Discusses outcomes of a study that suggest ESL instructors focus on grammar and syntax in student writing, whereas English faculty members focus more on content and style. Because they are less familiar with different rhetorical styles, English faculty evaluate ESL compositions lower when they do not correspond to a more western form. (29…

Discusses a study of the out-of-class learning strategies of proficient German speakers of English and attempts to identify and quantify the out-of-class learning activities employed by these learners during their study of English. Findings indicate that the most-cited activities are reading and listening. (10 references) (Author/CK)

Charts the vocabulary evolution of three groups of students in Brussels' kindergartens: (1) originally monolingual Dutch-speaking children; (2) originally simultaneously bilingual children (Dutch/French); and (3) young successive second-language learners (French at home, Dutch in kindergarten). (23 references) (Author/CK)

This article argues that the Internet and electronic mail offer enormous potential for enhancing the communicative approach to language teaching adopted by the Queensland High School (Australia) French program. (22 references) (Author/CK)

Examines Israeli-Druze students' reading comprehension in Hebrew as a second language as related to their attitudes, cultural background, and interest in the material. Participants were administered questionnaires, Arab and Jewish cultural stories, and multiple-choice questions about each story. Results are discussed. (51 references) (Author/CK)

Examines the design features of interactive multimedia packages for second language learning. Focuses on the possible components of a design model and highlights the implications for program design. Concludes that to realize the high potential for interactive language learning multimedia, designers must develop a more learner-based orientation.…

Focuses on how one Canadian province, Ontario, and one American state, Florida, have responded to the new realities of an increasingly multicultural society in terms of second- and foreign-language education policies and practices. Strengths and weaknesses of each approach are analyzed. (SLD)

Examines how computer technology and the World Wide Web can help enable and motivate students to read in a foreign language. Topics covered include: technology in foreign-language learning; theoretical and pedagogical considerations related to online and computer-based readers; and two examples of electronic readers for low-intermediate-Spanish…

Discusses mixed ability teaching within the British comprehensive foreign language educational system. Findings reveal that the British system will not soon return to selective modern language teaching (MLT) focusing on grammar and translation, and it is concluded that differentiation is the key to successful MLT for the next century. (CK)

Considers the rationale and possible design for a university-level general language education curriculum in South African universities. Suggested components include language awareness (metalinguistics), cultural context, knowledge about language acquisition, and language learning strategies. Identifies practical, implementation issues of such a…

Presents various tips that are useful in the classroom for teaching second languages. These tips focus on teaching basic computer operations; using annotations to foster error corrections in language; using video clips as a part of a U.S. history or culture-based English-as-a-Second-Language lesson; using karaoke to speak with less inhibition; and…

A survey of 794 teachers from six school districts in central California found that although teachers strongly endorsed the principles of bilingual education, they indicated minimal support for actual participation by students in bilingual programs. Teachers with supplementary training in English as a Second Language and bilingual education were…

Reports an interview study that addresses the social and cultural life of 12 nonnative English-speaking international graduate students in four areas: relationships with supervisors and friends, experiences as teaching assistants, communication with colleagues and friends, and social life. Results are illustrated with the students own words.…

This article discusses an action research project that investigated how a 10-year-old boy with learning disabilities, whose first language was Korean, was supported. His individualized instruction involved labeling items in the room, reading sentences that included priority sight words, practicing with consonant blends and vocabulary words, games,…

A French teacher's journal notes about his experience as a student in an intensive English course in a foreign country are presented. The notes address aspects of the language learning experience, including unfamiliar cultural context, intrusion of the new language into daily thought, resistance, translation, interference, and motivation. (MSE)