A study investigated the nature and effectiveness of communication strategies (CSs) used in a negotiation task involving native speakers (NSs) and non-native speakers (NNSs) of Spanish. Subjects were eight university students divided into NS/NNS dyads; the NSs were studying English and the NNSs were studying third- and fourth-semester Spanish. The…

A case study described Mei, a second language learner from Vietnam, in terms of her participation in a literature-based reading instructional program, Book Club. The context of the case study was an urban neighborhood K-5 school in a large midwestern city district. Data were collected about Mei from third through fifth grades using reading logs,…

This monograph, developed to enrich the literature on multiculturalism, includes 25 articles on the subject. The articles are: (1) "Multiculturalism and an Assessment of Its Critics: Key to an Understanding and Acceptance" (A. J. Williams-Myers); (2) "The New Demographics" (Charles G. Treadwell); (3) "'Multiple…

An interactional sociolinguistic discourse analysis of adult, low-literate, beginning learners of English as a Second Language is presented. Four pairs of non-native speakers of English worked together on drill and practice software, interacting with each other, teachers, and software. All had zero to 6 years of previous schooling. Each pair was…

This paper discusses miscommunication in speech acts, speech act research, and applications in the classroom. A new model of speech acts proposed by Celce-Murcia, Dornyei, and Thurrell is discussed. The distinguishing feature of this model is that the pivotal center is discourse competence. Discourse competence interacts with the three subfields…

A textbook for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students presents lessons on U.S. citizenship education and naturalization information. The nine lessons cover the following topics: the U.S. system of government; the Bill of Rights; responsibilities and rights of citizens; voting; requirements for naturalization; the application process; the…

The proceedings presented consist of summaries and reports of the presentations given during a summer institute on teaching linguistically and culturally diverse learners. Summaries of the following papers are provided: "Education 2000 and Beyond: The Challenge of Our Culturally Diverse Students" (Eugene Garcia); "Second Language…

Drawing on data collected for a larger study of second language learner characteristics at the Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), a profile of freshmen taking introductory Spanish in 1990-91 is reported. Subjects were 21 students, 20 female and 1 male. Most were of traditional college age, and a few were in their 30s. Almost half had previous…

In a study of the processes used to compose a story, 12 Portuguese/English bilingual adults created narrations for 2 published, wordless picture stories and, while viewing a videotape of their narration, recalled aloud the processes they used in constructing the stories. One study was narrated in Portuguese and the other in English. The narrations…

A preliminary study is reported of the use of new multifaceted Rasch measurement mechanisms for investigating rater characteristics in language testing. Ratings from four judges of scripts from 50 candidates taking the International English Language Testing System test, a test of English for Academic Purposes, are analyzed. The analysis…

Ways to develop "creative automaticity" for writing in a foreign language are examined. The paper focuses on transactional writing (i.e., writing with the purpose of transferring precise information by such means as telex messages, business letters, memoranda, and short reports), and its main features of clarity and conventionality. It is noted…

Two traditional principles have served as the basis for the involvement of linguists in social issues, namely the principle of error correction and the principle of debt incurred (Labov, 1982). It is argued that an additional principle should motivate linguists to take a more proactive role in social issues, the principle of linguistic gratuity.…

The purpose of this research was to compare two different forms of a placement test in French as a second language at the post-secondary level, a conventional test and a computerized test. First, expectations regarding a placement test as a measure of general proficiency are discussed and principles of adaptive testing that have been used to…

Four annotated bibliographies on authentic listening in English-as-a-Second-Language instruction are presented.The bibliographies were compiled by graduate students taking the a course called ESL Media and Materials. The students' purpose was to research a topic in order to develop an original project to display at an ESL Media and Materials Fair…

Two articles highlight different issues on foreign language learning and instruction in Denmark. The first article describes a research project at Roskilde University Center that focuses on group organized and self managed foreign language acquisition. The idea for the project came about as a result of concern over problems related to foreign…