Comments on the distinction that Lisa Taylor, in a previous article, makes between "cultural diversity" and "cultural difference." The article notes that when new Canadians arrive in Canada, their point of reference is their own culture. The journey for new Canadians toward cultural integration into Canadian society is a…

Ohio's Collaborative Articulation and Assessment Project was designed to address the problems and weaknesses that have traditionally accompanied the transition between secondary and postsecondary language instruction. This article describes the goals of the project, the collaborative process-oriented approach used to define issues of concern,…

To restructure the language curriculum and integrate multimedia technology at the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York, instructional software was developed for a multimedia laboratory environment. This report provides information on the hardware and primary software chosen for the project, the creation of interactive…

The role of language learner anxiety, among other affective variables of students studying Japanese, is examined in relation to students' language performance at three different instructional levels. Findings showed that the predictive variable of student performance was different from the beginning level to the intermediate- and the…

Analyzes the official (Kuomintang) language policy in Taiwan, which had exalted Mandarin and suppressed other local languages, and the efforts during the last decade to revive Tai-yu, a major language in the post-war period. The dynamics of the Tai-yu language movement reveal a pressing problem facing Taiwan: how to balance national cohesion with…

Argues that communicative competence in Spanish as a second language can not be taught without giving attention to the grammatical component of language. Compares aspects of the traditional and communicative approaches to language teaching, refers to theory on grammar instruction, and offers examples of classroom activities supporting the learning…

Examined the strategies used by native-English-speaking foreign language (FL) learners to read Spanish and English texts in order to investigate differences in FL reading strategies between males and females. Results indicate that students processed the Spanish and English passages using local and global strategies, respectively, and that males…

Illustrates the problems inherent in an extreme focus on form and accuracy or meaning and fluency in English-as-a-Second-Language classes. Notes that current language teaching theory views a dual, simultaneous focus as desirable and proceeds to analyze the features of an authentic example of dual focus. (20 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses the use of HyperCard to create programs for teaching English language and literacy. Describes the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) with hospital cleaners and catering staff. Explains CALL's role in facilitating cultural change and peer tutoring. (SK)

Describes "Reading Clubs," a program designed and carried out by two first-grade teachers in which small groups of students (primarily second-language learners) thought to be at risk for failure were coached daily. Notes that 19 of the targeted 23 students were successful enough to move with their peers to second grade. (SR)

Investigates the effects of Spanish-English bilinguals' first-language syntactic knowledge on the guesses they make about the meanings of new words encountered in English contexts. Examines a particular type of transfer to understand the process of vocabulary acquisition in second-language readers. (48 references) (Author/CK)

Examines the contributions made by stakeholders such has learners, teachers, and parents to the language assessment process. Examines the relationship between experts and government in the United Kingdom. It is argued that participation by stakeholders is not limited to providing a forum but includes equipping teachers, parents, and others with…

Attitudes toward and achievement in a foreign language were studied with 349 high school seniors. Controlling for native language achievement, difficulty in learning the language was an important achievement factor, and gender and years of study contributed to achievement. Implications for instruction are discussed. (SLD)

Discusses critical issues facing the languages across the curriculum (LAC) movement. These include benefits to students derived from LAC offerings, effective curriculum design and teaching methods, benefits of LAC to teachers in other fields, and justification of the costs of long-term institutional support. (40 references) (CK)

Describes weaknesses in the sociolinguistic competence of second-language (L2) learners as documented by research in immersion contexts. The article discusses findings with reference to adolescent native speakers' use of question forms, conditionals, and second-person pronouns across two levels of formality in written and oral productions. (48…