Argues against a unidirectional model of foreign language learning whereby only theories and hypotheses generated from second language acquisition (SLA) research influence language teaching and classroom practice. Suggests that the voices of developing practitioners can shed new light on the question of focus on form versus focus on meaning.…

This article discusses traditional methods, such as the grammar-translation, and modern methods, the communicative approach, for teaching English-as-a-foreign-language in China. The relationship between linguistic accuracy and communicative competence, student-centered orientation, and the role of the teacher are highlighted. (Author/VWL)

Used semi-structured interviews to examine a grounded theory of beliefs that Canadian teachers and Japanese immigrant parents hold regarding schooling and learning. Results indicate that the participants' belief systems can consist of three layers: the general belief system concerning school and learning; opinions regarding learning difficulties;…

Makes a case for introducing specialized texts in the English for specific purposes classroom earlier in the reading process. Addresses the question of whether an engineering word list might be a short cut to reading fluency for engineering students, and if so, which words might appropriately be listed. (Author/VWL)

Nine comments are offered in response to "Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century" (1996). Issues discussed include teacher preparation, articulation, standards implementation, and standards in higher education. (Author/VWL)

Observed a beginning-level Japanese language class of eight students taught by satellite at a high school in the United States during one academic year. Investigated students' learning experience, motivation and attitudes towards Japanese speakers and learning Japanese, language skill development, student-teacher interaction, and broadcast…

Investigates whether students learn culture embedded in a video-based language program. Beginning-level French students watched 10 videos as part of the curriculum. A pretest and posttest assessed long-term gains. Postvideo viewing tests measured short-term retention of culture, and a questionnaire analyzed students perceptions of how well they…

Explores the relationship between the strategies second language learners use to interpret unfamiliar words in a target language. English-speaking learners of Japanese completed a beliefs questionnaire and multiple choice Kanji compounds test. Examined how learner beliefs are related to the ability to combine information from word parts and…

Investigates the knowledge of multiple wh-questions such as "Who ate what?" by high-proficiency Japanese speakers of English. Acceptability judgments were obtained on six different types of questions. Acceptability of English examples was rated by native speakers of English, Japanese examples were judged by native speakers of Japanese,…

Describes the use of computer pen pals to offer foreign language students who are at different levels of instruction to participate in activities that involve real life situations. Designed to develop writing skills, these activities help students review vocabulary and to practice verb forms and grammatical structures. (Author/VWL)

Observed Israeli students taking notes in a first language while listening to lectures in English-as-a-foreign-language given by the law faculty. Questions addressed include these: (1) Why did the students translate the lecture into Hebrew while taking their notes?; (2) What did they gain and lose by doing this?; (3) How good was their…

Surveyed college students with a background of three semesters in Chinese who were enrolled in business Chinese to determine their knowledge and perceptions of Chinese business culture and expectations from the course. Results indicated that the students lacked cultural knowledge in business settings, suggesting the importance of addressing…

Examined to what extent readers' word-treatment strategies are task dependent, and to what extent word-treatment strategies are dependent on the reader's reading profile. Subjects were 42 students of English for academic purposes advanced reading-comprehension course. Instruments used in the study included a word-treatment experiment, an open…

Compares the development of tense morphology and verb-second in different learner populations. Three groups of Swedish pre-school children are investigated longitudinally: first language speakers, second language speakers, and children diagnosed with specific language impairment.(Author/VWL)

Presents a classification scheme and the results of applying this scheme to the coding of academic texts in a corpus. The texts are doctoral theses from agricultural botany and agricultural economics departments. Results lead to a comparison of the citation practices of writers in different disciplines and the different rhetorical practices of…