It is possible to make the People's College certificate the basis for high-school graduation certification at the end of Grade 10 for French as a second language, or else to complete with it the courses in French as a second or third foreign language, which do not begin until grade 11. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Critizes the Norm Book for French Final (Abitur) Examination 1975 for German Schools, as to its arrangement and some resulting difficulties; also for its over-emphasis on written work over speaking. Additional publications are needed to make the existing requirements more specific. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Students of Japanese history (graduate students with language competence seeking a career in Japanese studies, undergraduates studying the Japanese language, and non-linguist undergraduates and graduate students studying Japanese history for a variety of reasons) have to deal with the Japanese language in different ways. They should all, however,…

Discusses the foreign language situation in the Hauptschulen (ninth-grade "terminal" schools) of Lower Saxony, including the serious problems to be found there. The instructional pattern is defended. It is argued that foreign language study should be obligatory, and that English should not drop to subordinate status. (IFS/WGA)

Discusses two conflicting concepts of correcting and grading high school graduation examinations in French: "mathematical" grading of complex exercises versus objective grading of reduced segments. Recommends higher valuation on goal-orientation as against extreme objectivity. Students' performance must be evaluated individually. Various concrete…

Reasons for requiring the study of French in high school and college are discussed. (PMP)

Discusses the problems of foreign language requirements and foreign language student dropouts from an anthropological viewpoint. Proposes solutions which stress both the intrinsic and extrinsic values of learning a foreign language. (PM)

Criticizes the acceptance of the error quotient in evaluating linguistic achievement in the current "uniform" graduation examination in English. Offers examples of the unsuitability of this requirement and calls for a new, more balanced solution. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Describes the present program of the German Department at Brown University. The language requirement was abolished at the university in 1969; consequently the program had to be redesigned with special attention given to student motivation. (TL)

The test, multiple choice in form, has no place for oral expression. Other criticisms are given, e.g., that the test seems to rest on a faulty teaching plan, specifically in the sequencing of grammatical problems to be mastered. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Proposes, for the oral portion of the final (graduation) examination, the text as basic object, from which a section should be read aloud. A 15-point grading scale is described. Regarding content, performance in "informing,""interpreting and extrapolating," and "evaluating and discussion" are to be graded. (Text is in…

Finds that text material in final (end-of-school) French oral examinations in Germany do not correspond with the accomplishment to be expected of the students, in both appropriateness and degree of difficulty. Offers criteria, sample texts, and suggestions regarding reasonable requirements. (IFS/WGA)

Hitherto, the People's University Certificate examinations were largely vocabulary and structure lists; the skills were weighted very differently. The new examinations define "behavioral objectives" much more exactly. Content guidelines are given, as well as text types, topics and "situations." A later article will discuss…

Realschulen (secondary schools) in Baden-Wurttemberg now permit a reading comprehension test, plus dictation, for the graduation examination in FL, instead of the traditional translation. The test is described: Part A tests receptive skills, Part B reproductive-productive. Suggestions are given on content and conducting tests. (Text is in German.)…

Reports the results of a national survey conducted in the US to determine: (1) languages used in the home, (2) second languages learned, (3) current use of second language, (4) attitudes toward the worth of second language study, and (5) opinions about the opportunity and requirement to study languages at various educational levels. (AM)