Chinese as a world language has gained popularity in US K-12 education over the past two decades. However, little attention has been paid to diverse populations in Chinese language classrooms and how the students' diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds influence their experiences in Chinese programs. This article presents a research synthesis…

Short-term study abroad (SA) programmes are often promoted as an effective way of developing English language skills and accessing opportunities for intercultural learning. Whilst pre-departure intercultural training is thought to play an important role in enhancing the potential for meaningful learning, overemphasis on essentialist framings of…

While current conceptualisations of the inextricable connection between language and culture in English language education are largely informed by complex sociocultural theories that view culture as constructed in and through social practices among people, classroom practices continue to be influenced by mainstream discourses of culture that…

Extensive literature reading is a controversial area within EFL, both in terms of its effectiveness, and potential contribution to linguistic and cultural imperialism. This article considers the role of extensive literature reading in L2 acquisition from both innatist and critical perspectives. Set in the context of a development project at Awassa…

This dissertation focuses on interpreting the impacts of foreign language anxiety and individual characteristics on the achievement expectations of Chinese second-language learners and English second-language students at the university level. Four research questions are examined through quantitative design. In relation to methodology, this study…

Because China is the world's fastest growing economy, the Chinese school system has a huge demand for English teachers at all levels. Teaching English as a second language (ESL) offers a plethora of benefits, such as developing a more critical approach to cultural understanding, more opportunities for travel, overseas experience during a time of…

While "internationalization" has become a buzzword in composition scholarship and teaching, our discourses tend toward fuzzy uses and understandings of the term and its multiple implications. We tend to focus on how our U.S. experience is being internationalized: how English and its teaching are spreading; how other countries, different…

Enumerates the French language TV programs currently available in Nigeria and describes the difficulties hampering a nationwide development of educational TV programs in French. Offers suggestions to overcome these difficulties, describes the French language courses already on the air, and outlines plans for new programs. (MES)

Since 1993, groups of Connecticut high school students have had the opportunity to explore Russia firsthand, thanks to a program called "Linking Schools Through Language and Technology." Although Russia is an unstable society, schools visited by New Haven youngsters were cozy, child-centered beacons of continuity and tradition. Schools…

Examines the process of handing over foreign- or internationally-funded English language education projects in developing nations to local personnel, using the handing over of a British Overseas Development Administration project in South Africa as a case study. Implications for project sustainability and evaluation are discussed. (nine…

Research findings on the impact of language and studies with bilingual students learning mathematics are summarized. Suggestions for taking account of the influence of culture on learning, language switching, encouraging bilingualism, and supportive environments are discussed, with 13 implications presented. (MNS)

Transition stress is intensified for students entering not just a new school, but a new country. Educators can help adolescent immigrants by providing access to information, supporting English language and academic development (via newcomer schools and sheltered English content programs), and promoting access to postsecondary education. (MLH)

This article examines the controversy over the alleged sexism of "French in Action" (1987, 1994) within the context of key differences between French and American feminist thought. Read within a French cultural context, this text can be more accurately perceived as a postmodernist, feminist critique of Hollywood's heterosexual romance…

A proposal for introducing basic communication courses into China's foreign language curriculum argues that it is a change needed to meet the new objectives of foreign language teaching in that country. Four suggestions for a smooth transition include: (1) basing the communication courses on what already exists in the curriculum; (2) using a large…

This study examined the language and cultural attitudes of 45 bilingual Spanish/English adolescents of Spanish, Peruvian, and Chilean background enrolled in Saturday Spanish programs in Sydney, Australia. Each student had at least one parent whose first language was Spanish. A 60-item questionnaire designed to elicit information on factors…