Children and youth from refugee backgrounds have complex language experiences owing to their journeys away from their homelands often taking them through multiple contexts. This study was motivated by a desire to better understand the language resources of students newly arrived as refugees in Australia and their embodied and contextualised…

The current study examined cognitive effects of two pathways of second language (L2) acquisition longitudinally in Chinese speakers learning English in an L2-dominant environment. Thirty-nine participants who attended an intensive 10-week English course (L2-instruction group) were compared to 38 participants who attended regular university courses…

This research compared the contributions of lexical inferencing, decoding, and listening comprehension to reading comprehension in Chinese-speaking learners of English as a second language (ESL) enrolled in university bridging programs in the U.S. and Chinese-speaking university learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in mainland China.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of former intensive English program (IEP) Chinese students by concurrently examining national origin, language problems, forms of capital, culture shock, and institutional programming using qualitative case study methods. The findings give us insights into the students' sociocultural and…

While there is a body of research concerning the education of students with migrant or refugee backgrounds, little of this research focuses on primary school-aged children. In order to address this gap, the current paper utilises data gained from an ethnographic study to consider the challenges and opportunities associated with diverse classrooms…

Pedagogical proponents of both communicative language teaching and the postmethod philosophy argue for the importance of considering learners' needs in classroom planning. This requires understanding learners' attitudes toward a variety of classroom realities. The present study reports on the attitudes of 131 adult, international learners of…

A study conducted in the intensive English language program at Indiana University investigated: (1) the effects of students' language learning background (formal learning of English, exposure to and use of English in class, and extracurricular exposure to and use of English) on their performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) has long received federal grant funds under Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to supplement its regular bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs. In 1990-91, AISD was awarded a 3-year grant to serve a population of limited-English-proficient (LEP) high…

Based on a hypothetical situation in which second language learners must attain substantial skills in a very short time, the paper recommends intensive training not in the language itself, but in skills and strategies for learning the language. This requires achieving self-directed learning skills to: create a climate maximizing learning; identify…

A study examined variability in learner progress through a pre-university intensive English-as-a-Second-Language program as it relates to 36 language learning background variables (e.g., formal English training and exposure, motivation, etc.) and four entry-level proficiency variables. Subjects were 201 Indiana University students. Success was…

All incoming students at the Defense Language Institute now participate in a 3-hour workshop to prepare students better, psychologically, for the experience of learning a foreign language in an intensive program. The workshop includes an attitude survey constructed by researchers, discussion of a questionnaire on the myths and realities of foreign…

A study investigated factors in the dropout and progression of students from 33 programs in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in England and Wales. Data were gathered in student and teacher surveys. Results indicate a high level of student movement to and from ESOL classes. In intensive courses, more students were graded and more came…

A study investigated the reliability of international students' English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) class performance as a predictor of academic performance. Subjects were 169 international students at Portland State University (Oregon) whose freshman and sophomore grade point averages (GPAs) and English language test scores for each language skill…

A survey of 43 intensive English-as-a-Second-Language programs in higher education institutions resulted in a scheme for classifying innovative policies and practices in these categories: curriculum development; personnel; technology; policy and planning; community and campus liaison; faculty development; student placement and evaluation;…