This paper discusses in a general way the decline of use of the Romanian language among second and third-generation Romanian-Americans, and then it points to the state of the study of English as a foreign language in the Romanian Socialist Republic today. A brief review of the influence of British English in Romania is followed by: (1) a more…

The British Columbia French Speaking Test, administered to grade 3 immersion students, measured their speaking skills through a story- retelling and group discussion task. When 110 immersion children were compared to 25 Francophone children, results indicated that the immersion children were comparable to the francophones in communicative skills…

Describes an attempt made at the University of Reading to support or discount claims made about the pedagogic value of communication games. Some evidence was found in support of games' roles in encouraging students to practice language skills. (Author/CB)

The successful incorporation of computer-assisted language learning into the college-level foreign language curriculum is a much-needed improvement over language laboratories. Foreign language departments have developed software packages for the Macintosh microcomputer involving language pattern drills and language error-analysis. (CB)

To determine relative levels of motivation in learning English as a Second Language, 40 freshman and sophomores at 2 national universities in mainland China and Japan responded to a 40-point attitudinal questionnaire and 6-point followup motivational intensity scale. Data on student language proficiency were also gathered. While a solid majority…

The development of the Stanford Foreign Language Oral Skills Evaluation Matrix (FLOSEM), a rating scale for assessing communicative proficiency in foreign languages, is described. Information on the utility of the FLOSEM is presented based on the results of three studies. Oral proficiency measures were obtained by means of the FLOSEM from 573 high…

Research indicated that English language proficiency may influence student performance, and that standardized assessments may be biased against students who have limited English proficiency (LEP). This study investigated the influence of language on student performance differences in reading and mathematics. The content area of reading was…

This book is designed to help Peace Corps Volunteers figure out how they learn best and how they can capitalize on this to learn a new language. It teaches volunteers to identify and reflect on their learning style, attitudes, and motivation; organize their learning; and experiment with various strategies and tools for learning a language on their…

Eight students taking English as a Second Language in a Puerto Rican university kept dialog journals in which they discussed English as a symbol of U.S. colonial domination of Puerto Rico and the erosion of Puerto Rican cultural identity, the relative importance of English and Spanish, and contradictions related to U.S. citizenship and the need…

Focuses on the importance of vocabulary knowledge as fundamental to proficiency in a second language (L2). The article notes that each of the studies in this issue examines L2 vocabulary learning from a particular angle, including lexical progress, learning strategies, context effect, the role of learner factors such as age and first language…

Examines three English oral language proficiency tests in terms of whether the tests measure basic interpersonal communication skills or cognitive-academic language proficiency. Suggests that oral language proficiency tests should be academic in nature if their purpose is to determine whether language-minority students can meet the demands of…

Survey responses of faculty in six graduate study fields and undergraduate English faculty identified nine listening skills that they perceived as particularly important to academic success in lecture classes. Faculty believed that non-native English speakers had greater difficulty with listening activities. Research suggestions are presented…

Examines a Danish English-language reading proficiency test offered to freshman students to diagnose weaknesses which may impede their academic careers. To facilitate the assessment of what parts can be transferred and used in other language areas, the article discusses the test construction, development and improvement. (11 references) (Author/CK)

This study compared the performance of college students completing an advanced-level German language course with that of high school-level candidates on the Advanced Placement (AP) German examination. Successful high school-level AP candidates demonstrated a language competency equal or superior to that of college students who received…

Maintains that California schools have undergone an enormous transformation over the past two decades, with over a million students identified as limited English proficient. Describes changes in teacher education and certification designed to meet the needs of limited English proficient students. (CFR)