Effective syllabus document design hinges on an alignment between learning objectives, teaching principles and curricular policy. Much of the work on syllabus design in the English Language Teaching (ELT) context focuses on the implementation of language teaching principles, such as those from the Communication Language Teaching (CLT) approach.…

Examines alternative A-level syllabuses of second-language courses with a view to establishing what implicit definitions and interpretations of cultural learning they embody. The article focuses on that part of course content that fosters understanding of a foreign culture as an integral part of communicative competence. Assessment objectives are…

Over a three-year period, from 1971 to 1973, a series of three experimental intensive language sessions was held in Malta for university professors and researchers who wanted to improve their knowledge of English as a second language. Each session consisted of from 20 to 30 participants and lasted 2 weeks. The general objectives of these courses…

This article presents an analysis of a course in oral English created at the University of Nancy in 1974 for adult beginning students of English as a second language. The linguistic foundations of the course are discussed (verbal communication and communicative competence), as well as its psychopedagogic and pedagogic bases (cognitive approach,…

Investigates Communicative Effectiveness (CE) and Grammatical Accuracy (GA) in fifth-grade students in intensive English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes. Using different types of elicitation tasks in a cross-sectional study, results showed CE and GA are not independent, but the relation between them differs as a function of task type. (28…

Reports on the case of a university student studying English as a Second Language who disliked the informal writing of dialogue journals. Implications from the case suggest the need for researchers and practitioners to consider students' perspectives when employing nontraditional writing assignments. (53 references) (Author/CK)

Suggests that consensus is the result of intellectual inquiry among scholars for some common purpose. External and internal forces impel the academic community to move beyond argumentation about what students should be able to achieve as they progress. Legislatures and boards of regents are exercising increasing oversight over public and private…

The greatest need of language teachers today is a workable approach to teaching vocabulary. This is essential if students are to be enabled to achieve communicative competence, that is, to make a transfer from the textbook to the real world of French, as reflected in the French media. An effective and comprehensive approach to teaching vocabulary…