An articulation study of post-secondary German students: Results, implications, and suggestions

Abstract

Dwindling financial resources for education and low enrollment figures at the post-secondary level often lead to the elimination of entire German programs, yet improved program articulation may help overcome this situation. Information about students’motivations for studying German can inform both vertical and interdisciplinary articulation efforts, thereby making better use of the limited funds available and providing students with better programs of study. In this chapter the authors report a large-scale survey of post-secondary German students’ reasons for enrolling in their first German course, motivations for studying German beyond the language requirement, and perceptionsof the importance of several components of the German curriculum. Statistical comparisons of responses to twenty-five Likert-scale items indicate that learnersare more motivated by affective factors and the development of oral and written proficiency than by pragmatic factors such as career benefits. The survey results lead to the identification of issues relevant for curricular reform and program articulation throughout the undergraduate language program, and may lead to higher enrollment figures in German. In particular, the results suggest that the careful spiraling, or integration, of language and content across all levels of the undergraduate curriculum is the key to motivating students to study German and to successful articulation.The chapter concludes with comments on the crucial role of the language program director in shaping and maintaining a well-articulated language curriculum.