The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' guidelines for foreign language teaching and learning focus on the linear acquisition of grammatical structures, but this proficiency will not automatically lead to interactional competence. Enthusiasm generated by the proficiency movement should be redirected toward a push for…

Describes a study of the effects on second language attrition of attitudes, motivations, and reported language use by learners during a six-month period after the completion of an intensive French course. (SED)

Presents the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' provisional generic descriptions for nine levels (novice-low, novice-mid, novice-high, advanced, advanced plus, and superior) in the following areas: (1) speaking, (2) listening, (3) reading, (4) writing, and for six levels in culture. (SED)

Suggests that in certain regions of the country such as Iowa, two foreign language goals should take precedence over the goal of language proficiency in elementary schools: (1) to introduce children to other languages and cultures, and (2) to show that they can learn to communicate successfully in another language. (SED)

Presents a study of how well a set of language proficiency self-ratings fit the predictions of a probabilistic measurement model known as the Rasch Model. Applies the principles of the model to scalar rather than binary item response data. Concludes that scalar analysis of this kind is feasible with self-rating data. (Author/SED)

Conducted experiment to determine how the presence of sandhi-variation, a common characteristic of spoken English that reduces the perceptual saliency of many of its features, affects the comprehensibility of English unit. Results indicated that sandhi-variation is an important input-intake filter for English learners but not for those whose…

Comparative language tests in English and French were given to pupils of the Bilingual School, Buea, Republic of Cameroon, to measure the extent of bilingualism. The results showed that although English speakers made greater progress in learning French than vice versa, the system of language teaching has been a qualified success so far.…

This article proposes improving the use of the language lab in second language teaching by increasing the importance of actual spoken language in relation to structural exercises, which may be of an artificial nature. (Text is in French.) (CDSH/CLK)

Studies of bilingual children have debated the effect of bilingualism on cognitive development. This study examines the relationship between cognitive processes and balanced bilingual skills. It finds there may be a threshold level of bilingual competence to be attained before bilingualism can positively influence cognitive functioning. (CHK)

Presents a re-evaluation of the data given by Oller in the June 1971 issue of ELT. (RM)

Research on language-minority (LM) children has generally focused on language as the primary mediator of student achievement without considering other student demographic characteristics. This is unfortunate, as studies that approach language-minority children as a homogeneous group will misestimate relationships between language status and…

This paper examines problems in U.S. English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs, focusing on the stories of three Chinese ESL learners from immigrant families. All three of these people had been long-term ESL students in New York City (they had been enrolled in ESL programs for 4-8 years but had not mastered the cognitive and academic skills in…

This paper describes two Internet-based French language courses that help students acquire fluency in a nontraditional format. The Annenberg/CPB Project's "French in Action Online" was originally offered as a free online adjunct to a television course. The Coastline Community College's French 186AB French Topics Online is a stand-alone…

This paper examines the ambiguity in defining terms within the field of bilingual education, noting problems with poor professional development available to teachers selected to participate in bilingual education programs. The first section discusses terminology within bilingual education programs, focusing on the following: transitional bilingual…

South Africa participated in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)in 1995 and its repeat in 1999. In 1995, none of the data on school or teacher level could be analyzed to provide the context for the students' poor achievements in mathematics and science. With the 1999 data now available at both school and teacher levels in…