Identifies different types of tests and then treats evaluation tests at some length. Emphasizes that there is no such things as a universal test, which can be used to measure the second-language competence of any group of people," and that tests are only useful for the group they were designed to measure." (FB)

Discusses the second language production of adults when responding to the same stimuli (the SLOPE test) under two conditions: (1) unmonitored, when giving spontaneous oral responses and (2) monitored, when giving written responses without time limit constraints. (EKN)

Presents study administered to Egyptian FL students to identify optimal combinations and weights of subscales of English language proficiency for predicting ESL proficiency while following constraints posed by syllabus. Results show error identification, grammar accuracy, vocabulary, and composition as best predictors. (Author/BK)

Four positions concerning foreign and second language learning ability in adults are summarized with attention to the "critical period" hypothesis. An argument is made for a shift from macro-correlational studies to controlled micro language learning research free of extralinguistic variables. (PMJ)

On the basis of German compositions written by second- and third-year English students, with specific reference to the placement of "nicht," it is shown that performance is affected by the mother tongue, but also by the level of experience in using the target language. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The purpose of this investigation was to discover the relative rank order of efficiency of eight distractor categories in multiple-choice foreign language vocabulary tests. Type of test question used was clarified, types of distractors defined, selection process described, test design discussed, and resulting data tabulated and interpreted. (CHK)

Argues that many nonnative foreign-language teachers experience foreign-language anxiety and that this anxiety can have negative consequences for language teaching. The article discusses how anxiety affects teachers' feelings of self-confidence, use of the target language, and instructional choices and offers suggestions for increasing teachers'…

Presents a study of the acquisition of English-as-a-Foreign-Language vocabulary through academic listening. Explored the effects of EFL proficiency and lecture comprehension on vocabulary acquisition as well as the relationship between vocabulary gain and the following factors: frequency of occurrence, types of word, type of word elaboration, and…

Reports on a study on how English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language (ESL/EFL) writers use their first language (L1) when composing their second language and how L1 use is affected by second language proficiency and writing tasks. Chinese EFL learners were asked to compose aloud on two tasks--narration and argumentation. Analyses of their think-aloud…

Presents results of a response latency (RL) experiment with English-speaking learners of German that investigated to what extent if any two different groups of second language learners permit raising of the thematic verb. Results show that learners respond in different ways to stimulus sentences with raised and unraised verbs depending on the…

Examines whether computer mediated communication can help learners improve their oral proficiency by comparing the performance of three groups of learners (a control group, a synchronous CMC group, and an asynchronous CMc group) on three oral discussion tasks during the course of a semester. Number of idea units and words, lexical richness and…

Examines the role of cultural identity and heritage language maintenance among the lives of 40 second-generation Korean-American university students in the United States. Analyses of questionnaire data showed that most second generation Korean-Americans achieve some level of Korean proficiency, but they overwhelmingly agree that it is not enough.…

Used surveys, interviews, field observations, and village documents to examine the influence of social and cultural context on the second language acquisition and acculturation efforts of Filipina wives of Japanese husbands living in a small Japanese village. Results indicated that there were significant relationships among…