Learning a third language (TL) brings with it particular pedagogical demands. In the pedagogy of TL learning now emerging, the development of students' metalinguistic and crosslinguistic awareness is of central importance. In particular, emphasis is placed on the benefits of cross-referencing with supporter languages. While comparisons with…

This study explores the effects of short-term Spanish study in study abroad (SA) and at home (AH) contexts on oral fluency and Willingness to Communicate (WTC). Following the Input and Interaction Hypothesis and the Output Hypothesis, it is hypothesized that learners from short-term SA programs will demonstrate larger gains in fluency and WTC due…

This investigation examines Thai college students' motivational goals for learning the English language. Thai student volunteers (N = 1387) from two types of educational institutions participated in this survey study which combined measures of goal orientations based on two different goal constructs and motivation models. Results of two-step…

Three recent articles by Dornyei, Crookes and Schmidt, and Oxford and Sherin on the role of motivation in the learning of a second or foreign language are discussed. Similarities among them that support Gardner's theoretical model are described. (45 references) (LB)

A study of college faculty and student attitudes toward artificial languages, particularly Esperanto, found faculty more knowledgeable but less enthusiastic than students about the languages. Faculty were less likely to see practical benefits in the knowledge and use of constructed languages, and less interested in seeing them taught or learning…

Native (n=46) and nonnative (n=27) speakers of English enrolled in university English courses reacted to 15 prompts from essay tests. Nonnative speakers chose prompts on topics of interest to them; with topics of equal interest, they chose the prompts offering the greatest scope for doing a lot of writing. (six references) (JR)

A study investigated one major aspect of the process of writing in a second language (L2), surface error correction, and two related issues. The main research questions included: whether (1) L2 writers were preoccupied with surface error correction during the generation of text; and (2) whether this regular interruption of the composing process…

A summary is presented of research on learning and teaching styles in English as a Second Language, and of results of learning and teaching style preference surveys conducted at a Mexican university in 1989. The students surveyed demonstrated much more cognitive flexibility or willingness to learn through different cognitive modes than was…

A study investigated beliefs about language learning held by two groups of students studying Arabic: 41 students in conventional classroom language instruction at the University of Wisconsin in 1992 and 1993, and 27 in an immersion program at the Yemen Language Center (Yemen). The survey instrument consisted of 47 statements in a Likert-type scale…

A prospective study investigating pragmatic transfer in the learning of Japanese as a third language (L3) is described. The study will test the hypothesis that the learner's perception of linguistic and cultural distance between the first/second languages (L1/L2) and L3 will determine conscious and unconscious decisions about which linguistic and…

A research report summarizes second language study, language training practices, and trainee attitudes toward language learning in the Peace Corps. The two equal parts of the study consist of findings and appendixes. Conclusions are grouped under (1) training practices and trainee attitudes, (2) associations and relationships, and (3) qualitative…

With the idea of providing a valid conditioning and testing situation by which the student's self-confidence and effectiveness in communicating in a foreign language could be improved, this study evaluates a pilot project designed to identify and measure the effects of having a native speaker in the classroom for a period of time as opposed to a…

A study investigated linguistic, rhetorical, and strategic variables of the writing processes and products of 3 groups of graduate and undergraduate students: 28 native English-speaking Americans; 28 Koreans studying in the United States; and 90 Korean students in Korea. The last two groups were learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). Data…

A study analyzed electronic-mail requests from college students (n=34 native speakers of English/NSs, 65 non-native speakers/NNSs) to faculty, randomly gathered over the period of a year. The requests were analyzed for the affective response they produced both on the faculty recipient and on a non-recipient faculty member, and for linguistic forms…

Papers on foreign language education include: "Beliefs About Language Learning: A Study of Korean University Students Learning English" (Susan N. Truitt), which looked at the influence of cultural background and experience on language learning attitudes; "Motivation as a Two-Sided Coin: Motivational Differences Between College-Level…