Focuses on the importance of vocabulary knowledge as fundamental to proficiency in a second language (L2). The article notes that each of the studies in this issue examines L2 vocabulary learning from a particular angle, including lexical progress, learning strategies, context effect, the role of learner factors such as age and first language…

The growing problem of college faculty with limited English proficiency, primarily foreign nationals who come to study in the United States, is discussed. The responses of institutions and state legislatures are outlined. A number of issues are considered, including degree of proficiency, concerns about employment discrimination, and institutional…

Multimedia computer programs that can be produced in a few hours by faculty or language laboratory staff could change the way colleges teach foreign languages. New tools allow exercises to be custom tailored to suit student interests and skill levels and to use authentic texts in new ways. Initial response by faculty users has been enthusiastic.…

Maintains that California schools have undergone an enormous transformation over the past two decades, with over a million students identified as limited English proficient. Describes changes in teacher education and certification designed to meet the needs of limited English proficient students. (CFR)

Maintains that every public school student deserves an opportunity to study a musical instrument. Asserts that a limited command of English should not prevent a student from being accepted into instrumental music class or hinder that student's progress. Describes a music education program for students speaking limited English. (CFR)

Uses recorded data from a recent classroom research project by an English-for-Academic-Purposes class in South Australia to describe an interview process that allows nonnative-speaking learners to experience authentic oral interaction with native speakers. The interview process also provides opportunities for reflecting on the linguistic and…

Reviews contributing factors of uneven absorption and educational achievement in second generation immigrants, primarily from Asia and Latin America. Argues factors are external and include economic opportunities, racial and ethnic status, group reception, and intrinsic factors like human and social capital, family structure, community…

The purpose of this article is to highlight ways in which middle school content area teachers can more effectively assess English Language Learners (ELLs) in their classrooms. This article poses five questions to guide middle school content teachers in making adaptations and accommodations when using traditional classroom tests. The objective of…

This article reports on an exploratory qualitative study on 37 students' acquisition of language and literacy. The study closely analyzes a linguistics assignment written in English, the dominant language, given to students at University of the Western Cape belonging to groups speaking English, Afrikaans, or an African language. The study…

The development and validation of a test of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) proficiency are described. The measure is a multiple-choice test based on translation of a literary text from English to Arabic and vice versa. Intended for rapid student placement, it is seen as overcoming most of the defects inherent in traditional translation tests.…

The Australian Second Language Proficiency Ratings (ASLPR) is a scale that describes how second language proficiency develops on a scale from zero to native-like proficiency, providing performance descriptions in terms of practical tasks. Initially developed for English second language teaching, it has been adapted for English dialects in…

As a reflection of the importance attached to successfully educating children whose native language is not English, the U.S. Department of Education's longitudinal study of Chapter 1 assistance, "Prospects," includes a component devoted to the analysis of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. Chapter 1, renamed Title 1 in 1994, is…

The development and implementation of undergraduate second language programs at the University of Pennsylvania are analyzed in terms of several models of language planning. First, the stated foreign language proficiency goals of the four undergraduate colleges (arts and sciences, nursing, economics, and engineering and applied science), the Penn…

The report, from the General Accounting Office to the chairman of the Senate's committee on appropriations, responds to a request for review of Department of Defense (DOD) training of linguists engaged in intelligence-related activities. It summarizes its examination of: (1) the language and technical training provided to DOD linguistics; and (2)…

A survey of students of English as a Second Language at the University of South Florida found most ranked listening and/or speaking skills as most important to learn, and reading and writing skills much lower. They also perceived the inverse to be true of teachers. The challenge is to create a curriculum that provides for listening and speaking…