Guam Community College provides basic skills education for adults who have less than high school education. In 1994, these services were provided at 11 sites by 20 administrative and support personnel, 70 teachers, and 6 counselors (88 of these work part time). In that year, more than 2,000 adults enrolled in programs to enhance their skills and…

This fact sheet on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction provides brief explanations of the following: the meaning of the terms ESL and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages); student motivation for taking ESL classes; how long it takes to learn English; ESL adult enrollment rates; ESL program design options; general methods and…

Culture was not considered significant in foreign language instruction until the direct method was introduced at the end of the nineteenth century. By the 1970s, language teachers came to realize that language was deeply rooted in culture and could not be separated from it. International understanding has been emphasized in foreign language…

A project introducing English as a third language in 30 elementary schools in the Basque Country (Spain) is described. The program, emerging from a national curriculum reform effort, begins English instruction when students are eight years old, three years earlier than previously. Students are already bilingual in Spanish and Basque, both official…

At Concordia College's Institute of German Studies (Minnesota), an immersion program, a 1-month course entitled "German in the Business World" concentrates on development of written and oral communication skills needed in firms dealing with German-speakers. As part of its emphasis on banking, insurance, and business, the course includes…

An alternative high school for foreign languages and international studies established in 1982-83 by the Louisiana Department of Education in cooperation with two New Orleans area school districts is described. The school was established to provide an intensive foreign language study course and an international perspective on contemporary society…

It is no longer possible to approach the teaching of foreign cultures with an ethnographic and objectivist perspective that allows students to believe in the absolute value of a given definition of culture. The first goal of foreign language and culture teaching is the acquisition of communicative competence in the broadest sense of this…

The rationale, approaches, and mechanics of publishing a student yearbook in English-as-a-Second-Language programs are discussed, and examples are drawn from the experiences and practices at the University of Pennsylvania. The production of a yearbook is suggested as a context for student writing that transcends the scope of the essay and that can…

Even during the 1970's when diminished national interest in foreign language study was reflected in declining enrollments at most colleges, Tarrant County Junior College (TCJC) was able to maintain a vigorous language program by emphasizing oral communication and developing a flexible curriculum. Since 1975, the college has offered its preparatory…

A three-course introductory Italian sequence was developed for architecture students planning to study in Italy during the first semester of their fourth year. The course was designed as an afterthought and for students who would need little or no academic Italian. Syllabus planning and student motivation were hampered by lack of time and low…

The degree requirements and course components for business Spanish at Eastern Michigan University's Language and International Trade program are described. The bachelors and masters programs in language and international trade have three components in each of three languages: business, language, and cooperative education work experience. In…

A profile of the state of English and English instruction in Bahrain covers the following topics: description of the role and status of English language use in industry and commerce, government, and education; the role of English at all levels of the educational system; the availability, characteristics, and qualifications of teachers of English;…

The study reviews 50 foreign language programs in the United States that are said to be both inspirational and useful for providing concrete information about the creation and preservation of successful language programs. The programs cited are exemplary and can serve as models for educators and administrators to study and visit. Program selection…

In 1980, Midwestern State University (Texas), a typical college in several respects, held a series of panel discussions aimed at making students aware of the practicality and applicability of language study. Originally conceived as a "work fair" that would help recruit English majors, exigencies of a changing academic situation and the English…

A computer-assisted instructional program to teach the Arabic writing system and elementary vocabulary and comprehension, which was developed at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Texas at Austin in cooperation with the university's College of Liberal Arts, is described. Among the benefits of the computer-assisted approach…