This article examines the relationship between ethnic group affiliation (one's sense of belonging to a primary ethnic group) and second-language (L2) pronunciation accuracy defined here as native-like, nonaccented L2 speech or L2 speech that contains no first language (L1) influences. The study addressed these questions: (a) Is there a…

Language learning motivation plays an important role in both research and teaching, yet language learners are still largely understood in terms of North American and European cultural values. This research explored language learning motivation constructs in a Chinese cultural setting, where large numbers of students are required to study English.…

Nassaji and Geva (1999) concluded that lower level processes, particularly efficiency in phonological and orthographic processing contributed significantly to individual differences in adult ESL reading. Moreover, they reported that speed of letter naming, while not directly associated with reading comprehension, was related to linguistic…

The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of attitudes held by parents of Jewish Hebrew students at a Boston area Sunday school. Five parents of diverse backgrounds were interviewed in-depth to discuss the nature of their attitudes. Three common themes emerged related to the reasons for their high levels of involvement with the Sunday…

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the applicability of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and the concept of dynamic assessment to the problem of assessing reading comprehension in English as a third language (L3). The study was conducted with immigrant students from Ethiopia studying at pre-academic centers in Israel. The assessment procedure…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of educational technology infused with constructivist pedagogy in ESL (English as a Second Language) classrooms and to explore alternatives for schools that lack advanced technological learning tools. In this article, the author discusses the alternatives, such as: (1) CELA Research Study:…

This study focused on auditory perception, or phonetic discrimination, in foreign language learning. Subjects of the study were English-speakers (n=35) learning French. Researchers measured subjects' auditory sensibility, comparing it with progress in phonetic discrimination during the school year. Progress in the latter was measured by both a…

Text linguistics, a recent development in the study of language, moves the focus of inquiry from the sentence to the text and examines texts as acts of communication rather than individual, static sentences. It investigates textuality rather than grammaticality, the relationships between sentences and between text and context that make text…

The process of matching teaching materials and methods to the student's learning style and ability level in foreign language classes is explored. The Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) model offers a diagnostic process for the identification of style. This process can be applied to the language learning setting as a way of presenting material to…

Presents observations on the teaching of Russian in an evening extension course and four teaching techniques which involve variety in lesson planning, flexibility in presentation, a relaxed atmosphere and encouragement. (LG)

This textbook is the teacher's manual for "Beginner's German. First Book." It is intended to cover one year of 40-minute periods or one and one-half years of 30-minute periods. After a year and a half the average student should be able to read such plays as Mosers "Bibliothekar", to memorize any part thereof, to write a…

Nine interviews are presented with persons connected with Oklahoma businesses, a children's hospital, and the Oklahoma City Police Department. The intent of the presentation is to demonstrate the need for Americans to acquire skills in foreign languages. A range of topics is covered in the interviews, such as, the usefulness of specific foreign…

English phrases with Spanish translations are presented under the following headings: coping with the language barrier, useful forms of etiquette, giving information about yourself, recognizing signs, dealing with money, dealing with time, locating things, describing things and people, doing things, going places, conveying information, health,…

NONENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS ARE HELPED TO DEVELOP A SUFFICIENT COMMAND OF ENLGISH WHICH WILL ENABLE THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE REGULAR SCHOOL PROGRAM AT THEIR GRADE LEVEL. THESE PUPILS ARE CLASSIFIED INTO THREE CATEGORIES AND ARE ASSIGNED TO ORIENTATION CLASSES ON THE BASIS OF THEIR COMMAND OF ENGLISH. A TEAM OF ONE CERTIFIED TEACHER AND TWO…