Ph.D., University of Wyoming

Foreign language education: methods of teaching foreign languages, foreign languages in the secondary school, curriculum design in foreign languages, foundations of second language acquisition, and technology in the foreign language classroom. He presents workshops on foreign language methods, assessment practices, and the recruitment and retention of foreign language educators.

Currently, he is Chair of the Professional Education Faculty, a multidisciplinary team committed to teaching, research, and service in partnership with school and community agencies. It is comprised of faculty from the College of Education and from the College of Arts and Sciences and representatives of P-16 Partner Schools who are responsible for the preparing of educators at the initial and advanced levels. Its mission is to prepare educators as leaders, thinkers, and change agents who are grounded in theory, content, and practice. Each year, the Professional Education Faculty analyze data related to the unit's effectiveness at preparing teachers, educational leaders, school counselors and psychologists, and other education specialists. Committees use this data to determine our strengths and areas for improvement for the following year. As Chair, GSU is preparing for the 2013 on-site NCATE visit and evaluation of the 72 initial and graduate level programs.

Dr. Swanson’s two lines of research employ a mixed methods approach to investigate (1) second/foreign language teacher efficacy and identity as they relate to teacher attrition and (2) oral language assessment. His research has been published in many esteemed journals such as the Canadian Modern Language Review, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Rural Educator, and Hispania. His second book, Identifying and Recruiting Language Teachers: A Research-Based Approach (Information Age Publishing) is forthcoming. Dr Swanson also serves as the co-editor for the Southern Conference on Language Teaching’s journal, Dimension, as well as serving as a reviewer for several peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Dr. Swanson was selected as the Professor of the Year by the Foreign Language Association of Georgia and also received the Leadership Award given by the Southeastern Association for Employment in education.

Portfolio

Summer 2013 Study Abroad in Spain for Teachers (PDF Brochure for Download)