Discusses the change from an emphasis on structural forms to language functions in teachig English as a second language and the problems it presents for test writers. Suggest that criterion-referenced tests may provide an alternative to test construction and scoring procedures fr the new communicative tests of ESL. (SED)

This paper discusses the selection and ordering of language items, one of the central issues in foreign language teaching. Three approaches to sequencing are considered: the communicative competence, the linguistic stem, and the notional approaches. (CFM)

A study applying schema theory to the teaching and learning of second language linguistic structures is reported. Subjects were students in the English language program of an Austrian university's school of business administration. The experimental groups received 8 hours of instruction in the schematic attributes of learning processes and then…

This document is the result of a project commissioned by the Council of Europe to produce a system of units in foreign language instruction for adults. The "threshold level" is conceived as the compilation of knowledge and skills a person would need in order to communicate simply but effectively in a foreign environment. It is not limited to…

This book is a response to the recognition that the achievement of the threshold level of second language proficiency is for many adults an overly ambitious objective. The degree of communicative competence that will be imparted by the waystage approach will be about halfway between zero and the threshold level. This degree of competence will…

This article discusses the value of the notional-functional approach to language teaching and considers some sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and linguistic features of the notional-functional syllabus. (CFM)

An examination of materials development for independent study in listening comprehension of English as a second language (ESL) begins with an outline of current directions in second language instruction. The discussion that follows has two parts. The first is a review of some changing perspectives on the role of listening in language learning and…

This article discusses the various linguistic and psychological theories from which language teaching has drawn, and their application in certain instructional materials. (CFM)

A discussion linking theory and practice in second language instruction focuses on ways of providing opportunities for meaningful interaction in language classrooms. The first part lays a theoretical foundation, looking at: the variety and evolution of instructional approaches from grammar-based to communicative; the classroom as environment for…