We have known since the 1990’s that Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) is debilitating. Those of us involved in language teaching have endeavored to become more student centered and have engaged in strategies training as a result. Strangely, we have done relatively little as a field to alert learners to the emotional challenges of language learning and to prepare them to deal with them— and anxiety is on the increase, especially in young people.
In 2002, I became the director of the National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC), a federally-funded Title VI center focused on the nation’s needs. With headquarters at Brigham Young University, it was a virtual center drawing on the expertise of team members from more than 20 key institutions. Within a few years we had surveyed over a thousand students enrolled in scores of institutions in order to better understand the needs of students in various language-learning contexts. We found that most hoped to acquire “professional-level proficiency.” Those who succeed in this typically do so thanks to extended periods of intensive overseas study, which, though highly rewarding, is often a stressful experience– at least initially.
Site visits, interviews with students, and data on student overseas proficiency gains confirmed that outcomes vary considerably. Even allowing for individual learner differences, it was clear that student engagement and progress leave much room for improvement. As a result, we launched Project Perseverance (ProjP) in 2010, with the goal of providing: 1) online resources in the form of language learner success stories, useful brief summaries of some particularly relevant research, and training webinars; and 2) research to document the effectiveness of these student training efforts to help students deal with linguistic and culture shock and become effective self-regulating learners who work to accomplish their goals.
We drew on top scholars from the start: Andrew Cohen, a member of the NMELRC advisory board, polyglot, specialist in learner strategies, and since retired from the University of Minnesota, suggested “Project Perseverance” as the name of our undertaking. Madeline Ehrman, another board member, was a clinical psychologist by training who oversaw research at the Foreign Service Institute’s School of Language Studies and founded its Learning Consultation Service. Other team members include Dan Dewey, a specialist on study abroad, and Jennifer Bown, whose qualitative research on affect and language learning has contributed immensely. Patrick Steffen of BYU’s Behavioral Medicine Research Center, who studies stress and acculturation in Mexican immigrants, was a later addition to the team. As a result of this collaboration, we published a ground-breaking paper on students and stress during study abroad as measured by hair cortisol in The Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, one of the most selective of journals. We have documented other important insights on student social networks, journaling, the difference that language partners can make, and more.
We have also assembled compelling success stories of learners who, despite low language aptitude or limited experience, persevered and achieved impressive results. These include high school students, college students, and older adult learners of Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew and Korean. We currently use these case studies to train BYU students preparing for study abroad and would like to share them with a broader audience.
This website is intended to distill wisdom from our own experience and research and that of others, illustrated with many memorable case studies, for example:
Fatma, who encountered racist attitudes during her overseas study but persevered by remaining focused on her motivation: to reconnect with her Sudanese roots;
Ryan, who was initially anxious about studying Hebrew and had a bruising experience along the way but became one of Hebrew University’s star students;
Hannah, who loved her first year of studying Arabic but described herself as “mediocre” in her second year and nearly dropped out before going on to distinguish herself as one of the top Arabic students in the US.
The central message: anyone can learn a second language, if they mind their head, work smart and hang in there — and doing so enriches one’s life far beyond the practical value of the language skills one gains.
All the best,
Kirk Belnap
