Who's responsible? The German language learner perspective

• Published in: Die Unterrichtspraxis Vol. 57; no. 1; pp. 42 - 46
• Main Author: Lorenz, Alexander
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cherry Hill American Association of Teachers of German, Inc 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Advertisements; College students; Computer mediated communication; Computer science; Course Descriptions; Data analysis; Demography; Departments; Enrollments; Foreign language learning; German language; High Schools; Informatics; Interdisciplinary subjects; Language instruction; Language Proficiency; Middle schools; Nontraditional students; Political science; Psychology; Questionnaires; Secondary schools; Socioeconomic factors; Student retention; United States > US; South Carolina; Germany
• ISSN: 0042-062X; 1756-1221
• DOI: 10.1111/tger.12271

Financial aid plays a vital role in supporting students, as 74% of students receive some form of financial assistance, with approximately 56% being eligible for Pell Grants, indicative of family incomes below $27,000. Questions related to demographics such as age, gender, race, first-generation status, and estimated household income were imitated from the institutions' incoming student surveys. Quantitative data analysis was performed using Qualtrics, and open-response items were categorized in clusters using qualitative data analysis methods outlined in Brown (2001). The results of this study indicated that most students who enroll in beginning-level German classes are housed in departments such as engineering, business, informatics, computer science, communications, psychology, political science, and history. [...]current program advertising focuses on learners from these academic programs.