The "Language Inquiry," a collection of 100 statements about attitudes toward language, was devised to help teachers evaluate themselves and determine their students' ideas about language so that they could better plan what materials and strategies to utilize in a course. By indicating the degree of his agreement with each statement in…

Discusses problems in second language acquisition caused by linguistic interference and emphasizes the importance of positive attitudes. (RL)

Current educational research and possible directions for the improvement of second language education in schools are discussed in the light of current Canadian political and economic influences. The Ontario Ministry of Education has proposed three levels of proficiency in French as reasonable objectives to be achieved by secondary schools in their…

Following a brief review of the history of interest in foreign languages in America, facts to be considered when interpreting falling enrollment statistics, such as a drop in the birth rate, are discussed. It is stressed that foreign language teaching cannot be neglected in a world having improved and extensive communication between people…

English study in secondary schools in Kuwait is discussed. There seems little motivation for students to study English unless they plan to attend a British or American university. Students are guaranteed job security regardless of academic success. Better teaching material and better qualified teachers could help remedy this situation. (CHK)

An investigation was undertaken to assess student attitudes toward learning and using French and their reasons for studying it. It was felt that a more thorough investigation of these issues might help to broaden knowledge of some of the non-educational, social consequences of immersion programs. English-speaking students in sixth and eleventh…

Enrollment trends and factors that influence foreign language study in colleges and universities are discussed. Most college foreign language programs have emphasized the study of literature and have not been committed to the training of teachers or the teaching of civilization or culture. It appears that students' concern about the job market and…

In accordance with the growing trend in language teaching philosophy towards assessing learner needs before choosing methods and materials, this study concentrates on the attitudes of final year bachelor degree program students towards learning and using English. These 821 students from Thailand, India, and Singapore were majoring in the fields…

A brief discussion of a comparatively large-scale enquiry into attitudes of British students toward the language laboratory. Generally they felt it improved their speech production but had minimal effect on their writing skills. Some of the questions used in the survey are included. (AMH)

A research report summarizes second language study, language training practices, and trainee attitudes toward language learning in the Peace Corps. The two equal parts of the study consist of findings and appendixes. Conclusions are grouped under (1) training practices and trainee attitudes, (2) associations and relationships, and (3) qualitative…

This report examines a five-year pilot French program begun in 1970 with 34 grade eight public school students. The pedagogical approach used was the "conscious-active" method. (DB)

The importance of student attitudes to the target language in second language learning is discussed, and several studies are briefly described relating to language attitudes. (RM)

A knowledge of areas of difficulty as well as their underlying causes is necessary before instructional materials, teaching techniques, and evaluation methods in foreign language instruction can be organized. This research describes three methods of analyzing the problems in foreign language learning and suggests their complementary role in…

The decline in student enrollment in high school and college language programs is seen to be linked directly with student attitudes toward their classroom experiences in foreign language programs. Suggestions concerning teaching techniques for improving student motivation are discussed, and methods which involve the student personally as an active…

Questions in the title refer to reasons for learning a second language, the best time to begin, what language to choose, and methods most likely to succeed. Using examples from Danish language experience, the author urges that language teaching relate more closely to learners' desires, needs, attitudes and mental capacity. (CHK)