This paper describes cultural and educational characteristics of West African countries that may have implications for West Africans studying and learning English in the United States. Countries discussed include Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Benin, Niger, Gambia, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, and Mali. The structures of the systems of elementary,…

Discussion of the authenticity of materials contained in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) textbooks for elementary/secondary school use focuses on content designed to accelerate academic language development and highlights the experiences of one teacher with one textbook. The approach taken is that integrating language and content, while taking…

This study investigated factors facilitating acquisition of Irish in Irish-medium playgroups designed for children who are native English-speakers. Data were gathered in four visits each to two such playgroups, each containing approximately 20 children. Four aspects of conversational exchanges were examined: understanding; code mixing; formulaic…

The recent restructuring of the curriculum of the Faculty of Business of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) is described and offered as a model of the kind of reorganization occurring within Cambodia's higher education system. The history of language policy in the higher education system is chronicled briefly,…

In this conference proceedings the overarching theme of research on teaching and learning mathematics in diverse settings and the subthemes of diversity, constructivism and algebra are achieved in the plenary papers. The plenary papers and authors include "Constructivist, Emergent, and Sociocultural Perspectives in the Context of Developmental…

A discussion of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learning in Spanish-speaking migrant workers' children focuses on the relationship of language identification and achievement. The first chapter briefly tells the story of the education and ESL instruction of one migrant adolescent. Chapter 2 offers a demographic and historical overview of migrant…

The guide is intended for teacher trainers providing pre- and in-service programs for mathematics, science, and language teachers, and designed to accompany a 34-minute videotape recording of the same title (not included here), to help teachers integrate language learning and academic mastery in math and science. The video was created for a…

Suggestions for individualizing language instruction for students in England with learning problems are offered. Following an introduction, the second section looks at techniques for involving students in the presentation phase of a lesson through use of visual aids, mime, rhythmic chanting, and song. The third section discusses ideas for creating…

Proceedings of a seminar on the developmental justification for British investment in English language teaching (ELT) as part of its overseas technical assistance program are presented in the form of papers presented, summaries of presentations, and case studies. The keynote address, "The Economic Benefits of English Language Teaching"…

The 1992 report of the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) and several other recent studies and publications addressing the nation's changing labor force development needs, particularly as they concern instruction in English language skills for the workplace, are discussed briefly, and five aspects of this issue often…

This book makes a case for the mother tongue as the medium of education for the first 12 years of the child's life. It describes Nigeria's 6-Year Primary Project, which taught experimental groups of students in their native Yoruba in varying degrees for their first 6 school years, beginning in 1970. The book shows how the mother-tongue education…

The evolution of a British communicative language teaching project at the University of Leicester is chronicled. The project brought together local education agencies, examination boards, advisors, teachers, and researchers to develop three levels of graded instructional objectives across the ability range in grades 7-9 and a standardized test,…

Two papers address different issues in linguistic theory. "Attitudes, Norms and Standardization in English: Some Aspects of the Language In Its Social Context," by Bent Preisler, looks at how attitudes affect language norms and ultimately, standardization in British and U.S. English. It begins with the attitudes and communicative…

In response to the problem of high rates of referral of black students to special education and related services due to their use of non-standard English (African American Vernacular English, AAVE), a project was undertaken to assess and address the issue in Baltimore (Maryland) public schools' special education services. An ethnographic study of…

This paper discusses some of the methodological issues facing language trainers who are required to identify the second language needs of adult learners within a specific vocational context, namely business sales negotiations. It also proposes a research model that responds to the difficulties of matching learner perceptions of language and…