| Summary: | Despite the growing societal demand for multilingual graduates prepared to engage
in local and global contexts, programs to meet these demands are scarce, especially in K-8
contexts. When schools do seek to implement programs, stakeholders struggle to choose from
the established models because research documenting desired outcomes is lacking. Structural
barriers to long-term implementation further complicate the process. Seeking to overcome
these obstacles, this qualitative action research study investigated which model of foreign
language instruction at the elementary level best meets the context and parameters
established by Sioux Center Christian School, while also determining which structural
supports are needed to sustain long-term implementation. Specifically, stakeholder goals,
misconceptions, and opinions regarding FLES, Dual and One-way Immersion models were analyzed
in a first cycle of data collection through internal focus group interviews after basic
education on each model under review was provided. In a second cycle of data collection,
external principals and Spanish teachers in established K-8 programs were interviewed to
gather information based on their experience. The findings regarding internal participant
perceptions indicate a strong alignment between stakeholder goals and the mission of the
school, with concerns focused on logistical issues and a lack of clarity about model
preference. External stakeholder findings point to the need for a clear articulation of
goals, strong structural supports, and program implementation suggestions that include
planning for continuous K-16 articulation in addition to selecting a program model based on
the parameters of the research site.--Author's abstract
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