Discusses the Army's Joint Vision (JV2010), which provides a blueprint for finding and using skilled linguists. To ensure that these linguists and trainers are in step with the needs of the future, they must take advantage of all applicable technological developments. (Author/VWL)

Describes approaches taken in Texas to bring about academic accountability for students of limited English proficiency through evaluating and reporting annually on their progress in English-language literacy and their learning of school subjects and by documenting the growth in successful performance on state tests by this special population. (SLD)

Argues for the expansion of the German culture classroom by incorporating materials about the Roma and Sinti, and Kurds. Suggests valuable resources and materials for German instructors and discusses teaching strategies that combine teaching cultural content and language proficiency. (Author/VWL)

Seventeen states in the United States use Spanish-language proficiency tests to ensure that bilingual education teachers are able to deliver academic instruction in Spanish to school-age students. The unified validity of the Four Skills Exam (FSE), used in New Mexico for nearly 18 years, was evaluated using Messick's framework (1989). (Author/VWL)

A nested cross-over design was used to examine the effects of visual condition, type of stimuli, and language proficiency on listening comprehension items of the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Three two-way interactions were significant: proficiency by type of stimuli, type of stimuli by visual condition, and type of stimuli by time.…

This diary study focuses on the second language learning styles and strategies of the diarist/researcher in a naturalistic setting, utilizing categories from Oxford's (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning and the Style Analysis Survey. Analysis of diary entries indicates that the learners' learning style remained relatively constant…

Investigated learner variables of Korean university students and explored the relationships of the variables to English language proficiency. Results show the correlations between strategies and proficiency were significant, while the correlations between styles and proficiency and between beliefs and proficiency were insignificant. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the terms "native speaker" and "near native speaker" in the foreign language teaching profession, and asks whether a heritage speaker is considered a native speaker of the language. Highlights results of a survey advertising a literature position for a near-native speaker of Spanish. The survey is appended.…

Describes the Intensive English Language Testing System test, which is used to assess whether nonnative candidates are ready to study or train in the medium of English. (Author/VWL)

Describes an activity, the "coat of arms," that can serve as an ice-breaker or warm-up for the first day of an English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language class, as a motivating start to the week, or act as an innovative segue between skill lessons. The technique can be adapted for students ranging from elementary school to adult language learners of all…

Describes the incorporation of service learning in a sheltered content course for Japanese sophomores studying in the United States. Service learning holds promise for furthering cognitive knowledge, cross cultural awareness, and language competencies. After profiling the academic program, a definition of service learning is provided with a review…

Examined the language production of English-as-a-Second-Language learners at four proficiency levels to determine the extent to which they spontaneously attended to form when interacting with others. The degree and type of learner-generated attention to form was related to proficiency level and the nature of the activity. Learners overwhelmingly…

Eighty bilingual Hispanic college students evaluated their own Spanish and English language skills before and after administration of the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey, which provided an objective measure of these skills. Self-assessments were more accurate for Spanish than for English. Contains 37 references. (Author/SV)

Expands prior descriptions of expatriate-local personnel communication patterns by reconfiguring and adding new zones. Presents eight new communication zones in a comprehensive framework that represents the dynamic, bi-directional, multiply influenced, and transformational translation process integral to international business communication.…

In a study of teenage learners of French, the aspect of teachers' language that was found to be most responsive to the ability of their students was lexical diversity. Focuses on this finding using a new measure. (Author/VWL)