A study investigated the relationship between language contacts made outside of the classroom by Japanese foreign students and how those contacts affect their participation within the classroom and their overall academic performance. Subjects were 32 university students from Japan enrolled in an intensive language program. All of the students had…

Producing a high level of student involvement in the foreign language classroom depends on four common elements under the teacher's control: (1) teacher expectations and their modeling in class; (2) classroom atmosphere; (3) instructional formats; and (4) teaching activities. Students are more consistently involved in using the target language in…

The impact of the western educational model and the use of English on the language and traditional behaviors of young people in American Samoa was studied. Results from a 1973 study were compared with results collected in 1987 using the same instrument to measure changes in language and culture-related behaviors. A survey of nearly 190 American…

A discussion of language policy making and its place in a nation's economic and social development uses Australia's experience as a case study. In particular, it reviews the factors such as multiculturalism and international relations that have led to the development of a national language policy, and examines the interim documents and the…

Three papers address issues in course evaluation and assessment of student performance in language awareness programs. The first paper concentrates on the formative evaluation of a course, during its design phase or in progress. It focuses on self-evaluation and two features of course design considered essential to course integrity: explicitness…

A directory of the 82 African languages given high priority for instruction in the United States contains a profile for each language that includes its classification and where it is spoken, the number of speakers, dialect situation, usage, orthography status, and listings of related human and institutional resources for the purpose of…

A broad-bases study of the ways in which Hispanics in the United States are dealing with the English language is presented. The report analyzes the latest reliable language data collected by the U.S. census, including the 1980 national census, and finds a steady shift in language usage from Spanish to English among immigrants and native-born…

A study investigated the foreign language needs of employees in Finland's Ministry of the Interior as a basis for developing a language training policy. Both individual employees and department heads were surveyed about perceived language training needs. Results suggest that foreign language proficiency is very important to the ministry's…

The role of English in Turkey is discussed, with attention directed to: (1) education within the educational system, (2) English teachers, (3) teaching materials, (4) English outside the educational system, and (5) British and American support for the teaching of English. Although English is not used as a means of social communication in Turkey,…

In response to heightened awareness of the globalization of the world economy, and in reaction to curricular standards set by their primary accrediting agency, business schools have moved steadily in the direction of internationalizing their curricula. However, few business schools require their students to possess or acquire second language…

A 7-day study mission by the House Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, to Moscow, Kiev, Bonn, and an interim stop in Athens is reported. The mission was designed to gather information regarding the current state of higher education, especially on financing and curriculum, in West Germany and the U.S.S.R. The delegation was especially…

A survey of the status of language usage in Tunisia begins with an overview of patterns of usage of Arabic, the official language, and its many dialects and forms, and French, spoken as a second language by half the population. A recent, official movement toward Arabization in official and other formal communication is outlined and the popular…

Provided in this report are (1) a discussion of the effects of historical events and linguistic complexities on elementary education in the People's Republic of China and (2) information on the Chinese educational system from early childhood education through the middle school (the equivalent of junior and senior high schools in the United…

A profile of the state of English and English instruction in Turkey covers the following topics: a description of the role and status of English language use in industry and commerce, government, and education; the role of English at all levels of the educational system; the availability, characteristics, and training of teachers of English; the…

A survey of the status of language usage in Lebanon begins with an overview of the status and usage of Arabic, the official language, and three languages that are much less commonly used as native languages but are commercially and administratively significant: French, English, and Armenian. A matrix follows that rates these four languages on: (1)…