LinguaFolio^® Training Resources

Training modules to show how to implement LinguaFolio^®

Appendix B: Research

European Language Portfolio research

What we know about the effects of tools like LinguaFolio comes primarily from research in Europe. There have been three major international studies since 1998.

Findings from one ELP pilot study in the Czech Republic indicate that:

• In spite of the time it took in the beginning to implement the ELP, motivation increased among all students.
• Students became more confident when they saw what they could actually do.
• Students’ relationships with other learners and with their teachers became more positive and students actually spent more time thinking about their language abilities and knowledge.

Additional findings:

• Teachers tended to become more creative when they worked more in the target language and focused on communication rather than mastery of grammar rules.
• Parents seemed to be more informed about their children’s progress.
• Students began to see how they could use the language more outside of the classroom.

How do we get our learners and our programs to this point?

It doesn’t happen overnight that they become such insightful learners! In order to develop self-assessment skills, learners need embedded practice activities that teach them to accurately evaluate their abilities. They also need to think about learning and to reflect on strategies that help improve their individual performances. Ways to develop these skills will be addressed in other training modules, such as Reflective Teaching and Learning in an Autonomous Environment.

Research in the United States

The Nebraska study

Dr. Aleidine Moeller from the University of Nebraska has conducted a five-year longitudinal study on the use of LinguaFolio. She gathered data to identify what students normally could do at the end of one year, two years, and up to five years of study. The Nebraska study included developing a one-year pilot and the collection of data for two years. Forty-seven school districts were included in the pilot research.

The focus of the study included:

• The impact of goal-setting on student achievement
• The impact of self-assessment
• The implementation of LinguaFolio as an assessment tool to promote articulation in K–16 language programs

Pilot programs in the United States

A number of states have piloted version of LinguaFolio. Kentucky and Virginia expanded their pilot programs to form a 5-state consortium with North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The materials originally developed by the consortium have been refined based on pilot results and are available from the NCSSFL site.

Although several individual states have developed their own versions of LinguaFolio, all states use the common self-assessment grid and checklists developed by the NCSSFL.

In 2007, North Carolina began the process of developing an ESL version of LinguaFolio for English speakers of other languages. Teachers and coordinators were trained in LinguaFolio and began the task of adapting the checklists to meet the needs of ESL learners.

In the fall of 2008, North Carolina launched a pilot program for ESL, dual language and immersion programs, and heritage language programs.

Who is using LinguaFolio?

Language learners in:

• elementary programs
• middle school programs
• secondary programs
• university programs
• career settings

Based on pilot programs in the states that are presented in this module, we know that learners in schools and outside of formal school settings are using LinguaFolio. Other states have also begun to use the LinguaFolio resources available from NCSSFL.