English has been an official language of Hong Kong since it was first introduced to the region in the 1840s. Since then, its influence has invariably been strong and remains so even after 1997, when the sovereignty of the region was returned to China. This special background of English in Hong Kong heavily influences the policy and practices of…

This paper reports on a study of business student and faculty views at the Lebanese American University as to the students' language proficiency levels, writing in particular, and what the specific writing needs are in order for students to be effective in their course work. The role of the English and business faculty is also investigated.…

Research examined construct meaning and validity for two new measures of receptive and expressive vocabulary for Spanish-speaking kindergarteners learning English. Substantive validity and generalizability of score meaning was assessed by examining correlations between an established measure (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-PPVT) and new measures…

What is the role of positive feedback in the adult English language classroom? This study applies ideas from complexity theory to explore the relation between frequency of oral feedback received and student language proficiency. The researcher collected data from digital recordings of adult students (N = 41) who attended classes for 30 weeks at…

The effectiveness of early English education was investigated in this study to determine if English should be taught formally in Japanese public elementary schools. We administered English tests and questionnaires to 1466 elementary school students in 2004 and 2005. The results showed significant differences between the…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires all states to assess the English proficiency of English language learners each school year. Under Title I and Title III of No Child Left Behind, states are required to measure the annual growth of students' English language development in reading, listening, writing, and speaking and in comprehension…

In an attempt to unify the nation's naturalisation policies, Germany has introduced compulsory language tests as a prerequisite for citizenship. Reactions to this new policy have been sharply divided. After a brief introduction to the sociocultural demography of modern Germany, critical insights are provided into controversial use of literacy as a…

This article reports on a study investigating the use of 2 synchronous computer-mediated communication tools: text and voice chat. The experimental design employed 3 groups (text, voice, and control), each consisting of 30 novice-level secondary school learners of English as a foreign language. Over a 4-week period, the participants in the…

Whereas most research in SLA assumes the relationship between the first language (L1) and the second language (L2) to be unidirectional, this study investigates the possibility of a bidirectional relationship. We examine the domain of manner of motion, in which monolingual Japanese and English speakers differ both in speech and gesture. Parallel…

Describes the schools attended and the courses studied by prospective librarians. (PF)

The Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) is a semi-direct speaking test that models the format of the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), an oral proficiency test used by government agencies to assess general speaking proficiency in a second language. The SOPI is a tape-recorded test consisting of six parts. It begins with simple, personal…

This paper is a critical comment and reaction to a 1965 article by G. A. Miller entitled "Some Preliminaries to Psycholinguistics." The subject matter is verbal control of behavior. Seven specific aspects of the Miller address are discussed. (WD)

Because of the close interrelationship among language, thinking, and the contexts in which learning takes place, many children experience difficulties when they enter school. This article discusses ways in which dramatic contexts can provide continuity between home and school by enabling children to take control of their thinking and language. (MT)

Identifies certain key elements in the ACTFL/ETS proficiency descriptions that relate to language teaching and compares various methods and approaches in terms of those elements. Draws some conclusions about the way methodologies might evolve in the future. (EKN)

The author discusses his reaction to the CIRCUS test. (RC)