The Summer Language Houses (SLH) in French, German, and Spanish at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been extremely effective in teaching language skills and encouraging students to continue language study. The five-week intensive language programs at the second-year level emphasize oral communication but provide practice in all language…

A study was designed to assess French second language proficiency, native language skills, and academic achievement of students in an intensive French program in an English language school in Montreal. Subjects consisted of three groups of grade 4 and three groups of grade 5 students, each grade level having one group from the intensive French…

The reading skill development of anglophone kindergarten children in French immersion programs in Canada is the subject of the two papers included in this document. The first paper describes a study that examined the English reading ability of both kindergarten and first grade children in immersion programs and compared the results with those of…

Research suggests that the learner is the only one who knows, intuitively, the relationship between the objectives of the evaluation and his or her actual knowledge at any given time. Experience shows that students use some form of self-assessment in the normal classroom setting. The University of Ottawa's Centre for Second Language Learning…

This evaluation report of the Newark (New Jersey) School District's ESEA Title I program examines its eight major components as well as student performance in noncognitive areas and parental involvement. Included among the program components are the Language Experience Program (LEP), Computational Skills Project (CSP), Program for English…

One of ten studies commissioned to investigate research needs and to stimulate planning activities, this paper identifies and summarizes key issues within the area of second language teaching. The discussion is developed in three main sections: (1) a summary of research efforts from 1960-1980; (2) identification of research gaps; and (3) statement…

A study of 215 Temple University (Pennsylvania) students investigated patterns in achievement (as measured by course level and grade), language attitudes, attitudes toward and acquaintance with Spanish speakers, and foreign travel experience. Results support previous studies and suggest that the relationship between attitudes and foreign-language…

A discussion of student and program assessment in the context of Chinese language instruction looks at theory and methods of assessment, and proposes that norm-referenced language proficiency testing is inadequate to evaluate student achievement and program effectiveness. It is further proposed that criterion-referenced tests are more appropriate…

This paper describes the partial immersion program (PIP) at Key Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. In this program, which has completed its seventh year, half the day is taught in English and half in Spanish. The review of the program, which included classroom observations, teacher and staff interviews, and student assessment, revealed a…

Two models of content-based second language instruction are compared. The two models, French language immersion and mainstreaming, are illustrated in two case studies that focus on how minority language children fare in kindergarten programs. The first case study is of a native Cantonese-speaking child enrolled in an early French immersion program…

The method used for assessing German language majors and minors at Bradley University (Illinois) is described. The method uses multiple assessment techniques, and has seven parts: (1) a re-taking of the German entry placement examination; (2) review of results of a two-part exit survey (questionnaire appended), designed to obtain information about…

A recent evaluation of the effect of a Nepalese language teacher training program on student language learning is described and discussed, focusing on the difficulties faced by external evaluators working in difficult circumstances and not on study results. The program provided inservice training for secondary school teachers of English as a…

The implementation of the elementary magnet school program in Montgomery County (Maryland) from 1983 through 1985 and the racial balance changes experienced in these schools are discussed. Ten elementary schools in Area 1 and four of seven elementary schools in Area 2 operate magnet programs; these 14 schools comprise the study sample. The…

In order to bring about some continuity and coherence among the various English for Special Purposes (ESP) courses at the Universidad Simon Bolivar, a systematization project was undertaken. The purpose was to provide general guidelines for the production and future revision of materials while taking into account the specific characteristics of…

The second phase of a study of the impact of English language training programs on adult Southeast Asian refugees involved on-site visits to 22 intensive programs in eight metropolitan areas: San Diego, Seattle, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Northern Virginia/Washington, DC, and Stockton, California. Programs represented a wide…