A philosophical and historical reflection on the values of learning a second language explores the stages of language acquisition. Language fluency, second language instruction, and the Western cultural traditions associated with learning a second language are discussed. (CB)

A Manitoba program of linguistic improvement for French teachers is described. In the program, teachers focus on communicative skills, the reflection on the language's resources and constraints, varied activities, and activities that can be readily adapted for their own classrooms. (MSE)

Explores similarities and differences in native- and second- language referential communication through review of an experiment in which native Dutch speakers described unconventional abstract shapes first in Dutch and then in English. Subjects exhibited a preference, in both languages, for describing shapes in a holistic rather than segmental…

Examines previous research on extensive reading, and describes an experiment comparing the improvement of reading comprehension by Japanese college freshmen taught by either a skills-based or extensive reading procedure. Results suggest that extensive reading may be at least as effective as skills building, with the important advantage that it is…

A survey, sponsored by the Joint National Committee for Languages, attempts to document the extent of the foreign language teacher shortage in the United States, avenues for curtailing shortages where they exist, and opportunities and incentives available for attracting new teachers or allowing teachers currently working to maintain or improve…

A study compared how native speakers of Spanish and English produced four English word pairs that are morphologically related but differ in stress and vowel quality. The magnitude of differences observed suggests that second language learners acquire stress placement and vowel reduction in English on a word-by-word basis. (Author/MSE)

A review of the literature on lecture notetaking delineates research concerning learning from native-language (L1) lectures as a function of L1 notetaking, outlines accepted axioms of good notetaking, and suggests continued research to assess the utility of these axioms and to explore further second-language lecture information processing.…

Reexamines the instructional contributions of different approaches to teaching pronunciation, such as Audiolingualism and the Silent Way,and proposes a new student-centered technique for dealing with the teaching of segmental features of Brazilian Portuguese. (Author/CB)

Explores Ritchie's research supporting the hypothesis that universal grammar principles are available to adult second language learners. It is concluded that the experimental principle is not an innate grammatical principle, that methodological problems are inherent in the experimental design, and that results are due to effects of processing…

Outlines research necessary for determining the validity and reliability of Test of Written English, an essay test that directly measures writing ability and complements Test of English-as-a-Foreign-Language's (TOEFL) indirect assessment of writing skills. Research should cover such aspects as construct, criterion-related, concurrent, content, and…

An investigation of person dimensionality attempted to identify student clusters relating to demographic variables and their core on a university English-as-a-Second-Language placement examination. The two genuine clusters for students with scores in the top or bottom 27 percent could not be accounted for solely on an ability basis. (CB)

Studies Hong Kong bilingual education, suggesting low-income students less likely to learn in bilingual programs. Suggests learners from certain social groups may find themselves at a disadvantage when seeking equal education opportunities, since 90 percent of secondary education programs are bilingual. (Author/TES)

A case study of a child not developmentally ready to handle the linguistic demands of a second language in an academic setting is presented as representative of a subgroup of students. It is suggested that new paradigms for researching suitability of early French immersion for all students are needed. (21 references) (Author/MSE)

Classical test theory and correlational techniques such as factor analysis have been unable to deal with many language tests' measurement problems. The Partial Credit Model, a latent trait model for the analysis of data scored in ordered categories, is used to construct and analyze an oral interview test of English as a Second Language. (28…

Examines the phenomenon of code switching (when bilingual speakers use languages interchangeably) in Mexican-American first graders. Cites several reasons for code switching, and discusses implications for reading instruction. (MM)