Reports on the exploratory phase of a computer assisted language learning project designed to provide a package enabling students of German as a second language to develop their reading and writing skills, learn new vocabulary and syntactical structure, and enhance their competence in the production of text commentary. (Six references) (Author/CK)

Discusses diffusion-based electronic mail instruction integrated into summer institutes attended by foreign language educators. Findings reveal that diffusion-based instruction was effective in encouraging participants to use electronic mail more frequently than comparable foreign language teachers who did not attend the institutes. (30…

Considers different approaches to teaching culture within foreign language (FL) classes in Great Britain with the object of making a realistic suggestion on how to integrate language and culture. Particular focus is on FL students at the lower and intermediate levels, where cultural input is often omitted. (six references) (CK)

Discusses teaching languages in Israeli schooling, exploring the difficulties that groups with different cultural origins encounter when they communicate in the same language. These obstacles make proficiency extremely important and place politics at the center of the problem of language teaching and learning. (SLD)

Discusses adult students of English as a Second Language who are dedicated readers in their primary language, yet have not considered reading as a means of developing their second language ability. Concludes that the case for free reading is strong and that teachers can encourage their students to engage in second language reading activities. (10…

Presents a critical review of current empirical second-language (L2) studies addressing the effects of simplification on L2 learners' comprehension and intake in the written and aural modes. Argues that the issue of the role and effects of simplification on learners' comprehension and intake remains contentious. (35 references) (Author/CK)

Reports research in cross-cultural differences between Americans from the United States and Germans, regarding the connotations of vocabulary items, specifically two sample words: "Cliquen" and "Kneipen." Over a period of five years, more than 50 native speakers from both cultures, who had experience with the other culture, were interviewed on…

Discusses and dispels four myths about second-language education. Shows that ample evidence favors bilingualism, bilingual education, and literacy in children's native languages as the means to help children grow academically. Offers "best practices" recommendations regarding program, methods, materials, and parental involvement. (SR)

Studied differences in language gain in French among two groups of students, those who studied abroad and those who remained at home to study in the college classroom. Six nonteacher native speakers compared the oral and written fluency of both groups of students. Results show the context of language learning is a factor in what oral and written…

Provides an example of one process used by a teacher-researcher to increase and expand the use of relevant materials, knowledgeable teachers, and teamwork with subject matter professionals in English for academic purposes' (EAP) programs. The study was conducted for an EAP program in a civil aviation school in Turkey. (Author/VWL)

This article, originally published in 1981 (Canadian Modern Language Review; v37 n4), examines recent research and thinking in the field of second language teaching to find directions and suggestions for change that can be interwoven into an audio-lingual approach. (Author/VWL)

Examines the effect annotation type has on second language incidental vocabulary retention in a multimedia reading setting. Compared three annotation types: text-only, picture-only, and a combination of the two. Indicates the combination group outperformed the text-only and picture-only groups on the immediate tests. There was significant…

Compares the attitudes towards divided or debatable usages between Hong Kong teachers and their students. Data were collected via elicitation tests. Findings showed significant differences between teachers' and students' attitudes towards debatable usages. (Author/VWL)

Aims to put the body of research on Swedish as a second language (SSL) into one coherent framework and to test the predictions deriving from processability theory for Swedish against this empirical database. Surveys the 14 most prominent research projects on SSL, covering wide areas of syntax and morphology in longitudinal and cross-sectional…

Reviews three themes examined in this special-issue of the journal on the emerging subfield of language-in-development: basic definitional issues; the locus and scope of language in development; and the role of English and other languages in language and development. Proposes a working definition of language in development as the resolution of…