Taking the perspective of a language program director (LPD), this practitioner research (PR) study describes how analysis of learners’ reflections written for an advanced undergraduate German course in the United States helped an LPD see how students had experienced learning grammar in lower-level instruction. The study analyses a semester-long project based on the PR framework of exploratory practice (EP), in which students ( n = 30) pursued individual questions (‘puzzles’) about German grammar that would be most meaningful to them in their language learning journey. Initial analysis of the students’ questions revealed a general preference among learners to investigate grammar topics previously covered in the lower-division curriculum. In-depth case studies, focused on two learners’ experiences with EP, show how the project allowed students to investigate their grammar puzzles using resources across the entire curriculum, including dialoguing with teachers and students in other courses. The study looks to threshold concept theory to theorize students’ learning experiences vis-à-vis L2 grammar (specifically inflectional morphology, i.e. case markings) and argues that the flexibility of the EP framework and its core tenets of working towards understanding and involving others supported the LPD in seeing how learners understood and felt about German grammar and grammar instruction across the larger curriculum.

中文翻译：

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哪些 L2 学习者对德语语法感到困惑？利用从业者研究探索语言课程中的阈值概念


从语言项目主任 （LPD） 的角度出发，这项从业者研究 （PR） 研究描述了对学习者为美国高级本科德语课程撰写的反思的分析如何帮助 LPD 了解学生在低级教学中学习语法的体验。该研究分析了一个基于探索性实践 （EP） PR 框架的为期一学期的项目，其中学生 （n = 30） 追求关于德语语法的个别问题（“谜题”），这些问题在他们的语言学习旅程中对他们最有意义。对学生问题的初步分析表明，学习者普遍倾向于研究以前在低年级课程中涵盖的语法主题。深入的案例研究侧重于两名学习者使用 EP 的经历，展示了该项目如何让学生使用整个课程中的资源来研究他们的语法难题，包括与其他课程的教师和学生对话。该研究着眼于阈值概念理论，将学生的学习经验与 L2 语法（特别是屈折形态学，即大小写标记）进行理论化，并认为 EP 框架的灵活性及其致力于理解和让他人参与的核心原则支持 LPD 了解学习者如何理解和感受德语语法和语法教学在更大的课程中。