Although previous literature has discussed ways of promoting the study of Portuguese, to our knowledge no study has ever directly surveyed students to ascertain why they chose to learn the language. This study reports on a survey of the motivations of first- and second-year Portuguese students to study the language, and contrasts their motivations…

Behavioral objectives are discussed in relation to second language learning. They are broken down into cognitive and affective objectives, and difficulties in setting such objectives are discussed. (RM)

This paper considers three critical areas in language learning--motivation, communication and affect--and then presents a teaching methodology that is compatible with the pedagogical principles derived from the theoretical discussion. While presenting the structure of the "fantasy" methodology, attention is given to classroom applications to…

This newsletter contains a series of brief reports concerning methods of individualizing language learning and describes several ongoing experiments. The first article illustrates how individualized achievement charts aid in determining students' instructional needs. Group work and oral testing are discussed as a means of individualizing a course…

Seeking to answer the question of how language affects character by widening the learner's world, this article reviews in broad terms the present conditions in the study of foreign languages, reviews the attitudes of the "new student" in foreign languages, and challenges educators to consider new directions in the development of advanced placement…

This article describes the evolution of a confluent language program, which provides simultaneous processes for successful language learning, self awareness, self appreciation, and interpersonal communication. The confluent language curriculum design has been successfully implemented in language classes throughout the United States and in some…

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,…