This article proposes two general instructional strategies that a course designer or materials writer may use to create a second language course that makes new demands on learners, yet contains feasible learning tasks. First, course designers can manipulate task components believed to determine task difficulty, components such as input text, the…

The journal IDEAL is intended as a forum for research into the acquisiton and teaching of English as a Second Language. Volume 4 contains the following articles: "Pragmatics and Reading in a Second Language" (Patricia L. Carrell); "English Across Cultures: Native English Speaker in the Third World" (P.B. Nayar); "Pragmatic…

This study examined the nature of language transfer and its role in second language acquisition. Nine Japanese female young adults residing in Honolulu, divided into through groups based on English language proficiency, took part in two role playing situations with an American native speaker of English. The subjects were to attempt to get a…

A first grader of Vietnamese descent (recently arrived in Hawaii from China) participated in the class activities in a 6-week summer course that focused on language arts and mathematics but only found his "voice" and the acceptance of his peers through art activities. The course included many language arts activities such as silent…

Research has demonstrated that the acquisition of English literacy skills is extremely difficult for many deaf students, that is, students with severe to profound hearing impairments. As a result, there has been a call for the development of bilingual and English-as-a-second-language programs for this population. This research review addresses…

A study investigated the usefulness of non-native speakers' subjective, relative word frequency estimates as a measure of second language proficiency. In the experiment, two subjective frequency estimate (SFE) tasks, one on French and one on English, were presented to French learners of English (n=126) and American learners of French (n=87).…

The standardization of second language proficiency levels for university students in Germany is discussed. Problems with the current system, in which each university has developed its own program of study and proficiency certification, are examined and a framework for development of a unified language certificate for all universities is outlined.…

The usefulness of various forms of folk literature as grammatical, literary, historical, and cultural sources in foreign language teaching is discussed and guidelines are suggested for classroom implementation. Although the focus is on folk or fairy tales, folk literature is defined to encompass myths, local legends, saints' legends, children's…

Second language acquisition (SLA) research is examined in terms of what might be used in the planning, design, and implementation of language courses. A conception of language and the communicative use of language that is appropriate for formal language teaching and learning is discussed, and different conditions are described under which second…

Curriculum objectives are detailed for the Milwaukee German Language Arts Program in the German Immersion Program. The report is based on the English Language Arts Program in the Milwaukee Public Schools. The philosophy of the program is to use the second language as both the tool and object of instruction. The curriculum indicates what is…

Curriculum objectives are detailed for the Milwaukee French Language Arts Program in the French Immersion Program. The report is based on the English Language Arts Program in the Milwaukee Public Schools. The philosophy of the program is to use the second language as both the tool and object of instruction. The curriculum indicates what is…

The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) is an instructional program for limited English proficient (LEP) students who are being prepared to participate in mainstream content instruction. CALLA students are taught to use learning strategies derived from a cognitive model of learning as aids to comprehension and retention of…

As part of the National Evaluation Program of the Swedish school system, proficiency in the English language is evaluated for students in grade 5 (at age 12 years). Variation between classes and variation within classes were studied in a multilevel factor analysis (MFA) using a sample of 3,162 students in 162 classes for whom student questionnaire…

This report on model learner outcomes for world languages education is divided into five sections. The first describes the values, philosophy, mission, and goals of the Minnesota State Board of Education. The second section provides an introduction to and information on the goals of world languages education. Section three presents a range of…

This report presents ideas on the use of poetry in teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Chapter 1 describes beliefs about language and language learning, and offers a theoretical justification for including the reading and writing of poetry in the language classroom. Chapter 2 is a collection of poetry activities that have been…