Japan is known to be a country that manicures its socio-cultural borders. In this article I will examine discourses regarding openness, closedness and cultural diversity in relation to policies and practices that draw heavily on mythologies of English language as an inroad to greater openness and diversity. To do this I will examine two English…

This article reports on the implementation of diagnostic assessment in an advanced Spanish language program at the university level. Particular attention is given to the use of dynamic assessment practices as a way to assess language abilities, intervene in learning, and document learners' growth. Dynamic assessment is conceptually based on…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe how and why Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) has developed a system aiming to effectively place students in freshman and developmental English programs. The placement system includes: triangulating data from external test scores, with scores from a panel-marked hand-written essay (HWE),…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a Salem-Teikyo University (West Virginia) program of English-as-a-Second-Language conversational tutoring for a cohort of 185 Japanese students and a similar but smaller Japanese-as-a-Second-Language tutoring program for the English-speaking cohort. Data were gathered through surveys of faculty (n=4),…

The Fluency First in English as a second language (ESL) project at City College (New York) began as a result of the high failure rate among ESL writing students at the college, and the fact that this kept many students from entering the regular college courses. Revision on the ESL reading and writing curricula, beginning in 1987, focused on…

A model for evaluating a college second language writing instruction program is presented, based on experiences at the De La Salle University (Philippines) writing laboratory. The laboratory, a support unit of the university's language program, provides remedial instruction in composition and academic writing for referred students. The proposed…

An evaluation and comparison of college and university intensive English programs in the United States focuses on program structure, organization, curriculum, faculty, program strengths, and areas for development. The evaluation instrument was a five-page questionnaire returned by directors of 41 of the 51 qualifying programs. It was determined…

To address the special second language learning needs of deaf college students, a project was undertaken at Gallaudet University (District of Columbia), the world's only four-year liberal arts university for the deaf, to create 36 videotaped lessons in grammar, signed in American Sign Language, for first-year French and Spanish instruction. The…

A program to provide New York City public school personnel with intensive language training, so they could serve in license-shortage areas, is evaluated. The program provided access to 6-week language immersion courses at four higher education institutions to improve oral and written language skills. Those eligible were teachers, guidance…

An examination of the principles and techniques of oral testing in British university-level final examinations in modern languages discusses: (1) the shortcomings of present oral testing procedures; (2) the theoretical controversy surrounding the design and value of oral proficiency tests, arising from research in English as a second language…

La Salle College's three-track Bilingual/Bicultural Master of Arts Program is described and its first operational year (September 1982 - August 1983) is evaluated. Track I served teachers of English as a second language, Spanish as a first language, and other classes within bilingual education programs. Track II served students from other fields…

South Africa's University of the Western Cape developmental program in English as a second language is described and discussed. The program was designed to improve the academic achievement of native Afrikaans-speaking first-year students by improving their English competence. The students are a high-risk subgroup of students in a general…

The Foreign Language/Area Studies Enhancement Program at Central State University (Ohio) is an experience-centered work and study program in Africa designed to give students training in language, culture, and technology. It parallels and supports the university's northern Senegal water management project designed to promote self-sufficiency among…

The report details a federally-funded program at the University of Texas, Austin whose activities included: (1) an experimental summer intensive language institute to facilitate Brazilian Portuguese certification for nine certified secondary school teachers of Spanish; (2) writing and publication of a new textbook of Brazilian Portuguese for…

The third systemwide review of Florida's state university second language programs is reported. The executive summary presents some institutional enrollment data and capsulizes findings and recommendations for improvement. The report's introductory section addresses systemwide concerns and issues, including state policy initiatives and comments on…