Department of World Languages & Cultures

Linda Quinn Allen, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Program/s

French

University Teacher Education Program (UTEP)

Interests

Successful classroom world language learning is dependent upon a number of variables, many of which are the basis for research-supported theories of world language learning. Dr. Allen's research focuses on the world language teacher, a variable that has, until very recently, been peripheral, as evidenced by the field’s lack of theories of world language teaching.

Dr. Allen concentrates specifically on teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about their work (i.e., their cognitions) and the relationship between their cognitions and their classroom practices. Teachers’ cognitions are instrumental in shaping their curricular decision making and their instructional practices, and ultimately what students will learn. Research that investigates teachers’ cognitions informs educational practices, influences teacher education, and impacts the implementation of educational reform. It also facilitates an understanding of the connection between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes and differential student academic achievement patterns. It is the key to making educational research more relevant to teachers’ practices.

Selected Publications

Allen, L.Q. (2006). Pretending to learn in the L2 classroom: The role of imagination. NECTFL Review, 57, 44-57.

Allen, L.Q. (2006). Investigating culture through cooperative learning. Foreign Language Annals, 39, 11-21.

Allen, L.Q. (2004). Implementing a culture portfolio project within a constructivist paradigm. Foreign Language Annals, 37, 323-239.

Allen, L.Q. (2002). Teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and the standards for foreign language learning. Foreign Language Annals, 35, 518-529.

Allen, L.Q. (2002). Critical thinking: An integral thread in the curricular weave. NECTFL Review, 51, 32-39

Grants

National Endowment for the Humanities Grant (NEH), fall 2006

Awards

The 2003 Iowa World Language Association Outstanding Educator Award, College-University Level

The 2002 Stephen A. Freeman Award for Best Published Article on Language Teaching Techniques