The paper investigates how adult immigrants with low literacy levels are being taught language skills in Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Particular attention is paid to the reasons why large English-as-a-Second-Language programs (ESL) in the area do not offer native language literacy (NLL) courses and why some students seek NLL…

This paper reports on a study that attempted to make white female student teachers aware of their racism in order to improve their capacity to teach in a multicultural and antiracist classroom. Despite meaning well, many white student teachers of children of color exhibit racism, for example, in the form of low expectations, resentment, and…

The beginning workbook of the Oxford Picture Dictionary is in full color and offers vocabulary reinforcement activities that correspond page for page with the dictionary. Clear and simple instructions with examples make it suitable for independent use in the classroom or at home. The workbook has up-to-date art and graphics, explaining over 3700…

The need for empirical validation of a specific set of second language proficiency descriptors for the four skill areas- -reading, writing, listening, and speaking--provided the impetus for the work described in this report. The University of California at Los Angeles Center for the Study of Evaluation developed a validation plan and undertook…

The current state of the knowledge base on the effectiveness of specific instructional practices for English-language learners was examined by conducting an exploratory meta-analysis on eight studies of instructional interventions and using qualitative synthesis to supplement this analysis. The first data source was the eight intervention studies…

The realities of the glass ceiling, which prevents qualified women, minorities, and many English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students from advancement and promotion, are rarely discussed in English for Special Purposes (ESP)/ESL programs and courses. This paper explores the barriers to success, focusing on the sociolinguistic factors of verbal and…

Contrastive rhetoric can help English teachers of native Japanese speaking students to better understand cultural and first language influences which affect the acquisition of English expository writing skills. An awareness of the Japanese expository writing style called "delayed introduction of purpose," which can cause problems in…

This issue contains the following articles: "Was Mir Wisse: A Review of the Literature on the Languages of the Pennsylvania Germans" (David Bowie); "Tigrinya Root Consonants and the OCP" (Eugene Buckley); "Duration of Onset Consonants in Gay Male Stereotyped Speech" (Sean Crist); "PRO, the EPP and Nominative…

Researchers, policymakers, and practitioners are often interested in a number of demographic characteristics of students, such as race and ethnicity, language background, immigration status, and poverty. For example, the federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) legislation requires schools and districts to report student test scores…

Previous research on differences in the reliability, validity, and difficulty of essay tests given under different timing conditions has indicated that giving examinees more time to complete an essay may raise their scores to a certain extent, but does not change the meaning of those scores, or the rank ordering of students. There is no evidence…

The articles contained in this bulletin on foreign service training were assembled nearly three years ago. They were contributed by specialists, and deal with subjects which should be included in a fully developed major on foreign-service training for Government, business, social welfare, etc. These articles include, in addition to brief…

The experience of Wales and Canada with various techniques of bilingual education, and the application of first language acquisition principles to second language acquisition, are outlined and discussed with regard to the kind of communication skills sought. (MSE)

A study inspired by previous research investigated comprehension of three complex English structures by Dutch high school students at three levels of proficiency. Dutch learners responded similarly to speakers of other languages in an earlier study, but had significantly more ease with one structure familiar in Dutch. (MSE)

A large-scale, school-based inservice project was mounted to improve the language skills of elementary school teachers in Soweto, South Africa, who were to begin using English as the language of instruction. Methods used to train the teachers, teachers' attitudes toward the project, and the project's effects on children are discussed. (PP)

Hypothesizes that the relationship between L1 and L2 writing is not one of interference, but rather application of L1 to L2 writing. Includes writing samples of first-, second-, and third-grade students enrolled in a bilingual program. (EKN)