Memo #7 HJ Bennett

Spending a few hours learning how to navigate search engines at the RIC Library under the direction of a librarian was eye opening. I appreciated the time and guidance she shared with us as well as the convenience of free copies.  I did have to catch myself from falling into the deep, dark rabbit hole of the thousands and thousands of available research articles.  I forced myself to focus and narrow down articles that were compatible to my research questions.  For the most part, I am happy to report that it was more hit than miss.

One of the articles I consider to be a gem is from the Foreign Language Annals. It has caused me to rethink my research regarding motivation and class participation in the foreign language classroom.  This article puts a spin on learning Spanish- are there gender differences in motivation to learn Spanish in the United States?  Boys crave desire greater control in L2 classrooms and "resent" being dependent upon the teacher.  Boys are " highly critical of the repetitive and teacher-centered nature of L2 classes."  They prefer student-centered learning where the target language is frequently used, authentic materials are incorporated and tasks are purposeful. Where do I sign up? My goal is teach in this manner to boys and girls. I did not realize that there is a great divide of sexes.

I do intend to pass out another questionnaire tailored to the points raised in this article. I will also refer to it as I interview students individually.