S118 SUMMER 2012 Francis J. Troyan (MA, University of Pittsburgh) is a Doctoral Candidate in Foreign Language Education in the Department of Instruction and Learning, School of Educa- tion, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Defining the Constructs and Researching Learner Outcomes Francis J. Troyan University of Pittsburgh Abstract: In an effort to articulate an agenda for learner outcomes research linked to the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, this review examines the profession’s current conceptualization of the National Standards in research on learner outcomes across various levels of instruction. The research litera- ture reviewed reveals that, to date, empirical studies of learner outcomes have been conducted only on the Communication goal of the National Standards. Consequently, in the majority of the studies reviewed in the other goal areas have not conceptual- ized learner outcomes from a National Standards perspective, nor have they defined outcomes in the ways they are presented in the National Standards. Recommendations for future research are provided, which include the creation of design-based research communities and partnerships in K–16 foreign language education. A primary goal for this research agenda is to expand the scope of the current research by (1) exploring the National Standards that have yet to be investigated in the research, (2) designing and investigating innovations related to those National Standards, and ultimately (3) deepening the understanding of learner processes, development, and outcomes related to the National Standards. Key words: assessment, literature review, National Standards, outcomes, research Introduction It has now been 15 years since the first publication of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century (National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project [henceforth the National Standards], 1996). 1 Given the invest- ment of the profession in the development of the National Standards and the related research agenda (Phillips & Terry, 1999), it is apparent that the National Standards embody what the profession believes is important in assessment, instruction, and learning; in other words, the National Standards represent the inherent values of our professional community (McNamara & Roever, 2006). Based on this prioritiza- tion of the National Standards, the goal of this review is to explore the research on Foreign Language Annals, Vol. 45, Iss. S1, pp. S118–S140. © 2012 by American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. DOI: 10.111/j.1944-9720.2012.01182.x.