A curriculum is a form of politics (Apple, 1993). The politics of a curriculum defines what is legitimate and valued and what is not. In Taiwan, the objectives of vocational high school (VHS) education are to prepare students to acquire relevant professional knowledge and practical skills and to integrate them into their future career development.…

This study of 134 college-level learners of German, enrolled in four years of instruction, showed them to "essentialize" German grammar when asked to describe it to a hypothetical friend. Kubota defined the term essentialization to capture learners' views of the target culture. Its main characteristic is the presupposition of "essential, stable,…

Language learner strategies (LLS) have long been viewed as a variable of individual differences, or as cognitive skills. This study, focusing as it does on the data taken from a series of focus groups with 47 senior secondary students in mainland China, seeks a new interpretation of strategy development and use from a sociocultural perspective.…

It is proposed that language instruction focusing more on sociocultural aspects would enhance commmunicative competence. Three broad objectives are discussed: (1) an understanding of certain basic sociocultural patterns expressed by the language; (2) awareness of the language's diversity; and (3) familiarity with certain fundamental…

Describes the method and the instructional materials entitled "Contacts," which were developed specifically for Nigeria. The discussion covers the use of audiovisual supplementary material, the essentially African sociocultural reference of the text, the methodology peculiar to the Nigeria plurilingual situation, and the goals for both…

This article reports on the life history narratives of nine female EFL teachers working in higher education in Japan. An interpretive qualitative analysis of the stories suggested that gender cannot be viewed as a free-floating attribute of individual subjectivities but rather must be seen as one of many components in an ever-evolving network of…

The relationship between language and culture is examined briefly, and instructional approaches to developing cultural awareness in language students, particularly Chinese students of English as a Second Language (ESL), are discussed. It is noted that effective cross-cultural communication requires an understanding of culture's role in governing…

This publication is a discussion of what is known today about learning and teaching English as a second language, also known as TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages). The discussion is divided into three sections: (1) the historical development of the field in the United States; (2) the domains of TESOL; and (3) the teacher, the…

This instructional guide for Alberta's (Canada) secondary school program in French second language instruction presents instructional plans and describes specific classroom techniques and activities for listening comprehension and oral production. Section 1 outlines the overall objectives and structure of the program. Section 2 addresses the…

Provides an evaluation of a 30-year experience in teaching Italian to German-speaking elementary school children in an upper northeast region of Italy. Analyzes degrees of bilingualism and sociocultural contact, emphasizing the need for culturally oriented, carefully structured materials and instruction by specially trained teachers. (MES)

The curriculum guides for foreign language and intercultural education programs in United States dependents schools overseas provide instructional ideas designed to promote learning about the language and culture of the host nation. The series, covering kindergarten through eighth grade, was written by host nation teachers, classroom teachers, and…

Overviews differences regarding goals and approaches for foreign language (FL) education and identifies obstacles to consensus. The author situates the different discourse communities interested in FL education, and the contexts providing the "raison d'etre" for these differences. Two responses to this overview and the author's reaction to them…

Recognizing that different groups of students have different reasons for learning a second language, different language needs, and different intellectual capacities and abilities, this guide presents recommended language skills for an eclectic approach to English as a second language instruction. The language and reading scope and sequence for…

The curriculum guides for foreign language and intercultural education programs in United States dependents schools overseas provide instructional ideas designed to promote learning about the language and culture of the host nation. The series, covering kindergarten through eighth grade, was written by host nation teachers, classroom teachers, and…

A discussion of the practice of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teaching calls for an instructional strategy integrating traditional methods and the communicative approach. Components of traditional teaching methods (grammar instruction, correction, dictation, dialogue, and native language use) are linked with communicative questioning…