Exploring graduate teaching assistants' perspectives on their roles in a foreign language hybrid course

This article aims at contributing to the general reflection on instructors' preparation for hybrid foreign language teaching as it considers the issue of Graduate Teaching Assistants' training and professionalization. In order to further the understanding of the challenges of blending face-to-face and online instruction, the present study examines how Teaching Assistants in a large Spanish language program conceptualized and experienced their roles in hybrid introductory courses, and how, in turns, this interpretation shaped their beliefs about teaching practices.At the end of a semester, the 15 participants in the study completed an anonymous online questionnaire composed of open and guided questions. Data analysis, based on an exploratory content analysis approach, revealed an extrinsic perception of the online component. The online medium tended to be considered as a tutoring tool rather than as a mediator of learning, which conditioned the roles assumed by the teaching assistants. The findings support Comas-Quinn's (2011) and Kubanyiova's (2009) call for training programs to provide opportunities to consider the impact of online tools on the instructors' roles. In addition, as shown in the participants' comments, training should also include a reflection on how the nature of hybrid set-up can condition learning, engagement, and teaching practices.