Having children make useful, decorative, and stimulating articles in the second-language classroom is seen as a means of encouraging student participation and active learning. Specific classroom procedures for using this technique to enhance second-language acquisition are suggested. (MSE)

Finds that, among 2100 Hispanic elementary students in a four-stage bilingual program, primary language achievement, instructional level, and oral English performance were important indicators of English reading achievement scores and readiness for reclassification to an all-English program. Contains 17 references and 9 tables. (Author/SV)

Study of children who go through a "silent period" early in the course of second language development found that most of the children engaged in extensive private speech, including: repetition of others' utterances; recall and practice; creation of new linguistic forms; paradigmatic substitution; and rehearsal for overt social…

Questions the validity of Munby's (1978) approach to analyzing learners' language needs. The results of a study at Hasanuddin University (Indonesia) suggest that a two-stage analysis may be appropriate to explore an organization's complexity and dynamism, and then to target the specific language needs of the constituent units. (Author/CB)

Reviews a number of second-language (L2) classroom-based research projects undertaken at the University of Stirling in Scotland. It is argued that a full understanding of classroom-based L2 learning requires the integration of sociolinguistic studies of the classroom context with psycholinguistic studies of second language acquisition. (Author/VWL)

Addresses questions concerning reading in a foreign language, including: (1) Do reading strategies transfer from native language to second language?; (2) Can reading strategies be successfully taught?; and (3) If a strategies-oriented approach to reading were to be developed, what basic considerations should be included in the approach? (44…

Examines the beliefs underlying promotion and development of self-directed learning and self-assessment, and the emphasis placed on these beliefs in an English language teaching master's degree program. The problems of tension and conflict between self-assessment and institutional assessment leading to certification, and the advantages and…

Studied the effect of content knowledge on learners' participation in interactions between nonnative speakers. Measures of participation included amount of talk, conversational fillers, back channels, topic moves, clarification questions, and confirmation and comprehension checks. Findings support the relationship between knowledge and…

The comprehension processing strategies of 15 monolingual English and 8 bilingual French native speakers were compared with those of 112 second-language learners of French, using stimuli containing word order and clitic pronoun cues in French. Results indicated differential dependence on cue use by native speakers. (Contains 97 references.)…

Examines alternative A-level syllabuses of second-language courses with a view to establishing what implicit definitions and interpretations of cultural learning they embody. The article focuses on that part of course content that fosters understanding of a foreign culture as an integral part of communicative competence. Assessment objectives are…

Second-language narrative development was investigated by focusing on the evaluative use of modal verbs. The data consist of 45 retellings of 6 model stories by 8 Panjabi-speaking youth. Evidence is given for the development of evaluative syntax with age and/or increasing language experience of proficiency and also for inherent individual…

Reviews factors influencing reversals of expectations for language-learning outcomes. This article touches on psychological and neurological data regarding individual differences in language-learning mechanisms and focuses on cross-linguistic psycholinguistic analysis that indicates that different target languages offer a wide variety of learning…

Examines three factors that influence student learning and motivation of beginner foreign-language listening skills: text, context, and gender. Studies responses of fifth graders to computer-based foreign-language learning. Results indicate that providing text with spoken words facilitates the acquisition of listening skills, increases student…

Discusses the use of intercultural e-mail via the Internet to provide language students with real audiences, authentic language experiences, and immediate feedback from native speakers. Highlights include examples from high school classes in Florida and Mexico City, task-based learning activities, and problems and possible solutions. (LRW)

Explores the relationship between teenagers' working memory and school achievement. Experiments revealed significant correlations between the two, specifically in the field of foreign language. Includes descriptions of the experiments with accompanying statistical tables. (MJP)