Postsecondary French, German, and Spanish teachers' conceptualizations of social justice: A case study

• Published in: Foreign language annals Vol. 56; no. 4; pp. 867 - 887
• Main Authors: Goodspeed, Lauren, Paesani, Kate, Menke, Mandy, Ruf, Helena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 01.12.2023
• Subjects: beliefs and philosophy; College Faculty; Content and Language Integrated Learning; Critical Theory; curriculum and curriculum development; Faculty Development; French; German; Language Teachers; pedagogy; postsecondary/higher education; Social Justice; Spanish; Teacher Attitudes; teaching culture; Teaching Methods; Units of Study
• ISSN: 0015-718X; 1944-9720
• DOI: 10.1111/flan.12724

Social justice and critical pedagogies have become an increasingly important focus in language education in recent years. Although instructional and professional development resources are increasingly available, little is known about how language teachers understand social justice and related pedagogies, particularly in postsecondary contexts. Relatedly, little is known about how teachers understand critical pedagogies that prioritize language‐content integration through a simultaneous focus on proficiency development and engagement with target language texts. This multiple case study addresses these research gaps by examining postsecondary French, German, and Spanish teachers' conceptualizations of social justice in language education as they created social justice curricular units. Findings show that these conceptualizations are complex and multifaceted and span the what, why, and how of social justice in language education. Insights gleaned from these findings have important implications for language teacher professional development and future research. The Challenge What does it mean to teach for social justice in language education and how do teachers conceptualize this work? Although many teachers incorporate social justice content, enacting associated critical pedagogies is challenging. Understanding teachers' thinking around social justice in language education is thus crucial for supporting this important work.