In order to investigate the internal factors present in the interlanguage of learners of English as a foreign language, a qualitative research study was implemented to analyze the written productions of college students. The main objective of this case study was to identify the type of errors the students made and suggest the cognitive reasons…

This collection of 58 articles from the recently-published third edition of the International Encyclopedia of Education focuses on learning, memory, attention, problem solving, concept formation, and language. Learning and cognition is the foundation of cognitive psychology and encompasses many topics including attention, memory, categorization,…

Related the four scales of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a measure of personality, to learning preferences. The personality types of 491 first- and second-year language students were compared with a sample of 18,592 general college students. Statistically, more thinking and intuitive types were found in the language students. (Author/LMO)

A discussion of language curriculum design for promoting learner autonomy looks at the objectives of such a curriculum, the learning implied by those objectives, and the function and relevance of the learnings. (Author/MSE)

Examines trends in second language (L2) communication strategy (CS) research. A comprehensive review is included of the relevant literature from the last two decades, with particular reference to the different ways in which CSs have been defined and to the corresponding influences on the organization of strategy taxonomies. (92 references)…

Most French students encounter verbal aspect in the first semester although it is one of the more sophisticated concepts. Contrasting the two aspects has long been one of the methods. This article proposes that carefully chosen questions about contrasting pairs may lead to an earlier mastery. (26 references) (Author/CK)

Summarizes current cognitive psychological knowledge concerning second language vocabulary acquisition and discusses implications for the development of effective computer-assisted vocabulary acquisition methods. (85 references) (Author)

Young people entering post-secondary institutions or seeking employment generally require senior high school diplomas. There are few jobs available that do not require advanced levels of many kinds of literacy and most employers will consider only those applicants who have completed senior high school, even for entry-level positions. When English…

A study investigated the interaction of cognitive, cultural, and linguistic factors in second-language concept formation in adults. Specifically, it examined how seven college students in a lower-division intensive Spanish class developed new gender concepts when learning a second language. Course instruction focused on concept construction at…

Illustrates one approach to presenting language as a reflection of culture, taking as a topic the marked tendency in French to use negative terms to express positive concepts. Negation in French becomes a fertile source of pedagogical activities since it allows reflection upon at least three points to help students go beyond the grammatical…

Reviews Bialystok's (1990a) analysis of communication strategy work and describes two studies in which products are interpreted within frameworks illuminating underlying processes of second language (L2) learning. Concludes that products, appropriately analyzed, can provide important insights into the processes of L2 learners. (73 references)…