Eight students from mainland China chart their learning journeys across national and continental boundaries and socio-cultural contexts. The five women and three men structure their experiences of studying in China and the West around the turning points and life changing choices they made in chasing their dreams. They embody its emergent…

This monograph, informed by research on motivational and attitudinal perspectives of secondary school students learning foreign languages in the United Kingdom and Germany, provides information on how to motivate these students. The study focused on two factors that are central to the issue of motivation: the perceived usefulness and the perceived…

Nine brief essays address Spanish enrollments in Spanish courses in colleges and universities, discussing such issues as staffing imbalances, coping with unexpected rising or declining enrollments, enrollment implications in a small college, social and political influences on study of Spanish, enrollment management, and the changing motivations of…

Raimes' article on the history of second-language approaches to teaching writing is reviewed and criticized for its failure to support a social context approach to teaching writing. Raimes' response to Canagarajah supports her original position. (11 references) (LB)

Classroom teachers are affected directly and indirectly by external forces: international, national, social, institutional, pedagogical, economic, commercial, professional, and religious. It is proposed that teachers make use of constructive forces and combat destructive ones by using organizational and individual resources to create change.…

It is argued that proposed integration of cultural studies into French studies threatens French language enrollments because of its nonliterary focus and de-emphasis of traditional instruction in western civilization. A fundamental conflict of perspectives of the two fields persists despite some efforts to reconcile them. (5 references) (MSE)

Describes a university course on East German art and politics. Provides a syllabus and list of required tests. (EKN)

Considerations when looking for theory to support translation practice include how the theory treats the concept of "word," the notion of "comprehension," the "finality" of the text, text type, and the distinction made between reception and reproduction of the message. Sociocultural and situational context influence the literalness of the…

Attitudes expressed by participants of a 1992 conference on the politics of multilingualism, particularly in the new European context, are summarized. Issues addressed include the role of French as a universal language, the concept of national identity, and the relationships between language and world view and between language and political…

A conference held in Lebanon to discuss and solidify the role of French as the country's second language is reported. Factors endangering the status of French, the political and cultural role of the language, and French-Lebanese cooperative efforts in support of French language and culture are outlined. (MSE)

Officially opened to the public in March 1992, the Hanoi Alliance Francaise has quickly become a place for francophones to meet and participate in classes and cultural activities. Its success appears to be the result of enthusiasm on the parts of both French and Vietnamese. (MSE)

This paper explores how Georgi Lozanov's Suggestopedia incorporates elements of modern right-brain research. For example, issues in Linda VerLee Williams's "Teaching for the Two-Sided Mind" that are applicable to Suggestopedia include visual thinking, fantasy, multisensory learning, music, and direct experience. In Robert Ornstein's "The…

Discussion of important influences on language teachers and their teaching focuses on the social context of the school and on negative and positive influences of administration. Administrative support is suggested as an important means of instructional improvement. Criticisms of foreign language teacher education are examined, and use of critical…

Data from Think Aloud protocols were used to determine how two groups of adult subjects approached reading. Analysis indicates that vocabulary proficiency has a power impact on psychological processing of second-language reading by novices but also that culturally determined literacy practices may be a factor. (Contains 34 references.) (LB)

Discusses controversial issues and describes several innovative programs involving language instruction for thousands of American school children with little knowledge of English. Lines have been drawn between "English only" advocates supported by the Reagan Administration and bilingualists favoring instruction in both English and native…