This paper describes the procedures for developing and delivering a training program designed to enhance the language ability and teacher training skills of lead teachers of English in the Czech Republic. The described program was funded by PHARE, a European Commission funding source dedicated to strengthening and enhancing the skills, knowledge,…

This paper discusses the mechanics of how and why to use videos to teach English-as-a-Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). It is divided into three sections: a review of current theory on the use of video as an educational medium of instruction, using video in the ESL/EFL classroom, and key considerations for using video in the classroom with…

This paper examines the effect of foreign language instruction on middle school students' attitudes toward "the other." The primary purpose of this case study is to describe the process of culture learning as it takes place within a middle school foreign language program. Culture learning is a particular type of human learning related to the…

This paper considers the influence of the values and the discourse behaviors of the native-speaking assessor as interlocutor. These variables in the assessments of oral proficiency interrelate in complex ways with features of test design such as tasks, prompts, topics, guidelines, and assessor training. This paper reviews some previous studies,…

The paper considers the effects of study abroad on student second language acquisition (SLA) and suggests areas for further study. It begins with an overview of current research on study abroad, its relationship to foreign language programs, and the innovations that this growing research base holds for program development. Attention then turns to…

High dropout rates among language-minority secondary school students are one indication that many schools are failing to adequately support the needs of these students. The belief that the student dropout rate is due to a lack of proficiency in English often leads educators to overlook the economic, cultural, academic, and personal issues that…

This paper presents the various components of the cultural orientation program as it has developed at the Bilingual Educational Institute (BEI), the organization that is currently awarded the grant for RSS in the Houston area by the state of Texas. This cultural orientation program's topics include the following: employment; healthcare; community…

This paper aims to reassess conclusions drawn in 1975 about the prospects for survival of the Navajo language. A study done at that time uncovered evidence that there was increasing knowledge of English among Navajo children, although knowledge of English was highly, positively correlated to the level of isolation from Navajo speakers. As a result…

This quarterly publication is designed to share information of practical, theoretical, administrative, and general interest. It provides linguistic fieldworkers with news, reviews, announcements, and articles that will stimulate interest in linguistics and help them to stay current with the field. Articles in this volume include the following: "Is…

This report evaluates a project to provide a year-long English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) institute for 100 ESL literacy providers and instructors in Pennsylvania in order to enhance the skills of the participants in the institute. The ESL Institute provides an intensive 3-day summer workshop followed up by two 2-day workshops and a spring 2-day…

Learners of English in the United Kingdom find that the language they hear in the classroom is different from native speech outside the classroom. Previous participants in Scotland's Institute for Applied Linguistics Studies summer pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes program had requested more opportunities to talk with native speakers in…

This study stems in part from a desire to correct the misapprehension that Japanese students are somehow less autonomous than learners from other cultural backgrounds. The view that Japanese learners tend to be passive, obedient, and quiet is commonly accepted. Much of this "evidence" is anecdotal and comes from teacher observation of…

In this research synthesis, notions of literacy from a variety of inclusive rather than exclusive perspectives are presented. Notions of national literacies, mother-tongue literacies, multiple literacies, and bi-literacies are explored. Information and research pertaining to threatened languages, language shift, and language loss is presented,…

Anxiety is believed to affect foreign language learning and performance. This preliminary study investigates the role of high school Japanese learning experience in student anxiety while taking an introductory Japanese course in college. This study shows that the presence or absence of high school Japanese instruction affects levels and sources of…

Many teachers of adult learners of English have found dialogue journals, interactive writing with a teacher or other individual, to be an important part of their classes. Dialogue journals not only open new channels of communication, but they also provide natural contexts for language and literacy development. When adult learners write with their…