The aim of the current study is to evaluate a preparatory progfram of a foreign language teaching department longitudinally via Patton's Utilization Focused Program Evaluation. More specifically, the study scrutinizes the pros, cons and aspects to be improved in the program, and whether the program contributes to overall English proficiency in two…

Autonomy and self-learning are ongoing challenges for universities generally, and for their language centres specifically when it comes to language learning and acquisition. The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia has always paid attention to both fostering autonomy in its learners and developing customized language learning activities. Among…

Teaching of English in Saudi Arabia (KSA) is on top priority these days. Linguists, researchers, pedagogues and teachers have different perceptions and views regarding the approaches/methods/techniques of teaching of English in EFL/ESL classrooms. In today's modern learning scenario, it is believed that appropriate utilization of sophisticated…

This paper reports on a study which examined students' attitudes to learning grammar in autonomous contexts and their preferences for the learning materials with which to do so. In all, 38 students were surveyed and 13 of these then spent some time working in a language resource centre (LRC) with web- and paper-based materials. Students then…

As blended language learning environments evolve within tertiary foreign language institutions, issues of power with regards to the privileging of electronic technologies come to the fore. Blended learning, or the principled mix of online and classroom-based activities, challenges the practices of traditional CALL and face-to-face teaching within…

High school language laboratories have been modernized and redefined to become "Language Resource Centers" which should serve not only as language laboratories but also as resource centers, the focal point for all language instruction, and as a clearinghouse for multiple, flexible instructional approaches. (Author/CB)

An experiment was carried out at the University of Edinburgh to discover ways in which students might be helped to understand spoken language and to become more confident in their interactions in the language. As a result of the experiment findings, materials were designed to train students to perceive stress patterns, to internalize stress-timing…

Describes problems associated with listening to recorded materials and the benefits of using a speech compressor/expander. The device speeds up or slows down recorded speech without distortions and has been used with success in second language instruction, research, and testing. (JN)

Analysis of the literature of second language learning as applied to language laboratory use suggests that the emphasis be placed on listening comprehension prior to and independent of productive oral use of the target language, both to establish comprehension and to sustain student motivation. (MSE)

Discusses the reasons for growing disenchantment with the language laboratory and introduces a novel approach to advanced listening comprehension exercises based on recordings of professional entertainers. Analyzes the sketches as examples of authentic discourse, as illustrations of different speech registers and regional variants, and as vehicles…

The Office of Education, in cooperation with the Modern Language Association of America, conducted a survey of language laboratories in secondary schools and institutions of higher education during the school year 1957-58. The procedure was to send a short questionnaire to all the schools and colleges known to have a language laboratory and…

A study at Haifa University (Israel) investigated the feasibility of a diagnostic test for dyslexia at the college level, among students studying English as a Second Language (ESL). This process and the development of remedial ESL reading materials for this population, to be used in the language laboratory as a supplement to regular ESL courses,…

Describes the use of language lab materials supplied by the pedagogical journal "Russkij Jazyk Za Rubezom" in an advanced Russian-language class. Each week students were given a relevant picture and vocabulary list prior to listening to a taped story. The story was used as the basis for conversation. (LMO)

A model for introducing English-as-a-Second-Language learners to the language laboratory component of a modern "Language Acquisition Resource Center" (LARC) at a metropolitan university is presented. Emphasis is on audio materials, but many of the LARC suggestions are applicable to video and computerized materials as well. (Contains 16…

This collection of articles offers advice on concerns and decisions in planning or remodeling a language learning center, incorporation of satellite reception in the language lab, coping with different television standards and technologies in the language lab, testing language skills, and the role of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in language…