Reviews several teaching methodologies in terms of negative affect. Findings indicate that in those situations where students have little incentive to do well or admit that they wish to do poorly, increased negative affect can motivate them to function at a level of operational tension and achieve optimum learning and performance. (36 references)…

Presents a descriptive analysis of speech acts in Arabic: forms of address, apologies, requests, expressions of gratitude, disagreement, greetings, refusals, partings, and telephone etiquette. Results reveal that linguistic formulas of each speech act were determined by social distance, formality of the situation, age, level of education, and…

Reviews research on the nature of attention and memory and proposes a model of the relationship between them during second-language acquisition complementary to Schmidt's noticing hypothesis and oppositional to Krashen's dual-system hypothesis. The article maintains that differential performance on implicit and explicit learning and memory…

Examines error gravity research design and its theoretical assumptions. Results indicate that investigators have only skimmed the surface of the process of error evaluation, which is shaped by extralinguistic factors. The article concludes that researchers should reconceptualize error gravity research and reassess earlier studies to confirm or…

Describes two projects promoting the exchange of essays between American students in intensive German language courses and German high school students. The article maintains that the easy availability of fax equipment in the United States and in Germany permits the use of this technology as a means of increasing the relevance of the writing…

Outlines the mission of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) as it enters the 21st century. The plan is based on the belief that bringing the language and cultures of the German-speaking world to all Americans is an endeavor serving the national interest. The AATG seeks to foster excellence, promote access to German programs, and…

Argues that a gap exists in university-level foreign-language curriculum that requires a "bridge," that is, a course designed to take students from where they are to where they should be to study for a foreign-language major and describes the bridge course in Hispanic culture at the University of New Mexico. (four references) (CK)

Examines the role of films as an instructional aid in class activities devoted to learning a foreign language as well as one's native tongue with the support of modern technology. One of the primary ways of using film to encourage learning is to interest the students in criticizing the film and then to expose them to published criticism of the…

Within the sphere of information, the term "interactive" has acquired a meaning that encompasses the usage of information networks and the end results of accessing the information. This article emphasizes that teachers of second languages can best meet the academic needs of their students by guiding their usage of computer information to…

Case notes from an Australian law course illustrate linguistic demands that this academic genre places on non-English-speaking background students. These demands need to be explicit to clarify the association between lexicogrammatical realizations and generic meanings in the discourse. Case notes and a reading assignment are appended. (Contains 26…

A study analyzed the communicative dynamics occurring during explicit instruction of a grammatical concept (concerning French verbs) taught within the students' Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Analysis focused on discourse strategies used at four levels of the ZPD. (Contains 48 references.) (Author/MSE)

Examines the methods used by foreign-language teachers to evaluate their undergraduate students. Indicates that cohesive language curricula include language and culture skills and integrate in- and out-of-class experiences. Suggests that assessment should be consistent with classroom procedures; measure growth, breadth, and the use of authentic…

Focuses on research addressing how to integrate content and language teaching, with specific reference to studies conducted in French immersion classrooms. Findings indicate that teachers should structure activities to incorporate a focus on form into content teaching through teacher-led instruction and collaborative tasks with peers. (21…

Describes the development of a computer-based learning strategy to assist with the teaching of foreign language business correspondence in a variety of business courses. The article describes the result as a mixture of commercially available software supported by materials designed specifically for the students' needs. (four references) (Author/CK)

Raises three questions concerning the present state of second-language acquisition research: (1) What has it achieved for language teaching? (2) How close is a theory of second-language acquisition? (3) What is its status within the chorus of disciplines that deal with language? (Author/JL)