A pilot study was designed to examine student perspectives on the first two years of the foreign language program at an east coast college. The study addresses key areas of foreign language teaching and learning in terms of goals and objectives, effectiveness of instruction and instructional approach, and student suggestions for improvement. The…

The formative evaluation of a new Malaysian secondary school language curriculum is described. Reasons for choosing formative over summative evaluation are examined, and implementation of the evaluation to date is detailed. In the first two phases, state education officials were trained in principles and procedures of program evaluation, including…

The piloting of a new English language curriculum in Singapore's lower primary and lower secondary school in 1992 is described in three sections: (1) reasons for revising the existing curriculum; (2) objectives and procedures of the pilot testing; and (3) findings. The existing curriculum, implemented in the early 1980s, was found to be too…

A project is reported that developed a test for students in foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) programs. Relevant tests in Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL) were reviewed in order to develop a listening and reading test that could determine achievement in a typical FLES curriculum. Pilot testing was conducted with 121…

Five units of instruction for teaching vocabulary and higher order thinking skills in foreign language classes are presented. Introductory material considers the differences between language fluency and communication, and lists higher order thinking skills as: (1) classifying, verifying, hypothesizing; (2) making associations and generalizing; (3)…

The status of state foreign language programs is reviewed, and recommendations are made to improve the quality of foreign language education in North Carolina. The Foreign Language Curriculum Study Committee identified major language education issues in North Carolina, collected background information and data pertaining to these issues, analyzed…

The report presented here is a follow-up and complement to a first report, which was submitted in 1978 to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alaska (Fairbanks). The general question underlying this report concerns the adequacy or inadequacy of this university's program offerings with respect to foreign language (FL)…

The undergraduate translation curriculum at Kearney State College, Nebraska, is described. The program treats translation as an academic discipline as well as a vocational skill. Students are taught the theory and practice of translation and interpretation in their choice of German, French, or Spanish. Two semesters are spent on translation…

This program was designed to permit students to enroll in elementary Spanish in any academic term. A lesson packet containing five parts was designed to accompany a regular text for first-year college Spanish. During the first week of classes, the students meet in a large group for instruction on how to learn a language and how to use the…

A review of the literature concerning second language program evaluation looks at definitions of program evaluation, approaches taken to it, and the purposes that evaluation has fulfilled. Use of program evaluation to educate those working in or with second-language programs is recommended. (MSE)

Suggests meaningful reward structures and programs to help foreign language junior faculty members develop as effective researchers, teachers, and members of a community of scholars, focusing on tenure criteria, collegiality, and congruence. (CB)

Distinguishes between second language learning and second language acquisition by considering the effectiveness of school foreign language programs. It is pointed out that the level of communicative competence or fluency achieved in such programs by foreign students is not that of native speakers. (CB)

A successful advanced college-level French conversation course using French theater as a basis for students to learn oral skills has six phases: an overview of the history of French theater, reading, adaptation of the text, rehearsal-readings, final rehearsals, and performance. (MSE)

Describes the undergraduate internship in conversation at New Mexico State University, a course which attempts to improve the oral communication of basic language classes. The course offers undergraduates opportunities to hold conversations with more advanced undergraduates in weekly meetings. In order to make the class nonthreatening, neither…

The use of animated films as instructional materials in second language instruction at the postsecondary level or earlier is encouraged, and the use of one specific film in intermediate-level French instruction is outlined. A list of recommended films is included.