Seat time versus proficiency: Assessment of language development in undergraduate students

Abstract

This chapter reports the results of a longitudinal study of language proficiency after three semesters of the required study of foreign languages at an urban university in the United States. The study was designed with two goals: (1) to better understand the implications of a transition from a seat-time requirement to a proficiency requirement and (2) to determine how scheduling might affect the efficacy of language learning. The study was motivated by a university-wide movement toward a new proficiency-driven Liberal Education Program (LEP). The LEP requires that students demonstrate Intermediate Low proficiency on the ACTFL proficiency scale in the language of their choice as measured by the Standards- Based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) test. A three-year study was carried out to determine the feasibility of this requirement. Specifically, it aimed to (a) establish the percentage of students who possess all the skills tested by STAMP at the Intermediate Low level after three semesters of language study; (b) identify areas of weakness as demonstrated by the test; and (c) determine the most effective schedule of classes.