological beliefs,
suggesting that the program helped them to develop such beliefs.
Hart (2004) examined 14 pre-service elementary teachers participating in an
alternative certification program in an urban setting. This study employed a beliefs
survey and weekly logs as data sources. The survey was applied before and after the
program. Hart found that the program was successful in changing pre-service teacher
beliefs. For example, at the beginning of the program, teachers believed that succeeding
in math depended more on the memorization of formulas; however, at the end, most of
them disagreed with those statements revealing a change in their beliefs in a direction
consistent with the National Council on Teaching Mathematics Standards (1989). Data
18
from the weekly logs supported the responses on the survey and the philosophy of the
program.
In their study Levin and Wadmany (2006) examined the evolution of teacher
beliefs on learning, teaching, and technology. Conducted in Israel, this study examined
the integration of technology –based information-rich tasks in six 4th -6th grade
classrooms using questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations as data sources.
They found that all six participants changed their beliefs and educational practices. They
found that participants changed their behaviorist and transmissionist views to more varied
views and discarded direct instruction, adopting practices focused on more collaborative
learning. They also found that it is easier to change classroom practices than educational
beliefs. This study did not present any evidence indicating that changes in teacher beliefs
were followed by a change in teacher practices or vice versa.
Howard et al. (2000) trained 41 experienced teachers on constructivist teaching
practices in an attempt to promote epistemological change. The study employed an
epistemology questionnaire before and after the four-week training. Howard et al. found
that this training resulted in significant changes in teacher beliefs “from objectivist
orientation to more constructivist ones” (p. 459).
Additional research studies have identified other factors that affect teacher change
over time, and the regularity with which these changes occur. Schiro (1992) studied 76
educators’ perceptions about the changes as regards curriculum belief systems during
their careers. Data were collected from written curriculum life histories, inventories,
curriculum vitae, conversations and interviews. Schiro found that educators make
changes in their beliefs about curriculum approximately once every four years; the first
19
main change occurs about three years after entering the work force; changes are
associated with changing of schools, grades they teach, or movement from teaching to
administrative positions. Schiro also found that the major stimuli for change in their
curriculum and instructional beliefs system is their everyday educational practices.
Fisher (2006) conducted a longitudinal study of two teachers who were involved
in a large-scale program to change the way literacy was taught in England. The study
involved interviews and observations over three years. Fisher found that teachers made
considerable changes to the organization, and management of their teaching as well as to
planning and contents. However, their pedagogical approach did not change. In other
words, this study revealed the unchangeability of teacher practice. Evidence regarding
participants’ change of beliefs was not provided.
Finally, it is necessary to point out that many of the studies on change, classroom
practice and teacher beliefs presented in this review were conducted in educational
contexts different from that of the foreign language learning and teaching. Taking into
account that minimal research has been centered on the use of LinguaFolio, conducting
this research on LinguaFolio will add value to this gap. It will also contribute to a better
understanding of its implementation and the impact it may have on the learning and
teaching of foreign languages.

20
Chapter 3
Methodology
Introduction
This research adopts a multiple-case study “in which multiple cases are described
and compared to provide insight into an issue” (Creswell, 2005, p. 439). Because the
purpose of the study is an attempt to better understand teacher beliefs, classroom practice
and change, I selected a multiple case study as it allowed me “to show different
perspectives of the issue” (Creswell, 2007, p. 74). Consistent with case study, this
research involved the study of an issue through four cases bounded by time and space
(Creswell, 2007). I focused on the experiences of Jane, Rachel, María and Sue
(pseudonyms), four Spanish teachers who were using LinguaFolio during the spring of
2008. In order to have a better understanding of the four selected cases, I gathered several
sources of information. I conducted eight one-on-one interviews, eight classroom
observations, and analyzed teachers’ lessons plans and field notes.
Conducting a multiple-case study allowed me to compare and contrast four single
cases. According to Yin (2003), “even if you can only do a “two-case” case study, your
chances of doing a good case will be better than using a single-case design” (p. 53). I
experienced the benefits of having four cases throughout the development of the study.
First, the four cases were developed concurrently, so that as I moved between the cases I
was able to attune my research skills to get the most out of the interviews and the
classroom observations. For example, while listening to the first interview recordings, I
realized that I had made rather blunt comments that did not encourage the first participant
to talk openly. Keeping this in mind, while interviewing the other participants I tried
21
creative icebreakers and more subtle comments that encouraged them to talk more
comfortably and explicitly. As the cases unfolded, I was able to modify and refine the
observation and interviewing strategies. According to Patton (2002) “The purpose of a
research interview is first and foremost to gather data, not change people” (p. 405). I
discovered that participants expressed their ideas differently. For example, Sue was a
conversationalist, so she described and provided several details about every question
asked. In contrast, Rachel was more cautious and sometimes I had to rephrase the
questions and provide probing questions to help her express her ideas. Second, I collected
a more robust set of data that I compared and contrasted resulting in more powerful
inferences across the cases. “It is believed that understanding [the individual cases] will
lead to a better understanding, perhaps better theorizing, about a still larger collection of
cases” (Stake, 2000, p. 437).
Consistent with qualitative research, first, the sample population was observed
within its own natural setting; one private and three public schools where Spanish is
being taught. The interviews were also carried out in the setting where the actual learning
process is taking place. As Hatch (2002) put it: “Qualitative studies try to capture the
perspectives that actors use as a basis for their actions in specific settings” (p. 72).
Second, this multiple case study allowed me to “collect as many detailed specifics from
the research setting as possible, then set about the process of looking for patterns of
relationship among the specifics” (Hatch, 2002, p. 10).
Participants Selection
The selection of participants was guided by the purpose of this study that
attempted to understand if teachers of foreign languages experienced any changes as a

22
result of implementing LinguaFolio. Since I wanted to include participants who had
changed their teaching as a result of using LinguaFolio, I used purposeful sampling to
select the four cases. According to Patton (1990), “the purpose of purposeful sampling is
to select information-rich cases whose study will illuminate the questions under study”
(p. 169). I invited 18 Spanish teachers who had been implementing LinguaFolio and who
had participated in the Summer Spanish Immersion Program at UNL (see Appendix A).
On a voluntary basis, two open-ended questions were administered to these potential
candidates (see Appendix B). The questions were asked in order to obtain specific
information about the LinguaFolio implementation process and how its implementation
had impacted the way they teach and the way their students learn. Jane, Rachel, María
and Sue responded to the questions and expressed their willingness to take part in the
study and reported that they had changed their teaching due as a result of using
LinguaFolio. Table 1 shows a brief description of the four participants.
Table 1
Characteristics of the Participants
Years of Teaching Years of Using

Participants Language Proficiency !
Experience LinguaFolio
Rachel 8 4 Intermediate Low
María 11 4 Novice High
Jane 5 4 Advance High
Sue 12 4 Advance Low
! Language proficiency according to the Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) and the Standards-
Based Assessment & Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) test results.
23
The Sites
The core of this research study was carried out in the classrooms of four high
schools located in Midwestern towns. Table 2 shows the characteristics of the schools
where the research was carried out.
Table 2
Characteristics of the Schools!
Students eligible for

Teacher/ School White non American Asian/Pacific
free or reduced-price Hispanic
School Population Hispanic Indian Islander
lunch program
Rachel’s 220 68% 92% 6% 1% 1%

School
Maria’s 248 14% 96% 1% 3% -

School
Jane’s 900 N.A. 91% 1% 3% 5%

School
Sue’s 225 24% 98% 1% 1% -

School
!Public School Review (n.d.)
Data Collection Procedures
Multiple sources of information were collected in this study. According to
Creswell (2007), “the data collection in a case study research is typically extensive,
drawing on multiple sources of information” (p. 76).
Interviews
I conducted eight one-on-one interviews. I interviewed each teacher twice
following an interview protocol (see Appendix C). I used open-ended questions that I
24
modified and rephrased depending on the participants’ attitudes and mood. The relaxed
pace of these interviews allowed the interviewees to explore and recount events that
helped me collect the appropriate data. As Hatch (2002) stated: “Although researchers
come to the interview with guiding questions, they are open to following the leads of
informants and probing into areas that arise during interview interactions” (p. 94). The
interviews were conducted after the class observations and elicited information in order
to answer the Grand Tour Question: What happens to teacher beliefs and classroom
practices by using LinguaFolio? I audio recorded the interviews in order to transcribe and
analyze the conversations. During the interviews I took notes about the most remarkable
features stated by the FL teachers, the variations and unplanned questions. According to
Hatch (2002), “these notes help me keep track of what guiding questions have been
addressed and where I want to go next with the interview” (p. 112). Through these
interviews I obtained the participants’ perspectives about what happens to teacher beliefs
and classroom practices by using LinguaFolio.
Classroom Observations
In addition to the interviews, I observed Jane, Rachel, María and Sue’s
classrooms on two occasions. These four FL classrooms were observed over a period of
three weeks. I conducted approximately two hours of class observations for each
classroom. Although none of the class observations were recorded, I observed each
teacher twice following an observation protocol (see Appendix D). As a non-participant
observer, I sat at the back of the classroom taking notes about the various teacher
attitudes and behaviors and how students responded to the activities suggested by the
teacher. All the classroom visits were pre-arranged and focused almost exclusively on
25
classroom practices while using LinguaFolio. These observations allowed me to support
and contrast the data collected through the interviews and lesson plans. Three of the main
advantages of collecting data by observing are “observations provide a check on what is
reported in interviews” (Patton, 2002, p. 306), “the opportunity to record information as it
occurs in a setting and to study actual behavior” (Creswell, 2005, p. 211). During the first
visit, all teachers introduced me to their classes, and explained the purpose of my visit to
them. Some students were curious about my presence. For example, in all the classrooms,
at first, one or two students stared at me, but after a while they continued working on
their assignments. It seemed that my presence did not interfere much with their class
activities, or the way they behaved.
Artifacts
Another important source of information was the analysis of documents. I
analyzed the teachers’ lesson plans to complement the information from class
observations and interviews. “The main advantage of this type of data collection is that it
does not influence the social setting being examined” (Hatch, 2002, p. 25). The use of the
teachers’ documents helped me compare and contrast the information from the class
observations and interviews.
Data Analysis
Data were analyzed in two stages. First, each case was analyzed separately. Then,
the four cases were contrasted and compared through a cross-case analysis.
26
Case Analysis
I followed the interpretive analysis model suggested by Hatch to analyze each
case separately. “Interpretation, by definition, involves going beyond the descriptive
data” (Patton, 2002, p. 480); it “is about giving meaning to data” (Hatch, 2002, p. 180).
Using MAXqda, computer software, I conducted the interpretive analysis.
According to Creswell (2005), the use of computer analysis programs facilitates “the
process of storing, analyzing, and sorting the data” (p. 234). I transcribed the data
verbatim from the interviews into Word files. I then exported the data to a MAXqda file
to perform the open coding and analysis of the text data. This software offers a myriad
tools that facilitated the separate case and the multiple-case analysis. For example, the
visualization and sequence of coding, the creation of memos and the text comparison
chart among others.
The interpretive analysis included eight steps:
1. Reading the data to gain a sense of the whole. “The logic of the interpretive
model parallels that of the inductive model in that pieces are put together in
meaningful relation in order to construct explanations that help readers make
sense of what’s being examined” (Hatch, 2002, p. 181).
2. Reviewing impressions previously recorded in research and in protocols.
During the interviews, I took notes focused on the research questions. “The
whole idea of making a record of impressions during the process of gathering
and processing data is to capture potentially fruitful explanations that can be
systematically examined later” (Hatch, 2002, p. 182). I think that part of the
coding process began to take shape during this note taking process. I
27
synthesized the information into practical units. I then used those sentences
and headings previously highlighted as the spinal cord of the coding.
3. Reading the data, identifying impressions, and recording those impressions in
memos. I created memos with my initial ideas. While re-reading the data, I
identified the recurring themes. Once I narrowed and refined the
interpretations I returned to “the data in a systematic search for places that
relate directly to the interpretations in [the] memos” (Hatch, 2002, p. 187). I
read the data several times. This careful reading helped me make connections
between the memos, the teachers’ voices, my observations, lesson plans and
my field notes.
4. Studying memos for salient information. I reduced the amount of information
by focusing on the recurring memos. I continued to make connections
between the memos. This became the record I used to describe the data
analysis when I wrote the final report.
5. Re-reading data, coding places where interpretations were supported or
challenged. MAXqda software allowed me to create a code system that helped
me identify color codes. I highlighted in green sentences, comments,
expressions and words related to teacher change; I highlighted everything
related to teacher beliefs in blue; and I highlighted in red everything related to
classroom practices. Highlighting the data in these three different colors
helped me identify and support the interpretations of the collected data more
easily. I used magenta and other colors as other themes emerged.

28
6. Writing a draft summary. The voices of the teachers became a key element to
write thus first draft. “The better case studies are the ones in which the
explanations have reflected some theoretical significant propositions” (Yin,
1989, p.113). My reflections of the events helped to explain this particular
phenomenon.
7. Reviewing interpretations with the participants. The main goal of this step was
to agree with the participants on the way I described and analyzed their
classroom experiences. In order to ensure that my data analysis was valid and
reliable, I employed member checking and peer debriefing (Lincoln & Guba,
1985) to improve the likelihood that the findings and interpretations produced
through the data analysis are credible and consistent with what the participants
had said and done.
8. Writing a revised summary and identifying excerpts that support
interpretations. In this final step, I refined and clarified interpretations and
supported them with excerpts from the data.
Cross-Case Analysis
In a multiple case study, “the researchers have an obligation to provide
interpretation across the cases” (Stake, 2006, p.39). Thus, after analyzing each case
separately, I performed a cross case analysis. Using the MAXqda2 software, I compared
and contrasted the themes across the four cases based on the following descriptive
categories: teacher beliefs, classroom practices and change. A text comparison chart
helped me to visualize and to create a systematic comparison across cases. As a result,

29
three interrelated themes emerged from the four cases: A Facilitator, Fostering Self-
Regulated Learners; and Moving from Teaching to Learning.
Verification Procedures
In order to improve the likelihood that the findings and interpretations produced
through the data analysis were credible and consistent to what the participants had said
and done, I employed three verification procedures.
1. Member checking, the process of asking participants on the accuracy of their
accounts (Creswell, 2005). I asked all the participants to look at my analysis
of their in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis to
confirm if the analysis was a true representation of what they said and
believed. I reviewed several aspects of the study with the participants. For
example, I asked them to review the way I described and analyzed their
classroom experiences and lesson plans. Participants also reviewed the
interpretations of their interviews.
2. Peer debriefing, “a process of exposing oneself to a disinterested peer in a
manner paralleling an analytic session and for the purpose of exploring
aspects of the inquiry that might otherwise remain only implicit within the
inquirer’s mind” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985, p. 308). I engaged in an extended
discussion with a fellow graduate. I presented the analysis of the data to him
to explore inquirer biases and to clarify the meanings and the basis for
interpretations. Based on his comprehensive experience on qualitative
research, he provided me with constructive feedback on my data analysis.

30
3. Triangulation, according to Creswell (2005), triangulation is the process of
corroborating evidence from different individual types of data or methods of
data collection. I conducted multiple interviews, classroom observations and
analyzed lesson plans. Collecting data from several sources of information
provided different perspectives on the issue.
Ethical Considerations
I gained approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University of
Nebraska at Lincoln. This study is part of a larger study called: Improving Teacher
Competency and Student Learning in Foreign Language Classroom Research. The
Protocol was granted to work with four FL teachers and their students in one private and
three public urban Midwestern schools. This permission determined that there were no
risks involved for human participants. I contacted participants via email inviting them to
participate. After teachers agreed to participate they signed the Informed Consent Form
(see Appendix E) that explained the specific conditions and requirements of the study.
The real names of the persons and places have not been used in this study to
protect the privacy of the participants. I had met the participants initially during a
Summer Immersion Program in 2006.

31
Chapter 4
Description and Understanding of Cases
This chapter presents a thorough description of the participants’ practices and
findings based on the interviews, the observations and document analysis. The four cases
are presented and analyzed separately. The themes that emerged from this analysis are
presented in Tables 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Each case is presented in the following order. First, a description of the context of
the inquiry is presented, then an introduction to the participating teachers, the classroom
and finally the school. Next, a description of the classroom practices based on the
observations followed by a description of the themes as they emerged after the coding
process.
Case Study 1: Rachel
Introduction
At the time of the study, Rachel was teaching Spanish to 55 students in grades 7
through 12. She had used LinguaFolio for the last four years. She is at the Intermediate
Low level of proficiency in Spanish according to the SOPI and STAMP test results
reported. Rachel teaches in a technology-rich classroom equipped with a computer, a
VCR, a document camera, projection system and two TV screens (one placed on the front
wall and one in the middle of the room hanging from the ceiling). Rachel shares her on-
campus class with an off-campus class via a closed-circuit television system. She travels
from one school to the other every other week. These two schools are only seven miles
away from each other. This allows students from both campuses to have the opportunity
32
to have a face-to-face interaction with her and with their closed-circuit classmates
through the distance learning system.
Based on the timetable agreed in advance with the rest of participants, I was able
to attend only one of these two schools. However, I had the opportunity to observe the
off-campus class via the close-circuit system. The school I visited was located in a quaint
old town with a rich history. This town contained many preserved brick streets built in
the early 1990s with locally made bricks. This small rural town has a population of 1656;
one elementary school and one high school make up the school district that serves 493
students.
The first visit to Rachel’s school was on a rainy morning in the middle of spring
2008. Thinking I was at the main entrance, I tried to push through a big glass door to gain
entry. Fortunately, a teacher inside the hallway directed me to another door. I thanked
him and rushed into the school as heavy rain poured outside. As I entered the building
one of Rachel’s colleagues greeted me in a very friendly manner and offered to take me
to the secretary’s office.
Rachel’s school projected a warm and friendly atmosphere. Students outside the
main office were waving their hands and greeted me with ‘hola’ (hi). The physical
education teacher and the secretary were willing to help and guide me around the school
and the school principal also greeted me cordially. The warm environment and the
community feel in this small school made me feel at home.
Beliefs
Teaching.
I guess, before, I looked at [the teacher] as more up here; here is the teacher and
here is the student, OK? The teacher was above and the student [pointing at a
33
lower level] . . . Now, I look at it more like this [putting her hands at the same
level] we are more even.
Rachel believes that through the use of LinguaFolio she has established a student-
teacher relationship based on egalitarianism. In other words, Rachel believes that students
and teachers share the same opportunities and responsibilities towards learning. Within
this scenario, teaching is an opportunity to facilitate and self-discover and she views
herself as “facilitator rather than an instructor.” In the attempt to let them discover,
Rachel describes her role as a teacher “more as someone who doesn’t necessarily give the
answer but leads them to the answer.”
Rachel also believes that through most of the classroom practices she is trying to
develop independence in her students. She claims,
I am trying to get them not to be so dependent upon me but on themselves and

knowing that they have all the information with them, there is a need to
remember, “where do I look?,” “where do I try to find?”
In other words, Rachel provides learners with opportunities to self-discover their
own way of doing things and experiencing learning. “It’s more interactive, it’s more them
doing the work, and them discovering. And it means more to them than it does when
they’re sitting there and listening to the teacher talks.”
Learning. Rachel believes all students are capable of learning and achieving their
potential. According to Rachel, anyone can learn, “it doesn’t matter if you have special
needs, or anything like that, you’re able to see what, even special needs kids, they are
able to thrive in that type of environment because it’s safer.”
Rachel believes her students are unique individuals. “I see them all separate, they
all are at different levels.” Although learners may experience differences in age and level
of language, Rachel believes her classroom is a safe and comfortable place where
34
learners are free to ask for help and make mistakes. More importantly, Rachel believes
that through this sort of practice, learners become actively engaged as they become
proficient in a foreign language. “I don’t stand up there and talk all the time, they do
more interacting with each other; and sometimes I interact with them at the same level to
try get them to see that, you know.”
According to Rachel her attitude towards her own learning process has helped her
to better understand her learners’ struggles and intricacies of their language process. “I
see myself as somebody that is still learning all the time, that I am still learning, I’ve
never stopped learning. More than I did before.”
Practice and Observation
First day. Walking towards Rachel’s room, I was wondering how and where to
spend the ten minutes left before her class began. However, as I reached her classroom
door, I was surprised by a wonderful set of posters of family trees full of beautiful
pictures and drawings. Through basic Spanish writing skills, students had been able to
name and describe family members.
Suddenly the bell rang announcing the class change catching me by surprise. At
that moment Rachel came out and cordially invited me to join her class. The class started
with some technical adjustments to the closed-circuit equipment. The off-campus
students were not able to see what was going on in Rachel’s class. Similarly, the image
shown on Rachel’s computer and on both screens was blurred. After a while Rachel
adjusted the image and was able to start her lesson.
Since the students were getting ready for an oral presentation, the technical
difficulties did not stop them from continuing what they were doing in the previous class,
35
or what they had been working on at home. In fact, everybody was designing a poster to
present his/her family members. The five students were engaged in three specific tasks:
(a) some were writing the scripts and some difficult expressions on index cards,
(b) others were rehearsing orally, and (c) one girl was coloring the drawings while
another was gluing some magazine cut-outs.
Rachel’s classroom is spacious and light. There were five on-campus students
(girls) sitting at four rows of tables and six off-campus students (two girls and four boys)
sitting at three rows of tables as seen on the two television monitors. Student products
were displayed around the classroom: sentences, expressions, verbs, and words on posters
and bulletin boards in Spanish. There was a large poster with the acronym SMART,
hanging on the left wall, written downwards forming an acrostic, so that the first letter
made one of the main components of a well-written goal (Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Realistic and Time bound)
Since this was a very small class, Rachel had the opportunity to go around the
class assisting each student individually. While she was helping an on-campus student,
she was interrupted by an “excuse me Mrs. X,” coming from an off-campus student. “Si”
(yes), she replied. The student continued, “Teacher, can I include a picture of my pet?”
“Sure, you can,” Rachel said. Meanwhile, I saw two girls rehearsing their oral
presentation. First, one of them described her family followed by three questions asked
by her classmate. She answered them with short answers. Then, they switched roles and
the other girl listened to her attentively as she described her family tree and asked no
more than three questions. The importance of this student-student interaction is that it
helps them to strengthen their self-confidence. It also helps them to build rapport and be
36
prepared to present the exercise in front of the class. During my observations, I evidenced
how this sort of practice helps learners to build rapport. For example, I saw one girl
helping her classmate to pronounce a sentence correctly.
By the end of the class, Rachel reminded the students about some of the key
aspects they should keep in mind when presenting their oral reports. For example, they
were told they could use their index cards as a resource but not read the entire script from
their index cards.
Second day. The class started immediately after the customary technological
adjustments. Rachel was able to set the camera and sound while the students entered the
classroom. After a brief greeting, Rachel asked them if they had questions, or comments
on their oral reports due that day. Most of the on-campus and off campus students seemed
to be ready to start the class. However, some of them were still rehearsing or working on
details. The ones who seemed to be ready were reading their index cards. Others were
scribbling on their papers.
Rachel allowed 15 more minutes to get started. During this time, an off-campus
student asked Rachel a question. She was unable to recognize exactly what he was asking
so the student was told to put his notes on the camera to be read. He had to zoom-in his
notes for Rachel to be able to read his question. The on-campus partners did not feel like
they were being interrupted, instead, two girls stopped what they were doing and started
taking some notes about Rachel’s explanations. In other words, on-campus students take
advantage of the extra explanations sometimes required by their off-campus classmates.
After this explanation, Rachel encouraged her students to start the oral
presentations. The students became excited about the idea, although some of them looked
37
hesitant. Then, an off-campus student volunteered to start his oral report. Everybody was
silent and attentively listening to his presentation. The oral report was about family
members; he introduced his family using short but precise sentences in Spanish. When he
finished, Rachel congratulated and praised him and his classmates joined her with a
round of applause. An on-campus student raised her hand, and Rachel encouraged her to
start. She used a colorful poster to introduce her family members. The class followed the
same procedure until all the students had presented their reports. At the end, Rachel made
a few comments and encouraged them to continue practicing their oral skills. The
students were pleased to have made their oral presentations, especially since they were
being congratulated for their work. They had also had the opportunity to listen to each
other and share their oral skills with off-campus students.
The class continued with a reading exercise. Rachel invited her students to open
their books and to follow the reading (see Appendix F). The reading that was entitled Los
Lugares Interesantes (Interesting Places) introduced the expression pensar en algo (to
think about something). The students were told to fill in the blanks by using the pictures
provided while Rachel read the text out loud. The text also reviewed the names of family
members. Students responded with alertness during the reading and kept filling in the
blanks. Rachel stopped after reading the first three sentences and asked one of the off-
campus students to complete that specific part. He hesitated but was helped by an on-
campus girl when she blurted out the answer. Then Rachel asked the student to read the
same sentence again.
While reading the text, another student asked the meaning of the word lago (lake).
Rachel did not answer the question directly but asked the student to review a vocabulary
38
list. After the student reviewed the list, he was able to remember the meaning of the
word.
At the end of the exercise, students were asked to answer orally comprehension
questions about the passage they had just read. These questions served two purposes; they
helped the students review family related words, as well as reinforced the use of the
expression being taught.
The class ended with a brief reminder of the homework and some general
announcements, one of them being about a change in scheduled activities.
Themes
“A facilitator rather than an instructor.” Throughout the implementation of the
LinguaFolio, Rachel has moved from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach.
As a result, she views herself more as a “facilitator rather than an instructor.” This new
role played by Rachel was reflected in the classes that I observed. Rachel helped learners
to self-discover and use their background knowledge and experiences to find out new
learning situations. For example, during a reading exercise a student did not recognize the
meaning of the word ‘lago’ (lake). Instead of answering the question directly, Rachel
asked the student to review a vocabulary list. After the student reviewed it, he was able to
remember the meaning of the word. In this new environment, Rachel assumed the role of
a guide “who doesn’t necessarily give the answer but leads them to the answer.”
Rachel also views herself as a learner, “not necessarily as a teacher.” Since this
facet mirrors her learners’ views and needs, it helps her to understand what they are going
through more easily. More importantly, Rachel is exposing learners to participate in
learning vicariously (Bandura, 1997) where one learns by observing others perform.
39
Indeed, students could see her as the more capable partner who “is still learning all the
time.” Rachel models ways of learning that allows learners to imitate and replicate them.
She is also showing that learning a foreign language is a long and demanding process.
Playing the role of a learner has positively affected the student-teacher
relationship.
Before, I looked at this, as more up here, here is the teacher [higher level] and
here is the student [lower level]. The teacher was above the student. Now, I look
at it more like this [putting her hands at the same level]. . . . We are more even.
They do know there are the boundaries, but yet it’s so much safer for them.
This student-teacher relationship based on equality is advantageous for Rachel
and her students in several ways. Rachel has discovered the importance of learning from
them. It has made her become “more patient [and] not afraid of their questions.” She is
willing to address their questions, and not being afraid of things she might not know. As
Rachel put it, “because I teach doesn’t mean that I don’t have things to learn and things to
know. Similarly, learners feel safer to ask questions because “they know I won’t get mad
at them.” Instead Rachel scaffolds a learning process that articulates what they know
about the language and those aspects still to master.
Fostering independent learners. Rachel is trying to develop independent learners
through most of her classroom practices. As she put it, “I am trying to get them not to be
so dependent upon me but on themselves.” Rachel provides learners with opportunities to
self-discover the most relevant way of doing things and experience learning
independently. When learners are engaged in class activity or homework assignment,
learners should be able to realize that they have all the information with them. However,
there is a need to remember, “Where do I look? Where do I try to find?” In other words,
learners should be capable of controlling certain aspects of their learning process. For
40
example, when working on their own they should be able to think of variations that match
the task requirements, the knowledge they possess and their learning abilities.
It is important to note that Rachel produces relevant learning opportunities that
encourage learners to become more active, responsible and collaborative participants.
“It’s more interactive, it’s more them doing the work, and them discovering.” During
these activities, learners rely on the guidance and support from Rachel who fosters
effective student involvement. As she explained: “…It means more to them than it does
when they’re sitting there and listening to the teacher talk.”
On a regular basis, these activities start with a vocabulary exercise in which
students get familiar with the new words or review old ones. A few days prior to my visit,
learners participated in a game to review the family names in which they asked certain
questions like: what does he like? What is he like? What is she like? Then “…They tried
guessing the family word, without looking at their notes” They were supposed to use only
the questions asked by their classmates.
Usually, at the end of a lesson students review the vocabulary again. They have an
activity where they have to interact with others. One of the activities they enjoy the most
is the one in which “one has one part of the puzzle, and the other has the other part of the
puzzle, and they have to communicate to try to figure out what the piece is” Reviewing
becomes an essential part of the class and involves student interaction and cooperation.
Rachel claims that through this sort of practice learners become actively engaged
as they develop their language proficiency, “I don’t stand up there and talk all the time,
they do more interacting with each other; and sometimes I interact with them at the same
level.”
41
Thinking outside the box. Rachel claimed that LF has changed “the whole
process.” Before using LinguaFolio Rachel “did not have much vision” of her role as a
teacher. LinguaFolio has helped her to be “more accountable,” “more organized,” and
“more prepared” to what she is going to be teaching. According to Rachel, now it is much
easier to make sure that she met everything that she wanted them to meet in a chapter or a
class period. “LinguaFolio changed the whole thinking pattern of how I teach. . . . My
thinking process was very . . . in a box.”
According to Rachel, LinguaFolio has also changed the way she plans her classes.
Planning is “not so much oriented by the textbook.” Rachel creates and supplements a lot
of things. The idea is to provide learners with activities and materials that fit with what
she wants them to be able to do. When planning a lesson, Rachel puts emphasis on the
language skills that learners can use for real communication purposes outside the school.
For example, “when they are in WalMart, what would they be able to say to someone
who speaks Spanish.”
The lesson plan (see Appendix G) Rachel designed for the second lesson that I
observed provided her with a quick reference to the topic, activities to be done and the
number of book pages that she would cover. Although the lesson plan did not present an
objective for the class, I cannot assure that Rachel did not have one in mind. This type of
lesson plan gives Rachel the main idea of what the class is about; however, it does not
describe each activity in length. Although it shows the number of the pages to be
covered, (p. 180) there is not a complete description about the type of exercises or
content knowledge covered in those pages. For example, her lesson plan stated “practice
vocabulary,” however, one cannot infer from this statement what these activities are.
42
Such lesson planning helps her in figuring out what to teach and to visualize the general
purpose of the class.
According to Rachel, LinguaFolio changed the whole thinking pattern of how she
teaches. This also includes an attempt to change parental involvement. Parents can keep
track of their children’s progress. Every time Rachel has a teacher parent conference she
takes with her the students binders and folders. “Parents can see what they’re doing and
what they’ve learned.” However, most of parents are still more focused on their
children’s grades rather than their actual learning.
A dual environment. Rachel shares her on-campus class with a distance-learning
program through a closed-circuit television system. The benefits of sharing this dual
environment may result in more student interaction and participation through a
technology-rich environment. Rachel’s students develop all sorts of projects that can be
shared through the closed-circuit television system. On a daily basis students interact and
learn from each other as I evidenced during the second class I observed. During oral
exercise Rachel asked an on-campus student to complete a sentence. Since he seemed to
hesitate, an on-campus girl blurted out the answer. Then the off-campus student was able
to read the complete sentence.
Most of the interaction takes place when on-campus and off-campus students
present their outcomes at the end of chapter. In so doing, “they show their projects and
they’ll be speaking on the microphone.” Sharing this dual environment has allowed
learners to “get used to a lot of technology . . . with different programs that they wouldn’t
be able to use otherwise.” For example, the software students used to record their voices.
Rachel gives them situations where they have to create quick dialogues with a partner.
43
For example, “calling an ambulance, telling their mom: ‘I am hungry, I would like some
cereal’, or making a doctor’s appointment.”
Although, the interaction between on-off campuses is not extensive, the
importance of this interaction mediated by a closed television system is that learners are
exposed to and participate in real communication.
Since Rachel visits each classroom every other week, she is able to go into the
students’ portfolios and see what they have done. Keeping a portfolio not only helps them
keep their work and share it with Rachel for her next visit, but it also helps them become
more resourceful as they become more creative. Rachel serves as a guide rather than as
the source of what they produce.
On the other hand, the dual (on-off campus) environment Rachel works in largely
determines the way she moves around the class. In order to have control over the off-
campus students, she has to keep an eye on the monitor most of the time. However, she is
able to move around the class, and assist on-campus students individually as required.
Her concern about off-campus students might make her seem over-controlling and
stricter. However, she is just concerned about the off-campus students’ safety. On the
second day of my observations, she was a little nervous since she was not able to see
them on the monitor screen very well and did not know what was going on in the off-
campus classroom. She had to stand up at the monitor to watch them more closely. At
this point, on-campus students were rehearsing for an oral presentation so it did not
interfere with the flow of the class.

44
Table 3
Themes and Descriptors in Rachel’s Case
Themes Descriptors
“A facilitator rather than an instructor”

- Rachel student-centered approach
a guide
mirrors her learners
models
scaffolds
- Learners self-discover
vicarious learning
prior knowledge
- Classroom environment equality
safer
“Fostering Independent Learners”
- Rachel relevant learning opportunities
- Learners self-discover
learning independently
effective student involvement
more interactive
cooperation
“Thinking Outside the Box”
- Rachel “more accountable”
“more organized”
“more prepared”
- LinguaFolio change
- Lesson plans quick reference
- Parental Involvement children’s grades
A Dual Environment
- Rachel on-off campus
- Learning more interaction
learning from each other
portfolios
- Learners use of technology
more resourceful
- Assessment growth
more fair
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Case Study 2: María
Introduction
At the time of the study, María was teaching Spanish to 62 students in grades 7
through 12. María had been using LinguaFolio for the last four years and was rated at the
Novice High level of proficiency in Spanish according to the SOPI and STAMP test
results reported.
I was amazed by the idea of visiting a rural town rooted in Czech history and with
a population of 1737. It was really easy to follow the driving directions María had given
me based on the only traffic light in town. As I passed it by, I was surrounded by the
peacefulness of small villages. This school district provides education to 530 students
kindergarten to grade 12.
The day of the first interview with María was cold and windy. In fact, I had a hard
time walking due to the intensity of the winds. The strong winds almost caused the loss
of the interview protocol I had with me. After a brief battle with the winds I managed to
put away all my papers and I headed to the school building. On my way, I saw a big
poster honoring the girls’ basketball team as state champions.
As I entered I greeted four students who were standing by the main hallway
waiting to be picked up. They seemed to be very excited about their early leave. No need
to ask where the secretary office was since it was right in front of me. Down the hallway,
colorful posters displayed student work. Cases displayed trophies and medals from sport
competitions.
As I entered the secretary office, a very jovial woman greeted me with a big smile
while saying, “Hi, you might be the person who is going to work with teacher María.” I
46
assumed that she had been told about my visit. I just politely nodded yes. Immediately,
she announced my visit through the speaker. And said, “Ms. ‘X’ will come and get you.”
After a while, María showed up. She was so happy to see me again. I thanked her
for giving me the opportunity to observe her classes. Since I had arrived a little earlier,
she took me to the teachers’ room and waited there while I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee. It
was lunchtime, four teachers gathered together to eat their lunch and talked about the
next parent conference. I reviewed the questionnaire and double-checked the digital
recorder I would use during the interview. The bell rang, and I rushed to María’s room.
Two of the teachers waved their hands and said bye, bye. I smiled back and left.
Once in her classroom, and after a few minutes, I realized that María’s classroom
was different from the others classrooms observed. When I took a closer look at the way
the desks were arranged, I realized that it was in a pentagon-shaped classroom and
wondered if this was designed to serve an instructive purpose or to use the space better.
During my first visit the desks were arranged in two three-sided rows facing the
teacher’s desk at the left side of the room. There was also a cluster of four desks in the
middle of the classroom. Interestingly, none of them was facing the white board at the
right side of the room. In other words, the desks/tables were not facing the board. The
lights provided good illumination and were placed on the ceiling in the same way as the
form of the desks. Since this was a five-sided classroom with desks facing three of the
walls, there were open spaces at the back of the room. This open space allowed María to
move freely around the classroom. Like the other classrooms I visited, I saw stacks of
papers containing didactic material, shelves, and cabinets filled with books, index cards,
photocopies and students’ work and portfolios. The Mexican, Spanish and the American
47
flags shared one side of the back wall. There was also a screen, a VCR and a TV set. On
one of the back walls there was a large bulletin board displaying student projects. A wall
calendar placed on one of the front walls served as a reminder of the upcoming important
events including extracurricular activities.
Beliefs
Teaching. “I provide the building blocks, and I provide structure and techniques
for them to apply what they learn. And then I love the creative part that comes from my
students.”
Maria believes that her role as teacher has become “more as a facilitator of
knowledge.” However, her classroom practice goes beyond the use of a foreign language;
it promotes academic honesty and responsibility.
And some kids, they think that, you know, I try to really encourage them to be
honest with themselves and their LinguaFolio, because they want to make it all
pretty, like they’re doing all the right things all the time, you know, we say, I want
to focus on or whatever, but we don’t necessarily accomplish that, and so, I am
really, you need to have some “oops. I can do this better.” It needs to reflect
reality.
María also believes that incorporating LinguaFolio has helped her to move from a
textbook driven teaching to a more partnership in learning in which learners are part of
the decision making process.
Everything was so very linear and very textbook oriented. And it was
definitely . . . I said: “you will learn this”; and “I will test you on this.” I didn’t
really ask them what they were . . . what they got . . . what they were going to
learn. . . . So, it becomes more a partnership in learning than what we had before.
Learning. María believes that implementing the LinguaFolio has promoted a
learning environment in which learners become more active and responsible, “kids are
48
cooperative, and there is so much freedom to be creative.” More importantly, “they own
what they learn.”
María also believes that LinguaFolio supports the different roles learners play in
the classroom. For example, it has helped learners to envision the true purpose of learning
a foreign language. As she explained, “My learners, actually . . . they provide so much
more variety to any task, because they are going to base what they do with projects, with
activities . . . they are going to base it on their interests as much as possible.”
María thinks that this way of learning may result not only in a more advantageous
but also pleasant classroom experience, “I find that they grow faster because they are
pushing to do something, and they are proud of themselves when they are able to come
up with something that shows their growth.”
First day. The class started with a brief review of direct object pronouns. María
asked her students two wh-question words, as a key to identifying the direct object
pronouns. A couple of students said in unison, “What and Whom.” Then, María asked
them which pronouns could replace the name of the direct object and the students told her
the corresponding pronoun in Spanish.
María introduced the theme of the day; the expression “acabar de” that is
equivalent to “to have just done something.” María asked her students to open their books
to page 314 and gave a brief explanation about how to use this phrase. She explained to
them that this expression refers to the very recent past. She pointed out that in Spanish
“acabar de” is followed by an infinitive. She also conjugated the verb form and her
students repeated all its different forms.

49
After that, she read the first example from the book. As she read the first part of
the sentence: “Ellos acaban de” (they have just); she waited for the students to complete
it by saying, “salir de la casa” (left home). Using the same technique the class
completed four more sentences. When they seemed to have understood the concept,
María announced a game.
In order to play the game, she divided the students into two teams (one team on
the left side and the other on the right side). Then, María asked each group to write down
five statements they would ask their opponents. The students spent ten minutes creating
them.
There were no clear explanations of the rules of the game from the beginning,
resulting in a misunderstanding when one point was awarded to a team. At that moment,
María explained the score system to them: 1 point if correct, 1 point if the other team fails
to answer, and 1 point for correcting the opponent. The students continued playing the
game. A representative of each group would go to the board and write the complete
sentence based on the statement provided. If the answer was correct, they were awarded 1
point. However, if they did not write it correctly their counterparts could challenge them
and designate a representative to correct the sentence on the board.
María interrupted the game for a while to orally review the conjugation of
“acabar de.” She pronounced the personal pronouns and the students conjugated the
verb form. Then, they continued playing the game. The class ended with announcements
about extracurricular activities that would take place the next day.
The lesson plan Maria wrote for this lesson provided her with a reference to the
main activities to be done (see Appendix H). For example, one of the activities is
50
described as follows: “Leemos y hacemos la pagina 314” (Read and do page 314).
Although this type of lesson plan gives María the main idea of what the class is about, it
does not specify the details of each activity. For example, based on the lesson plan one
cannot infer what page 314 is about, the sort of activities or the time devoted to each one
of them. Only one of the activities, a challenge competition, is explained in more detail.
For example, it is stated the time students would be given to prepare a set of five
statements, the points to be awarded, and time to answer and correct challenges. This
planning helps María to figure out the sequence of the activities to teach.
Second day. The class started in a very different way. Maria asked her students
about the ideas they had brought for their television commercials. In the preceding class,
María had discussed the activities they had to do in order to produce the T.V.
commercial. For example, they had been told to work with a partner in order to write,
produce, film and present a television commercial in Spanish. The complete instructions
had been provided in the activity description sheet given to the students in the previous
class (see Appendix I). The sheet explained all the details in order to design the
commercials; it also showed a written example and a rubric. The rubric included three
levels of performance: Excellent, Average and Needs Work. The criteria of the
performance included: Length, Use of Spanish, Creativity of Product, Props, and Music
& Costumes.
The students worked in pairs, however there was one group that consisted of four
students. When María asked them about their proposals, only one group expressed a clear
idea, the rest of them were in the process of putting their ideas together. The students
gathered together and started to brainstorm the products they would design. “How about
51
this . . . and that” were frequently heard comments. Maria went around the classroom
assisting them.
The group of four students was very active suggesting ideas, however, coming to
an agreement on a single product seemed to challenge them. María realized the situation
so she went to them and spent some time assisting the group. They wanted to challenge
themselves and come up with two projects. However, Maria suggested that it would be
much better to complete one project first and then think about doing a second project.
The other groups were at different stages of development. One girl and one boy
were designing a commercial with a chamber to help short people grow automatically.
They named their product ALTOMATICO, a made-up word using two concept words:
ALTO (tall) + AUTOMATICO (automatic). Their originality was linguistically creative
and described their product. They wanted to be sure about this new word so they talked to
Maria who praised their creativity.
The other girls were thinking of an instant tanning spray. They were concerned
about how to present and describe the characteristics of their product. They seemed to
have a rough draft of the instructions for marketing. One of them was looking up a word
and also reviewing the grammatical structures they might use.
Another two girls were working on index cards; they were writing down ideas on
how to videotape their commercial. They had developed their ideas and written the script.
At this point, they were more concerned about the sound track and images they would
use. One of them stood up pretending she was being filmed and acted out parts of the
dialogue.
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María went around the classroom helping students with pronunciation and
expressions. For example, two girls were struggling to find a specific word. Maria
approached them and asked a couple of questions regarding what they wanted to express.
Based on Maria’s explanation, they decided which word to use.
Maria had already set the schedule for filming the commercials (see Appendix J).
In spite of this, one group of students seemed to have a small problem with the time they
had first chosen. María asked the whole class whether there was a group that could switch
the hour and date for filming with these two students. One group volunteered and the
timetable was modified immediately. One student asked about the role of the tech crew.
María explained that they would be in charge of technical support, for example, cameras,
microphones and sound tracks.
At the end of the class, students handed in the scripts to be reviewed. María said
that she would look at them. Her students agreed to continue working on the changes
suggested.
Themes
“A facilitator of knowledge.” As a result of the LinguaFolio, María views herself
“more as a facilitator of knowledge.” According to María she provides the “building
blocks,” structure and techniques “for them to apply what they learn.” What María loves
the most is “the creative part” that comes from her students. Once students are given “the
building blocks” they are free to create what they find suitable to put into practice the
new knowledge and what they are supposed to learn. For example, in the second class I
observed, the students designed a commercial based on the input and the specific
53
directions provided. They put into play their creativity to produce the TV commercials
described earlier.
In the first class that I observed, María scaffolded her students learning process by
giving them input in the target language. María did not present the topic in a
contextualized way (a story) but introduced learners to the examples from the book,
which consisted of isolated sentences. María presented the examples orally and the
students followed them in their books. Exposing learners to oral and written input
facilitated the acquisition of the grammatical structures and captured their attention.
María guided the students’ responses and provided enough time for them to
complete the structures. Although María used a grammar-based task it was interactive
allowing learners to put into practice their oral skills. According to María, kids at the
beginning level need an explanation how the structure works first and then they should be
provided a challenging task, moving from skill getting to skill using. In this particular
situation, students were challenged when asked to participate in a game in which they
competed to actively using the structure that had been taught. Before introducing the
students to the game, María reinforced the conjugation of the verb forms to be used in the
game. This time the students’ participation took the form of group repetition of the
correct verb conjugation. All the students seemed to be repeating. This was a quick and
easy way for the learners to get ready to start playing the game that followed.
According to Maria being a facilitator encompasses significant responsibilities
that include preparing, coaching and encouraging them. She also corrects them when
necessary. “It’s my job to correct them when they’re confused and sometimes to motivate
them to perform well.” Rachel has found that correcting learners while working in small
54
groups is “less threatening for them.” María discovered that correcting them in front of
the whole class has a negative impact on them and prevents them from participating
openly in front of the class.
The role of a facilitator implies creating the right environment for learning. María
provides learners with the optimal conditions for learning. Sometimes, María tells them
with whom to work. She has found that students work best with groups that match their
own comfort zone. In these microenvironments, “they feel attracted to their partners and
styles.” Students working in small groups give Maria the opportunity to provide
personalized assistance and guidance. “I find that I can assist them individually more than
I did before.” During the pair work I observed, students worked with enthusiasm.
The classroom practice goes beyond the use of a foreign language; LinguaFolio
promotes academic honesty and responsibility. It also advocates a learning environment
in which learners become more active and responsible towards learning. This attitude
involves tasks that were considered only for teachers. For example, they self-assess their
progression; “where am I at? What can I do?” Taking into account that they save all
their work through a term or a chapter, they are able to go back and assess their work.
Sometimes, they are honest enough to say ‘what a disaster.’ Sometimes things work, and
they are proud of what they can achieve, ‘Look at what I can do.’
This way of learning may result not only in a more advantageous, but also
pleasant classroom experience. Marias has found that “they grow faster because they are
pushing to do something, and they are proud of themselves when they are able to come
up with something that shows their growth.”

55
LF: A partnership for learning. Throughout the implementation of the
LinguaFolio, María has moved from a teacher-centered to a partnership-centered
environment in which “the teacher is an important part of the team but it’s not all about
what the teacher is doing.” It is important to note that Maria is always there to guide and
support them throughout their learning process.
Pair or group work is a key component of María’s class. Students get together to
propose, design and develop several projects that are based on the content knowledge
María plans for each class. During the second day that I observed María’s class, students
worked in a pair group activity to put together their ideas on how to produce a T.V.
commercial in Spanish. Although the learners “are cooperative, and there is so much
freedom to be creative,” María directed and led them towards a product that started with
the guidelines she provided. It is important to point out that it is only after the students
are given the main directions (guidelines), that they are able to put into play their creative
and language skills to produce their T.V. commercials.
The learning environment of this partnership of learning gave the participants the
opportunity to interact and learn Spanish in a cooperative way. For example, María went
around the classroom helping learners not only with the correct use Spanish but also with
ideas on how to better advertise their products.
It’s a radical change, since LF things have become . . . language acquisition is

much more a partnership instead of something that I hand to them and it’s their
job to grasp it and be assessed on it. Now, I provide the knowledge, and then we
work together to find meaningful ways for them to express the language.
LinguaFolio promotes a shared responsibility towards learning. LinguaFolio has
helped María to play a different role as a foreign language teacher. In this new scenario,
María has recreated a project-oriented setting that is partnership-centered rather than

56
teacher-centered. María plays an important part of this “partnership in learning.” Before
LinguaFolio, María followed a very linear and very textbook oriented curriculum. It was
definitely teacher-centered “you will learn this, and I will test you on this.”
LinguaFolio has also helped María to assess her students differently. Before
LinguaFolio, Maria measured from point A to point B or student A and student B. Now
assessment is based on their growth. In other words, “you take what your student A is in
the beginning and at the end, or you take where all your students are. It’s all about all of
them…” Assessment is more fair and accurate. It shows “what kids can do.”
LF: Empowering learners.
The biggest change to my role as a teacher is that it makes me give students more
power; because I was more teacher-centered. Before LinguaFolio, I was like “OK,
this is what it is. This is what I want to see you doing, and bla . . . bla . . .
bla. . . .” And now, it’s like “what do we see?” You know it’s a lot more
interactive, or sometimes just plain student-centered.
LinguaFolio promotes a shared responsibility towards learning rather than a fixed
educational environment controlled only by the teacher. According to Maria before
LinguaFolio, “everything was so very linear and very textbook oriented.”
LinguaFolio has helped learners become fully involved in a learning process that
is “much more interactive.” As María put it, “I have the students create things
themselves, not just looking at a text, and following this pattern, this formula, but rather
coming up with their own types of applications of the process.” According to María, in
this “student-led” learning setting, learners are not passive observers any more. They
create dialogues, skits, situations and projects. Through these activities, they practice
languages skills (writing, reading, listening and speaking) usually in collaborative groups.
Maria believes that LinguaFolio has promoted a learning environment where “kids are
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cooperative, and there is so much freedom to be creative.” “It becomes their job to make
things happen, to set their goals. More importantly, “they own what they learn.”
The LinguaFolio empowers learners to play a more effective role that involves
tasks that were thought of as only for teachers. For instance, LinguaFolio users set their
own goals. According to María, “goal setting teaches kids to set realistic goals, specific
and measurable goals.” María encourages her students to be explicit when setting their
goals. In other words, it is not enough for a student to state “‘I want to do better” but to
fully explain the tasks he or she would do to make it better. For example, how they want
to accomplish certain goal and how they would measure whether they have done it or not.
The reflection process: “. . . needs to reflect reality. LinguaFolio gives learners
the opportunity to think and reflect about their class involvement, their participation, their
knowledge about the target language and its culture. María guides this reflection process
and encourages learners “to be honest with themselves and their LinguaFolio.” The
reflection process “needs to reflect reality.” Although María does not set limits for their
reflections, she encourages them to reflect on “their ability to either understand, speak, or
write in their target language.”
This reflection process has helped learners to envision the true purpose of learning
a foreign language. María pointed out that through this process they have found ways of
improvement expressed in a simple “‘oops. I can do this better’.”
Based on their reflections, María has identified that “they want to speak, they
want to communicate.” This has made María provide them with several opportunities to
use the language in a real context like all those exercises she suggested in class.
Sometimes, the students are challenged to find meaningful and innovative applications of
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a pattern. For example, María has asked them to write her notes about their prom dress,
what they are doing at home, their little brother or dog. These notes enhance their
creativity and involve students in a real use of the target language “I want the language to
be real to them” (see Table 4).
Case Study 3: JANE
Introduction
At the time of the study, Jane was teaching Spanish to 85 students in grades 8
through 12. Jane had been using LinguaFolio for the last four years. She is at the
‘Advanced High’ level of proficiency in Spanish according to the SOPI and STAMP tests
results reported. Jane started studying Spanish at the same school that she has been
teaching in for the last six years. In the spring of 2001, as a sophomore, Jane went to
Spain for a month to study culture, arts, grammar and translation.
Jane teaches at a coeducational high school with more than 900 students, located
in a residential area in a Midwestern town with a population of 241.167. The school
ambience was dominated by a catholic influence. At the top of the main entrance a
message from the Gospel reads, “Teach me, Lord, your way that I may walk in your
truth.” Religious icons reflected the strong Catholic faith of this community and its
school. When I walked in, I was delighted on seeing Bienvenido, the Spanish word for
‘welcome’, at the top of the entrance hall. This welcome message was also written in 14
other languages.
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Table 4
Themes and Descriptors in Maria’s Case
Themes Descriptors
“A facilitator of Knowledge”
- María “building blocks”
scaffolding
solid input
personalized guidance
- Learners creative part
pair / small group
self-assessment
pleasant experience
LF: A Partnership for Learning
- María guidelines
- Setting partnership-centered
project-oriented
- Learners group work
cooperative
partnership of learning
shared responsibility
LF: Empowering Learners
- Learners more power
more interactive
fully involved
own what they learn
- Learning student-centered
shared responsibility
“student-led”
freedom to be creative
- Goal setting realistic
specific
measurable
The Reflection Process: “…needs to reflect reality.”
- Students reflections class involvement
participation
cultural understanding
target language knowledge
- María varied learning opportunities
I visited Jane’s school for the first time on a bright sunny morning. Serving a
much larger population of students, I had a hard time finding a parking space. First I tried
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the back parking lot, but it was reserved for teachers. I drove around to the front parking
lot where I found only one vacant spot.
I realized how big this community was when I entered the main office. Four
parents were waiting for some help; two students were filling out forms (I assumed early
leaves) a girl was calling her parents; the secretary handed a razor to a student who was
sporting a three-day beard. One parent was requesting instructions on how to donate two
paintings for a fund-raising activity that would take place over the weekend.
When the secretary approached me, I introduced myself and explained to her that
I would interview and observe Ms. Scow’s class as part of a research study. No questions
were asked and I was told to fill out a form. Then, I was given a visitor tag that I put on
the upper left side of my shirt. Although the secretary was taking care of many things, she
realized that I did not know where Ms. Scow’s room was and requested a student escort
me to her classroom.
Beliefs
Teaching.
[LinguaFolio] is helping me become the teacher that I want to be. . . . A teacher

who connects the class to [the students’] real lives and helps them grow not only,
like with the goal setting, they can do that in any class but they are learning in my
class. So they can apply it to other things that they study or even in their real life.
Jane believes her classroom practice has given the learners the opportunity to use
the language they are learning while interacting with the real world out there. She stated:
“I think that they found out that people are really friendly and enjoy the fact that they
speak Spanish with them.”

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Jane also believes that LinguaFolio has helped her to become more cooperative
and reflective. As a result, she has been constantly looking for ways of improvement. “I
am always making changes, and it’s making me a more reflective teacher.”
Learning. Jane believes that LinguaFolio “helps [learners] become better students
in general. . . . I mean, they’re encouraged to think outside the box; look around.” In
other words, LinguaFolio has given learners the opportunities to exploit their potentials
on their own.
Jane also believes that implementing LinguaFolio, has helped Jane’s students to
become more responsible and inventive at the same time. She stated:
So it seems like they have to use their creativity and figure out how they’re going
to use the Spanish. It’s more fun for them, it’s more interesting, I think they
become better aware because of it, they have to find what is meaningful for them
in the project, instead of just relying on me to make it meaningful. You know,
they have to, kind of, take ownership of their learning.
Jane also believes that the reflection process is one of the most beneficial parts of
LinguaFolio for both teachers and students. First, learners are able to think about what
they do to accomplish their goals and how to improve their learning process. Jane
explained:
Well, I guess my favorite part about [LinguaFolio] is thinking of ways that

students can reflect on their learning process. They don’t think that that
necessarily comes naturally to them, I think they are kind of inclined to just do the
assignments and turn them in, and not look back.
Second, the LinguaFolio has helped Jane to reflect on the way she has
implemented it, and how to improve her teaching in order to give learners meaningful
learning scenarios. As she put it:
It’s been good for me to continually revise the way that I do LF, so it’s keeping
me reflecting, always trying to figure out how can I make this better so that they
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learn more and they enjoy Spanish class more, or get more out of it, you know
make it more of a personal experience.
First day. I arrived five minutes before the class began. Meanwhile, I took a quick
glance at Jane’s classroom door and the surroundings outside of it. There was a big poster
announcing a dance festival in Spain and a welcoming message that said, Bienvenido a
una clase de Español con la Maestra X, (Welcome to teacher X’s Spanish Class).
Through the glass pane in the door, I saw the students getting ready to leave; as the
students came out, Jane invited me to come in. By the time the bell had rung for the
second time a new group of students was walking in. Some of them waved their hands
saying “hola” (hello).
Jane’s classroom was decorated with large posters and equipped with a laptop, a
projection system and a smart board. The classroom was spacious and full of light. There
were 21 students (9 boys and 12 girls) sitting in six rows. There were shelves full of
books, dictionaries, hundreds of flash cards, work sheets, photocopied exercises, and
games on one side of the room. There was also a shelf where students kept their class
work and portfolios. The classroom was also decorated with several student products,
posters from different countries where Spanish is spoken and two of Diego Rivera’s
paintings. This gave the students the opportunity to learn some of the culture behind the
language they were studying.
A two-sided message hung from the bottom-left corner of the board. On one of its
sides, it said, on a red background: Sólo Español (Only Spanish); when it was shown,
only the target language was spoken. For example, when the students gathered together
for oral, or written exercises in groups. On the other side, on a green background, it said,
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“We can speak English.” When Jane turned the message over, it was the time for
grammar explanations or announcements to be made. I found it really instructive and
helpful. It gave the students the idea that the process of learning a language can even
involve the use of their native language.
When the bell rang for the third time, most of the students had already taken their
seats. Jane, standing in front of the smart board (at the front of the classroom), selected
with a touch of a finger the ‘Hail Mary’ in Spanish. Everybody stood up and after making
the sign of the cross they started praying.
After the prayer, the children sat down quietly and the class continued with the
reflection on the chapter they had already covered. At this time, Jane asked her student to
complete the reflection on Chapter 11 (see Appendix K). The smart board showed the
instructions on how to fill in the form. However, most of the students did not pay too
much attention to the written instructions since they had been using the same format for
the last 11 chapters. The format had two parts; first, they were asked to select the best
three pieces of work from Chapter 12 and to justify their selection by explaining why the
activities were significant to them. Second, based on the selected evidence, the students
had to write about their progress and the learning language skills gained in that chapter.
They described what they had learned by highlighting what they could not do at the
beginning of the chapter.
Jane then began the review of the exam on Chapter 12. After every student was
given his/her marked test paper, Jane started reviewing the answers of the test orally. It
was a quick review; she went through all the questions and read the correct answers aloud
in Spanish. Although she went through the review quickly, students were able to follow
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her. She spelled out some confusing words from one of the fill-in-the-blanks exercises.
No questions were asked by the students and the papers were passed to the front row so
that the first students in those rows collected them to hand into the teacher.
The teacher directed the class to open their books to Chapter 13 in order to review
the objectives. Jane then introduced the new vocabulary; students were asked to
brainstorm the words related to fiestas y celebraciones (parties and celebrations). Placed
in small groups of no more than three persons, they listed all the words they knew about
this topic. Meanwhile, the teacher handed out a vocabulary sheet. They were instructed to
categorize all the words into two groups. Jane divided the board into two; on one side she
wrote El cumpleaños (birthday), and on the other side La boda (wedding). Taking turns
going to the board, students completed the two-column word list they had gathered in
their groups. One of the first words was música (music). Jane asked, “Should I write it on
one side or on both?” The students replied, “On both.” As the students were classifying
the words on the board, they completed their own lists in their notebooks.
Once the students became familiar with the new vocabulary, Jane did an oral
exercise using a Power Point presentation. She asked questions related to birthdays and
weddings; students answered them orally. For example: Jane asked, “For your birthday,
what kind of cake do you prefer?” More than four students answered these questions in
the target language. However, there were no comments on preferences or likes about
cakes. When Jane asked, “When were you born?” Several students answered it by saying
the date of their birthday in Spanish.
At the end of the class, Jane reminded them about their homework. It was about
the project they were developing on banking processes.

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Jane taught her lesson the way she had planned it (see Appendix L). In her lesson
plan, she listed the step-by-step procedures she needed to perform. Although she did not
allocate any specific amount of time to each activity, the pace of her class allowed her to
complete all the activities.
Second day. The class started as it had in the previous class. On the smart board
Jane displayed the list of daily activities including a prayer in Spanish. All the students
joined in with the teacher repeating the prayer with respect and devotion. I stood up as
Jane started praying along with the rest of the students. Then, I realized that I was a non-
participant observer and I reminded myself that I needed to be objective in my
appreciation.
When the students sat down, Jane passed out a work sheet with a warm-up
exercise. The students went through the busca palabras (word search), an exercise in
which the students matched words and pictures to familiarize themselves with the
clothing vocabulary being learned. Then, taking turns, they went to the board and
categorized the words into female and male garments. Jane divided the board into two.
She wrote BOYS on the right side and GIRLS on the left side. When they doubted where
to place a word, Jane helped them by asking the class in Spanish, “Do you boys wear this
or that?” Or she confirmed the correct answer with the girls by asking, “Hey girls, do you
wear this or that?” The students then knew where to write that item. Jane also counted on
the prior knowledge the students had acquired to connect the old material to the new. For
example, when a student hesitated about where to put a word, Jane reminded him about
the exercise they had done before; this helped him to remember and answer correctly.
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After the review of the exercise, the students started working in pairs on a
textbook exercise. Writing in their notebooks, they had to describe what Juana and
Alfredo were wearing. Jane approached one student who seemed not to be interested in
completing the task; after a brief talk, he completed the exercise. Although most of the
students used the textbook to complete the task, one girl also used her notes. She seemed
to be interested in finding a particular expression or word.
Jane reviewed the exercise orally. Although the class was directed in the
repetition with the correct pronunciation modeled by Jane, they responded differently to
the teacher’s model. Most of them repeated after her; others practiced what they wanted
to repeat; then, some repeated what was new for them and others pretended to be
repeating. This caught my attention as on this occasion Jane did not require them to
repeat in unison.
The next activity was based on a Power Point Presentation (see Appendix M).
Jane showed a set of slides related to clothing. First, she showed the façade of a famous
shoe store; then she asked, “¿Qué clase de prendas puedes encontrar allí?” (what kind of
garments can you get there?) “Zapatos” (shoes) the students answered. Then she helped
them with the word formation and pronunciation of Zapatería (shoe store). However, she
did not tell the students the meaning of the word in Spanish, at once, but rather she used
an interesting strategy. Once again she used their prior knowledge from previous lessons.
She asked them about the name of the place where jewelry is sold. One of them said,
“joyería” (jewelry store). Then she explained the same word formation technique to them
to create the Spanish word for ‘shoe store.’ Based on Jane’s explanation, one student said
the word Zapatería and Jane had the rest of the class repeat the word altogether. Not
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many repeated the correct pronunciation; therefore, she pronounced the word louder and
then all of the students repeated it with better pronunciation. Jane, using the Power Point
Presentation again, showed different pieces of clothing and followed the same strategy.
When she asked them for the word in Spanish, one or two students answered correctly
and the rest of the class repeated the word altogether.
Jane used two different strategies to check her students’ understanding.
Sometimes, she asked questions to find out whether the students knew the meaning of a
word. For example, she asked them, “When do you wear this?” She also asked questions
about the color and size of the articles. Students responded more easily to these two types
of questions.
The next activity was a game as described in Jane’s lesson plan (see
Appendix N). The class was divided into two teams. The three rows on the right made up
group A and the three rows on the left made up group B. Jane asked them in Spanish,
“What do you wear when it’s cold? The first group to raise their hand was supposed to go
to the board and write the answer. If they failed, the other group was able to challenge the
answer and correct it. The game continued with similar questions, such as: what do you
wear when it’s hot? What do you wear when you go to church? What do you wear when
you play sports?
At the end of the class, Jane explained the homework for the next class. The
students were told to design a new uniform. Also, they had to write and describe, at least,
seven articles of clothing.

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Themes
Systematic and sustained change. Jane has used LinguaFolio for four
years and has progressively adapted it to meet her students’ needs. During the first year,
Jane had her students set their goals and reflect on them at the end of each chapter.
However, this experience seemed “too vague for them, and they just had a hard time to
keep themselves accountable.” According to Jane, sometimes, although the goals students
set were related to the content to be covered did not correspond to the activities that had
been planned for that specific chapter. For example if a student would say, “I want to be
able to order something at a restaurant” and Jane had not planned to go to a restaurant,
then students were not able to develop that particular goal.
During the first year, her students did not understand the whole purpose of “their
reflecting” and some times, it would make them feel bad because “if they did poorly then
they would have to say ‘why I didn’t study.’” Along with her students’ feedback, Jane
evaluated LinguaFolio at the end of every semester. This reflection helped her to identify
those aspects “that worked or didn’t work.”
Using LinguaFolio has helped Jane to be more cooperative and reflective. Jane’s
reflections have been motivated by her students’ comments and her continuous search for
the ideal LinguaFolio. She has been constantly looking for ways of improvement based
own her own experience, reflections and the ideas gathered from other teachers. “I am
always making changes, and it’s making me a more reflective teacher.”
One of those changes was to introduce her students with an overview of the
contents and general objectives to be covered in a chapter. Based on this overall idea of
the course, the students proposed what project they were going to do for the chapter.
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“That’s their project proposal. . . . That was a big change that was made.” Although the
students decided for themselves the type of proposal they wanted to develop, Jane
approved them and gave feedback on them. Giving the students the opportunity to design
their proposals changed their response and increased their level of involvement.
In the second year, Jane introduced the ‘Investigación Cultural’ (cultural inquiry),
in which learners put together knowledge, culture and their creativity into a product
“through the lens of the chapter.” The idea of the cultural inquiry was to give learners the
opportunity to “develop a project and actually do it.” Learners put into play their
language and art skills. “They really liked it because they could draw a bunch of stuff or
made dioramas or whatever.”
Although during the first attempts learners were exposed to good writing practice,
Jane seemed not to be happy with their outcomes because “there was not really an
authentic language piece in it.” After an end of the year revision, Jane started to think of
the variations to be done to the next year’s project in which learners would encounter the
language in real context.
In the third year, Jane wanted to give her students the opportunity to use the target
language in an authentic way, “doing something ‘real life’ with [their] Spanish” not just a
“random project to do.” In so doing, learners became “more excited because . . . they
were encouraged to think outside the box.” They were required to think of a product that
would reflect what they were going to do with a particular chapter. This change exposed
learners to use the target language in a more natural context. “Some kids have gone over
to social services, to baby sit kids and speak Spanish with them. Some of them have gone
to different grocery stores and spoken Spanish with the employees there.”
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Even though learners were using the target language in real-life contexts, Jane
realized that doing proposals every chapter “seemed like too fast and they didn’t have
enough time to really put it all together.” Then, Jane decided to have her students develop
a proposal every two chapters. Then, students would have more ideas to come up with a
project, and “they would have enough time to complete it.”
The projects were really diverse and involved different types of skills (reading,
listening, speaking an writing) Maybe, “they are going to read a kids book and pick out
things that focus specifically on fiestas (parties).” Others “are going to get their hair cut
and speak Spanish with the hair cutter.” Learners are not constrained in their proposals as
long as they have “to do with the chapter.” There are, however, certain rules students
should consider in order for them to practice all the communicative skills during a school
year. Every semester, they have to choose two different categories. “They can do ‘hablar’
(to speak) and they can do ‘escuchar’ (to listen) but they can’t do ‘hablar’ (to speak) and
then ‘hablar’ (to speak) again in the same semester.”
The cultural inquiry project required detailed planning and careful development.
It starts with a proposal sheet (see Appendix O) that describes the details of the product.
Along with the cultural component, students must, in some ways, include vocabulary and
the grammar that was studied. Students can watch a movie like The Wedding Planner
although it is an American movie, “they’ll still get the Spanish language even though it is
not necessarily Spanish culture, but they’ll still get authentic language.”
Once the projects are finished, the students show their classmates their final
products. Most of the time is an “oral presentation for their peers, like a Merry-go-round,
like concentric circles that everybody visits.” This serves two purposes, first, it is an
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opportunity to learn from others and gather more ideas for the next time, and second, the
students provide feedback to their classmates and self-assess their own proposals (see
Appendix P). As Jane reported: “It’s become more meaningful for the students and less
like we are doing this just to do it, and more . . . ‘OK. I see the point. It’s helped me
grow.’”
One can infer that Jane’s reflections are mainly based on her students’ response
towards LinguaFolio. Fortunately, Jane decided to adapt it to better server her goals and
help students improve their outcomes and accountability.
Giving voice to the learners. LinguaFolio has changed Jane’s vision towards the
learning process her students go through. It has made her more aware of it. “It’s a help
for you to establish goals, you work towards them, and then you reflect.” Through the
reflection process learners would eventually realize what they know and can do with the
target language. LinguaFolio has given learners the tools to reflect on their actions. More
importantly, reflecting on their response towards the learning process will help them to
suggest ways of improvement. As Jane put it,
I think it is really valuable for students to be able to reflect on their own in the
same way that I am always analyzing partner activities that we are doing in class
or the way I introduce material, I am thinking how can I make it change for next
time. So I think it’s important for students to be able to think like that, too.
Jane has learners reflect on two questions. Before answering the questions,
learners choose two or three assignments they have done during the chapter or “whatever
three pieces of work from this chapter.” Students select those assignments they enjoyed
doing, graded papers or “just activities that they did with a partner in class.” The first
question asks them to describe the importance of the selected pieces; “basically why they
are meaningful.” Here learners express “what they did, what they thought of it, like
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expectations, how it went.” The second question is, “what can you do now that you
weren’t able to do at the beginning of the chapter?’” Although Jane wants her students to
express their ideas and say things like “‘now I can talk about services at the bank’, ‘I
could get my hair cut.’” their reflections are too general. Some of them just say, “I know
more vocabulary’ Achieving high levels of reflection may take more time and practice.
Jane hopes to have them say “like their specifics. What can you . . . what skills do you
now have?’” This is not a natural process for learners. They “are kind of inclined to just
do the assignments and turn them in, and not look back.”
Jane is trying to include more reflection in the activities that she plans. Usually,
after a partner activity students are required to informally reflect on their performance.
Maybe they write about “how well it went for you? How much Spanish you used?” The
idea is to have them “consciously be thinking ‘how am I doing on this’, ‘am I putting my
whole effort on this?’” It seems that LinguaFolio is a way for them to “take ownership of
their learning.
Learning is “more fun . . . more interesting.” “[LinguaFolio] is helping me
become the teacher that I want to be. . . . A teacher who connects the class to [the
students’] real lives and helps them grow not only . . . in any class but . . . in their real
life.”
Jane believes that LinguaFolio “helps [learners] become better students in
general.” The LinguaFolio has provided learners with a variety of opportunities to show
what they know about the language. This is an important characteristic of LF that other
assessment tools do not necessarily do. For example, sometimes, a test does not
necessarily measure what they know. After implementing LinguaFolio, students have
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been able to demonstrate what they know through the activities and tasks they do and
keep in their portfolios. According to Jane, her students have suggested outside the
school activities that allow them to use language in a natural context. LinguaFolio has
helped Jane to structure the projects better, to “put all together.” Learners are able to
interact with the real world out there. “They have to somehow encounter Spanish directly
. . . I want them to see vocabulary in an authentic context.”
In search of new and challenging experiences, Jane’s students have taken
advantage of the large Spanish speaking population in this town. Jane and her students
have been able to go to a bank where Spanish is spoken; to have their hair cut with a
Latino hair cutter and to talk to people in a grocery store. At the time I visited this school,
students were working on a project on banking processes for monolingual Spanish
speakers. During the field trip to the bank they became familiar with the vocabulary and
the process of opening a bank account. They also found out about forms and other
services offered by the bank to aSpanish speaking community.
As a result of implementing LinguaFolio, Jane also believes that students have
become more responsible and inventive. They have to use their creativity and figure out
how to put into practice the language skills they are learning. For example, the idea of
going to hair cutters who spoke Spanish came from some students who were familiar
with them and found it interesting to have their hair cut and practice Spanish in a
different and real way outside the classroom. These types of activities make learning
“more fun for them, it’s more interesting.” LinguaFolio has given learners the freedom
“to find what is meaningful for them,” to personalize their goals and suggest activities
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that allow them to use the target language and practice what they are learning outside the
class.
Students’ reflection: “ to take ownership of their learning.” One of the most
beneficial aspects of the LinguaFolio for both teachers and students is reflection. On the
one hand, the LinguaFolio has helped Jane reflect on the way she has implemented it. She
has always tried to “make it more of a personal experience” to figure out ways of
improvement so learners can learn more while they enjoy Spanish class.
On the other hand, students can reflect on their learning process. Most of the time,
learners are inclined to just do the assignments and turn them in. LinguaFolio is an
instrument that allows self-assessment and reflective learning skills and strategies
(Van Houten, 2004). Reflection had not been part of the learners’ role. “They don’t think
that that necessarily comes naturally to them.” However, through the reflection process,
LinguaFolio has encouraged them to reflect on their language competence and the
cultural understanding.
Jane believes that this reflection process would eventually reveal what the
learners know and can do with the language. Generally, at the end of a chapter or unit,
students select two or three pieces to reflect on. It could be graded papers, activities that
they did with a partner in class or the assignments they enjoyed doing. Two questions
guide their reflections. The first one involves a reflection on the importance and
relevance of their items chosen. The second one requires them to describe the skills they
have gained during the process; what they can do with the language and were not able to
do at the beginning of the chapter. Some times, they describe their improvements in terms
of strategies used, the way they feel working in pairs or at home. Other times, they
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describe their improvements in terms of their skills. They express things like, ‘now I can
talk about services at the bank,’ ‘I could get my hair cut.’ However, sometimes their
comments are too general and reflect things like ‘I know more vocabulary.’
Even though it takes time for them to really reflect in a more profound way, this
reflection process has helped learners to “think outside the box and look around.”
Reflecting on their actions, and attitudes towards learning has been an opportunity for
them “to take ownership of their learning.” Learning has become something more than
doing and turning assignments in, it has become a thoughtful process that engages
learners in assessing their performance as well as suggesting ways of improvement. More
importantly, learners will set their goals more carefully since they have realized what
they need to do to accomplish those goals, and the type of activities they would
eventually do to achieve those goals (see Table 5).
Case Study 4: SUE
Introduction
At the time of the study, Sue was teaching Spanish to 65 students in grades 7
through 12. Sue had been using LinguaFolio for the last four years. She is at the
Advanced Low level of proficiency in Spanish according to the SOPI and STAMP test
results reported. Sue started studying Spanish in high school and then graduated from
college with a major in two languages: Spanish and French. She has been teaching
Spanish for 12 years, and has taught at this school for 5 years.
Located in a village with a population of 908, the school district is made up of
two schools and serves 472 grades kindergarten through 12. Sue’s school houses grades 7
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Table 5
Themes and Descriptors in Jane’s Case
Themes Descriptors
S ys te ma t ic a nd S u s tai n e d C ha n g e
- L i n g ua Fo l io fo ur ye ar s
ad ap ted
- J ane more cooperative
reflective
changes
- C ul t ur a l i nq u ir y cu lt ur e
st ud e nt s ’ cr eat i vi t y
la n g ua ge i n co nte x t
- St ud e nt s ’ p r o d u ct s na t ur a l co n te x t
d iv er se
me a ni n g f u l
Giving Voice to the Learners
- reflection process co ll ect e vid e nce
p r o d uc t s sel ec tio n
th i n k / r e f lec t
wa ys o f i mp r o ve me n t
lear n er s ’ o wn er s h ip
Learning is “more fun… more interesting”
- L ear ner s d e mo n s tr a te
authentic context
more responsible
inventive
freedom
meaningful learning
Students’ Reflection: “… to take ownership of their
learning…”
- Learners’ ownership self-assessment
reflective learning
- Think outside the Box reflecting
ownership
goal setting
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through 12 serving 233 students. After having driven for 25 minutes I abandoned the
highway and took a country road, after a couple of minutes, I saw the brick building of
Sue’s school. The treat of a rain shower made me hurry and reach the main entrance as
fast as possible. The glass doors helped identify the secretary who cordially welcomed
me and told me that Mrs. “X” was expecting my visit. She walked me to the hallway
from where she pointed her class. Sue was about to finish her class. I took a quick glance
at the front of the class, but I was intrigued about what I saw inside her classroom.
When I entered Sue’s classroom, I had the impression of being in a Latin
American tienda (store) full of piñatas, costumes, puppets and dolls. But when I looked
up at the ceiling, I saw flags from several Spanish-speaking countries (Mexico,
Argentina, Venezuela, Ecuador, Spain, among others) that made me change my first
impression. All of these articles provided the classroom with a culturally rich
environment.
Of course there were lots of educational materials such as: books, flashcards,
racks filled with student work, work sheets and photocopied exercises. There were also
four cabinets labeled: Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish III and Spanish IV. There were three
computers with Internet access, a TV set and a VCR. On the right-hand side the bulletin
board had four pyramid-shaped posters showing the name and number of the chapters for
each class. From that day on there were only two chapters to cover since Sue erased the
chapters already studied. In this way, the students kept track of their progression and
were encouraged to reach the top of the pyramid.

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The desks were distributed in five clusters; each cluster had four or five desks
pushed together. This arrangement served two purposes, it allowed the students to
interact with each other and allowed Sue to move freely around the classroom.
Beliefs
Teaching. Sue believes that as a result of LinguaFolio, she “aimed to teach
differently.” When teaching, Sue keeps in mind the uniqueness of each individual. “I
teach to everyone. . . . I teach with everyone’s strengths in mind and weaknesses in mind,
you know, I mean, I guess we can. . . . ‘Are you a kinesthetic learner? Are you a
naturalist?” In other words, teaching differently involves providing ample opportunities
for all type of learners to achieve their goals, improve learning and develop their
potential.
Sue also believes that implementing the LinguaFolio has given her the
opportunity to become “more goal oriented,” to search for excellence and to reflect on
her own actions.
So I find that everyday I am rethinking. Did I like the way I did that? Or I liked
the way I did this. Perhaps, I want to . . . I want to do this for the next day. So I
guess, for the LinguaFolio . . . I am always aiming higher. I’ve just taught that to
the students.
This reflection process has allowed her to search for improvement. More
importantly she has communicates her commitment to excellence and change to her
students. “I’m even thinking about my seventh and eighth graders, you know, what can I
do to make them better students by the time they reach Spanish I.” The importance of
Sue’s attitude towards sharing with her learners her goal setting and reflection strategies
might help learners adopt LinguaFolio more easily.

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Learning.
Through the LinguaFolio process, I am finding that, it’s kind of, creating an
underlying passion for the students to go beyond, even if they don’t teach, even if
they say, don’t do Spanish for them to teach. I do believe that LinguaFolio is, kind
of, an underlying characteristic of that.
Sue believes that the learning process she promotes allows learners to become
more involved in their own growth. As she stated: “I guess, it makes the students more
accountable; they have to keep track of what they are proud of and if you are proud of
it. . . . They are going to keep track of that. I really do believe that.”
Sue also believes that LinguaFolio has changed the way students learn. In this
environment, learners are accountable for playing an active role while learning, “There
should be partner activities, group activities where they are conversing; there should be
communication activities where, you know, you have to tell your partner ‘that’s not the
right way to say it.’”
This type of environment is more “student-oriented” in which “they need to be in
charge of setting those goals. They need to be in charge of reaching those goals.”
According to Sue, “students are generally more accountable for their work” because she
has placed more responsibility in her students’ hands. In so doing, students are able to
reflect own their own progress. As Sue explained, when they reflect, “I just want a full
reflection, have them reflect on every goal, have them write if they were happy with their
work, what they could have done better, and what they actually learned.
First day. The class started with an oral review on how to conjugate er and ir
Spanish verbs in the preterit. Sue reminded her students that the easiest way to conjugate
verbs with these two endings was to drop the ending er and ir and then add the
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corresponding suffix. She invited her students to help her with the suffixes to conjugate
the correct verbal for each pronoun. When Sue pronounced the personal pronouns, all the
students repeated the corresponding ending. One student interrupted the exercise to
remind the whole class that one of the endings needed an accent. Sue congratulated him
for the opportune comment. When the endings were completed, Sue asked them to
conjugate two verbs; one ending in er and one ending in ir. Once again, orally, Sue said
the pronouns aloud and the class repeated the correct conjugation all together.
The class continued with pair work on verb conjugation. Students pulled out their
conjugation tables and asked each other the preterit forms of different verbs ending in er
and ir. Taking turns, and after having agreed on a verb ending either in er or ir, one
student gave his / her partner a personal pronoun; the partner had to conjugate the preterit
form of the verb for that particular personal pronoun. The exercise ran smoothly with
minor interruptions of laughter and loud voices that were silenced by Sue. The students
helped each other to complete the task, For example, sometimes one of the students in the
group reminded the others of the verb ending. Meanwhile, Sue approached a pair of
students who seemed to be having a disagreement about the pronunciation of a word.
Right after that, Sue called the group’s attention and conjugated more verbs. She repeated
the verb and a personal pronoun for the students to respond with the correct verb
conjugation.
The class continued with an exercise from the book. Sue asked them to open their
books to page 385 (see Appendix Q). It was a different exercise that involved putting the
preterit of the verbs into practice (the ones that had just been reviewed). Sue asked the
questions and the students answered them. For example:

81
Sue: “¿A dónde fueron tus amigos y tú?” (Where did you go with your
friends?)
Students: “Fuimos a la ciudad.” (We went to the city)
Sue: “¿Cómo fueron?” (How did you go?)
Students: “Fuimos en tren.” (We went by the city’s metro)
Based on these answers, Sue talked a little bit about the Mexico City metro. They
discussed why Mexico has one of the most advanced public transportation systems in the
world. One student asked about the population in Mexico City. Sue answered the
question and talked about some other cultural facts related to that city. After that, Sue
introduced the next pair-exercise for them to reinforce the use of the preterit form of
these verb endings. The students kept working with the same partners. Pretending they
had gone on vacation to Mexico City last spring, they asked each other questions based
on the prompts from the textbook in a written and oral form (see Appendix R). While the
students were working in pairs, Sue went around the classroom helping them with the
more difficult words, and talking about some of the pictures used in the exercise.
While the students were working in pairs on the textbook exercise, three students
were told to work on the three computers to complete an online exercise. They would
then be replaced in turn by the rest of the students. Sue interrupted the pair work for a
while to show some other online exercises they could complete on their own. Before the
class ended, most of the students had been able to work on the computers.
In her lesson plan (see Appendix S) Sue had set three objectives that described
what she aimed to teach. Sue also included a bell ringer, follow-up activities and a
closure. She also included materials students would be using. Sue taught her lesson the
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way she had planned it without major changes. In her lesson plan, she listed the relevant
actions she needed to perform. The way she planned her lessons allowed her to adjust her
lessons on a daily basis. Sue stated:
I write my lessons plans out for the entire unit. I might write, day one: ‘I want to
be here’; day two ‘I want to be here’; day three. . . . Then, I copy and paste those
into my weekly plan. Then, when I get to my weekly plans every night before I go
to my bed I can fine tune my lesson plans one more time. Maybe, I think that, we
really hit that part hard, I think we need to reiterate that grammar point for the
fourth time. And I can check out my list. Sometimes, I feel like we didn’t quite
get enough out of the activity.
Second day. The class started with a quick self-review of the goals students had
written for this chapter. They were supposed to write or rephrase the goals they had set
for this chapter on a sheet of paper. Sue reminded them about the speaking, listening,
reading, and writing goals they could have written, and also about the main goal of the
course. She also told them that if they were not able to remember their goals, they could
look them up in their planners but they should mention this in the review. Once the
students had finished, they put the sheets in the corresponding rack on a table on the left
side of the classroom.
On leaving their papers, Sue reminded them about the scrapbook they were
preparing for the next day. After some questions from the students about the quantity and
kind of pictures to be used, the class continued with a quick review of indirect object
pronouns. Sue named the pronouns and the students repeated them with the
corresponding indirect object pronoun. She also asked them the questions that would
identify an indirect object pronoun. The students answered giving the key elements of
those questions: for whom, and to whom.

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Since the students seemed to have remembered the grammatical essence, she
wanted to confirm this by challenging them through the next exercise. Sue wrote “Te leo
un librito,” (I read a little book to you) on the board, and asked: “Class, Cual es el objeto
directo aqui?” (Which is the indirect object here). “Un librito,” (a little book), the
students answered. Sue then asked, “Cual es el pronombre?” (what is the pronoun)The
students answered, “Te” (you).
The class continued with an online exercise in which they have to complete the
sentences with the indirect object pronoun and the present tense. Sue explained an
important feature of this site that showed a vocabulary center in which students were able
to see the translation of the main verbs used in that particular exercise. Sue went through
the vocabulary center asking them about the meaning and use of some verbs. However,
Sue was interested in the exercise on indirect object pronouns. Therefore, she asked them
to complete the first exercise. It was a fill-in-the-blank exercise in which students had to
write the indirect object based on a statement provided. She challenged them by saying,
“How about the first one?” She read, “Número uno, (number one): “Julio gives me a
kiss.” The students completed the exercise with the correct indirect object pronoun (see
Appendix T). Sue continued to read the statements in English and the students provided
the answer in Spanish. Five examples were modeled and then students were told to
complete the rest as an extra credit assignment.
After that, the whole class became excited because Sue announced a game.
However, before starting to play it, they reviewed the present tense conjugation of the
verb decir (tell). Sue asked the class: Como se dice Decir?” (What do you say decir?),
“tell,” one student replied. The students grabbed their conjugation tables and helped Sue
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complete the conjugation of the verb decir. Sue pronounced the personal pronouns and
the students conjugated the present tense of the verb decir. Sue asked for the imperative
form of the same verb; one student replied: “Dime” (tell me). Sue reviewed this
particular verb because the students needed it to play the game.
In order to play the game, the class was divided into two groups. Sue asked the
practicum student to join one of the groups in order to have six people in each group. One
representative of each group was sent out of the classroom. The game was called
“rumores” (rumors). Sue started the game by whispering a statement to one of the
students of each group. Then, he/she passed the message on to the next player. They
continued in this way until it reached the last person in the group. At that moment the
students who had been sent out returned to the class and were told the message. These
two students went to the board and wrote down the message they had received. Although
what they wrote was somewhat changed, students enjoyed practicing listening, speaking,
writing and reading. Sue encouraged her students to do their best, and assisted them
throughout the game. For instance, once she told them, “If you don’t get it, you might
say: “Repita por favor” (repeat please). She also praised her students using Spanish
expressions, such as: “Muy bien” (very good), and English words like: Come on!, Go!,
and Wow!
At the end of the game Sue and her students went through the structure of the
indirect objects by using the sentences from the game. Then, she invited them to go back
to their seats, and told them about another assignment for the next class (see Appendix
U). She gave them a work sheet and explained how to complete the two-part exercise. In
part A students had to write the indirect object pronouns according to the sentences
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provided, and part B was a fill-in the-blank exercise in which students had to write the
indirect object pronoun. Although most of the students worked on their own, some helped
each other to complete the exercise. Sue reminded them that they were supposed to be
quiet and working by themselves.
In the last part of the class, Sue shared a grammar-based videotaped exercise
showing the use of the indirect object pronouns. Students listened to the differences
between direct and indirect object pronouns, and were exposed to several examples. One
student took notes about the explanations. Sue interrupted the video by making some
comments and asking questions about some of the exercises. The video also showed a
review of the verb “decir” (to tell) in the present tense. Once again, Sue interrupted the
video and had the students repeat the present tense of that verb. The students repeated all
the forms in a group.
Finally, Sue reminded them again about the scrapbook for the next day. Some
students wanted to know whether they could present digital pictures and Sue said that
they could use a Power Point presentation. By that time students were waiting for the bell
to ring. Sue followed her lesson plan without major changes (see Appendix V).
Themes
“Students as a Vehicle for Change.” Sue believes that as a result of LinguaFolio
she “aimed to teach differently.” LinguaFolio has provided her with the tools that instill a
different way of teaching that is stretching well beyond her classroom and reaching the
community she is in. Sue promotes a change in her students’ attitude that ultimately
impacts the communities they come from. “I have found that students can go home and
teach so many more things. I cannot teach their parents.”

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Teaching differently is associated with the way Sue views her students as “a
vehicle for change at the community level.” Sue provides learners with communication
and social skills that may help to break cultural barriers. These skills may help them
establish those linguistic connections with people outside the school who do not speak
English. Keeping in mind that Spanish may serve as the bridge to close that gap, Sue
believes that the first thing to do is to learn the language and its culture, “if they just can
say, hola, como estas? (Hi, how are you?). . . . Making connection with someone who is
bagging groceries or helping. . . . That’s pretty profound in itself.”
The teacher as a guide. Implementing LinguaFolio requires plenty of guidance
and modeling from the teacher. Sue’s guidance varies depending on the course she
teaches. In Spanish I and II, Sue writes the goals as a class. However, as the students
move forward (Spanish III and IV) “they are on their own. . . . They know what is a good
goal and what is not.”
Writing a good goal is a demanding task, especially for beginners who write too
general or unattainable goals. “In Spanish I, they might say, I want to speak fluent
Spanish at the end of Spanish I.” Sue helps them to fine tune their goal writing skills by
having them reflect over them and using all the resources provided by the LinguaFolio.
One can infer that during the reflection process the students not only improve their
knowledge about the language, but also become better learners.
Sue has implemented different strategies for learners to become familiar with
good goal writing techniques. Sometimes, students share their goals with each other and
assess them based on the SMART acronym to make sure that they are specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. Adopting the acronym SMART “has
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helped tremendously specially those struggling to write good goals.” Regardless of the
experience students may have in goal writing, this an essential tool for keeping goals
specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.
Despite the fact that learners share their goals and review them with each other,
Sue assesses those goals on a ten-point scale to verify how they meet the SMART
acronym. The goal writing process is completed when learners reflect on their goals once
again. This reflection takes place at the end of each chapter or term. At this point, they
compare the goals they had set and what they did to achieve them. Other times, like
during the second class I observed, students went through a quick self-review of the goals
students had written for that chapter. This makes them be aware of the goals and what
they do to achieve them. It is important to note that, during this activity, Sue reminded
them to keep in mind not only the goals they had set for the chapter, but also the main
goal of the course.
Another way Sue guides students is through the process of collecting the evidence
to support the goals they set at the beginning of each chapter. Taking into account that it
takes time for the students to realize what to keep as good evidence, Sue assists in the
selection of the best pieces to be kept in their dossier of evidence. In Spanish I and II, Sue
strongly influences what evidence to keep. She asks them the type of exercises they did,
the activities they completed in order to find out what might be related to the goals they
set. “‘Remember that [exercise] we did when we listened to the people coming to the
DJ.” Somewhere along the end of Spanish I or in the beginning of Spanish II, they
realize what to keep or throw away based on their goals. At this time, “they get it.” They
are able to filter through their notebooks and look for everything that shows they have
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achieved those goals. They know where to look. “‘Here it’s a good example I am going
to pull.’”
Empowering learners. Sue fosters a new way of learning in which students take
the initiative and responsibility towards learning a foreign language. Although Sue
promotes this type of learning from students enrolled in Spanish I, it is not until they
reach Spanish III or IV that they become more concerned about the role they should play
as learners. According to Sue, “as the students progress, they take ownership of their
learning process” resulting in a more meaningful learning experience. At this time they
may negotiate simple decisions before engaging in a class exercise, a pair work or a
homework assignment. According to Sue, they become curious about the passages to be
read, the questions to be answered or the length of a response. In other words, students
want to improve their performance and outcomes by making clear what the teacher
expects from them.
Empowering learners is directly related to the way Sue enables learners to take
charge of their learning process and to become more involved in their own growth. In this
environment, learners are accountable for playing an active role while learning. Sue
wants her lessons to be “more student led.” In so doing, she provides learners with
partner and group activities where students help and learn from each other. During these
pair or group activities students correct one another. Sometimes it is more effective and
easier to understand how the language works when it comes from someone their own age
than coming from an adult who responds with, “‘umm, not quite right’. ‘You need to
change that.’” When learners work with others their potential is increased and they “are
generally more accountable for their work.”

89
In a student-oriented environment like the one Sue promotes, learners are fully
involved with keeping track of their progress. During my first visit, two posters showing
two Mayan pyramids caught my attention (one of them for Spanish I and the other for
Spanish II). These posters stated the chapters to be covered in a year. The main purpose
for these pyramids was to help students keep track of the chapters covered. They
sometimes alerted Sue when she failed to mark up a chapter covered. ‘Miss. X, you didn’t
mark up this or that. We’re done with that chapter’.”
In addition with this simple idea of crossing out the chapters covered in order to
make visually clear student progress during a term, the reflection process is particularly
important for learners to become aware of their real improvement. Throughout the
chapter, they collect the evidence pertaining to the goals they set. At the end of the
chapter, they reflect on what they did during the chapter in order to accomplish their
goals. Usually, on the back of the work sheets the students record, based on three
questions, on what they did, what they learned and the things they can do better the next
time. The reflection is over each goal they set at the beginning of the chapter. Sue has
found that most of the time this reflection points out if they “were happy with their
work,” the potential things they could do better, but above all what they actually
learned.”
Reflecting is an evolving process and the students build self-confidence, take
responsibility and strengthen their reflective abilities as they move through the courses.
I see more responsibility with my older students than my younger students. In

Spanish I, they don’t always keep track of their things; and then as they progress
through their first year, maybe in Spanish II, they are more accountable for
themselves. You know, because as they work hard on that and they choose the
goals they’ve got to keep track of that. They just seem to be more responsible.
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At the end of the school year, learners reflect on the year goals, they “go back,
and measure their success. “Three questions guide this assessment, “What did you like
the most of the school year in this classroom? What did you like the least? What can be
improved upon?” Although this is a more complex reflection since they have to
“synthesize and analyze to another level,” at this point learners have gained experience
and confidence to reflect on the whole learning process.
Apart from strengthening their reflective skills, the end of the year reflection
process engages learners in a more complex thinking process. “Now, they are thinking a
little wider than just a chapter, they’re thinking about year goals.” Ideally, learners
embark on a reflective process in which they really measure their abilities from the time
they start the course until the time they end. Throughout the course, learners compile all
their work, which “gives them the opportunity to really see their progression.” “It’s really
empowering to hear them, to have them realize about their own growth.
Goals setting: ‘A life skill.’ Sue believes that goal setting evolves from a class
exercise to a more thoughtful experience that may impact students’ lives outside the
classroom. This process may start with a short-term goal that empowers learners to think
beyond the class time. Sue is not teaching to a test “I want to make sure that they are
ready for the next level, thinking beyond my year, thinking beyond their year.”
Sue gives her students the opportunity to think beyond a class period and has her
students “write their own goals in regards to school.” She allows them to write goals “for
life-long learning.” As “a life skill,” Sue believes that goal setting might influence her
students positively beyond the language class. One can infer that giving learners tools and
preparing learners in skills that can be used outside the classroom is preparing learners
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for their future academic lives where they will be able to put into play their experiences
in real-life arenas.
Table 6
Themes and Descriptors in Sue’s Case
Themes Descriptors
“Students as a Vehicle for Change.”

- Sue to teach differently
reaching the community
to break cultural barriers
- Learners linguistic / social connections
closing the gap
The Teacher as a Guide
- Implementing LinguaFolio guidance
modeling
- Goal setting demanding
SMART
- Collecting evidence best pieces
filter through
Empowering Learners
- Learners initiative
responsibility
more concerned
negotiate
- more student-led environment partner / group activities
students potential
full involvement
- The reflection process real improvement
evolving
goals
complex thinking process
empowering
Goals Setting: ‘A Life Skill’
- Beyond the classroom class experience
outside the classroom
life-long learning
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Chapter 5
Cross-Case Analysis and Interpretation
This chapter presents an analysis across the four cases. A comparison of the four
cases revealed similarities and differences within the three themes that emerged: A
Facilitator, Fostering Self-Regulated Learners and Moving from Teaching to learning. An
overview of the themes across cases is presented in Table 7.
Table 7
Themes Across the Cases
Themes/
Rachel María Jane Sue
Participants
Facilitator “I view myself “I see myself, due “I allow them to - Modeling and
more as a to LinguaFolio, discover and scaffolding ways
facilitator rather more as a figure out, give of learning.
than an facilitator of them the basis of
- Facilitating an
instructor.” knowledge, I what they need.”
optimal
provide the
environment for
building block.”
learning.
Fostering Self- “Something that “The biggest “I think [LF] LinguaFolio has
Regulated is more change to my role helps me make it given learners the
Learners. independent a as a teacher is that like a more freedom “to find
little bit about it makes me give focusing what is meaningful
what they are students more experience.” for them.”
learning.” power.”
Moving from “Depending on “Once we have “So it just kind of “However, before
Teaching to what the theme of like, you know, goes starting to play it,
Learning the chapter is, we base vocabulary introduction, they reviewed the
usually do an and I have like guided practice, present tense
activity where maybe a structure some kind of a conjugation of the
they’re or a project or partner practice verb decir.”
interacting, where something that I and then
they are using want them to work independent
those words.” on.” practice.”
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A Facilitator
All the participants agreed that implementing LinguaFolio requires continuous
guidance from the teacher. This is reflected in their daily practice and is mirrored in the
way teachers see themselves. Rachel stated:
I view myself more as a facilitator rather than an instructor; a more. . . I give them
what they need to do that, allow them to discover and figure out, give them the
basis of what they need, but then try to be there to help them figure out together
what they want.
Similarly, María reported:
I see myself, due to LinguaFolio, more as a facilitator of knowledge, I provide the

building blocks, and I provide structure and techniques for them to apply what
they learn. And then I love the creative part that comes from my students.
For Sue and Jane the guidance involved in helping first time LinguaFolio users to
overcome certain obstacles that dealt with the new and changing role students played in
this student centered environment was challenging. Sue reported, “In some occasions,
they get it and in others it’s really like pulling teeth. You know, for them to be detailed in
their goal writing, in their reflection, excuse me, that’s been another challenge.”
Mostly, LinguaFolio has given participant teachers the tools to facilitate a more
meaningful learning experience in which their practices are mainly described as
modeling, scaffolding learning, facilitating knowledge and creating an optimal
environment for learning. Sometimes, as Sue reported, this promoted interaction with
their students outside the classroom.
The other thing I do with LinguaFolio is that they also keep a video with them or
audio; there are some exercises like at the end of the chapter where they may go
out in the hallway and speak with me, and some of them are actually speaking
into the computer. They take their voice with them. Hopefully, it gives them the
ability to go back and to listen to how they have changed.
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As facilitators, teachers play a more supportive role that implies modeling ways
of learning. According to María, a facilitator of knowledge provides the “building
blocks.” This also implies helping learners understand the role they should play in this
new way of learning in which learners are supposed to self-discover and use their
background knowledge and experiences to discover new learning. Before LinguaFolio,
learners were supposed to be instructed and turn papers in. Now, they personalize their
own goals, and critically self-assess their performance.
Rachel stated,
At the beginning of the chapter they write their goals for themselves based on the
objectives that I give them overall, and then they make their goals personal. And
they need to keep track of that throughout, and then at the end.
It appeared to this researcher that the support from the teacher is pivotal in
helping learners scaffold their learning process. All participants experienced having
undergone a transition to a much more involved and engaged form of learning in which
the learners create and discover rather than receive or assimilate information. In doing so,
Jane and Rachel have engaged learners in an interesting and enjoyable self- discovery
experience. Jane stated:
[It] seems like they have to use their creativity and figure out how they’re going
to use the Spanish. It’s more fun for them. It’s more interesting . . . I allow them
to discover and figure out, give them the basis of what they need, but then try to
be there to help them figure out together what they want.
For María, who has used LinguaFolio for four years, the responsibilities
associated with being a facilitator include preparing, coaching and encouraging learners
throughout the process. She explained:
Well, because most of my students are at the beginning level, so they need to have
some base knowledge to begin with and so it’s my job to present the language, to
explain how structure works. It’s my job to explain variations for them. And then,
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uh, it’s my job to entice them, or to give them a challenge, you know, to them for
[putting] that particular knowledge into practice.
One can infer, however, that learners are creative after their teachers provided
them with the essential information or knowledge from a textbook or their guidelines. For
example, students write their goals based on the objectives stated by their teachers.
According to Maria, “At the beginning of the chapter they write their goals for
themselves based on the objectives that I give them overall, and then they make their
goals personal.”
Of equal importance are the particularities of the course being taught, participants
mentioned the importance of adapting and providing the appropriate support to learners
according to their particular needs, their proficiency, experience and the time devoted to
using LinguaFolio. For example, learners who use the LinguaFolio for the first time
required an adequate amount time to become good goal writers. Jane stated:
I’ve noticed that in Spanish II and in Spanish I since I’ve been doing LF that I
almost actually write the [goals] as a class . . . really good goals. . . . In Spanish I
group, we need to write them together. Spanish II what I’ve ended doing now
over the last couple of years is we write the goals, like maybe two of them, and
then they’ve come up with their great goal and the other two goals that we have
written together. But Spanish III and IV, they are on their own.
Overall, however, despite the particularities present across all cases in this study,
the role of facilitator is essential to the way the four participants guide their learners
throughout their learning process.
Fostering Self-Regulated Learners
Participants agreed that throughout the implementation of the LinguaFolio they
have moved from teacher-centered to student-centered approaches giving learners the
opportunity to become more creative, reflective, organized and accountable for their own
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learning. The characteristics described all point to one simple conclusion about the role
learners are playing: LinguaFolio has helped learners become self-regulated learners.
According to Bruning, Shraw, Norby, and Ronning (2004), “self-regulated
learning refers to the ability to control all aspects of one’s learning, from advanced
planning to how one evaluates performance afterward” (p. 118). It is important to recall
that the LinguaFolio users set their goals and self-assess their progression. Jane reported:
I think [LinguaFolio] helps me make it like a more focusing experience, because

like the fact that we work with the objectives . . . the chapter and then they, kind
of, decide where they want to go with that, like coming up with this project,
which is their goal writing; and then reflecting, and then at the end of the
semester, they look back through all their reflections, and come up with . . . what
you can do now that couldn’t do at the beginning of the year, you know, so, it’s a
kind of, a whole year reflection.
The four participants were directing learners towards becoming independent
learners through most of their practices. They provided learners with opportunities for
self-discovery and to experience learning independently. All four participants talked
about the relevance of a stimulating autonomous learning. Becoming an autonomous
learner allowed them to take advantage of several ways of self-improvement. First, they
learned how to become involved effectively in class activities. Second, learners became
more active, responsible and collaborative participants. Third, they realized that learning
may result not only in a more advantageous but also pleasant classroom experience
wherein they played a more challenging and leading role. Maria pointed out:
The biggest change to my role as a teacher is that it makes me give students more
power, because I was more teacher-centered. Before LinguaFolio, I was like “OK,
this is what it is.” “This is what I want to see you doing,” and bla . . . bla . . .
bla. . . .”
All participants noted that LinguaFolio promotes a more committed learner
through goal setting, collecting evidence, self-reflection and self-assessment

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Goal setting
Although participants agreed that LinguaFolio provided learners with an
opportunity to take initiative and responsibility towards learning, they encountered goal
setting as a challenging experience. However, after careful guidance learners were able to
personalize their goals based on the general objectives suggested by their teachers.
In regards to goal setting participants claimed that this may impact students’ real
lives outside the classroom. According to Zimmerman (1990), “self-regulated students
proactively seek out information when needed and take the necessary steps to master it”
(p. 4). “LinguaFolio has given learners the freedom ‘to find what is meaningful for them’
to personalize their goals and suggest activities that allow them to use the target language
and practice what they are learning outside the class.”
Participants also agreed that goal setting allowed them to suggest activities and
devise ways to achieve their goals. For María, setting realistic, specific and measurable
goals helps them to be explicit. More importantly, they have to discover ways to measure
whether they have achieved them or not. For Jane, the goal setting process is complete
when the students go over those goals at the end of the term and reflect on them once
again. For Sue, allowing students to set their own goals prepares them “for life-long
learning.”
Rachel stated,
I give them the objectives that I have for them, and then they have their goals in
their minds throughout the chapter, and they look at what they’re needing, so
something that is more independent a little bit about what they are learning,
because someone might need something else that someone else doesn’t need.
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Collecting Evidence
Once learners set their goals for a specific project, term or school year, they start
working toward completion of those goals. This involves creating activities, collecting
evidence and recording their progress.
According to the four participants, they guide the process of documenting the
achievement of goals with material evidence (quizzes, assignments, reports, projects,
etc.) until the learners grasp the purpose of it and understand the characteristics of what
represents good evidence.
For Sue guidance for first time LinguaFolio users is essential in the selection of
the best pieces to be kept in their dossier of evidence. Sometimes Sue suggests to them
what evidence to keep. As she stated:
What I have to eventually do is . . . you know . . . we did the following listening

activities, any of those might be related to your listening goal. So you, kind of,
have to note take for them so they know what to pull out.
Although learners are used to handing in their assignments, they are guided until
they are able to select their best examples that indicate the completion of the goals they
set at the beginning of the unit or term. Sue stated, “And, uh, somewhere along the end of
Spanish I or the beginning of the Spanish II, they get it. They just know, ‘hey this is my
goal’. And here it’s a good [evidence] example I am going to pull.”
Self-reflection
All the participants said that self-reflection is also a demanding process that
requires lots of guidance and assistance on the part of the teacher. For Rachel, it is
moving away from a teacher-centered environment, where students are too focused on
their grades and are likely to turn in papers that lack reflection on their actions or the
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process they went through to produce those assignments. LinguaFolio users record
evidence and assess their learning progress. Rachel pointed out that,
They need to keep track of that throughout, and then at the end, like Tuesday, they
will be doing their reflection to see how they met their goals. And they’re going
through and find the evidence. They all have a binder where they’ve stored other
information, or whatever they’ve done that applies to their goals and find that
evidence to put in there.
All four participants pointed out that LinguaFolio users not only reflect about
their own experiences, but also suggest ways of improvement. Most of the time, and
under the teacher’s guidance, learners indicate the sort of actions they should undertake
in order to redirect their learning process. Sue reported:
And then when they reflect, I just want a full reflection, have they reflected on
every goal, have they written if they were happy with their work, what they could
have done better, and what they actually learned. So every student’s grade is
based on their goal not on one another’s.
The participants also pointed out that learners reflect on their class involvement,
their participation, their knowledge about the target language and its culture.
For María,
they can reflect on anything they want, they can talk about their class
involvement, their participation, if they have done something like maybe, we have
watched a film or something. They can, in German, for example, they can also
reflect on their knowledge of the culture, or history. They can, I really try not to
limit them. But I definitely I want the majority of their reflection to be in regards
to their ability to either understand, speak, or write in their target language.
More importantly, this reflection process has helped learners to envisage their role
as a learner and the actual purpose of learning a foreign language. Participants described
reflection as evolving, essential, and beneficial for both teachers and students. Reflection
is also seen as a way for learners to think honestly about of their learning growth. Maria
stated:
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To be perfectly honest [reflection] depends on the caliber of the students, a really

good student or a student dedicated to learning they handle that. A really good
student, they are going to do that naturally anyhow, so LinguaFolio is a very
tangible way for them to process that, and they’ll go back and look at that. But
then you have students that they are trying to, they think that it’s going to please
you. So when I see that going on that’s when we kind of work on it together. Or I
say, this is OK. This is what you need to do and I will give them some very
specific things that I need them to be looking for. And some kids, they think that,
you know, I try to really encourage them to be honest with themselves and their
LinguaFolio, because they want to make it all pretty, like they’re doing all the
right things all the time, you know, we say, I want to focus on or whatever, but we
don’t necessarily accomplish that, and so, I am really, you need to have some
‘oops. I can do this better’. It needs to reflect reality.
Self-assessment
LinguaFolio has fostered a learning approach that involves more than doing and
handing in assignments. Learners are truly committed to self-assessing their performance,
keeping track of their growth and suggesting ways of improvement.
Jane reported,
They reflect on the project that they did. If they don’t present just they turn it in
and then the student will say, like, well, I don’t know . . . there’s a point. . . . It’s
hard to see why I’m doing this, because they weren’t able to see what it meant to
them, you know like, they weren’t really getting out of it what I wanted them to
get out of it. So now it’s the project and the presentation, they are sharing with
their classmates, and they are learning from each other and getting more ideas for
the next time. So, it’s been like a graduation over the years, but I feel like it’s
become more meaningful for the students and less like we are doing this just to do
it, and more. . . . OK. I see the point. It’s helped me grow and the students.
The four participants agreed that LinguaFolio has provided learners with a variety
of opportunities to self-assess their progression and to show what they know about the
language through their portfolio. Shrum and Glisan (2005) stated: “A portfolio
documents the growth and the development of students over a period of time; it is a rich
description of a learner’s work and offers perspectives that tests do not provide” (p. 383).
Jane reported:
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They demonstrate what they know but in a different way, and it is nice because,
whereas a test isn’t very creative, I don’t really think it puts their talents to work
necessarily. With the LF they are taking a personal interest in it, and then they’re
showing me what they can do. So they have to apply the grammar and the
vocabulary in some way to a cultural situation . . . like reading a book . . .
watching a movie or whatever.
Sue added,
I guess, [a portfolio] makes the students more accountable; they have to keep
track of what they are proud of and if you are proud of it . . . they are going to
keep track of that. I really do believe that. They do both [online and paper-based
portfolio]. Well, they do most of it is the paper-based, the only thing they do on-
line is the self-assessment, where they go, and do the self-evaluation of whether
they like, of the things they like, and their abilities, their proficiency.
LinguaFolio has allowed learners to demonstrate what they know through the
activities and tasks they keep in their portfolios. Jane stated, “LinguaFolio has given
learners the freedom ‘to find what is meaningful for them’ to personalize their goals and
suggest activities that allow them to use the target language and practice what they are
learning outside the class.”
To summarize, although the four participants faced challenges with first-time
LinguaFolio users, they agreed that after some time, students were able use the evidence
they kept in their portfolios to demonstrate what they knew about the language and
culture, reflect about their learning and self-assess their own language progress.
From Teaching to Learning
The four participants claimed that empowering learners is directly related to the
way they enable learners to take charge of their learning process and become more
involved in their own growth. They also agreed that learners are responsible for playing
an active role while learning. Even though all wish their lessons to be “more student led”
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most of their classes start with directions/input from the teachers that guide the work, or
activities suggested and to be carried out by the students. Rachel stated:
I try to tell them that grammar isn’t necessarily important here, I just want you to
write as much as you can, and getting them to try to think in Spanish, giving them
a certain amount of time to come up with their response, and making sense as
much as they can. And then we do speaking; I give them the guidelines of the
situation. This is the situation, I want them to create a dialogue to resolve this
conflict, how would you do that, and then they present that.
Similarly, María added,
Once we have like, you know, base vocabulary and I have like maybe a structure
or a project or something that I want them to work on; then, I almost always do
some kind of . . . where they create a dialogue, they create a skit, they create a
situation, they create a project. They write it, talk about it, usually in collaborative
groups in cooperative groups.
Typically teachers started their lessons by reviewing topics and vocabulary orally.
They asked questions using English (L1) or Spanish (L2). For example, María asked in
English about the pronouns that can replace the name of the direct object. Students were
requested to answer them in L2. Jane reviewed the answers of a test orally. She read the
correct answers aloud in Spanish. There was not much student interaction since they were
comparing and correcting the wrong answers.
Most of the time the opening activity is based on a review of previous material.
Teachers reviewed grammatical structures and vocabulary that is relevant to the
continuation of the lesson. Jane reported, “So it just kind of goes introduction, guided
practice, some kind of a partner practice and then independent practice. It could all
happen in one day, or it could be studied over two days . . . and then start again.”
In the first classes I observed, the four participant teachers presented the
grammatical structures to be mastered, then, learners suggested and implemented several

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activities to practice what the teachers presented and what they would like to achieve as a
goal.
The second class I observed, María, Sue and Rachel started their classes
differently. They did not review grammar. Instead, María started by asking her students
about the ideas they had brought for a TV commercial they were supposed to design. Sue
started her lesson with a quick self-review on the goals students had written for this
chapter. They were supposed to write or rephrase the goals they had set for this chapter
on a sheet of paper. Rachel started her classes with technological adjustments required to
connect on / off-campus classes. Rachel only asked them if they had questions or
comments on their oral reports due that day. Since there were no questions asked, she
gave them some time to start their oral reports.
Following the reviewing activities, the teachers presented the grammar structure
using the textbook. For example, María introduced the theme of the day using the
textbook. She explained it by reading the examples from the textbook. She also
conjugated the verb form and her students repeated all its different forms. Likewise, in
Jane’s class, students followed her instructions through a warm-up exercise in which they
matched words and pictures to familiarize themselves with the clothing vocabulary being
learned. Jane commented:
I introduce [the grammar] like in a story or somehow they can see it in context,
and they take some notes on it, partner activities, individual, and then quiz and
then, there is like a project, kind of comes up, with the vocabulary and the
grammar, and now usually happens toward the end of the chapter, usually.
Once the teachers explained the grammar, the students completed the exercises
from the textbook or worksheets. They worked in pairs or individually. While students
were on task teachers moved around the classrooms helping students with grammar,
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pronunciation and expressions and unknown words. For example, during my class
observations, Rachel went around the classroom assisting each student individually; Sue
helped learners with the more difficult words and María helped learners not only with the
correct Spanish vocabulary but also with ideas on how to better present them to the
classroom.
Once learners understood the grammar, teachers reinforced the structure with a
game, or an interactive activity using flash cards or a Power Point presentation. This
activity is presented in the form of a competition. Thus, the class is divided into teams
and each group is given a specific task to accomplish. For example, María asked each
group to write down five statements they would ask their opponents.
Since the main concern of this communicative activity is to check students’
understanding and assimilation of the topic taught, teachers emphasize the structure to be
used during the game by having their students hear and actively use the structures.
Rachel stated,
Depending on what the theme of the chapter is, we usually do an activity where
they’re interacting, where they are using those words. For example, for this last
chapter, they did the family; so a typical day, was, they did a game where they
were/had the family names, so they tried to guess you the family word, without
looking at, by asking certain questions like: what does he like? What is he like?
What is she like?
Jane reported,
Well, I study what structures I wanted to emphasize, and I would prepare

something like what you saw during the first observation more OK, here is the
concept, now the structure, and then I give them some homework assignment or
something, we might play a game working with those structures.
It appeared that teachers relied on games to emphasize the structure taught and to
check students’ understanding of the topic. It is also important to point out that oral
repetition played an important role before playing games or during any other activity. For
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example, Jane had her students repeat the correct pronunciation of the answers expected
from a pair work exercise. María had her students repeat the correct verb conjugation
before starting a game. Although I do not have evidence, it seemed that repetition helped
learners to produce and participate more actively in those activities.
The whole class became excited because Sue announced a game. However, before
starting to play it, they reviewed the present tense conjugation of the verb decir.
“Como se dice Decir?” Sue asked the class. “Tell,” one student replied. The
students grabbed their conjugation tables and helped Sue complete the
conjugation of the verb decir. Sue pronounced the personal pronouns and the
students conjugated the present tense of the verb decir. Sue asked for the
imperative form of the same verb; one student replied: “Dime” (tell me). Sue
reviewed this particular verb because the students needed it to play the game.
(Notes from the field)
Finally, there were two aspects that marked the end of the classes. First, all
participants reminded their students about their assignments for the next class and
second, they reminded their students about their extra curricular activities. For example,
María noted, “foreshadowing helps them to know if they have to be gone for track,
tennis, or trap shooting or whatever.”
In conclusion, teachers presented the grammar to be covered and then the students
developed activities based on the teachers’ directions. Most of the time, the introduction
of the new topic is preceded by a review of the previous lesson. It was customary for
teachers to go around the classroom assisting their learners with grammar, pronunciation
and vocabulary. By the end of the class, announcements were made and teachers
reminded their students about homework.
Although during most of the lessons I observed teachers seemed very traditional
in their teaching approaches, I cannot assume that all their classes were grammar based
on a daily basis. Indeed, during some of the lessons I observed students were allowed to
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suggest different activities. One can infer, however, that learners are actively involved in
the learning activities after their teachers provided them with the essential information,
input or knowledge from a textbook or classrooms resources.

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Chapter 6
Synthesis and Implications
Introduction
The present study sought to examine foreign language teachers’ beliefs and
classroom practices in the context of using LinguaFolio. I was particularly interested in
understanding what happens to teacher beliefs and classroom practices when using
LinguaFolio. The research questions guiding my study were: (a) how do teachers
describe the LinguaFolio implementation process? (b) How do teachers describe their
teaching practices and beliefs before the implementation of LinguaFolio? and (c) how do
teachers describe their teaching practices and beliefs after the implementation of
LinguaFolio?
The majority of this study took place in the classrooms of four high schools
located in Midwestern towns where I observed and interviewed the four participants.
Taking into account that I was interested in teachers who have experienced changes due
to the introduction of LinguaFolio, I used purposeful sampling to select the participants
that would match that specific criterion. I collected data from classroom observations,
and interview with participants. The teachers’ lesson plans complemented the data. Once
data were transcribed, I analyzed the cases separately. I also engaged in a cross-case
analysis.
Revisiting the Research Questions
This section aims to look back at the questions that guided this research study.
The purpose is to synthesize all the information that was presented in the findings
sections. Chapter 4 provided information about the four cases and Chapter 5 focused on
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the cross-case analysis. The summary of the research questions also takes into account
the context of the study and previous research studies, the research methods and the
limitations of the study.
Research Question 1: How do teachers describe the LinguaFolio implementation
process?
Implementing LinguaFolio has facilitated a more meaningful learning experience
in which teachers and students have reflected on their roles in order to function in a new
learning environment. For example, teachers now view themselves as facilitators rather
than instructors. In doing so, teachers are committed to creating an optimal environment
for learning in which they play more supportive roles. This implies modeling ways of
learning and providing opportunities for learners to suggest meaningful activities in the
classroom and real-life situations outside the classroom that engage them in the use of the
target language while monitoring and reflecting on their own learning process. In this
new way of learning, learners are supposed to self-discover and to look for creative
applications to put into practice the target language and culture they are learning.
It is clear that the effective use of LinguaFolio requires time and dedication on the
part of the student and teachers. The teachers facilitate and carefully guide learners
through this process. This study confirmed what the first pilot research pilot study
concluded that effective use of LinguaFolio requires an investment of time, a full
understanding of all its components, and an adaptation derived from the particularities of
every classroom.
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Research Question 2: How do teachers describe their teaching practices and beliefs
before the implementation of LinguaFolio?
The way teachers described their teaching practices and beliefs before the
implementation of LinguaFolio have been documented throughout the previous two
chapters in this study. What follows is the synthesis of this information that highlights the
most important aspects.
Before implementing LinguaFolio, teachers were in favor of a teacher-centered
approach in which they were responsible for the instruction based mostly on a textbook.
Reflection was almost neglected. Consequently, they did not reflect much neither on what
they were doing nor the way they could improve their teaching practices. Instead, they
were committed to following a textbook and testing their children according to what was
indicated by the textbook.
Before LinguaFolio the students played a passive role. They were instructed to
turn papers in without considering either the main goals to be accomplished or the
purpose of certain activities. Learners were supposed to do what they were told.
Research Question 3: How do teachers describe their teaching practices and beliefs
after the implementation of LinguaFolio?
Implementing LinguaFolio has allowed teachers to promote a shared
responsibility towards learning. The LinguaFolio has given learners the opportunity to
play a more effective role that involves tasks that before were thought of as only for
teachers. For example, the LinguaFolio has given learners the opportunity to monitor and
self-regulate their own learning. For instance, LinguaFolio users set their own goals, self-
assess their progression and self-reflect on the language and culture they are acquiring.
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However, coming from teacher-centered classrooms, these changes became a
challenge for both teachers and learners. Teachers who used to direct most of the actions
in the classrooms started placing more responsibility on their students. Students who used
to being instructed became more involved and started to take an active part in the
decision making process.
As teachers started implementing LinguaFolio, they shifted from a teacher-
centered to a more student-centered approach where teachers played different roles that
made them become more reflective and aware of the learning process. Therefore, they
were always looking for ways of improvement that exposed learners to self-discover
ways of experiencing learning. More importantly learners were allowed to suggest ways
of improvement based on their reflection and self-assessment.
LinguaFolio helped teachers and learners become more goal-oriented. Although
before LinguaFolio teachers may have set their goals, they did not explicitly share them
with their students. Now, that teachers feel a sense of partnership in learning with their
students, the teachers set general objectives for the learners who then personalize these
goals. Indeed, learners are free to choose which project to develop, or actions to be taken
in order to accomplish their goals. Giving the students the opportunity to personalize their
goals provides diverse opportunities for all types of learners to achieve their goals (e.g.
students work on different projects towards the achievement of a general objective). This
was also evidenced in the first pilot study that I conducted that revealed that LinguaFolio
provides learners with meaningful and authentic learning experiences that allow students
the opportunity to personalize their learning.

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Implementing LinguaFolio has also expanded language learning outside the walls
of the classroom providing learners the opportunity to interact within the Spanish
speaking community in the real world. Most of the projects learners embarked on
involved them in interactions with native Spanish speakers. This way of learning
provided motivation, authentic language use and gave students life-long communication
skills.
Grand Tour Question: What happens to teacher beliefs and classroom practices by
using LinguaFolio?
Implementing LinguaFolio has helped teachers change their practices and beliefs.
This study did not identify what happened first to produce this change in beliefs,
however, according to Richardson, (1994) the “change process may begin either with
changes in beliefs or changes in practice” (p. 90). Taking into account that LF promoted a
shared responsibility towards learning rather than a fixed educational environment
controlled only by the teacher, learners were given the opportunity to play a more active
and engaging role when learning. Consequently, teachers and learners experienced a
different learning environment in which learners were able to control some aspects of
their learning process, from goal setting, collecting evidence, self-reflection to self-
assessment. Students were able to decide what they wanted to learn and what sort of
projects they might embark upon depending on their interests and the content area they
were studying. LinguaFolio enabled learners to take charge of their learning process and
become more involved in their own growth. This was also evidenced in the second pilot
study that I conducted that revealed that LinguaFolio allows students to become more
active participants in the learning process.

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Although teachers gave more freedom to the learners they were still in charge of
planning and directing the activities. In other words, after teachers set the general
objectives, learners were allowed to personalize them. Textbooks were used as
instructional aids and were complemented by other didactic materials including online
resources.
Implications for Using LinguaFolio
This study has some implications for how to use LinguaFolio. LinguaFolio has
helped learners to become self-regulated learners, however teachers are required to
continuously guide this process, especially in the understanding and implementation of
four key aspects: goal setting, collecting evidence, self-reflection and self-assessment.
Goal Setting
Although goal setting was found to be a challenging experience, after careful
guidance learners were able to personalize their goals based on the general objectives
suggested by their teachers.
Collecting Evidence
Once learners personalized their goals for a specific project, term or school year,
they started collecting their best pieces of work (e.g., quizzes, tasks, or pair/group
projects) that they included as evidence of achievement.
Self-reflection
Since this is not a naturally developed skill, along with goal setting, it was one of
the most challenging and demanding processes that required explicit guidance and
assistance from the teacher.

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Self-assessment
Learners were truly committed to self-assessing their performance, and keeping
track of their growth. It was proven that learners at the end of their first year were able
not only to reflect and self-assess their own experiences, but also to suggest ways of
improvement.
Implications for Future Research
The following are some recommendations for further studies based on the
findings and limitations of this research study:
1. Similar studies that incorporate a larger sample. Comparative studies should
then be conducted to document differences in the use of LinguaFolio between
similar/different environments. This study could compare diverse cultural,
economical and social backgrounds of the sample population.
2. For the purpose of this study I was more focused on on-site students. It is
important to highlight that exploring the use of LinguaFolio within distance-
learning environments could be another interesting study to be conducted.
Such a study could determine the significance of online portfolios.
3. Examining the effects of the Summer Immersion program. Conducting a
qualitative study to understand how novice and experienced participants in
summer programs use the LinguaFolio. This would help to identify the
optimal training process for LinguaFolio users. Also findings could be
implemented in future versions of the summer program.

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Final Thoughts
This study allowed me to experience the nuances of qualitative research and to
reflect on the process itself. As I embarked upon the study of the real world situations of
foreign language teachers, I exposed myself openly to whatever emerged and became
flexible enough to adapt to the participants but maintaining neutrality during the
gathering and analysis of the data.
Conducting this study also allowed me to reflect on learning and teaching a
foreign language. I found that the LinguaFolio gives FL learners an opportunity to play a
more active and engaging role when learning. I also found that teachers give more
responsibility to the learners when using their LinguaFolio due to the reflection and self-
assessment required of the learner.
I am certain this experience has improved my vision as a researcher and teacher.
Now, I feel I am prepared to conduct an investigation within the academic community in
Colombia. More importantly, I will adopt a self-reflective approach throughout my daily
practice in order to find the ideal approach of learning a foreign language.

115
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121
Appendix A
First Contact E-Mail

122
First Contact E-Mail
Dear LinguaFolio teacher,
My name is Gabriel Cote, as a Doctoral Candidate in the UNL CEHS Teaching, Learning
and Teacher Education Department, I am one of the research assistants associated with
Dr. Moeller’s study Improving Teacher Competency and Student Learning in the Foreign
Language Classroom.
I am inviting you to participate in a research project aimed at understanding foreign

language teachers’ beliefs, change and classroom practices. You were selected from the
LinguaFolio pool of participants since you are teaching Spanish and you are
implementing the LinguaFolio program.
This study is part of my dissertation as a Doctor of Philosophy at the College of

Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Participation in this study will involve two phases. Participation in this study involves
two phases. For the first phase you will respond two open-ended questions via e. mail. It
will take no more than 10 minutes to answer them. Based on the results, four participants
will be selected to continue to the second phase. Those individuals selected for the
second phase will be compensated with $100 to be disbursed at the end of the 2007-2008
school year.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please reply to this email and I will
send you the detailed description of the procedures on how to access and respond to the
on-line survey.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Gabriel Cote, M.A.

Research Assistant
Office: (402) 472 5313
E-mail: gabrielcote@yahoo.com
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
123
Appendix B
Second Contact E-Mail

124
Second Contact E-Mail
Dear LinguaFolio Teacher,
I am Gabriel Cote, and you may remember that I have contacted you in the past
concerning LinguaFolio research. I am planning to conduct a qualitative study associated
with Dr. Moeller’s research. I am inviting you to participate in a study that investigates
foreign language teachers’ beliefs, change and classroom practices. You are invited to
participate in this study because you are currently implementing the LinguaFolio.
Participation in this study involves two phases. For the first phase you will respond two
open-ended questions via e. mail. It will take no more than 10 minutes to answer them.
Based on the results, four participants will be selected to continue to the second phase.
Those individuals selected for the second phase will be compensated with $100 to be
disbursed at the end of the 2007-2008 school year.
Participation in the second phase will involve up to three 60-minute interviews, two 45-
minute class observations, and the analysis of your lesson plans for the classes to be
observed. The study will be conducted during the spring of 2008.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please reply to the following two
questions:
1) Describe how LinguaFolio has changed the way you teach.

2) Describe how LinguaFolio has changed the way your students learn.
Answering these two questions will indicate that you are interested in participating, and it
will also provide me with the necessary information to determine whether you qualify for
participation in the study. Upon receipt of the response to these two questions, I will send
you the detailed description of the study for your review.
Feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns.
If you should not be interested in participating in this study, please respond to this e-mail
with an indication that you are not interested.
I thank you in advance for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Gabriel Cote, M.A.

Research Assistant
Office: (402) 472 5313
Home: 402 323 0781
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
125
Appendix C
Interview Protocol
126
Interview Protocol
First interview
1) Tell me a little bit about your teaching on a regular day.
2) Tell me about your experience of participating in the LinguaFolio project.
3) Can you describe how you use the LinguaFolio in your classroom?
4) Describe the effect that this experience has had on your teaching practices.
5) How would you describe your teaching practices after the implementation of the
LinguaFolio.
Second Interview
1) How would you describe yourself as a teacher as result of the LinguaFolio?
2) How do you view learners as a result of LinguaFolio integration, any differences?
3) How would you describe your lesson plans before / after the implementation of
the LinguaFolio.
4) Describe the impact that the LinguaFolio has had on your assessment practices.
5) What have you learned about teaching and learning from your participation in the
LinguaFolio project?
127
Appendix D
Observation Protocol
128
Observation Protocol
What I Observed My Reflections

129
Appendix E
Informed Consent Form

130
Title of Project:
MEASURING AND UNDERSTANDING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS’

BELIEFS, CHANGE AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES: A MIXED METHODS
STUDY.
Purpose of the Research:

This project is part of the larger Improving Teacher Competency and Student Learning in
the Foreign Language Classroom Research study. Its specific purpose is to measure and
understand the resulting, if any, changes teachers of foreign language experienced as a
result of implementing LinguaFolio. You are invited to participate because you are
teaching Spanish as a foreign language, and because you are currently implementing the
LINGUAFOLIO program.
Procedures:
Participation in this study will require approximately a maximum of 4 hrs of your time,
and is not considered as part of your duties. First you will be interviewed two times.
These two sixty-minute interviews will be audio- taped with your permission. The
interviews will be completed after school hours, and may be conducted in person or via
phone. I will take notes during the interviews. Also, two 60-minute observations will be
conducted at different times and on different days. The researcher will sit in the back of
the classroom taking notes. The observations and the interviews will be completed during
four to six weeks starting on the first week of March, 2008. The researcher will also
collect some documents represented by the teacher’s lesson plans for the classes to be
observed. These documents cannot have any form of identifiers to protect the anonymity
of participants.
Risks and/or Discomforts:

There are no known risks or discomforts associated with this research. In the event of
problems resulting from participation in the study, psychological treatment is available on
a sliding fee scale at the UNL Psychological Consultation Center, telephone (402) 472-
2351.
Benefits:
You may find the learning experience enjoyable and the outcomes may be helpful to you
while implementing LINGUAFOLIO, and teaching Spanish as a foreign language.
Confidentiality:
Any information obtained during this study which could identify you will be kept strictly
confidential. The data will be stored in a locked cabinet in the investigator’s office and
will only be seen by the investigator during the study and for three years after the study is
complete. The information obtained in this study may be published in scientific journals
or presented at scientific meetings. The audio tapes will be erased after completion of the
study.
131
Compensation:
Compensation for participating in this study will include:
- $ 100.00, to be distributed at the end of the 2007-2008 school year.
Opportunity to Ask Questions:

You may ask any questions concerning this research and have those questions answered
before agreeing to participate in or during the study. Or you may call the investigator at
any time, office phone, (402) 472- 5313 or after hours (402) 326 8482.
If you have questions concerning your rights as a research subject that have not been
answered by the investigator, you many contact the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Institutional Review Board, telephone (402) 472-6965.
Freedom to Withdraw:
You are free to decide not to participate in this study or to withdraw at any time without
adversely affecting your relationship with the investigators, the University of Nebraska or
your school district. Your decision will not result in any loss of benefits to which you are
otherwise entitled.
Consent, Right to Receive a Copy:

You are voluntarily making a decision whether or not to participate in this research study.
Your signature certifies that you have decided to participate having read and understood
the information presented. You will be given a copy of this consent form to keep.
________________________ ____________________
Signature of research participant Date
Name and Address of Investigators

Aleidine J. Moeller, PhD, Principal Investigator
Office: (402) 472-2024
E-mail: amoeller2@unl.edu
Name and Phone number of investigator(s)

Gabriel Cote, Research Assistant:
Office: (402) 472-1353
132
Appendix F
Los Lugares Interesantes (TPRS)

133
Los Lugares Interesantes (TPRS)
Hoy vamos a ir al acuario empiezo al día a las seis. Pienso en ver los pescados(peces)
. También mis hermanos piensan en ir al campo. Van a ver los parajos
. Mis abuelos van a ir al circo. Piensan en ver los elefantes .
Luego mis padres piensan en ir al lago. Van a ver los sapos . Mis primos y yo
vamos a ir al museo de antropología. Pensamos en ver los dinosaurios . Mi
hermana menor va a ir al zoológico. Ella piensa en ver los monos

134
Appendix G
Lesson Plan
135
Lesson Plan
Spanish 4 Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Spanish 3
NONE TLW- PRACTICE TLW-STAMP TEST TLW – PRACTICE

VOCABULARY CHECK PG.170 ACTS.1- VOCABULARY
AND ESSENTIAL 5 AND ESSENTIAL
Monday
ESCUCHA Y PRESENT MURAL
HABLA PROJECTS
CHECK PG. 180- DO GOALS AND
182 REFLECTIONS
NONE TLW- PRACTICE TLW-STAMP TEST TLW- PRACTICE

VOCABULARY PRACTICE VOCABULARY
COMMUNICATIVE VOCABULARY FINISH GOALS AND
7-1 ESCUCHA Y HABLA REFLECTIONS
TPRS (UNA (7) “ESCUCHA Y
Tuesday
LLAMADA) HABLA”
UNA LLAMADA READ PGS.168-169
ACT. ACTS. 1-5PG.170
W PEER
EVALUATION
NONE TLW- PRACTICE TLW- PRACTICE TLW- PRACTICE

VOCABULARY VOCABULARY AND VOCABULARY
Wednesday
CONTINUE WORK ESSENTIAL VIEW VIDEO
ON “UNA TPRS (IMPERFECT) DO VIDEO
LLAMADA” REVIEW IMPERFECT WORKSHEET
LISTENING QUIZ 7- FROM PG.168-169 WORK ON ACTS. 1-
1 READ ARTICLE 5
TPRS (7-1)
VOCABULARY VOCABULARY VOCABULARY
PRESENT “UNA COMMUNICATIVE 7-1 COMMUNICA. ACT Thursday
LLAMADA” LISTENING QUIZ 7-1 7-1
W/PEER LISTENING QUIZ 7-
EVALUATION 1
STUDY FOR QUIZ
7-1

VOCABULARY VOCABULARY VOCABULARY
QUIZ 7-1 “MI NIÑEZA” ACT. W ESCUCHA Y
Friday
ESCUCHA Y PEER EVALUATION HABLA

HABLA ACT. QUIZ 7-1 CHECK PG. 170
QUIZ 7-1
136
Appendix H
Lesson Plan
137
Lesson Plan
Spanish II
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Anticipatory Set: Repaso de los pronombres de complemento directo
Introduction of la expresión acabar de. Leemos y hacemos la página 314
Practicamos con una competencia de “challenges”

create two teams
10 minutes: teams create list of 5 quehaceres
rotating challenges: 1 pt. if correct
1 pt if other team misses
1 pt. if you can correct opponent
(30 seconds to answer challenges)
(15 seconds to correct challenges)
Homework: none
138
Appendix I
Un Anuncio
139
Un Anuncio
140
Appendix J
Horario de Hacer los Anuncios

141
Horario de Hacer los Anuncios
Filmers Tech Crew

Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
142
Appendix K
Self-reflection Guide
143
Self- Reflection Guide
Capítulo ____ Nombre_____________________________
Mis trabajos favoritos
Select 2-3 pieces of work that best represent your accomplishments during this chapter.
1) Explain why you selected these pieces of work to include in your portfolio.
Why are they significant to you? Talk about each piece individually.
2) Based on the evidence that you chose, what can you do now that you couldn’t
do at the beginning of the chapter? What new Spanish skills do you have?
144
Appendix L
Lesson Plan
145
Lesson Plan
Lunes 14 de abril
1. Calentamiento. Reflexión del capítulo 12: selecciona 2-3 tareas importantes:
PASS BACK (apuntes del banco)
2. Repaso del exámen 12.
3. Intro to vocab. 13
a. look at the objetivos for cap. 13
b. brainstorm palabras para fiestas, celebraciones
c. compañeros: categorize las palabras: usa banco de palabras con fotos y escribe
ideas en dos columnas- la boda y el cumpleaños.
d. When finished, write ideas on the board, send 1 rep. up from group, review w/
class.
4. Apuntes: voc. Sheet.
5. PP:
a. ¿En qué día naciste?
b. ¿Quíenes son tus padrinos?
c. ¿Qué clase de pastel prefieres?
d. ¿Has asistido a una boda?
e. ¿Qqé hiciste en la recepción?
TAREA: Work on relfexión del banco – miércoles.
146
Appendix M
La Zapatería
147
La Zapatería
148
Appendix N
Lesson Plan
149
Lesson Plan
Martes 22 de Abril
1. Calentamiento: reflexión del capítulo 3.
2. Hand in Buscapalabras
3. 10 apuntes: vocab sheets, pronunciación
4. 10 Compañeros: describe what Juana y Alfredo are wearing. No Inglés. Dibuja la
ropa. Se específico.
5. Game: PP: ¿Qué llevas cuando hace frío? ¿Cuando hace calor? ¿A la misa? ¿Para
jugar a los deportes?
6. Tarea: WS: Nuevo uniforme: can use revistas, label parts (at least 7 articles of
clothing) & write 7 sentences about how each article of clothing will look. Each
sentence needs a verb!
150
Appendix O
Proposal Sheet
151
Proposal Sheet
Mi investigación cultural #____

Project Proposal for Capítulos____
Nombre ______________
!"#$%$"&&'%#$%()&*%++++++++++++++++++%
Fecha ___________
Compañero______________
! Themes/topics:
Capítulo ____ Capítulo ____
! Project details:
1) The project that I propose is: _____________________________________
2) This is how this project relates to the theme(s) of the current chapter:
3) Circle the category that will be the focus of this chapter’s project (you can only do
one per semester):
HABLAR LEER HACER ESCUCHAR/MIRAR
4) Here are the specific steps that I will need to do in order to complete this project:
1. ____________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________
5) The tangible product that I will create as my visual aid to help document my
project is:
152
Appendix P
Proposal Self-Assessment Sheet

153
Proposal Self-Assessment Sheet
Mi Nombre ___________________ Compañero/a ___________________

What is my idea for my investigación
cultural? What will I do? S How is this project SPECIFIC to the
What does my idea have to do with the theme of the chapter? How is culture
current chapters? SPECIFICALLY incorporated into this
How do I expect to increase my knowledge project? Possible improvements?
of Spanish-speaking culture/s? T How will the TANGIBLE product(s) (for
the visual aid) document this project?
What product(s) will I put together for my Possible improvements?
visual aid? A How is this project APPROPRIATELY
CHALLENGING
(not too easy, but not too difficult)?
Possible
improvements?
R Is it REALISTIC that the student could
complete
this project this quarter? Possible
improvements?
154
Appendix Q
Class Activity
155
156
Appendix R
Lesson Plan
157
Lesson plan
Spanish II – Period 3
Objectivies / Standards
- Reinforce preterit tense with ER/IR verbs
- Reinforce irregular “ir” in preterit, while reviewing modes of transportation and
places (from Spanish I)
- Focus on question word most associated with “fui/fuiste/fue/etc”) – ¿Adónde?
Bell Ringer
- Activity will be review of ER/IR conjugations in the preterit tense that was started
the prior class period
o Students will attempt charts on own, share as an entire class
o Comprehension check will be done with students on the bottom portion
(Part B of Bell Ringer wkst)
" Exercise will be completed as a table, comprehension check will
be done with individual students
Lessons (Modeling and Understanding)

- Flashcards will be used to quiz a partner (back and forth)
o Card has subject and infinitive with regular ER/IR verbs in the preterit
tense, as well as “hacer”, “ir”, and “leer”
- Actividad 11, page 382 – concentrating on “ver” and “ir” as well as recognizing
“adónde” and places.
- Actividad 13, page 384 – sole concentration on “ir”, places, and transportation.
- Computer conjugating on students own or ER/IR pret. Verbs, and a second with
“ir”
o website focuses on reading a paragraph and filling in blanks as they appear
o second website contains 10 different statements or questions conjugating
only “ir”
- First graded/assessment done using only ER/IR verbs in preterit tense – will be
worked on while others are at computers
Closure
- Students will be asked conjugations orally as they are wrapping up work
Assignments turned in - those working at slower pace will have homework
158
Appendix S
Class Activity
(Indirect Object Pronouns)

159
Class Activity (Indirect Object Pronouns)

160
Appendix T
Homework
161
Homework
162
Appendix U
Lesson Plan
163
Lesson plan
Spanish II – Period 3
Date: 4/23/08
Objectivies / Standards
- Reinforce indirect object pronouns as well as demonstrate use of pronouns
- Demonstrate both tenses of “Decir” (Present and Preterit)
Bell Ringer
- Students will be filling in the chart used to locate indirect object pronouns.
o Students will then share their answers aloud as a class
o Reviewing their meanings will also need to be done for those absent
" Students will again look back at yesterday’s Powerpoint that was
used to explain what an indirect object is as well as when a
pronoun is used.
Lessons (Modeling and Understanding)

- Website used to reinforce their understanding of the indirect object that was
shared the class period before. The verb “decir” is seen in a few examples.
o Ask students to provide it’s definition
- Students will discuss a verb seen throughout the Chapter and used in our Chapter
expression – “Tell me/Dime.”
o Students will see and learn these conjugations through strategies practiced
in SpanishII.
" Decir – a “go” verb and stem-changing
" Once chart is fill out, pronunciation will be practiced.
- Rumores/Teléfono – students will be split into two or three groups of 5 or so. One
students from each group will got to the hallway so that they can be told the
rumor – “Les digo….”
o The rumor has the use of IO pronouns, preterit conjugations and chapter
vocabulary.
o Students tell their group the “rumor” and incorporate “Me dice que…”and
the last person of the group records on the board at thr front what they are
being told. The group with the closet correct rumor will score points.
o This will be done 3 to 4 times and a winner rewarded.
- Students are then assessed on the indirect object pronoun they were using via
worksheet.
Closure
- Students will be asked conjugations of “decir” orally as they are wrapping up
work, as well as IO pronouns
Assignments turned in - those working at slower pace will have homework

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Understanding Foreign Language Teachers’ Beliefs and Classroom Practices: A

Multiple-Case Study of Four Teachers’ Experiences With LinguaFolio

Gabriel E. Cote Parra

Presented to the Faculty of

The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska

In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements

For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Major: Educational Studies

Under the Supervision of Professor Aleidine J. Moeller

Multiple-Case Study of Four Teachers’ Experiences With LinguaFolio

Gabriel E. Cote Parra, Ph. D.

University of Nebraska, 2009

Adviser: Aleidine J. Moeller

notes, and document analysis.

a result, three interrelated themes emerged: a facilitator role; fostering self-regulated

moving from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered approach allowed them to empower

and self-assess their own language progress.

I want to acknowledge many people who helped me accomplished this work, my

advisor, committee members, LinguaFolio Teachers, family and friends.

for inviting me to be part of LinguaFolio. This was indeed a significant experience as a

foreign language teacher.

I want to sincerely extend my gratitude to the other members of my dissertation

grateful for their insightful feedback.

Spanish teachers who graciously allowed me in their classrooms. I appreciate their

willingness and patience.

I cannot find the words to express my gratitude to my wife, Gloria Arciniegas,

sisters. It is very difficult to find the words to thank you.

Chapter 1—Introduction ............................................................................................ 1

Context of the Study ............................................................................................ 1

From The European Language Portfolio (ELP) to the LinguaFolio

Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................ 7

Research Questions .............................................................................................. 8

Grand Tour Questions .................................................................................... 8

Limitations of the Study....................................................................................... 8

Significance of the Study ..................................................................................... 9

Definitions and Terms.......................................................................................... 10

Organization of this Manuscript .......................................................................... 12

Chapter 2—Literature Review ................................................................................... 13

Teacher Beliefs .................................................................................................... 13

Teacher Change and Classroom Practices ........................................................... 14

Chapter 3—Methodology .......................................................................................... 20

Participants Selection ........................................................................................... 21

Data Collection Procedures.................................................................................. 23

Classroom Observations ................................................................................ 24

Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 25

Case Analysis ................................................................................................. 26

Cross-Case Analysis ...................................................................................... 28

Verification Procedures ....................................................................................... 29

Ethical Considerations ......................................................................................... 30

Chapter 4—Description and Understanding of Cases ............................................... 31

Case Study 1: Rachel ........................................................................................... 31

Practice and Observation ............................................................................... 34

Second Day .............................................................................................. 36

“A Facilitator Rather than an Instructor” ................................................. 38

Fostering Independent Learners............................................................... 39

“Thinking Outside the Box” .................................................................... 41

A Dual Environment ................................................................................ 42

Case Study 2: Maria ............................................................................................. 45