Developing Communicative Resilience in Language Learners.

Language learners need communicative resilience: the ability to persist in unrehearsed interactions even in the face of communication breakdowns. The present study analyzes the effect of continuous and explicit instruction of communication strategies on the communicative resilience of intermediate level adult learners of German.

The treatment in this study included weekly input in the form of core vocabulary and training activities. A comparison of pre- and post-tests show a substantial rise in the learners' ability to manage communicative breakdowns and interact successfully despite them. This study has implications for teaching interpersonal communication skills to language learners and in improving their self-confidence while engaging in unrehearsed interactions in a second language.

Presenters:

• Anuradha Gopalakrishnan is a first year PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her research interests include learner language in multilingual settings.
• Beth Kautz coordinates and teaches intermediate German (German 1003) at the University of Minnesota. She is interested in new pedagogical approaches and has implemented blended learning, integrated performance assessments, and content-based instruction in her courses.

Cosponsored by the Second Language Education Program in the College of Education and Human Development.