Designed for continued language learning beyond the beginning level, this workbook provides practice and sets of exercises for improving Romanian through reading and writing. The content areas include history, traditions, language and literature (both prose and poetry). Each unit includes several texts with exercises for use with a tutor or under…

Role-playing is proposed as an ideal technique to teach language because it prepares learners for the unpredictable nature of real-life communication, teaches appropriate language use, and boosts self-confidence. Theories that have paved the way for the current communicative approach to language teaching are reviewed, role-playing is defined, and…

A discussion of second language learning through science content focuses on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learning at the elementary and secondary levels. Principles for integrating language and content instruction are identified, and the benefits of the language-across-the-curriculum approach for ESL learners are examined as they relate to…

A study examined factors in the hierarchical formation of self-concept in English as a second language among bilingual college students. Subjects were 306 students in a Hong Kong institution of higher education, who were administered an academic self-description questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis of the data found distinct self-concepts…

This document (two manuals combined) offers a practical, straightforward means of evaluating the reading level of students in French immersion classes at the elementary level. The evaluator's manual features a good review of the relevant publications in the field and provides clear, detailed descriptions of each of three reading levels, the…

The relationship between the reading comprehension and writing production of non-English speakers was examined in an exploratory study to determine whether knowledge gained through reading academic texts can facilitate the writing of compositions. The 10 subjects were enrolled in a developmental English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) university-level…

This report describes the development, construction, and validation of the Preliminary Chinese Proficiency Test (Pre-CPT), a standardized, nationally-normed test of listening and reading comprehension for beginning-level native English-speaking learners of Chinese as a second language. The Pre-CPT was designed as a lower-level version of the…

Given recent research that encourages more frequent use of the discussion method in teaching, this digest reviews the role of instructional conversations (ICs) in second language learning. ICs, instructional in content and conversational in quality, offer natural and spontaneous language interactions that are free from the didactic characteristics…

A preliminary report on a long-term empirical investigation of advanced language acquisition in a study-abroad environment is presented. The project is based on an American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR) longitudinal study of the gains in Russian language competence demonstrated by American students in semester-long language programs in…

This paper investigates attitudes of domestic workers in South Africa toward English and the process of learning the language. Interviews that were conducted with domestic workers in Durban are described. Several themes emerged from these interviews, including the need for workers to know English to secure employment, domestic employment as an…

The 12 tests cited in this bibliography are used to assess students' knowledge of German as a second language. Many of the tests described are included because one or more of their subtests measure some aspects of vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension. The tests are primarily for secondary or higher education students; a few are used to…

This paper asserts that a gap is developing in English for Special Purposes (ESP) between theory and practice, between received wisdom and grassroots activity that are important to understand when considering the future of ESP. Evidence for these gaps in ESP are discussed in detail in the context of course design, academic input, and the…

This paper discusses the Georgia Institute of Technology's Business German summer language course, an intensive 6-week course that utilizes classroom instruction, language labs, and computer labs. The course stresses vocabulary and discourse as commonly used in the professional context, as well as intercultural information. A major component of…

Memory-assisting devices used in high school Spanish instruction are described, including strategies in many forms: visuals, sounds, rhythms, rhymes, and actions. Mnemonics for subjunctives include: a suffix-"switching" procedure; a word ("dishes") to remind them of the six verbs not using the first person to form the present subjunctive; a…

This document consists of three workbooks, one each for grades 6, 7, and 8. The workbooks are designed as review and refresher materials for mathematics. The emphasis is on word problems, all of which are written in German. The workbooks are part of a German language immersion program. (JC)