Test design and content and course design and content are mutually influential. In accordance with changing trends in foreign language instruction--individualized learning, independent study, small group instruction, peer teaching--testing should likewise be revamped to reinforce and inform the learning process. Tests must take into account…

This course outline for advanced students of Spanish is based on Units 24 and 25 of "A-LM Spanish," first edition, with numerous materials added. The multiple skills of language are enhanced with continued emphasis on guided discussion and free conversation. Nominalization with the definite, indefinite, and neuter articles is among the…

This introductory course in Spanish focuses on the listening, speaking, and reading skills as well as presenting some cultural background material. Attention is also paid to developing a positive student attitude toward language learning. The content of the course is centered upon passports, visas, immunization shots, customs, hotel…

This annual volume is a compilation of articles addressing evaluation, management, professional affairs, practice parameters, and clinical application of speech and language services. Featured articles include: (1) "Comparison of Pressure, Flow, and Resistance for Modal and Loft Register Productions" (Joseph L. Langhans and Peter J.…

150 female graduate students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were interviewed. Since most students are not proficient in English, they are required to take an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course when admitted to the M.A. and Ph.D. programs, as locating information in specialized journals is required for their assignments, term…

The washback effect of tests on teaching has attracted considerable attention over recent years, but the critical question of how this translates into washback on learning remains under-explored. To address this issue, questionnaires relating to academic writing instruction were distributed to 108 learners from mainland China preparing for…

An introduction to contemporary views of second/foreign language course design is intended for even relatively inexperienced teachers wishing to meet the somewhat sophisticated current expectations for language training. First, it provides theoretical background concerning the concepts of communicative competence and second language proficiency,…

The framework presented here is intended to provide general guidance in the design of curricula for teaching introductory Japanese to English-speaking students at the high school and college levels. It is not a course syllabus or statement of specific instructional outcomes. It has three purposes: (1) to assist Japanese language teachers in…

The passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 established foreign languages as a core curricular area. Nonetheless, educational policymakers at the state and local levels often opt to allocate greater resources and give instructional priority to content areas in which students, and ultimately the school systems themselves, are held…

The author reviews research on the connections between attitudes and language learning, and between attitudes and motivation. The article suggests that language learners' motivation and attitudes can influence learning outcomes, and that effective teaching can change negative attitudes. It describes a classroom action research project that was…

This guide to language courses in polytechics and similar institutions in England is designed to help the student plan his language course in higher education. A suggested way of using the information in the guide is to plan the course with the aid of a flow-chart and then to find out from the index which polytechnics and colleges are offering…

A complete World Cultures course taught in German at the secondary level is accompanied by a teacher's guide and the final report of the project. Emphasizing the utilization of language skills previously acquired in German 1 and 2, the teacher's guide discusses a multiple approach to the subject matter including: (1) role playing, (2) study guide…

The "Spanish for Communication" (SFC) materials for foreign language instruction developed by Dr. William Bull are described in this article. Two major components are at the heart of SFC: a teacher's Daily Lesson Plan (DLP) and student programed homework. Now in the fourth year of field testing in the Tacoma (Washington) Public Schools,…

Every individual's needs will differ, and a unit/credit system must be designed with sufficient flexibility to ensure that whatever the individual's interest in language learning, the system caters to it. The thesis of this paper is that, while a grammatical approach to language teaching cannot cater to it, a communicative approach can. A…

Guidelines intended to aid in the improvement of foreign language instruction are directed toward the development of a relevant and contemporary language program. Six major chapters discuss: (1) the place of foreign languages in the modern curriculum, (2) the program in operation, (3) treatment of skills and cultural concepts of contemporary…