After a brief review of trends in language labs, the history of Wisconsin's Learning Support Services (LSS) lab, which grew into an independent department serving all foreign languages, is traced. Its evolution included the development of an extensive library, audio studio, video service, and special cataloging and outreach system. (11 references)…

Interviews and biographical sketches of 16 minority students and teachers of German at 3 universities and 1 school district are reported. The process of acquiring the language and becoming familiar with a foreign culture unites these individuals of otherwise diverse ethnicity, background, and experience. (Author/LB)

The acquisition of German in three adult Poles over a three-year period is examined based on an acquisition profile of each person that specified the sequences in acquisition. The findings suggest that cognitive factors must be considered to explain the varying degree of success in the acquisition process. (40 references) (Author/LB)

Reports on a process/product study undertaken to increase understanding of the nature of language instruction and its effect on language proficiency. Also discussed are a number of pedagogical issues arising from the study. (30 references)

Two members and a former member of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Policy Council respond to Raimes' concerns about the TOEFL Test of Written English, particularly regarding the Educational Testing Service's research agenda and its effect on English-as-a-Second-Language instruction and graduate school admission. (17 references)…

This article discusses the issues surrounding which language should be used for instruction in the Ukraine, where Ukrainian, the majority language, has suffered attrition. Also discussed is the choice of a modern foreign language for students in secondary and tertiary systems. (Contains 12 references.) (VWL)

Using 38 beginning-level university students of French, this study confirmed that student listening comprehension of a foreign language video would be facilitated by the use of an advance organizer consisting of several short sentences, written in French, that summarized chronologically the events in the video. Sample test items and answers are…

System D is a computer program for writing in French. This program has a tracking device that provides a log of student inquiries made during the writing process. Twenty-one college students of French participated in a study to examine how this log provides data about the foreign language writing process. Suggestions are given on how to use the…

The influence of bilingualism on third language learning in a bilingual community is examined. Measures of the English-language achievement of students instructed through the majority (Spanish) and minority (Basque) languages, suggest that bilingualism and other variables (intelligence, motivation, age, exposure) were good predictors of…

Reports on a experiment examining the effect of language in scientific text reading. Twenty-five Finnish college students read a sociology textbook first in English, then in Finnish. Five students understood a basic concept as defined in the textbook after reading it in English whereas 12 understood the concept after the second reading. (JL)

Discusses Australia's programs in Distance Education Languages Other than English (DELOTE). Presents a framework of five interrelated factors critical to the success of DELOTE Programs and addresses program delivery and budgetary issues. (SM)

Used computers to observe when foreign language (FL) readers look up meaning of unfamiliar words when reading FL text. Experiments with 82 English-speaking Dutch students from grades 10 and 11 show look-up behavior was clearly influenced by perceived word relevance, modestly influenced by reader's vocabulary knowledge, and not influenced by…

Research on multilingualism and learning of additional languages is reviewed, focusing on research on minority language children in immersion and double-immersion programs and the factors related to success. Early partial immersion is seen as more feasible than full immersion for this group, with middle immersion the best option yet researched.…

Advanced-level English-as-a-Second-Language Belgian university business administration students were subjects in a study of viewing comprehension by means of the prior activation of text-relevant schemata. Findings support the idea that prior activation can enhance the comprehension and retention of the message content of authentic video materials…

How the ultimate proficiency in a second language is affected by the age at which learners begin learning the target language was studied. Results showed a striking difference in mean reaction time for native versus nonnative groups, even for early bilinguals. (16 references) (Author/LB)