During the 2023-2024 academic year, the language education community, particularly in North America, was shaken by an unprecedented administrative action from a state flagship, land-grant, and Research 1 university in the United States. The administration dissolved the entirety of the department that offered majors and minors in world languages, literature, and linguistics. Multiple humanities organizations and individuals (e.g., Krebs, 2023; ACTFL, 2023) within and outside the university publicly expressed their concerns about and disappointment at the decision. Nevertheless, the leadership ultimately exerted the administrative authority to drastically narrow the learning opportunities of world languages on campus despite strong opposition from multiple directions. According to the university, the decision was data-informed and mission-based. Per the university (WVUTODAY, 2023), the National Center for Education Statistics showed that the number of bachelor’s degrees conferred annually across relevant areas of world languages had declined 25 % nationally and 30% in the university’s primary recruiting states between 2010-2021. The university’s administration stated that as part of the effort to modernize and transform its curriculum to better meet the needs of today’s students, it had to prioritize its mission and cut the department, including the faculty, majors, and minors. The elimination of the department left students with limited access to some foreign language instruction on campus or through alternative methods of delivery such as online courses with partnering universities starting in the Fall of 2024.

The decision and results remain distressing in the academic community across North America, with greater impact in time. As the world language community of administrators, researchers, practitioners, and learners move forward and carry on their endeavors to advance the field, the discontinuation of world language majors and minors in a flagship state university has made the global community ponder future challenges and the role of world language instruction in education generally across disciplines, institutions, countries, and continents. In addition, the shift towards alternative delivery methods highlights the growing role of educational technology in language instruction. As institutions increasingly look for digital solutions to supplement or replace traditional language learning methods, questions arise about the effectiveness and impact of these technologies on language acquisition.

The goal of this research topic is to explore current and emerging administrative, pedagogical, technological, and learning issues in world language education that should be addressed with urgency. The collection of studies will provide readers with diverse perspectives and therefore a more holistic view of world language administration, teaching, and learning to increase mutual understanding of interested entities. The research questions include but are not limited to the following:

1. What are the challenges and strategies in sustaining and developing world language curricula, programs, and learning interests?

2. What are the desirable language learning outcomes and how can they be achieved?

3. What can researchers, instructors, learners, and administrators do collectively to improve or transform the work experiences and learning outcomes in world language education?

4. How can educational technology be effectively integrated into world language programs to enhance learning outcomes, increase student engagement, and potentially mitigate the impact of program reductions?

5. How does the increasing use of educational technology in language learning affect the role of language instructors, and what new skills are required for effective teaching in this evolving landscape?

We are interested in both research-based and practice-informed papers from contributors of diverse geographies, work and learning experiences, and research backgrounds. This research topic seeks to raise awareness of varied issues in world language education and move the community forward with increased understanding, evaluation of the situation, and identification of possible solutions.

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Frontiers in Education

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