Teacher Research

Here is a literature review that I completed while enrolled in FLT 860: Second Language Acquisition. As the title suggests, it focuses on the teaching of the subjunctive mood, a grammatical concept very foreign for speakers of English who are learning Spanish (or any Romance language), in an explicit and implicit way. Read to find out which way might be more ideal for learners.

In this research proposal, also completed for FLT 860, I am imagining a quasi-experimental study with two different groups of participants. One group will be taught the subjunctive but will experience the lesson via enhanced input, with forms of subjunctive bolded, and the other group will go through a typical textbook lesson , taking notes, and completing exercises in pairs, orally and through writing.

Both groups will take a pre-test, reading sentences and choosing the correct verb from two different choices. Some sentences will require subjunctive and some will not. After each lesson, both groups will engage in a posttest of the same sentences as before. Results will be compared for any gains in proficiency of the subjunctive. A delayed posttest will also be administered two weeks later, same format but with similar sentences. Results will be compared with the immediate posttest and pretest.