This article examines the relationship between ethnic group affiliation (one's sense of belonging to a primary ethnic group) and second-language (L2) pronunciation accuracy defined here as native-like, nonaccented L2 speech or L2 speech that contains no first language (L1) influences. The study addressed these questions: (a) Is there a…

Related literature indicates that the Internet has an important role and great potential in foreign language learning. It is also obvious that attitudes of learners affect learning process significantly. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of foreign language learners and to find the relationship between attitudes and subject variables.…

The aim of this paper is to summarise how pronunciation feedback on the phoneme level should be given in computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) in order to be effective. The study contains a literature survey of feedback in the language classroom, interviews with language teachers and their students about their attitudes towards…

This National Profile has been prepared as the United States' participation in Phase I of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement's international study of language learning on the secondary level. It presents a complete outline of the state of foreign language learning in the United States from grades 1-12 for…

A study investigated how teaching students of English as a Second Language (ESL) about American culture would affect their attitudes toward both American and their native cultures. Subjects were 61 freshman and sophomore Thai students of English in a Thai university, divided into an experimental group (n=31), which attended a course on American…

The testing of 32,000 students in Australia and New Zealand participating in The Australian Language Certificates (ALC) provided the opportunity to examine students' attitude and learning preferences when studying a language other than English. The ALC offered the opportunity to learn seven languages in a Languages Other Than English (LOTE)…

A 3-year study on Japanese language instruction is reported. The project included the following: investigation of the feasibility of teaching high school and college second language students learning strategies for developing language proficiency; development of related instructional materials; and description of the impact of instruction on…

This study sought to address three questions related to the pronunciation of Spanish by non-native speakers: (1) does the pronunciation of upper-intermediate become "fossilized?"; (2) is their a relationship between quality of pronunciation and amount of improvement?; and (3) when judging degrees of "foreignness," are…

Results of a survey of students of the University of Dublin concerning their language learning experiences and attitudes are reported. The study was undertaken within a larger study of self-directed language learning. The questionnaire had seven sections. The first and largest covered these topics related to students' language background: (1) the…

Studies conducted concerning numbers of limited-English-speaking-ability (LESA) students and utility of criteria for estimating this population are discussed. A sample of 287 students in kindergarten through grade three, whose parents had responded to a Language Resource Questionnaire, were selected for study. The teacher of each student was…

This is a preliminary report on the world-wide state of foreign language teaching and learning today, based on a study conducted by the FIPLV in cooperation with UNESCO. Information was collected by means of a questionnaire mailed to: all multilingual national and unilingual international language teachers' associations which are members of FIPLV;…

The primary purpose of this study was to provide an actuarial picture of the extent and nature of the non-English-speaking population in the Toronto Public Schools. The study attempted to ascertain the correlation between reading level and grade level of these pupils. Some indication of their mobility was also sought. Such information has…

Presents findings of a survey of Australian distance education students who were enrolled in foreign language courses in higher education institutions. Distance language teaching and learning are discussed, and highlights of the questionnaire used in the survey include student profiles, course components, facilities and support services, and…

Discussion of computer-assisted language learning highlights a British study with elementary, secondary and university Spanish language students that incorporated speech synthesis and interactive video. The Multifacet Language Laboratory is described, software used is explained, student and teacher reactions are discussed, and a sample of the…

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) is a tool for developing learner responsibility and autonomy through reflection and self-awareness.The ELP is based on the Common European Framework (CEF) Reference Levels that enable learners to describe what they can do in different languages.The CEF is a Council of Europe initiative aimed at improving the…