Analyzes the effectiveness of e-mail as a tool to promote foreign language learning. Identifies the following features of the foreign language generated through the electronic medium: greater amount of language; more variety of topics and language functions; higher level of language accuracy; more similarity with oral language; more…

Investigates the potential role of Internet resources as a means to gain a deeper sense of the culture of the Spanish-speaking world for college students. Data collected demonstrate that the Web is a suitable tool to increase language and cultural knowledge, as well as a means to increase motivation. Pedagogical implications are discussed.…

This case study is an exploratory investigation of the learning opportunities provided by a Web-based Master of Science program in TESOL. Begins with a description of the course and its components and aims to evaluate the potential of the Web for delivering graduate level programs. Also compares this delivery with both classroom-based and…

Focuses on teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Quebec at the elementary and secondary levels. Highlights the educational system and second language requirements, educational reform, and professionals and parents advancing ESL instruction. (Author/VWL)

Describes the growth of English language education in South Korea, focusing on daily life in English; English in elementary secondary education; English in conversation/proprietary schools; Internet English instruction; English in junior colleges and colleges; teaching English as a Second or Other Language (TESOL) certificate programs; American,…

Examines the situation of Quebec's First Nations setting. Discusses problems raised by certain verbal tasks required for Atikamekw students in an Atikamekw-French bilingual program. Suggests that both first and second language pedagogy must take into account the ethnolinguistic characteristics of the students' social background and that an…

Suggests that by nurturing a pleasant, meaningful, and self-motivating atmosphere, Fluency First reading and writing assignments prove rewarding to teachers and students alike. Fluency First is a systematic set of activities for developing fluency and then focusing on clarity and correctness. It was designed and implemented by English for academic…

Describes the multicultural language practices used at Western Hills Elementary School in Denver, Colorado. Discusses social and cultural dimensions of learning and their relationships to second language acquisition. Describes exploring cultural diversity through school-wide themes, encouraging second-language development for teachers and…

Describes the procedures followed in developing a theme-based English-as-a-foreign-language curriculum to be implemented nationwide in the Republic of Lebanon. The description covers the procedures followed in forming curricular objectives, developing perspectives on instruction, setting criteria for material selection and adaptation, and devising…

Discusses the challenges and difficulties of Slavic languages, a field that is notoriously cyclical and is currently at the bottom of a cycle. The article chronicles the history of Slavic studies in relation to political developments since World War II, draws parallels between current trends in Slavic and other modern language programs, and sees…

Describes Montessori's vision of young children as natural linguists and how home and school can support children's natural abilities in one or more languages. Presents five basic principles of second-language acquisition--related to educational environment, the acquisition process, components of proficiency, and cultural context and time--and…

Introduces the technique of computer-aided error analysis, a new approach to analyzing learner errors in second-language learning. Data used to demonstrate the technique consist of a 150,000-word corpus of English written by intermediate and advanced-level French-speaking learners. The study concludes that error analysis is worthwhile,…

Secondary school teachers invented a context for Louisiana's Eighth Grade French and Spanish Proficiency/Credit Exams based on real-life situations students would encounter on class trips to Disney's EPCOT Center. Test activities assess performance in four language skills areas: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Students' reaction to this…

Reports on a preliminary stage of a project funded by the Federal Office of Public Health in Switzerland to gain insights into physician-patient communication regarding Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and apply findings to their teaching programs. Particular focus is on aspects of communication relating to primary prevention of HIV and…

Reports on the Minnesota Articulation Project, providing an overview of the projects' three principal working groups: political action, curriculum, and assessment. The article then outlines the theoretical underpinnings of the proficiency-based assessment instruments developed in French, German, and Spanish and describes in detail the content and…