Abstract
Attending a second language (L2) teaching conference is assumed to have a positive impact on teaching practice. Currently, however, there are very few studies that examine empirical evidence of such impacts. Given the substantial cost and effort involved in attending a conference, it is important to clarify the nature of conference impacts, so that both language teachers and conference administrators can reflect on how to best generate meaningful improvements in L2 teaching. Questionnaire and interview data were used to examine L2 teaching conference attendees’ perceived impacts on their teaching practice and beliefs. Results reveal generally positive impacts, in the form of changes to L2 teaching approaches, teaching beliefs, motivation to learn more about teaching, and the expansion of professional networks. However, questionnaire data suggest that impacts on teaching practice were of a relatively small magnitude. Implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for enhancing the impact of L2 teaching conferences are offered.
Recommended Citation
Tanaka, Jay and Díez-Ortega, María
(2021)
"The Impact of Attending Second Language Teaching Conferences,"
MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mitesol/vol3/iss1/3