RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Nicholas Kingsbury

Independent Research

2018-2019

Title: The United States is Losing Language

Overview of Research:

The primary broad focus of this research project is to find out why the United States has a

lacking bilingual population when compared to other developed nations, with a more narrowed

focus on what aspects of language education can be improved upon by looking abroad. Most

other developed nations have very bilingual populations and advanced language education

programs. This gives their populations distinct advantages for working internationally due to

their ability to easily adapt to new cultures and communicate with those that speak different

languages. This is a great injustice to the citizens in the United States that are struggling to find

jobs abroad because of the sub par language programs.

Background and Rationale:

Learning a second or even third language can be one of the most beneficial aspects to a

person's hireability. Employers, especially those abroad are much more likely to hire candidates

who are adept in more than one language due to their versatility. People that speak more than one

language are a useful asset to these companies because they can more easily communicate with

native speakers giving a good impression of the brand (New American Economy). Studies from
Auburn University have found that learning another language can also provide cognitive

benefits. These benefits can be seen in fields such as math and native language grammar skills.

The United States currently has embarrassing low amounts of bilingual speakers and

students enrolled in language education programs. Currently with data from the Pew Research

Center, only 20% of the United States population can speak more than one language proficiently.

This stems from the low enrollment in language programs which data again collected by the Pew

Research Center shows that in states with the highest rates of enrollment only about 50% of

students k-12 are in language courses. On the other hand in nearly all European countries a

majority of the population can speak at least two languages proficiently. Also the same Pew

Research center found data that rates of language education program enrollment in these

countries can be nearly 100% for students k-12.

Research Methodology:

Research Question:

What is currently wrong with language education in the United States and how can it be

improved with the study of language programs abroad.

Research Thesis:

The lack of foreign language proficiency in the United States is unacceptable if graduates

are expected to be able to compete in the world job market. The United States must undergo

language education reform in order to keep its future citizens competitive in foreign markets and

create a more unified world.

Data Collection:

Data was collected with observational methods recorded in a notebook. This was the best

method because the data being collected needed to be flexible to account for unexpected teaching
strategies instead of rigid quantitative data. Observations were conducted in spainsh classes help

at Glenelg highschool. Each class was a different level consisting of a beginner, intermediate,

and advanced college level AP course. Key features that were looked for in each class consisted

of class size, class attentiveness, class skill level, and the activities that were being used.

Product Objectives:

The product created to convey the research done was a brochure to inform students on the

benefits of learning another language and how they can do it in the most effective manner. The

brochure would detail the employment and cognitive benefits from learning another language

along with statistics to show the United States language deficiencies. Then the next part would

include effective strategies to learning another language more effectively.

The target audience are students in America because they are the people that would most

benefit from knowing why learning another language is important and how they can do it

effectively. A brochure would be an effective product because it can be easily distributed to local

student bodies.

Logistical Considerations:

The biggest logistical consideration coming from this product is the ability to

communicate with those who impact education procedures in America. The small scale of this

project makes it hard to compete for the attention of legislators and other officials. Another

smaller concern is that of production and distribution of the product as that would require a large

amount of resources.

Approval:
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Student Signature G/T Resource Teacher Signature Mentor/Advisor

Signature