Evaluates the role of commercially available foreign language teaching materials, citing the reasons for using these materials as time pressure on teachers, the uncertain language competence of teachers; the materials' visual appeal to students; and the need of a yardstick of progress. The article argues that, failing a revolution in teaching, the…

Focuses on the evolution of research traditions dedicated to the empirical study of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) use for teaching English as a Second Language. (99 references) (CK)

Analyzes the narrative, descriptive, and evaluative structures of one person's two stories, drawn from oral proficiency interviews, about the same event told at the intermediate high and advanced levels on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scale. The discourse analysis revealed that the second story builds upon the…

Focuses on personal pronouns in business discourse, using data from four business meetings: formal and informal, in Dutch and in Italian. The article focuses on the pronouns "I" and "we," commenting on the frequency of Dutch inclusive "we," absent from the Italian data. The article also discusses indexical and…

Examines politeness strategies used in intellectual discourse, concentrating on reference forms in various languages and in particular on the phenomena of power and solidarity displayed through the use of pronouns. The article identifies the differences and potential source of interferences in the domain of reference forms. (27 references)…

Examined 5- to 12-year-olds' judgment regarding the behavior of balance scales and other levers whose arms varied in a causal or a noncausal variable. Results indicated age-related increases in correct judgments about the influence of physical features of objects at an earlier age than about spatial relations between objects. (MOK)

Examines standards in language testing, in the context of the legal framework of the United States and the United Kingdom. The article argues that research into test reliability and validity by testing bodies in the United States has a legal basis and examines areas in which examination boards offering English as a foreign language tests in…

Combines sociological and discourse analytic viewpoints in order to explore how central aspects of academic cultures are produced and reproduced in texts. Focuses on the scientific knowledge claim and demonstrates how the expression of claims provides a link between the structure of disciplinary culture and the particular forms of language that…

Examines prominent theoretical models and assumptions about contextual factors that drive acculturation measures, which are used widely in educational research with Hispanics and other minorities. Uses Hispanic acculturation measures, particularly the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics and the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican…

Analyzed free play of 24 preschoolers (3 to 4 years old), half of whom had disabilities. Found that the proportions of time that each child spent interacting with peers and with adults were negatively correlated for 21 of the children. After an adult had initiated an interaction with them, children were less likely to initiate interaction with a…

Studied the influence of authentic contexts and self-made graphical representations on students' well-documented tendency to apply the linear model improperly in representing and solving nonproportional word problems. Findings for 152 Flemish 8th graders and 161 10th graders do not show the expected effects; in fact, these forms of help had…

Examines the role of interactional context in exchanges between teachers and learners in English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms. Teacher-learner exchanges were categorized as being primarily focused on content, communication, management, or explicit language. Suggests that the importance of the interactional context should not be underestimated…

Focuses on the best methods and activities for promoting competence in the reading of a foreign language, especially French. The article maintains that French language teaching has a pioneer role in advancing second-language reading strategies and suggests activities that can supplement instruction in this field. (Author/CK)

Explores the implications of the divergence in the language of law, predominantly English, and the language of court proceedings, English and Filipino, for meeting the current social demands of Philippine society and for the future of the communication situation there. An interim solution to the dangers of the miscarriage of justice would be to…

Notes that in teacher education a movement exists to ensure that teaching methods are relevant to trainees' teaching contexts. Examines the effects that this context-sensitive approach will have on the teacher-educator's role and on attempts to ensure that teacher education programs encourage longer-term productive change. (28 references)…