The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a motivational/attitudinal questionnaire developed for use with francophone students, and to assess the relation of attitudes and motivation to achievement in English. A secondary aim was to evaluate the relation of the context of second language acquisition to attitudes and achievement.…

This report is an evaluation of an exploratory program in foreign languages called "Foreign Language Appreciation" (F.L.A.), which has been implemented in several schools in Baltimore County, Maryland. Questionnaires designed to evaluate the program in general were sent to F.L.A. teachers; questions concentrated on the areas of…

Linguistic competence in English (LCE) as a foreign language has been acknowledged as an important determinant of academic success in higher education. The purpose of this study is to determine the LCE profiles of Mexican freshman students as well as the main factors associated with differences in linguistic competence between proficient and poor…

This report presents findings from an investigation of the perceptions, beliefs, and expectations of English-as-a-Second- Language (ESL) educators as they work toward including students with limited English proficiency (LEP) in Minnesota's High Standards. More and more states are implementing standards-based educational systems in which all…

This paper examines the results of a questionnaire on reading ability in English by Japanese college students, which was formerly analyzed using raw scores, from the viewpoint of Rasch measured scores. In the Rasch analysis, the basic requirements for measuring are the following: (1) reduction of experience to one dimensional abstraction; (2)…

This paper reports the initial findings of a survey of family and home literacy factors that may influence the development of phonological awareness skills for preliterate English learners during the acquisition phase of reading development in a second language (L2). Preliminary findings are from the first year of a 3-year longitudinal study of…

This dissertation is a qualitative case study examining the feelings, attitudes, and opinions of secondary school, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students toward collaborative e-mail exchange for the purpose of learning English between 10th and 11th grade between students in Hong Kong and Green River, Iowa, USA. The research looks at the…

A study investigated the use of the Internet in writing instruction in English as a foreign language (EFL). Subjects were 24 students majoring in English at a Taiwan college. At the beginning of the writing course, several Internet program were introduced to all the students, and students were reminded of the potential for use of the Internet…

This book addresses the special needs of adults studying English, particularly those who have immigrated to English-speaking countries. It provides a useful summary of the principles involved in teaching adults as well as a wealth of activities specially designed for adult learners. The book is divided into three sections. Section 1 contains an…

This paper reports on the results of a small-scale survey of the attitudes of instructors of non-language subjects towards the use of English as a medium of instruction in Turkish universities, where Turkish is the native language of the great majority of the students. The sample of this study consisted of 100 instructors at the universities in…

Discusses a survey conducted to assess the correlation between student concepts of an ideal graduate linguist and actual language ability. Little agreement exists among students about what skills an ideal graduate should possess. There is a high level of complacency among respondents regarding their own language ability. (three references) (CK)

This study investigated the effects of two types of bilingual programs (two-way and transitional) on the academic performance and attitudes of fifth-grade students who entered kindergarten or first grade with different levels of English proficiency. A mixed methods design with both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analyses phases…

A study in Finland investigated the relationship of two general aspects of student motivation for second language learning (preference for challenge and curiosity) and motivation specific to the learning situation. Subjects were 292 sixth-graders and 301 eighth-graders, who performed two open and two closed English vocabulary tasks in two…

During a panel discussion on high school-university relations, with reference to language programs, the following problems were isolated: student attitudes toward academic work; non-academically inclined versus academically inclined students; differing levels of proficiency among incoming freshmen; different methodologies; and reduction in…

High school students studying French as a second language in Toronto were administered a questionnaire and a variety of achievement tests in French. Results were analyzed to determine the effects of learner characteristics on the development of second language competence. Four factors in learning success were posited: attitude, strategy, aptitude,…