In a study of learners' levels of comfort with language activity types allowing differing degrees of interaction, 110 first-year college students of French, Spanish, and Italian were surveyed at a university and community college. Results suggest the value of activities facilitative of negotiated interaction. The questionnaire is appended. (10…

Discusses the teaching of Spanish to native Spanish speakers, looking at the history of the field and the experiences of bilingual students. Suggests that while bilingual educators and Spanish language teachers may see themselves as quite different from each other, their students may perceive their classes as similar. Reference is made to a study…

A college course used an explicit intercultural approach and collective research activities to compare French and American cultures and to examine the reasons for cultural attitudes and culture conflict. Class assignments dealt with contrastive analyses of American and French institutions like advertising, cinema, feminism, etc. (MSE)

The concept of equal educational opportunity is examined as it applies to recent Asian immigrants who are university students. It is proposed that recent immigrants, especially refugees, are deprived of equal education due to life circumstances and inadequate academic preparation. As such, many of them cannot be expected to compete with other U.S.…

Describes schedules and activities of the summer and weekend foreign language immersion programs at the State University of New York College at New Paltz. Gives some highlights of last summer's program. (EKN)

This report presents the development and results of a 1-year foreign language module program of 15-weeks duration for university students in the arts, commerce, science, and engineering. The project's central concern was to develop and test a general model for the delivery of foreign language teaching to students of other disciplines. The program…

A study investigated the writing strategies used by English as a second language (ESL) students in writing electronic mail (e-mail) messages, and to what extent certain ESL teaching variables influenced students' use of writing strategies. Subjects were 16 ESL teachers and their 208 university students. Students were administered a 50-item…

The teaching of Spanish to Hispanic bilingual college students, viewed as a distinct field within language education, is growing. It calls for greater emphasis on planning, coordination, and integration of what has developed into an interdisciplinary research area that touches on both first and second language acquisition paradigms, bilingualism,…

The time to make positive changes in foreign language education programs and instruction has come. The first step in effecting change is to find out about the students' language backgrounds, interests, and intentions for their language skills. Language instruction can take many different emphases: foreign language and international studies,…

Polish university programs in English as a foreign language (EFL) contain a discussion course whose usual format is student presentations on an assigned topic of general interest. However, the communicative approach has made teachers more sensitive to the authenticity and suitability of the situations used for classroom role-playing. The approach…

One teacher's experience with peer critique in a college-level composition course in English as a second language (ESL) suggests that it can be an effective classroom technique. If students are given very specific guidelines to follow, they often do a very credible job of analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of their peers' writing. Indiana…

In 1980, Oregon State University began a program going beyond the usual procedure for students of English as a second language (ESL), which involved putting them in intensive English programs until they could pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language and then sending them on to a regular academic program. It was found that this traditional…

Foreign students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities form a substantial proportion of the student population. The majority of these students come from Asia and most often choose to study business, management, and engineering. The number of female foreign students is rising. The foreign student population has special educational, social, and…

Essays on cross-cultural elements in college and university programs in English as a Second Language (ESL) include the following: "Barriers to Cross-Cultural Communication in English-as-a-Second-Language Programs in the United States"; "Acculturation or Enculturation: Foreign Students in the United States"; "A Framework…

A college course in English as a second language for the sciences that combines field experience with language learning is outlined. The proposed course includes two components: (1) a core course of both relevant scientific content and language, including grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing presented topically; and (2) visits to sites and…