The social and cultural "turn" in language education of recent years has helped move language teaching and curriculum design away from many of the more rigid dogmas of earlier generations, but the issue of the roles of the learners' first language (L1) in language pedagogy and classroom interaction is far from settled. Some follow a…

Presents a rationale for teaching communication to graduate business students as a process--a means through which students communicate their knowledge of management, marketing, finance, accounting, etc., rather than strictly a subject matter or product. Argues that communication skills can be maintained only if reinforced through the curriculum.…

Discusses a questionnaire sent to 300 teachers in the United Kingdom regarding teachers' opinions about teaching in the target language (TL). Findings indicate that teachers generally favor TL teaching, although considerable anxiety exists about TL testing. Additionally, teachers are concerned about less able pupils not achieving their full…

Discussions about the value of language-across-the-curriculum policy are often clouded by confusion over two different underlying principles or motives for its implementation: that it stimulates and enhances learning and that it consolidates the teaching and learning of writing in a variety of subject contents. In practice, it is the second…

Analyzes through Indian eyes the current role and status of English in India and examines what can be done to turn the use of this language to Indian advantage. Notes the author is largely in agreement with Mark Tully's article in this issue regarding the colonial legacy of English in India. Explains how he differs with Tully's answers to the…

Discussion of the current language situation in Europe looks first at the compelling political changes affecting language policies, then examines progress toward implementation of the modern languages component of the National Curriculum for England and Wales. It is noted that Europe differs from other eastern hemisphere regions in that in most…

A review of the status of English language instruction in Israel begins with an overview of the role of English in the society in general, and outlines the status of English use and instruction in the educational system at all levels (elementary, secondary, higher, adult, and teacher), the activities of related professional associations, the…

The language-across-the-curriculum (LAC) movement in Britain began in the 1960s with a few secondary school experiments, from which developed more coordinated attempts to lower interdisciplinary barriers. This movement was characterized by emphasis on the language-learning link, the crucial role of discussion in the learning process, and the…

Describes factors influencing growth in demand for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction in German higher education since 1989, and describes how Dresden University has designed a curriculum to meet the need. The Dresden program includes courses in generic scientific English required in a number of disciplines, elective English courses…

A discussion of bilingualism in young children in the Soviet Union looks at the three main forms of early bilingualism (bilingual home environment, different languages spoken at home and in school, and second language instruction in school), notes the challenges they pose for development and maintenance of bilingual skills, and then describes a…

To address problems in public education for majority and minority ethnic groups in Central and Eastern Europe, Minority Rights Group International and the Inter Ethnic Initiative for Human Rights Foundation organized a skills exchange workshop in Sofia, Bulgaria in November 1997. Representatives from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovkia…

A discussion of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction for non-native speakers in higher education distinguishes the needs of immigrants who are residents from those of foreign students with temporary student visas, and looks at how those needs affect the design of classes and programs to serve them. Data are drawn from experience with one…

Examines the status of English second language instruction in Dutch-speaking Flanders (Belgium), particularly as concerns these areas: education (teacher education, language certification, types and intensity of English courses, materials and methods); Flemish society and daily life; its image and the quality of its use; and status in competition…

The recent restructuring of the curriculum of the Faculty of Business of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) is described and offered as a model of the kind of reorganization occurring within Cambodia's higher education system. The history of language policy in the higher education system is chronicled briefly,…

The 1992 report of the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) and several other recent studies and publications addressing the nation's changing labor force development needs, particularly as they concern instruction in English language skills for the workplace, are discussed briefly, and five aspects of this issue often…