Ideologies of language (and language learning)--in concert with discourses of individualism and meritocracy that characterize neoliberalism--shape pedagogical policies and practices in ways that are consequential for multilingual students all over the developing and developed world. To investigate how such intersections and influences work in…

Explores the concept and goals of a "full-service" college foreign language department, which would offer a wide variety of courses and programs, reach out to a broad segment of the academic community, and attempt to develop collaborative, mutually beneficial programs with other departments. (CB)

Argues for the viability of international education as the primary guiding principle for foreign language education, pointing out how foreign language programs can teach about language, history, values, and beliefs of other national groups and foster more effective interactions in political, cultural, economic, and global realms. (15 references)…

Explores recent reports on the state of education and on the language education profession's response to recommendations for improving instruction and suggests that language educators unite to clarify for the profession and for others what is being done in foreign language education. (CB)

Analyzes the objectives of foreign language teaching at the higher education level from the perspective of languages for specific purposes (LSP) and suggests that specifying the purpose of language teaching objectives in foreign language degree programs can contribute both to the practical relevance of graduates' proficiency and to the inner…

Proposes a "flexible and systematic framework" for evaluating English for specific purposes programs, including the evaluation of program aims and objectives, materials, methodology, teachers, interaction, students, improvement, and constraints. (CB)

Outlines the nature of the current threat to English-as-a-Second-Language education in Australia that is posed by the Commonwealth "Literacy for All" policy. Provides a brief discussion of the social and educational context in which the policy was released and of the policy itself.(Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on ESL Literacy Education)…

Twelve public universities in Colombia, responding to a questionnaire regarding the current status of English for specific purposes, indicated that they distinguished between general English classes for persons specializing in languages and special classes for those studying other fields through program organization, instructors, goals and…

Discusses whether the goal of language proficiency is reasonable or even possible given the language textbooks available. Examines the description of the French language in college-level French language textbooks (all of which take a structural approach) to see if they lend themselves to the acquisition of a functional speaking ability. (SED)

Existing empirical research on core French instruction is reviewed, and research directions are proposed in four areas: program design, program objectives and outcomes, curriculum issues, and teacher education. Experimentation with alternative instructional designs for delivery of core French is seen as a high priority. (84 references) (Author/MSE)

Tracks policy forces and developments over the last decade that have brought Australia's English-as-Second-Language (ESL) program to a state of terminal decline. Considers the nature of, and impetus for, the national collaborative effort around literacy, and outlines how this agenda may provide a way forward for ESL into the next century (Adjunct…

This analysis of the crisis facing the United States because of a general lack of interest in foreign language study deals with several facets of the problem. Its 12 chapters address the following questions or issues: (1) the traditional conflict between Americanization and cultural and linguistic pluralism; (2) the shift in the world economic…