eckep

eckep@arizona.edu
Phone
(520) 621-3202
Personal Site
Peter Ecke (Research Gate)
Ecke, Peter M
Professor

Peter Ecke is Professor of Second Language Acquisition and German and teaches courses on applied linguistics, second language acquisition, multilingualism, intercultural communication, testing and assessment, and German language and culture. He is a faculty member in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching. His research interests include second and third language acquisition, vocabulary acquisition, language attrition, bilingual speech including lexical errors and word finding problems, the effects of study abroad on language and intercultural competence development, and the learning and teaching of German in the United States. Below is a list of representative research areas and selected publications. More information about Peter Ecke's research can be found on Research Gate, ORCID, Google Scholar or Academia.

Selected Publications

Vocabulary acquisition and lexical production in multilingual speakers

Ecke, P. (2022). Grammatical gender and article use in beginning learners of German. In. D. Ayoun (Ed.), The acquisition of gender: Crosslinguistic perspectives (pp. 127-156). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI.

Ecke P., & Hall, C.J. (2021). Bilingual aspects of the Ontogenesis Model: Parasitic connections at all levels of representation? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 1–2. DOI.

Ecke, P., & Hall, C. J. (2021). The Parasitic Model: Lexical acquisition and its impact on morphosyntactic transfer. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 11(1), 45-49. DOI.

Ecke, P.. & Rott, S. (Eds.) (2018). Understanding vocabulary learning and teaching: Implications for language program development (AAUSC Volume 2018). Boston, MA: Cengage. Open access.

Ecke, P., & Rott, S. (2018). Vocabulary learning and teaching: Variables, relationships, materials, and curriculum development. In P. Ecke & S. Rott (Eds.), Understanding vocabulary learning and teaching: Implications for language program development (AAUSC Volume 2018) (pp. 1-9). Boston, MA: Cengage. Open access.

Shishkin, E., & Ecke, P. (2018). Language dominance, verbal fluency, and language control in two groups of Russian-English bilinguals. Languages, 3(3), 27. Open access.

Ecke, P. (2015). Parasitic vocabulary acquisition, cross-linguistic influence, and lexical retrieval in multilinguals. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 18, 145-162. Abstract.

Ecke, P. (2015). Was (oft lustige) Fehler und Wortfindungsprobleme über Wortschatzlern- und Verarbeitungsprozesse enthüllen. [What (often funny) errors and word finding problems can reveal about word learning and processing. In M. Löschmann (Ed.), Humor im Fremdsprachenunterricht (pp. 95-111). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Abstract.

Language attrition and forgetting

Ecke, P., & Hall, C. J. (2013). Tracking tip-of-the-tongue states in a multilingual speaker: Evidence of attrition or instability in lexical systems? International Journal of Bilingualism, 17(6), 734 – 751. Abstract.

Ecke, P. (2008). Die Kosten der Mehrsprachigkeit: Zeit und Fehler bei der Wortfindung. [The costs of multilingualism: Time and errors during word retrieval] Babylonia, 16(2), 26-30. Abstract.

Ecke, P. (2004). Language attrition and theories of forgetting: A cross-disciplinary review. International Journal of Bilingualism, 8(3), 321-354. Abstract.

Language and intercultural competence development during study abroad 

Ecke, P., Gornicki, W., & Mehl, M. (2024). Acoustic behavioral observation in applied linguistics and study abroad research: A case study using the electronically activated recorder (EAR). Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 3(3), 13 pages. DOI.

Ecke, P. (2022). Quantitative study abroad research: Challenges and recommendations. In J. McGregor & J. Plews (Eds.), Designing second language study abroad research (pp. 23-42). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Abstract.

Ecke, P. (2020). Wahrnehmungen von Nationalkulturen und Lernfortschritten im kurzfristigen Auslandsstudium amerikanischer Studierender in Deutschland. In C. Altmayer, C. von Maltzan & R. Zabel (Eds.), Zugehörigkeiten: Ansätze und Perspektiven in Germanistik und Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache (pp. 121-140). Tübingen: Stauffenburg. Abstract.

Ecke, P. (2014). The effects of study abroad in the German-speaking world: A research review. Die Unterrichtspraxis: Teaching German, 47(2), 121-139. Abstract.

Assessment in and of second language programs

Al-Bahlani, S. M., & Ecke, P. (2023). Assessment competence and practices including digital assessment literacy of postsecondary English language teachers in Oman (37 pages). Cogent Education, 10(2), 2239535. DOI.

Ecke, P. (2020). Assessment in a learner-centered conversation class. In E. White & T. Bucher Barbosa da Silva (Eds.), Classroom assessment for language teaching: Challenges, choices, and consequences (pp. 101-139). Cambridge Scholar Publications. Abstract.

Ecke, P. (2019). Planning and assessing group (video) projects in foreign language classes. In E. White & T. Delaney (Eds.), Handbook of research on assessment literacy and teacher-made testing in the language classroom (pp. 126-139). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-6986-2.ch007 Abstract.

Ecke, P. & Ganz, A. (2015). Student analytics as part of the longitudinal evaluation of language programs. In N. Mills & J. Norris (Eds.), Innovation and accountability in foreign language program evaluation (pp. 62-82). Boston: Heinle, Cengage Learning. Abstract. (A presentation based on this article can be found on YouTube.)

The learning and teaching of German in the United States

Ecke, P. (2020). Deutsch als Fremdsprache in den USA: Forschungsschwerpunkte aus Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German. Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht, 25(1), 911-917. Open access.

Ecke, P. (2015). Kinderfernsehsendungen im Unterricht Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache – Lächerlich oder lustig? In M. Löschmann (Ed.), Humor im Fremdsprachenunterricht (pp. 75-93). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Abstract.

Ecke, P. (2013). Deutschunterricht und Ausbildung von DaF-Lehrern und Germanisten in den USA. In F. Grucza & J. Zhu (Eds.), Akten des XII. Internationalen Germanistenkongresses Warschau 2010: Vielfalt und Einheit der Germanistik weltweit,  Band 18 (pp. 251-257). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

Currently Teaching

GER 150B1 – Becoming Transcultural: Maximizing Study Abroad

This course helps students prepare for challenges of intercultural communication during study, work, and travel abroad and in their home country. Using perspectives and methods from various disciplines, we analyze differences in verbal and nonverbal behavior, communication style preferences, intercultural relationships, conflict resolution styles, and adaption to life in culturally different environments(including in education, tourism, business, and healthcare contexts).

View Section Details

This course helps students prepare for challenges of intercultural communication during study, work, and travel abroad and in their home country. Using perspectives and methods from various disciplines, we analyze differences in verbal and nonverbal behavior, communication style preferences, intercultural relationships, conflict resolution styles, and adaption to life in culturally different environments(including in education, tourism, business, and healthcare contexts).

View Section Details

GER 475 – Advanced German Usage

Taught in German.

View Section Details

GER 575 – Advanced German Usage

Taught in German.

View Section Details

GER 150A1 – Becoming Multilingual: Learning and Maintaining Two or More Languages

This course explores the human ability to acquire and maintain two, three, or more languages over a lifetime (i.e., the ability to become multilingual). It examines the factors that contribute to successful language learning and maintenance and that counteract language forgetting and loss. It discusses ways (methods, approaches, and strategies) through which languages can be taught in child-and adulthood, in family and school settings, and demonstrates the importance of multilingual and multicultural skills in a variety of professions. At the end of the course, participants will have gained insights that will help them make informed decisions with respect to their own language learning and use while in college, in their professional careers, and in their (future) families.

View Section Details

This course explores the human ability to acquire and maintain two, three, or more languages over a lifetime (i.e., the ability to become multilingual). It examines the factors that contribute to successful language learning and maintenance and that counteract language forgetting and loss. It discusses ways (methods, approaches, and strategies) through which languages can be taught in child-and adulthood, in family and school settings, and demonstrates the importance of multilingual and multicultural skills in a variety of professions. At the end of the course, participants will have gained insights that will help them make informed decisions with respect to their own language learning and use while in college, in their professional careers, and in their (future) families.

View Section Details

This course explores the human ability to acquire and maintain two, three, or more languages over a lifetime (i.e., the ability to become multilingual). It examines the factors that contribute to successful language learning and maintenance and that counteract language forgetting and loss. It discusses ways (methods, approaches, and strategies) through which languages can be taught in child-and adulthood, in family and school settings, and demonstrates the importance of multilingual and multicultural skills in a variety of professions. At the end of the course, participants will have gained insights that will help them make informed decisions with respect to their own language learning and use while in college, in their professional careers, and in their (future) families.

View Section Details

GER 498H – Honors Thesis

An honors thesis is required of all the students graduating with honors. Students ordinarily sign up for this course as a two-semester sequence. The first semester the student performs research under the supervision of a faculty member; the second semester the student writes an honors thesis.

View Section Details

GER 587 – Assessment in Second/Foreign Language Learning

The primary objective of this course is the development of language teachers' assessment literacy, which includes knowledge of key assessment principles and skill in creating or adopting assessment tools and procedures for the language classroom. Participants in this course will develop their knowledge and skills related to assessing all skill areas in the language classroom, including productive skills (writing, speaking), receptive skills (reading, listening), and assessing grammar and vocabulary. Grading and student evaluation will also be important topics of consideration and exploration in this course. Designed specifically for in-service (and pre-service) language teachers, the course combines theory with practice by covering essential principles of effective classroom assessment and the development of effective assessment tools for classroom use. Participants completing this course will become more assessment literate and better able to evaluate student performance in their classrooms fairly and effectively.

View Section Details

To view full listing of courses offered, please visit our Course Schedule.

Course Schedule