Discussion of reading by successful and less-than-successful readers in an English-as-a-foreign-language context considers bottom-up versus top-down strategies; syntactic, semantic, and discourse constraints; and transfer of skills from first to second language. (10 References) (CNP)

Discusses the use of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview for assessing the effect of study abroad on foreign language learning, and provides a detailed account of the use of the Portuguese Speaking Test as a means of assessing participants of a summer program in Brazil. (15 references) (JL)

Reviews research conducted on adult populations dealing with correlates or predictors of proficiency in a second language. Four classes of individual difference variables are considered, including (1) attitudes and motivation; (2) language aptitude and intelligence; (3) language learning strategies; and (4) personality variables. (83 references)…

Those attempting to more clearly articulate proficiency-based foreign-language instructional programs should ensure the following: (1) language learning is seen as a developmental rather than incremental process; (2) achievement and proficiency are clearly distinguished; (3) content is seen as broad and varied; and (4) proficiency is not a method.…

Reviews the second-language research on age-related differences, drawing conclusions regarding learning-age influence on initial acquisition rate and ultimate attainment level; sensitive periods of language development; cumulative age-related loss in ability; and the adequacy of affective, input, and current cognitive explanations for reduced…

Discusses the need for language-specific versions of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) guidelines, including speaking tests based on the simulated oral proficiency interview; listening/reading comprehension tests with items linked to the ACTFL guidelines and Interagency Language Roundtable skill level descriptions;…

Reports on an experiment investigating adult second language (L2) acquisition of Spanish object clitic placement by native speakers of English and French. Two experimental methodologies are compared: an on-line sentence matching task and an off-line grammaticality judgment task. (Author/VWL)

Explores the labels "native speaker" (NS) and "nonnative speaker" (NNS) from the perspective of seven nonnative-English-speaking Teaching English as a Second or Other Language (TESOL) professionals. Contends that these terms are related to issues such as the order of learned languages, language competence, language-learning environment, cultural…

Considers the ecological validity of tests in predicting the effects of speech and language impairment on communicative performance in real-world settings and the need for systematic observation of communicative behaviors, particularly of individuals from other cultures. Discusses whether standardized testing and systematic observation are…

Discusses a new test of English language proficiency for international medical graduates. The test, the Clinical Skills Assessment, consists of a series of encounters with "standardized patients" who have been trained to portray various medical conditions. (Author/VWL)

Investigated the effects of pragmatic constraints on the acquisition of the binding of English reflexives by adult Turkish second-language learners. Pragmatically-biased and pragmatically-neutral sentences were compared to determine whether pragmatic bias towards a non-local antecedent overrides the parameter setting of English and causes learners…

Focuses on the strategies that adolescent learners use to discover the meaning of new words in a second language and to consolidate their knowledge of such words. A questionnaire is used to probe the perceptions of students in two content-oriented French second language classrooms at the secondary school level. (Author/VWL)

As schools realize that every international school teacher is an ESL teacher, interest is focusing on helping subject-area specialists cope with their second-language students. Describes a Language Through Learning course designed to help subject teachers facilitate nonnative speakers' access to lessons, develop and improve students' language…

The paired-learner interview, in which learners take both the role of the interviewer and interviewee, has been used as a variation of the oral-proficiency interview since the 1980s. The purpose of this article is to show that the paired-learner interview is an effective means to reduce communicative stress for the nonnative learner and one that…

Describes the preliminary findings in the Basque Country of a project shared by four European countries to teach a second language or a foreign language to preschool and school-age children. The method used to teach the foreign language--English--is based on the use of dramatized formats. Examines level of language proficiency achieved with each…