This study was conducted to examine the needs of the students of cabin services program regarding English in order to guide the design of a vocational English language curriculum. The research design used in this study was the concurrent triangulation approach, one of the mixed methods models. This approach can be used when the researcher collects…

A study investigated the relationship of English proficiency, measured by self-report and standardized test scores and selected nonlinguistic variables to academic problems perceived by 245 foreign graduate students. Self-rated proficiency, prior English training, and age were the most significant predictors of perceived difficulty. Language test…

A study investigated the attitudes of adult university students of English as a Second Language (ESL) toward use of closed captioned television (CCTV) as an instructional tool. Students at the intermediate (n=51) and advanced (n=55) levels of ESL study in classes using CCTV were administered a questionnaire concerning their perceptions of the…

A discussion of three years of French experimentation with foreign languages in the elementary schools looks at successes, lessons learned, and issues yet to be resolved, including expansion of languages taught, linguistic objectives of instruction, articulation with secondary education, program administration questions, and design of teacher…

Reports on evaluation studies of the French proficiency of graduates of early- and late-entry immersion programs in Ottawa and Carleton, describes the tests used, and interprets results. The report also examines the students' perceptions of their ability to participate effectively in out-of-school situations using all four language skills. (MSE)

Nineteen Indonesian students enrolled in a University of Virginia special education training program were assessed on the importance of English-language proficiency. Academic performance was significantly related to English-language training scores but not to preadmission "Test of English as a Foreign Language' scores, student attitudes, or…

Reports on an experiment in electronic mail and computer-assisted classroom discussion among 41 college-level French students. Describes the research design and the results as they relate to students' attitudes and motivation. Finds that local area networks seem to encourage discussion among students. (CFR)

Reports on a study of cultural images of people in 5 nations by 24 10- to 13-year-old children of low socioeconomic backgrounds. Finds that 10-year olds focused on the thoughts and feelings of people whereas the 13-year olds included more knowledge abstracted to the country level. (CFR)

In a study of the reliability of an English language proficiency test for non-native teaching assistants (NNS TAs), 18 NNS TAs were administered the SPEAK Test. The results were compared with student evaluations of the intelligibility and clarity of the TAs' classroom speech. Despite problems with the SPEAK Test, the measure was considered a…

Reports on an ethnographic study of primary level science classes in Kenya where English is the government-mandated language of instruction. Finds that important ideas were conveyed more easily when teachers did not adhere to the policy of English-only instruction. Concludes that the importance of sociolinguistics in instructional processes should…

An Australian study compared stressors among freshman foreign and native students, primarily in business administration. Foreign students had significantly more difficulty adjusting to academic requirements and study needs, particularly study methods, independent study, language skills, participation, and time management, and had higher stress…

A study of the relationship of learner characteristics to success in beginning English examined the language aptitude, learning motivation and attitudes, spatial relations, study habits, and years of English instruction of 97 seventh-grade students in a Thai government school. The analysis focused on these variables as they related to the…

Papers in this volume are: "National Standards and Assessments" (June K. Phillips; Jamie B. Draper); "Cultural Roots and Academic Achievement" (Charles R. Hancock); "The At-Risk Student in the Foreign Language Classroom" (Audrey Heining-Boynton); "I Can't Get Them To Talk" (Robert L. Davis; H. Jay Siskin);…

In this discussion on instructional problems in multicultural higher education classrooms, it is argued that while educators recognize that equitable treatment for all students is their responsibility, they often do not know which attitudes, behaviors, expectations and teaching strategies may be misunderstood by ethnic and/or minority students,…

A discussion linking theory and practice in second language instruction focuses on ways of providing opportunities for meaningful interaction in language classrooms. The first part lays a theoretical foundation, looking at: the variety and evolution of instructional approaches from grammar-based to communicative; the classroom as environment for…