Contact Information
Research Areas
Biography
I am a Ph.D. candidate in French, specializing in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education. I earned my MA in French Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching from the University of Arizona in 2020 and double BAs in French/Francophone Studies and Chemistry from the University of South Dakota in 2018.
Research Interests
- Language Program Evaluation
- Second Language Pedagogy
- Curriculum & Course Development
- Study Abroad
- Multiliteracies and Critical Literacies Pedagogy
- Social Justice Teaching in the Language Classroom
- Teacher Education
- Intercultural Competence & Symbolic Competence
- Proficiency Assessment
Research Description
My research interests lie in the field of applied linguistics and applied second language acquisition and include language program evaluation, curriculum development, second language pedagogy, social justice teaching in the language classroom, teacher education, multiliteracies and critical literacies pedagogy, intercultural and symbolic competence, proficiency assessment, and study abroad. My dissertation is a mixed-methods program evaluation focusing on the attitudes, perspectives, and experiences of L2 French students and instructors towards the implementation of critical literacies and social justice pedagogy in the classroom. Training undergraduates in research experience is one of my priorities, and I currently participate as a mentor in the Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program.
Education
- PhD - French / Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (in progress, ABD)
- M.A. - French Linguistics and Second Language Learning, University of Arizona, 2020
- B.A. - French & Francophone Studies, University of South Dakota, 2018
- B.S. - Chemistry, University of South Dakota, 2018
Grants
- 2024-2025. Dissertation Completion Fellowship - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics
- 2024. Conference Travel Grant - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Graduate College
- 2024. SLATE Doctoral Research Grant - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- 2023, 2024. Reed Fellowship - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- 2022. Minn Fellowship - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- 2019, 2020. Conference Travel Grant - University of Arizona Graduate Student Council
- 2019. Graduate Student Travel Grant - U. Arizona, Dept. of French and Italian
Awards and Honors
- 2024. Douglas A. Kibbee Dissertation Award. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics.
- 2024. K.A. Looney Senior Award for Excellence in Teaching French. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of French and Italian.
- 2024. Excellence in Outreach Award. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of French and Italian.
- 2023. K.A. Looney Junior Award for Excellence in Teaching French. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of French and Italian.
- 2021-2023. List of Instructors Rated as Excellence by their Students. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.
- 2019. Arizona in Paris Teaching Award, University of Arizona, Department of French and Italian.
Courses Taught
UIUC:
- FR 101 - Introductory French I
- FR 103 - Intermediate French I
- FR 207 - Grammar & Composition
Other Teaching Experience:
- University French 1, 2, 3, & 4 (Elementary & Intermediate Levels)
- University Accelerated Intermediate French
- Upper-level French Composition & Grammar
- Upper-level French Conversation & Pronunciation
- Introduction to French Literature
- Middle School French 1
- High School French 1 & 2
- High School Latin 1 & 2
Selected Conference Presentations:
- Gorham, J. A. (2024). Walking the walk? L2 French Instructors Reflect on Social Justice Pedagogy. To be presented at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Meeting. Philadelphia, PA.
- Mroz, A., & Gorham, J. A. (2024). Generation Z goes abroad: Assessing the linguistic, cultural, social, and psycho-emotional growth of hyper-connected learners. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Philadelphia, PA.
- Gorham, J. A. (2022). Multimodal composing in L2 French: Disrupting the sociocultural commonplace. ACTFL Annual Meeting. Boston, MA.
- Gorham, J. A. (2022). Moving towards transformative second language pedagogy: Language program directors’ perceived advantages and obstacles. 18th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. Urbana, IL.
- Gorham, J. A., & Amgott, N. (2022). Embodying intercultural competence in L2 French video reflections. 8th International Conference on the Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence. Online.
- Amgott, N., & Gorham, J. A. (2021). Embodying Language Learning: L2 French Rehearsal, Repair, and Community. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Online.
- Gorham, J. A. (2020). Decolonizing intermediate French: A multimodal critical literacies perspective to questioning colonization, racism, and prejudice. Diversity, Decolonization, and the French Curriculum Conference, Online.
- Gorham, J. A. (2020). Evaluating critical literacies and symbolic competence in L2 multimodal compositions. L2 Digital Literacies Symposium, Online.
- Gorham, J. A. (2020). Developing L2 intercultural competence through a film-based pedagogical sequence. 7th International Conference on the Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence. Tucson, AZ.
- Gorham, J. A. (2019). A multiliteracies-based curriculum project for the development of symbolic competence in L2 French students. 13th Annual Arizona Linguistics Circle Conference. Tucson, AZ.
- Gorham, J. A. (2019). Developing symbolic competence in introductory level French classes through authentic Francophone literature. Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Interdisciplinary Roundtable, Tucson, AZ. [Roundtable]
Recent Publications
Published
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Gorham, J. A. (Forthcoming). Language program directors speak out: Obstacles and opportunities in improving L2 pedagogy. Second Language Research and Practice.
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Mroz, A., & Gorham, J. A. (2024). From caterpillar to butterfly: Portrait of an ordinarily extraordinary Generation Z L2 Study abroad student. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 36(1), 312-349. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v36i1.855
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Gorham, J. A., & Amgott, N. (2024). Embodying intercultural communicative competence in French L2 video reflections: Illustrating skills, knowledge, and attitudes. Multimodality & Society, 4(1), 80-107. https://doi.org/10.1177/263497952312229
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Mroz, A., & Gorham, J. A. (2023). Generation Z goes abroad: A mosaic approach to L2 program evaluation. Second Language Research and Practice, 4(1), 67-87. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/69879
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Amgott, N., & Gorham, J. A. (2023). Embodied modes in L2 French video reflections: Supporting metalinguistic awareness, organization, and community. Foreign Language Annals, 56(2), 501-523. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12666
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Gorham, J. A. & Knisely, K. A. (2019). Systems in need of activism: Considering the effects of segregation and policy on French and U.S. primary and secondary education. Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association, 51(2), 183-222. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45151160