A common predictor of language gains during study abroad (SA) is amount of language use. Yet little attention has been given to determining what factors influence the extent of language use while abroad. Studies in this area have mainly been case studies of learners in single locations. In this larger study, we seek to determine variables…

This article reports on a mixed-methods study of Chinese university students' knowledge of and attitudes toward plagiarism in English academic writing. A sample of 270 undergraduates from two Chinese universities rated three short English passages under different conditions, provided open-ended responses to justify their ratings, and completed a…

Study results indicate that motivation and attitudinal factors are critical in predicting students' success in beginning Japanese. Classroom personality factors such as risk taking and discomfort were also found to be determinants of the students' final grades. (27 references) (Author/LB)

A study attempting to disambiguate earlier research on personality orientations and second language learning assessed the influence of ethnicity (English v. French), milieu (unicultural v. multicultural), and target second language (French, English, or Spanish) on the emergence of eighth graders' orientations toward the second language learning…

Investigation of the predictive ability of motivational and attitudinal factors in high school students' continuation of foreign language study revealed that both factors, as well as grade level, course grade, interest in culture, and interest in fulfilling college entrance requirements, distinguished continuing from discontinuing students. (29…