Drawing primarily from theory and research in the cognitive literature on learning, this paper defines and illustrates the various components of task knowledge and attempts to show the functional relationship between task knowledge and autonomous learning. An approach to learner training that is (task) knowledge based is discussed. (54 references)…

Highlights the unifying role of metacognition in all levels of learner training. The article argues that one of the premises of any self-directed program should be that of enhancing students' metacognition to prepare them for their own learning autonomy. This paper describes an application of this principle including two examples of its use by…

Argues that the cultural content of a course derives from official language policies and national educational ideology, and that cultural studies in the classroom center on a balanced relationship between foreign and native cultures and include the management of attitudes towards foreignness and the construction of a new perception of learners'…

Examines the role of the video camera in the teaching of languages. Video recording is potentially valuable in language teaching because it allows learners to view their own performance and also offers a stimulating medium in which they can express themselves. Two case studies of the use of video recordings in a classroom environment are…

Presents an overview of third-grade bilingual students and their literacy curriculum. Discusses a series of instructional lessons ("strategy wall charts") developed to provide the students with various tools to work their way through literacy blocks as they read and wrote in English. Looks at patterns of internalization that occurred when the…

Presents six principles for the design of adaptive computer-assisted language learning (CALL) programs for vocabulary that incorporate a theory describing quality in the learning outcome and linking it to the learner's approach. Highlights include interactivity; general architecture of a software system; and diagnosis and modification. (Contains…

A study of miscorrection in group writing activities among 18 third-year English majors in a Thailand university is consistent with studies of miscorrection in spoken activities. The relatively small amount of miscorrection found suggests that peer feedback can play a role in the development of writing ability. (22 references) (LB)

The attitudes of Australian adults required to study a foreign language for a postgraduate degree were examined. Investigators reviewed the students' diaries, which they had been required to keep for 30 lessons. Problems of fear/anxiety, dependence, and loss of self-esteem are discussed. (17 references) (Author/LB)

An approach to teaching and testing advanced French reading comprehension of expository social science texts is presented within a "communicative-cognitive" framework. Learners receive instructions that encourage them to perceive and use the writer's overall rhetorical scheme as a conceptual-functional framework for integrating the components.…

Examined the ability of bilingual college students from Catalonia, Spain to learn a new vowel contrast as indicated by classifying the vowel, discriminating two vowels, and judging its "category-goodness." Found a lack of behavioral plasticity and that early, extensive exposure to a second language was sufficient to attain the…

Examines Israeli Arab students' attitudes and cultural backgrounds in relation to their reading comprehension of Jewish and Arab stories. States Arab students' motivation toward learning Hebrew as a second language is instrumental. Finds students comprehend texts from their own culture (Arab) better than those from the unfamiliar culture…

Explores the degree to which Nancy Ide's "Expert User's View" and "Holistic View" on teacher education in humanities education can be substantiated in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Finds that most CALL courses are geared toward the expert user. Presents a rationale for a CALL course with a holistic orientation.…

This study investigated the effect of computer-mediated-communication (CMC) in a protocol designed to facilitate (1) second language acquisition, and (2) enhanced intercultural awareness between Australian university students whose first language (L1) is English, and Japanese university students whose L1 is Japanese. (Author/JL)

Examines methodological issues related to the approach to be used in writing a textbook for foreign language students of Russian. These issues center around practical communication; the treatment of grammar; and the use of the target language, authentic materials, and audiovisual materials. Results indicate that grammar explanations and complete…

Examines the rationale behind the Self-Access Language Learning Center at the University of Abertay Dundee (Scotland), outlines some practical considerations, and looks for future developments. The growth in popularity of self-access learning is due to the fact that it is learner centered and to the flexibility it offers over entirely class-based…