Research, teaching, and advising in Spanish as a second language: Promoting professional excellence through conference attendance
Academic Year:
2012 - 2013 (June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013)
Funding Requested:
$2,000.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
Overview of the Project:
The goal of this proposal is to fund attendance to the American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) conference in Dallas, Texas in March 2013 and at the Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) in Provo, Utah in October 2013. These are the two most important venues in my major fields of expertise, that is, Second Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, and Study Abroad research. Of note, both conferences place equal emphasis on empirical research and classroom-based practices. On the one hand, I will attend research talks based on data-driven second language acquisition research that will inform me of the state-of-the art research in my areas of scholarly expertise. On the other, I will attend talks in the applied tradition that will inform me of the most beneficial classroom practices that promote successful language learning and second language acculturation. Also, these conferences are an excellent opportunity to present my original research from my ongoing project on the development of fluency (i.e., oral performance) and cognitive abilities by second language learners in study abroad and traditional foreign language learning contexts. The courses that I have designed for 2012-2013 draw heavily on my own research, so it is paramount that I receive the best feedback on my findings from experts in the field. Finally, AAAL and SLRF will be offering specialized workshops on study abroad programming (i.e., costs, sites, requirements) that will also benefit me in my role as Study Abroad advisor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.