Reports on results of a Swiss project designed to provide descriptions of language competence at various cross-over points at which Swiss learners change from one educational sector to another in order to create a coherent information system for course planning, coordination of certification, self-assessment, and reporting achievement. (72…

Addresses the principles underlying the merging of interlanguages in multiple-language acquisition. The article claims that there is an "interlanguage logic" in multiple- language acquisition and that one can see the structure of the basic learning strategy in interlanguage creation: "interlingual identification." (seven…

This paper describes the methodology of a study seeking to determine whether there is evidence that French immersion children with specific reading disability in one language also have the disability in the other language, and learning-disabled readers belong to the same subtype in both languages. (Author/JDD)

"Why" questions used by teachers and students were examined to determine whether they produced words or phrases (short answers) or extended student responses (long answers) in 12 English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) courses. Results indicated that both teachers and students ask few why questions, which could be better used in ESL classes to elicit…

Current newspaper articles are used in the form of a weekly short quiz in advanced English reading classes at Nara University of Education. The quiz focuses on the articles' immediacy as a motivating factor for Japanese students who have lost some motivation after passing the university entrance examinations. (Contains seven references.) (LB)

Lists 22 activities that might serve as a useful starting point for those embarking on the teaching of literature in the target language for the first time. The key to the activities is to get the students to do the thinking. These activities are designed to build up to and complement conventional essay-writing. (CK)

Focuses on the teaching of grammar in foreign language learning situations. Drawing the learners' attention to the linguistic patterns and providing them with the underlying rules and principles can enhance the learning process as learners usually try to discover rules from the language data by themselves. (71 references) (CK)

Incidental vocabulary learning from context and 2 factors that might influence it, access to a dictionary and verbal ability, were examined among 112 second-year university students. Results indicate that subjects learned more words while reading for meaning, but high verbal ability students and those using a dictionary learn more. (71 references)…

In a follow-up project, this study examined how and when six university language teachers actually used English and the target language in the classroom. Results suggest that switches to English may be made to help maintain classroom order, to create solidarity or empathy, to cover lack of experience or strategies, or to rephrase or modify their…

Computer-assisted studies (CAS) attract foreign language professionals' attention due to the reliability of personal computers, the decreasing cost of available technology, and the new generation of students for whom electronic media are a familiar habitat. This article focuses on a project of the Defense Language Institute that produced over…

Illustrates one approach to presenting language as a reflection of culture, taking as a topic the marked tendency in French to use negative terms to express positive concepts. Negation in French becomes a fertile source of pedagogical activities since it allows reflection upon at least three points to help students go beyond the grammatical…

Presents various learning activities and instructional materials for helping students learn French or Spanish grammar and culture. These materials include flash cards and lists of items to be used on labels. Activities include using the flash cards, writing newspaper ads in the foreign language, and naming the different items in a house. (CK)

Presents an academic achievement assessment program undertaken at an English comprehensive school. The assessment had three functions: (1) to ascertain the extent to which teaching and learning objectives are being met; (2) to identify pupils' strengths and weaknesses; and (3) to motivate pupils by giving them a regular sense of achievement. (CK)

The effects of attendance at linguistically and ethnically homogeneous schools on language motivation and ethnic attitude among preuniversity students learning English and Chinese in Singapore were investigated. Contrary to expectation, students from homogeneous secondary schools tended to be more positive in their ethnic attitude. (Contains 17…

Teenage foreign language learners can better benefit from reading target-language literature if the works include real teenage books instead of abridged canonical classics. Teenage pupils like and want to understand these works because they provide access to the colloquial language used by native-speaking teenagers and because they have themes and…