J V Adviser I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES FOR NEGROES DISSERTATION Presented In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By i- KENNETH CARSON MILLER, B.A., M.A. The Ohio State University 1955 ■ it * it11 •' «i * » • • Approved by* \ j v Adviser I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to those whose assistance made this dissertation possible * to the fifty-five foreign language departmental chairmen who responded to the question naire and supplied the information for the major portion of the data? to the departmental chairman of nine colleges who granted interviews to the investigator with themselves, their staffs and their students, thus providing H on-the-spot" observations and discussions of foreign language programs and problems; to the academic deans of sixty-eight higher institutions for UQgroea W ho sent to the author catalogs of the institutions and the names of the foreign language departmental chair men; to Ambrose Caliver and Walter G. Daniels, Specialists in the United States Office of Education, who recommended bibliography for the higher education of Negroes; to Professors V. S. Nyabongo and Napoleon W. Rivers, who sent copies of the studies described in Chapter IV and who sent letters of encouragement and offers of assistance; to Professor Klein, Dean Etoeritus of Education, and Professor William Flesher of Ohio State University, who helped with the questionnaire; to Professors Earl W. Anderson and Kenneth Arisman who served on the advisory committee; and especially to Professor ^ames B. Tharp of Ohio State University, without whose constant encouragement and guidance the work could not have been completed* - ii - O S S i i V, TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER Pag© I INTRODUCTION.......................................... 1 The Purposes of the Study. ........... 1 The Need for the Study. ......... 2 The Scope of the Study ..................... 4 The Limitations of the Study .......... 6 The Over-all Design of the Study . ....... 7 Criteria for the Evaluation of a Modern Foreign Language Program............... 8 The Committee of Twelve. ....................... 9 The Modena Foreign Language Study ...... 13 Programs of Intensive Study................... 15 The Chicago Investigation................. .. 17 The National Teacher-Training Survey .... 19 National Survey in Special Methods for Modern Foreign Language Teachers. .... 21 The Foreign language Program of the Modem Language Association of America. ......... 21 II THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR NEGROES IN THE UNITED STATES.................................... 24 Introductory Statement. ...... .............. 24 The Beginnings of Higher Education for Negro©a • 26 The Development of Institutes, Norniai Schools and Publicly-Supported Negro Colleges. 27 Higher Education for Negroes in Recent Times. 29 Factors that have influenced the improve ment of privately-supported colleges for Negroes.. ....... 29 Factors that have Influenced the Improvement of Publicly—Supported Higher Institutions for Negroes. ................ .. 31 The Philosophy of Higher Education for Negroes. , 32 The Historical Development and Present Status of Modern Foreign Languages in Higher Institu tions for Negroos. ............................ 35 Publications Relating to Modern Foreign Languages in Higher Institutions for Negroes in the Present Time. ............. 39 Iferoer Cook*s Article. ...... ............. 39 John F. Matheus * Article .................... 41 The Edward A. Jones Article. ....... .. 41 Frederick H. Dedmondfs Article ........ 43 What Should Be the Role of Foreign languages in Colleges and Universities for ^egroes? .... 46 - iii - TABLE OF CONTENTS (oont.) CHAPTER " Page III THE RECORDING AND INTERPRETATION OF THE DATA. .. 48 The Questionnaire. .............. 48 The Study of* Catalogues and Bulletins...... 49 Correspondence with Deans and Department Heads • 50 Visitation to Nine Negro Colleges. ....... 50 Data on Curricula........................ ... 52 Data on Instruction ............ 71 Data on Administration .... ....... 97 Data on Psychological Factors and the ifental Abilities of* Negro Students of Foreign Languages.............° . 108 Miscellaneous Data. Ill IV THE COMPARATIVE FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT STUDY WITH THOSE OF TWO PREVIOUS STUDIES ON MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN NEGRO COLLEGES.. .................... 115 The W. Napoleon Rivers S t u d y .............. 116 The Virginia S. Nyabongo Study .... .... 122 The Comparative Findings of* the Studies..... 126 Summary of* the ^tems in Common for the Three Studies......................... .... 127 Summary of the -^tems Yfhich Were Not in Common of the Three Studies.................. 134 V SUMMARY AND GENERALIZATIONS. .................... 137 Plan of the Study............. 137 Status and Role of Modern Foreign Languages Negro Colleges....................... 137 Enrollments .............. 139 Requirements for ^ j o r s and M i n o r s ......... ... 141 Teaching Procedures ................... 142 Evaluation .......... 144 Aims and Objectives. .................. 146 Proficiency in Language Skills. ..... ... 147 Activities -Used to Popularize the Programs . 148 Failures in Modern Foreign Languages. ......... 149 Psychological Factors. ....... ... »• 149 Formal Training of Teachers .......... 150 Salaries. ......... ............... .. 152 iv - table, .oy. c-OBTassar. (cen t.,) CHAPTER Pago VI EEC OmENDAJ IONS.................................... 164 Recommendations Growing Out of* This Study • . 165 Re commendations That Are Pertinent to This Study but ^ot Derived Direotly from the Data Gathered by This Study* ......* 164 BIBLIOGRAPHY..................- ................... 175 References Cited in the Dissertation......... 176 Higher Education for Negroes. .... .... 178 Research Articles of Foreign Language Teaching and Lgarning in N©gro Higher institutions . 182 Reasons for and Against Foreign Language Study, and Aims and Objectives. ...... 184 Research Articles and Books on Methodology and Teacher-Training and Qualifications . • 191 General Textbooks on Methodology. ..... • 198 APPENDICES. ................................... 207 AUTOBIOGRAPHY...................................... 247 ) LIST OF TABLES TAB IE Page I LANGUAGES TAUGHT IN THE EIGHTY COLLEGES STUDIED. 52 / II INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGES ACCORDING TO NUMBERS OF COLLEGES REQUIRING ONE OR TWO YEARS....................................... 56 III STUDENT ENROLLMENTS IN FRENCH, SPANISH AND GERMAN IN TEN INSTITUTIONS FOR TEE YEARS 1947 TO 1952 . 60 IV DISTRIBUTION OF COLLEGES SHOWING THEIR SEMESTER- HOUR REQUIREMENTS AMONG THE EIGHTY COLLEGES STUDIED. ........ ................... ... 62 V COURSE OFFERINGS IN MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN SIXTY-EIGHT NEGRO COLLEGES— SHOWING NUMBER OFFERING EACH COURSE. .......................... 68 VI APPROXIMATE PERCENTAGE OF USE OF METHODS DESCRIBED.......................................... 71 VII CAMPUS-WIDE ACTIVITIES USED........................ 83 VIII AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY. 85 IX TIME REQUIRED FOR PROFICIENCY IN LANGUAGE SKILLS . 88 X TYPES OF COURSES AND THE YEARS IN WHICH THEY ARE OFFERED IN FIFTY-FIVE INSTITUTIONS............... 90 XI THE SEQUENCE IN WHICH THE GREATEST PERCENTAGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE FAILURES OCCUR................... 94 XII THE ADEQUACY OF THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE LIBRARY IN FIFTY-FIVE INSTITUTIONS........................... 95 XIII THE TITLES OF THE BUDGETARY UNITS IN CHARGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION IN THE EIGHTY COLLEGES STUDIED.................................. 98 XIV INSTITUTIONS FROM WHICH DEGREES WERE ATTAINED . 101 XV NINE-MONTH SALARIES ACCORDING TO RANK............... 103 XVI THE COMPARATIVE FINDINGS OF THE RIVERS, NYABONGO AND MILLER STUDIES. ..................... 128 - vi — CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ............... 1. The Purposes of the Study The purposesof the study was to investigate conditions in the foreign language programs of selected’*' colleges and universities for Negroes with respect to the followings (l) the languages studied* (2) the methods of teaching employed* (3 ) the number of students enrolled in foreign language classes* (4) the number of foreign language students who have completed or are pursuing majors or minors in the field* (5) the scope of the program* (6) the percentage of failures in foreign language courses* (7 ) the placement and follow-up of modern foreign language majors and minors; (8) the staff, training, salaries, research contributions and professional activities of the staff in / foreign languages; (9) the institutional requirements for foreign languages* (lO) the teaching materials available and used* (11) emphases on the practical, cultural or disciplinary values of the foreign language offerings* (12) the adequacy and suitability of the foreign language library; (13) the existence or non-existence of special problems In connection with the learning of foreign languages by Negro students• i See note 6, p* H 2. The Need for the Study * 2 A study of scholarly journals revealc that within the last thirty- five years there have been only four serious studies of teaching and learning problems in foreign languages in Negro colleges*^ and only two scholarly studies that concerned themselves with testing^ (performance* diagnosis* prognosis or sectioning) of foreign language students in Negro schools. Furthermore there have been no related studies of such problems in white