Teaching creatively in ESP might in certain cases present some appropriate solutions to the teaching situation and, more importantly, boost students' confidence and motivation towards achieving some of the course objectives. Based on a case study, this paper displays some of the results obtained through a limited scope research conducted with…

The demand for Spanish for specific purposes (SSP) university courses in the United States has prompted widespread curricular change in language departments over the last two decades (Klee, 2015; Sánchez-López, 2013). However, many instructors lack the tools and training needed to design SSP curricula that meet learners' communicative needs in…

Problem Statement: Teaching a language with the help of computers and the Internet has attracted the attention of many practitioners and researchers in the last 20 years, so the number of studies that investigate whether computers and the Internet promote language learning continues to increase. These studies have focused on exploring the beliefs…

English for General Purposes (EGP) is a foundation course which should be taken by all the undergraduate students at the University of Tabriz, Iran. However, the EGP course cannot meet the students' objectives and needs. Evidently, it has some shortcoming and the results of the study indicate that it not only has lost its credibility but also has…

Web-based distance education is an innovative modality of instruction in Colombia. It is characterized by the separation of the teacher and learners, the use of technological tools and the students' autonomy development. This paper reports the findings of a case study that explores students' perceptions about an English reading comprehension…

Research into Singapore English (SgE) has undergone many paradigm shifts from the 1970s to the present. This paper first begins with a consideration of how variation in the English language used in Singapore has been studied. It then identifies the two main varieties of English commonly described in Singapore, namely, Standard SgE (SSE) and…

The literature suggests that teachers may rely more often on intuition when making course planning decisions than on informed assessment of learners' needs (Barkhuizen 1998; Spratt 1999). This article proposes a more principled alternative to the intuitive approach, based on the use of teacher-designed class-specific questionnaires intended to…

Presents the results of a survey investigating foreign language needs in the legal profession. Questions in the survey focused on the foreign languages most relevant to the profession, entrance requirements regarding the level of knowledge of the foreign language, training requirements in the foreign language, and potential uses of the target…

Discusses the importance of clear objectives, pleasant learning atmosphere, and positive attitudes in the second language classroom handling low-ability students. A student questionnaire form is appended. (AM)

Presents the results of a research project involving language teachers in Italy, their use of the target language (TL) and its interrelationship with collaborative and independent learning. The investigation was conducted by asking 21 Italian teachers of English to fill in a questionnaire concerning their beliefs regarding classroom use of TL. (15…

Examines the extent to which foreign language use should play a prominent part in a course. The article discusses subject knowledge; factors affecting students' language skills; course objectives, structure and content; student reaction to questions about tutor input and the topics appropriate for teaching in the foreign language; and perceived…

Reports on the case of a university student studying English as a Second Language who disliked the informal writing of dialogue journals. Implications from the case suggest the need for researchers and practitioners to consider students' perspectives when employing nontraditional writing assignments. (53 references) (Author/CK)

STIMULATED BY THE NEED FOR A REVIVED INTEREST IN AND IMPROVEMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS IN AUSTRALIA, THIS 1964 SURVEY, UNDERTAKEN AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL AS A SUPPLEMENT TO A SURVEY MADE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS, WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE STATE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN UNIVERSITIES, AND…

Discusses the need to polish the foreign language skills of second-language teachers during their professional training. This training should concentrate primarily on the improvement of confidence in spontaneous target language use and grammatical accuracy and should also emphasize pedagogical development and reflection. (one reference) (CK)

Discusses the possibility of most students attaining a communicative proficiency in a language other than English. A case study of a school is presented that includes information and opinions gathered from parents and an outline "depth" curriculum for this school. (14 references) (Author/CK)