Results of a survey of students of the University of Dublin concerning their language learning experiences and attitudes are reported. The study was undertaken within a larger study of self-directed language learning. The questionnaire had seven sections. The first and largest covered these topics related to students' language background: (1) the…

A collection of 14 papers in contrastive linguistics includes: "Some Comments on Language Data in Contrastive Analysis" (Ruta Nagucka); "Contrastive Sociolinguistics Reconsidered" (Karol Janicki); "Variations in Polish Nasal /e/: A Contribution to the Development of Contrastive Sociolinguistic Methodology" (Jane…

A discussion of foreign language immersion instruction in elementary schools begins with a definition of immersion instruction and its goals. The history of the establishment of such programs in the United States and Canada is briefly described. A variety of program options available within the immersion approach are outlined, including early…

The findings are presented of a study undertaken by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) to assess the bilingual education services offered to limited English speaking students in three diverse communities and to study the extent to which the development of cognitive and academic skills in the native language and English are…

Four commonly used approaches to teaching English as a second language to limited English proficiency and non-English proficiency students have both advantages and disadvantages. The Natural Approach is based on children's acquisition of speech sounds and oral proficiency through spontaneous interaction in a natural environment. Although a natural…

It is proposed that the main emphasis in second language instruction continues to be on linguistic form rather than on meaning or content. In a review of literature, arguments are reiterated supporting the idea that meaning can be transmitted without having all the linguistic means of the target language at one's disposal. These arguments submit…

A case study investigated the linguistic and social contexts of an adult Indonesian learner of English as a second language (ESL) in Australia, and how these factors affected his language learning progress. The learner, raised in Indonesia, was a young adult of Chinese descent. The discrepancy between the learner's perceptions of his own language…

A study investigated Finnish high school students' second language learning motivation, attitudes, self-concepts, inhibitions, and selected personality traits. The study attempted to learn more about the nature, content, and functions of the "affective filter" in foreign language learning. A variety of relationships between these factors…

A discussion of the use of science activities as a technique for second language instruction focuses on its application in both immersion and more traditional pull-out programs in the elementary school. First, a rationale for the use of hands-on science experiences in grade school second language classes is presented, noting the value of the…

A 3-year pilot bilingual program based on the Manitoba curriculum was evaluated to determine the degree to which program objectives had been achieved. The program uses Ukrainian as the language of instruction for 100% of the time in kindergarten and for 50% of the time in grades 1 and 2. The study investigated the following: (1) the extent to…

Two case studies of students learning to write academic discourse, particularly to maintain cohesion and relevance, are described. The two college students were part of a fourth-year biology class: one was a native English speaker, and the other spoke English as a second language. Both had a good command of spoken English grammar at the sentence…

Beginning core-French students who had contact with part-time French monitors and students who did not were compared in five Canadian provinces in 1979-1980 as part of an evaluation of the Second Language Monitor Program. Twenty-eight schools and 56 classes were studied in Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, along with 5 schools…

Hopi, spoken in northern Arizona, is a member of the large Uto-Aztecan family of American Indian languages, which spreads over vast portions of the western United States and Mexico. The Hopi language textbook is directed at non-specialists who want to learn to speak Hopi or who simply want to learn something about the language. The content of the…

This guide is intended to assist English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adult educators in knowing which of the available literacy resources are particularly useful and why. It is divided into three sections. Section 1 focuses on initial considerations for ESL instruction, offers some literacy perspectives for ESL, overviews the ESL literacy problem,…

As part of a larger study of instructional issues for English as a second language (ESL), current literature is reviewed and summarized in four major areas affecting the teaching and learning of ESL in grades K-12: ESL instructional approaches, patterns of curriculum organization, instructional materials, and language learning theories. In the…