The "Language Inquiry," a collection of 100 statements about attitudes toward language, was devised to help teachers evaluate themselves and determine their students' ideas about language so that they could better plan what materials and strategies to utilize in a course. By indicating the degree of his agreement with each statement in…

A fictitious letter from "Johnny" to his former high school language teacher, describing his linguistic experiences in Europe and his feelings about the learning of languages. (DB)

Explains the need for a well structured unit on dialectology in high school English classes; a paper presented at annual convention of National Council of Teachers on English (59th, Washington, D.C., November 28, 1969). (SW)

A questionnaire given to graduates and students of English revealed that: most use of their English was in the home country; aural comprehension was most important, followed by reading-comprehension, speaking and writing. Abroad, English was used more in non-English-speaking countries than in England or the USA. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Basic to successful teaching of standard English to speakers of Black English is an assessment of teacher and student attitudes toward each language and their perceptions of one another's attitudes toward each language. Regardless of how innovative or unique methods of teaching language and communication promise to be or how instructive and…

To measure attitudes toward language and language habits, a "Language Inquiry" of 100 items covering several language areas was developed, incorporating the judgments of 10 linguists. The "Inquiry" was sent to three groups: 597 college students in Illinois, predominately English majors; 202 public school teachers working with…

Following a brief review of the history of interest in foreign languages in America, facts to be considered when interpreting falling enrollment statistics, such as a drop in the birth rate, are discussed. It is stressed that foreign language teaching cannot be neglected in a world having improved and extensive communication between people…

This paper prepares teachers of English as a foreign language for many of the conditions they will encounter while teaching in the Arab world. The general theme is that attitudes of understanding and tolerance can lead to substantive improvements in professional morale and classroom effectiveness. Emphasizing the different regional factors and…

This book incorporates a general discussion of bilingualism and its relation to sociolinguistic facts with a description of the Redwood City, California, bilingual education project, begun in 1969. Chapter 1 describes the phenomenon of bilingualism, while Chapter 2 deals with the concept of bilingual education. The relationship between…

This report describes an evaluation of the effects of the early and grade 7 immersion programs on the English and French language skills of students at the end of grade 7 in Montreal. Tests of English language skills were administered to early immersion, grade 7 immersion, and English control students. Tests of French language skills were…

An investigation was undertaken to assess student attitudes toward learning and using French and their reasons for studying it. It was felt that a more thorough investigation of these issues might help to broaden knowledge of some of the non-educational, social consequences of immersion programs. English-speaking students in sixth and eleventh…

In accordance with the growing trend in language teaching philosophy towards assessing learner needs before choosing methods and materials, this study concentrates on the attitudes of final year bachelor degree program students towards learning and using English. These 821 students from Thailand, India, and Singapore were majoring in the fields…

These reports deal with language as a whole: its nature, its history, its relationship to culture, its acquisition, the immediate uses to which it can be put, and the development in students of an appreciation for the ability to use a foreign language. The book is divided into three main sections: Acquisition, Application, and Appreciation. For…

This research report reflects the use of precision teaching techniques incorporated into a microcomputerized observational system to assess bilingual instructional practices and student outcomes. Three local educational agencies were monitored to assess the relationship between the demographic background of the student and the interactive profile…

Learning to swim and learning a foreign language are analagous activities, in that both are skills learned for different reasons. Few foreign language students will attain "near-native fluency;" nor will many of them become interpreters or teachers. Foreign language teachers must therefore revise priorities, restructure courses, adjust methods,…