Introduces this special issue of the journal and presents results from comparative research into the principles constraining learner varieties (interlanguages) in use. Articles analyze the oral production of complex verbal tasks in second language Dutch, English, French, German, and Italian. (Author/VWL)

Analyzed the sixth and seventh national curricula of Korea and middle school English textbooks that were adopted on the basis of both curriculums to critically compare the differences between the two the curriculums. Also compares Korean curricula with those of Japanese, considering the situation concerning English education is similar in Japan…

Describes an interdisciplinary travel study course designed to teach cultural appreciation and sensitivity in context. Readings and instruction focus on cultural issues that affect business and marketing practices, using France and the French as the subjects of the study. (Author/VWL)

Illustrates that project work can be fun, inspiring, challenging, pedagogically valuable, and practical for teachers and students. Using the project, "build a green home," designed for secondary English-as-a-Foreign-language students in Hong Kong, as an example, provides tips for making project work less daunting and more teacher- and…

Used two methods to assess bilingual dominance in four groups of Italian-English bilinguals. Ratios were derived from bilinguals' self-rating of ability to speak and understand Italian compared to English. Dominance in Italian was associated with a relatively high level of performance in Italian (assessed in a translation task) and relatively poor…

Examines the similarity between first and second language writing development and the nature of the developmental path. Analyzes the frequency of two types of causality markers in 5th-8th grade essays written by 189 students in English-as-a-Second-language and 546 students in regular language arts classes. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on using technology in the form of streaming Internet video segments to provide additional instruction in a foreign language/English-as-a-Second-Language (FL/ESL) methods course. Instructors used a digital camcorder to videotape the teaching of listening, speaking, reading, writing, culture, and essential course principles and converted…

An ethnographic study examined the language development and cultural and academic adjustment of a student in her first semester of a year-long program in Mexico. Data reveal that the most dramatic change in her proficiency came about as she learned the rules, both societal and academic, that allowed her to function within the culture and that…

Highlights the life of one Chinese English-as-a-Foreign-Language teacher who uses computer-mediated communication and the Internet to provide his students with communicative language experiences. (Author/VWL)

Investigates the reading strategies of Turkish English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) students in Turkish and English and the possible effects of reading instruction on reading in Turkish and English. Addresses whether strategy instruction in EFL reading effects EFL reading strategies and reading comprehension in English , and whether strategy…

Describes the results of a questionnaire that reveals Japanese students' attitudes towards reading in English versus reading in Japanese. Points out how students may have distorted views about English and English texts, because of their limited exposure to literary texts. (Author/VWL)

Describes an on-going computer-mediated communication (CMC) cross-cultural project between French and American university students. Explores the possibilities and limits of CMC, using the research of Paul Ricaeur and Claire Kramsch, who provide a practical and theoretical framework in which to analyze student-authored writing. (Author/VWL)

Examined how language teachers apply practical experiences from computer-assisted language learning (CALL) coursework to their teaching. Examines ways in which teachers continue their CALL coursework. Participants were English-as-a-Second-Language teachers who had, within the last 4 years, completed the same graduate-level CALL course and who were…

Focuses on how the poetic function of language, through the use of Postcolonial literature, can be extended to teach the communicative and cultural functions of non-native language use in once colonialized countries. (Author/VWL)

Describes a performance-based task, within real-life contexts structured specifically for a ninth grade English-as-a-Foreign-Language class. The task--a book project--was used as an alternative assessment of the acquisition and application of English studies as a foreign language in Israeli schools. (Author/VWL)