Children and youth from refugee backgrounds have complex language experiences owing to their journeys away from their homelands often taking them through multiple contexts. This study was motivated by a desire to better understand the language resources of students newly arrived as refugees in Australia and their embodied and contextualised…

The current study examined cognitive effects of two pathways of second language (L2) acquisition longitudinally in Chinese speakers learning English in an L2-dominant environment. Thirty-nine participants who attended an intensive 10-week English course (L2-instruction group) were compared to 38 participants who attended regular university courses…

This research compared the contributions of lexical inferencing, decoding, and listening comprehension to reading comprehension in Chinese-speaking learners of English as a second language (ESL) enrolled in university bridging programs in the U.S. and Chinese-speaking university learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in mainland China.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of former intensive English program (IEP) Chinese students by concurrently examining national origin, language problems, forms of capital, culture shock, and institutional programming using qualitative case study methods. The findings give us insights into the students' sociocultural and…

While there is a body of research concerning the education of students with migrant or refugee backgrounds, little of this research focuses on primary school-aged children. In order to address this gap, the current paper utilises data gained from an ethnographic study to consider the challenges and opportunities associated with diverse classrooms…

Pedagogical proponents of both communicative language teaching and the postmethod philosophy argue for the importance of considering learners' needs in classroom planning. This requires understanding learners' attitudes toward a variety of classroom realities. The present study reports on the attitudes of 131 adult, international learners of…

A study investigated which of many possible variables in the student's language learning background (formal learning, exposure and use in class, extracurricular exposure and use, attitudes and motivation) were important in second-language learning. Subjects were 101 students in intensive English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL). Several success factors…

Presents the results of a study that examined the characteristics and motivation for studying of language students who attended a summer program. The article provides new evidence on the specific reasons students chose to study an intensive short course and their general motivation for studying a foreign language. (16 references) (CK)

Examined language learning background features in relation to overall grade, rate of progress, and completion of an intensive English program. Determined extent to which success could be accurately predicted by an expert system when basing inferences on feature constellations including language learning background features only, entry proficiency…

While intensive English programs have much in common with continuing education, problems of student balance, classroom management, and unique cultural pressures separate them from the mainstream of continuing education and require creative and individualized solutions. (Author/MSE)

Reports on a study of the effectiveness of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in the acquisition of English as a second language by Arabic- and Spanish-speaking students in an intensive program. Examines two student variables--time spent using CALL lessons and attitude toward them--as well as four cognitive/affective characteristics.…

Describes difficulties encountered by an Intensive English Language Program staff and students in negotiating the transition from a predominantly structure-based syllabus to a communication-based one. Explains how the new syllabus compromises between the two approaches, gradually increasing emphasis on communicative activities as proficiency…

Data on foreign student characteristics, numerical distribution by state, and percentage distribution by continent of origin are presented. Data from the 101 institutions with over 1,000 foreign students are summarized, with enrollment numbers and percentages, and the 59 countries with over 1,000 students in the United States are listed. (MSE)

A survey of 43 intensive English-as-a-Second-Language programs in higher education institutions resulted in a scheme for classifying innovative policies and practices in these categories: curriculum development; personnel; technology; policy and planning; community and campus liaison; faculty development; student placement and evaluation;…