Internationally, the trend of student-centered learning in higher education has emphasized the importance of aligning student learning outcomes with corresponding assessment methods. This study is conducted at a university in Vietnam by investigating 32 sets of syllabi and test specifications varied from English Language programs to English as a…

This study examines the perceptions of employers, university authorities, English teachers and students concerning needs to promote English achievement in a Mexican university. By drawing on data collected from focus groups and questionnaires, the evidence suggests that there are several needs which hinder the attainment of English objectives in…

This study reports on how a heterogeneous mixed-ability large class (63 students) turned into a cohesive and functioning class. To promote learner autonomy, students were made responsible to identify their own needs and objectives. The participants of this study consisted of undergraduate chemistry students who had taken the English for General…

Explores the concept and goals of a "full-service" college foreign language department, which would offer a wide variety of courses and programs, reach out to a broad segment of the academic community, and attempt to develop collaborative, mutually beneficial programs with other departments. (CB)

Describes the goals and responsibilities of the Institute of Latin American Studies at Liverpool University, including brief biographical sketches of staff members and a listing of research in progress. (CB)

Study in language, literature, and culture has long been a defining feature of education in the liberal arts. Speaking, reading, and writing have traditionally stood at the heart of education because the arts of language and the tools of literacy are key qualifications for full participation in social, political, economic, and cultural life. Today…

Argues for the viability of international education as the primary guiding principle for foreign language education, pointing out how foreign language programs can teach about language, history, values, and beliefs of other national groups and foster more effective interactions in political, cultural, economic, and global realms. (15 references)…

Explores recent reports on the state of education and on the language education profession's response to recommendations for improving instruction and suggests that language educators unite to clarify for the profession and for others what is being done in foreign language education. (CB)

Analyzes the objectives of foreign language teaching at the higher education level from the perspective of languages for specific purposes (LSP) and suggests that specifying the purpose of language teaching objectives in foreign language degree programs can contribute both to the practical relevance of graduates' proficiency and to the inner…

ARTICULATION PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY A 3-YEAR STUDY OF STUDENTS WHO HAD BEGUN THEIR LANGUAGE STUDY IN AN ARIZONA HIGH SCHOOL AND CONTINUED THE STUDY OF THE SAME LANGUAGE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA. PROBLEMS INCLUDE AN ADMINISTRATION POLICY WHICH PERMITS MOST UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO REPEAT LANGUAGE STUDY AT THEIR OWN DISCRETION, POOR HIGH…

Describes the projects of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education's (ASHE) Foreign Language Consortium, established through federal funding in 1985 to enhance teacher training programs. The impact of the Consortium on foreign language instruction in Alabama is discussed. (Author/CB)

Discusses a case of language program revitalization at a major metropolitan university. Results of a pilot study aimed at assessing students' needs and redefining the goals and objectives of a traditional French program are presented. (Author/VWL)

Failures and successes in teaching commercial foreign languages will speak for themselves. However, the profession must not foster exaggerated expectations of mastery in such a broad field, but must state honestly and realistically, with clear limits, what the commercial language course's goals are. In a college course enrolling somewhat…

Twelve public universities in Colombia, responding to a questionnaire regarding the current status of English for specific purposes, indicated that they distinguished between general English classes for persons specializing in languages and special classes for those studying other fields through program organization, instructors, goals and…

Two papers concerning secondary school language training are presented. "Foreign Language Training: Bridging the Gap between High School and College," by Michele R. Morris, outlines some of the problems of high school-college second language articulation from the point of view of a college teacher. Student placement in college foreign language…