German university degrees, at least in some countries, offer students only German literature courses in addition to language courses. Linguistics is often not a core component of German degree programmes. As a result, students who are not familiar with basic linguistic terminology do not know how languages work, including their mother tongue, or…

Internationally, the trend of student-centered learning in higher education has emphasized the importance of aligning student learning outcomes with corresponding assessment methods. This study is conducted at a university in Vietnam by investigating 32 sets of syllabi and test specifications varied from English Language programs to English as a…

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been at the center of the debates on which approaches are most effective for structuring, planning, and implementing language courses. Several articles have focused on its effectiveness (Bryfonsky & McKay, 2017; Long, 2016; González-Lloret & Nielson, 2015), but few have shared specific implementation…

This qualitative study explored the impact of reading on writing in a collegiate French culture course that emphasized genre-based writing pedagogy. In particular, the study focused on how 19 advanced collegiate learners of French used model text resources in writing a letter-manifesto and what their perceptions were of participation in…

This paper describes an alternative and unique format to the customary culture and civilization course taught at the upper levels in a university foreign language curriculum. The semester-long course employed a content-based design that combined language instruction and learning with authentic music generated during distinct historical eras in…

Online learning is a very flexible way to build and improve language knowledge alongside other work and/or study commitments whilst at the same time encouraging autonomous learning, time management, self-motivation and other skills relevant to employability. Learning on your own, however, can also be daunting. Therefore, the Languages for All…

This article presents a didactic experience carried out in the Degree of Translation and Interpreting (English) at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville and it is part of a project of Innovation and Teaching Development. The main objective is the development in students of a metaphoric competence -- metaphorical awareness and strategies to…

The aim of this article is to assess the effectiveness of a semester-long pre-service teacher-training course on the use of corpora in language learning and teaching. This is achieved by an analysis of 53 corpusbased projects prepared by the participants. First, the aims and the design of the course are briefly presented. The main section of the…

A curriculum is a form of politics (Apple, 1993). The politics of a curriculum defines what is legitimate and valued and what is not. In Taiwan, the objectives of vocational high school (VHS) education are to prepare students to acquire relevant professional knowledge and practical skills and to integrate them into their future career development.…

This article explores levels of proficiency in Chinese with reference to the new HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) Chinese Proficiency Test and the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (CEFR). Special attention is given to learning and teaching the writing of Chinese characters and the use of Pinyin, a phonetic Romanization…

There is a general belief among researchers and speakers at conferences and symposia that Arab EFL Learners are primarily responsible for their weak writing performance. Educational policies usually evade criticism. This study is an attempt to show that educational policies can have their role in the learner's writing problems. Viz. it posits that…

Describes a one-semester French course taught by undergraduates and offered to elementary school students. The course stresses basic French vocabulary, a variety of interesting activities such as skits and songs, and parent participation through a "parents' night." (AM)

A census of secondary schools in Illinois as well as in the nation has revealed that less than 25% of the students are enrolled in foreign language classes. While most secondary schools in Illinois offer some foreign language instruction, there are small rural schools that are unable to offer a solid program. The French Language Intensive Program…

A teacher's experiences in teaching French to mixed-ability fourth- and fifth-graders have contributed to the development of an instructional approach that meets the challenges of this age group. The method devotes two-thirds of instructional time to language and one-third to culture. All language activities are conducted in French, and cultural…

Articulation remains a significant problem in language education as in education in general. The particular concern is that articulation is targeted toward programs and not toward learners. Specific language teaching methods, and use of more-uniform teaching materials and testing have been used to cope with the problem. However, a broader…