This study reviews current research seeking to determine the relative importance of methodology upon success in language learning programs. Six language classes, instructed for a full academic year according to either the principles of the audiolingual or cognitive code language learning theory, were the focus of an experiment to statistically…

This book provides a descriptive discussion of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), examining its origins, scope, and directions and looking at its connections to other disciplines. It also incorporates results of a survey of 104 CALL practitioners in 18 countries. The first two chapters set CALL in historical and interdisciplinary…

This paper highlights the possibilities that Internet technology presents for the creation of an online, dynamic learning environment for language learners. Rather than simply use the Internet to deliver course content, the paper demonstrates the learning process can benefit from the interactive, self-directed, and self-authoring potential of the…

This book details the experiences of a teacher in a Haitian-populated preschool in an urban area of the United States, focusing on the development of literacy and English as a second language. An introductory chapter describes the children, some of their personal and cultural background, their classroom demeanor, and the context in which they were…

Finds that, among 117 Mexican-American second and fifth graders from Spanish-dominant homes, reading comprehension gains were proportionately much smaller in summer than the school year, while summer and school year gains in auditory vocabulary were similar. Discusses family, peer, and classroom influences on distinct language skills. (SV)

The 2008 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, a joint conference with the Michigan World Language Association, focused on learning about the diverse backgrounds and needs of today's students and discovering new ways to help them succeed in reaching the goal of language proficiency. A wide variety of workshops and…

This digest presents eight principles drawn from theory and research on second language acquisition and culturally sensitive instruction to guide teachers who work with linguistically and culturally diverse students. Each principle is accompanied by a brief explanation and suggestions for classroom techniques and activities. They are: (1)…

This report explores ways in which instructional conversations between a teacher and her students contributed to building an academic community in a transitional bilingual fourth-grade classroom. Through an analysis of reading lesson transcripts, classroom events, and student essays and journal assignments, the report shows how classroom…

A study investigated Koreans' use and misuse of the English passive, from a pragmatic perspective, with attention to the possible source of errors. Subjects were 200 college students at two universities in Korea who were English majors or minors or taking English as an elective course, divided equally between sophomores and juniors. The subjects…

The use of mass media as a means of learning a foreign language from the beginning of language study is discussed. Using the media enables many of the features of the natural language acquisition process to be brought into play in a way that much current language teaching material does not. This position is supported by recent research into the…

The major approaches to language teaching (audiolingual method, generative grammar, Community Language Learning and Silent Way) are investigated to discover whether or not they are compatible in structure with an information-processing model of memory (IPM). The model of memory used was described by Roberta Klatzky in "Human Memory:…

This article describes the seminar on research in adult language education held in Nancy, France, in June, 1977. It includes reports on the four roundtables and gives details concerning organization and membership, as well as a list of the topics that were discussed. The four roundtables addressed the issues of student needs and motivation,…

This volume presents two papers synthesizing current research in second-language acquisition and reactions to these papers from the point of view of researchers in foreign language learning. The introduction by Rosario Gingras provides an overview of the research in second-language acquisition as it applies to foreign language teaching. A…

This selected bibliography on language learners' systems and error analysis is divided into five section. Section 1 deals with the notion of approximative or intermediate systems and interlanguage, and with more classical studies on contrastive analysis. Section 2 focuses on the concept and definition of learner errors and includes items dealing…

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the theoretical concept of a syllabus by specifying important variables and priorities in its preparation and application. The scope and nature of the syllabus are discussed, followed by an examination of learning processes and strategies. The focus of the syllabus is seen as being fluency and flexibility,…