Second language acquisition (SLA) courses are a perennial feature of graduate level teacher preparation programs in Applied Linguistics and TESOL. While there has been recent interest in exploring the interfaces of second language acquisition research and classroom teaching (Ellis, 1997), the teaching of SLA courses at the university level is…

In May and June of each year, Soviet students who have completed grades one through ten face a final examination in each of the major subjects which they have studied. The examinations are constructed by the ministries of education in the Soviet republics and are submitted to the individual school district authorities. The type, form, and purpose…

A summary report is presented of the first of two interviews with a random sample of parents of kindergarten and third grade students in the project. Undertaken as part of the evaluation of the Parental Involvement Component of the ESAA Bilingual/Bicultural Project, the interviews had a twofold objective: (1) to measure the degree of home support…

English language learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities are two groups specifically targeted in NCLB for which schools must demonstrate "adequate yearly progress." However, ELLs with disabilities, a category where these two groups overlap, are not specifically mentioned in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Students with…

This study investigated the relationship of language learning strategies use and self-efficacy of high school students learning Chinese, German, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish. Through two questionnaires, The Language Learning Strategies Questionnaire and The Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, researchers were able to collect and analyze data on…

The current study investigated whether the change toward more gender-inclusive English that is taking place in Inner Circle countries is also gaining acceptance for English usage in an Outer Circle country: Singapore. Data for the study came principally from a questionnaire completed by students at a Singapore junior college and from writing…

This study investigated the effects of the Jigsaw II cooperative learning (CL) model and whole class instruction in improving learners' reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and motivation to read. Forty-four grade five English as a foreign language learners participated in the study, and a posttest-only control group experimental design…

This guide is intended for vocational educators developing the vocational English as a second language (VESL) component of a course in cooking. The introductory section examines assumptions about second language learning and instruction and VESL classes, local adaptations of the curriculum, and sample VESL lessons. The chapter on language…

The development, administration, and evaluation of a national survey to determine college students' understanding of world affairs are described in 12 articles that focus on survey measures, procedures, and results. Stephen F. Klein and Sheila M. Ager describe the issues examined by an assessment committee, their choice of an issues framework for…

A summary report is presented of interviews with 28 bilingual teacher aides who work in ten elementary Schools Austin Independent School District. The interviews were conducted to provide data to assist the project staff in assessing ongoing activities of the aides as well as specific process objectives. They were designed, therefore, with a…

A summary report is presented of the first of two interviews with a random sample of parents of kindergarten, third and sixth grade students in the project. Undertaken as part of the evaluation of the Parental Involvement Component of the Title VII Bilingual Project, the interviews had a twofold objective: (1) to measure the degree of home support…

In June of 1998, Proposition 227 was passed by 61 percent of the California electorate. The initiative was intended to significantly alter the ways in which the state's English learners (ELs) are taught. Proposition 227 requires that ELs be taught "overwhelmingly in English" through sheltered/structured English immersion (SEI) programs…

This paper reports on a study of the impact of extensive reading (ER) on the language proficiency of a group of Vietnamese government officials studying English. Two questions were of interest. First, we wanted to examine if ER could be successfully implemented with adult second language learners beyond traditional student age. Secondly, we were…

Utilizing a pre- and posttest research design, with an instructional intervention of good practices in notetaking, the notes taken by examinees during a computer-based listening comprehension test prior to and following the instructional intervention were examined for particular notetaking strategies. Questionnaires probed perceptions of the…

This publication presents recommendations for improving educational success, excellence, and equity for Hispanic American students in Minnesota's public schools. The document describes the actions that established the Minnesota State Board of Education Hispanic Learner Task Force (HLTF), the procedures for developing the recommendations, and…