In discussions about relationships between research and pedagogy, teachers and researchers are often characterized as facing each other across a "gap" that separates them. Teachers are described as having practical concerns about their own classrooms and little patience for "theoretical" issues. Researchers are described as…

One of the challenges facing second and foreign language (L2) teachers and learners in primary and secondary school settings is the limited amount of time available. There is disagreement about how to meet this challenge. In this paper we argue against two 'common sense' recommendations for increasing instructional time -- start as early as…

There is increasing consensus that form-focused instruction helps learners in communicative or content-based instruction to learn features of the target language that they may not acquire without guidance. The subject of this article is the role of instruction that is provided in separate (isolated) activities or within the context of…

We report the results of a 2-year longitudinal comparison of grade 3 and grade 4 English-as-a-second-language learners in an experimental, comprehension-based program and those in a regular (i.e., more typical) language learning program. The goal was to examine the extent to which sustained, long-term comprehension practice in both listening and…

Reports on a study designed to investigate the second language development of francophone children in an experimental intensive English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program in Quebec. Results indicated that subjects outperformed students in regular ESL programs on listening and reading comprehension tests and in oral fluency and had more positive…

Reviews research on the effectiveness of recasts in first and second language acquisition, paying particular attention to how recasts have been defined and how their impact has been assessed in observational and experimental studies. Concludes that recasts appear to be most effective in contexts where it is clear to the learner that the recast is…

Responds to Sheen's (2002) critique of a review article on the relationship between second language acquisition research and classroom second and foreign language teaching. The focus of the response is to clarify points made in both a 1985 and the 2000 articles and challenging Sheen's interpretation of those points. (Author/VWL)

Reports on a study that examined the extent to which learners can make explicit first language rules that appear to influence their second language performance. The learners were 11- and 12-year-old francophone students learning English in intensive communicative English-as-a-Second-Language classes in Quebec. (Author/VWL)

The English-as-a-second-language teacher's role is explored, with five specific areas of responsibility elaborated: (1) providing comprehensible input; (2) preparing learners to cope with nonclassroom language; (3) providing references and resource materials; (4) providing focused instruction in particular areas of language; and (5) providing…

Describes a school in Quebec, in which students enrolled in an intensive English-as-a-Second-Language program (ESL) use English in a variety of communicative interactions inside and outside the ESL classroom. Assessment of students' performance indicates that they achieve higher levels of English than comparable students in other intensive ESL…

Describes a study which examines "introducer forms" used by English as a second language learners to initiate picture descriptions. Results suggest that students receiving formal second language instruction process the input data in ways which are more "acquisition-like" and often not consistent with what the teacher intends…

Response to criticism of oral grammar correction in second-language (L2) instruction which argues that while there are challenges and complexities in providing effective feedback, error correction should not be abandoned. Continued systematic, rigorous research to investigate whether different types of feedback are more effective, and to what…

Explores the vocabulary available in English-as-a-Second-Language classes in which teachers have made a strong commitment to a communicative approach to language teaching. Provides an account of problems that were encountered in an attempt to establish a rich lexical environment in one classroom. (Author/VWL)

Observed primary and secondary classrooms in which students received instruction in their second language (L2), interviewed teachers about students' knowledge and use of the first language and second language, and examined the students' ability to understand and produce written and oral samples in their L2. Students were Inuits in Northern Quebec…

Analyzes the social and educational objectives for teaching English as a second language in Quebec schools. Further research is needed about appropriate teaching methods and appropriate ages for beginning instruction. The sociopolitical context of Quebec must be considered to assign highest priority to developing students' native languages. (CB)