Motivated by predictions of the theory of Input Processing, this study adds to previous research on second language (L2) Spanish pronunciation learning by investigating the impact of two distinct types of pronunciation assignments on first language (L1) English L2 Spanish students' improvement in pronunciation of the vowels /e, o/. Two sections of…

The present study examines the effect of self-evaluation on Spanish oral performance of nine second-language university students in an intermediate conversation course. Participants were asked to submit multiple drafts of digital video recordings of themselves practicing language functions throughout a semester. Participants also reflected on…

A number of devices for use in teaching foreign language conservation courses are described. Among them are hypothetical situations, group discussions, activities for improving oral comprehension, plays and skits, collective stories, dialogues, interviews, speeches, recorded songs, cartoon captions, television games, and card techniques. (RM)

Describes an advanced conversational Spanish language course based on community experiences, multicultural education, and collaborative research taught at the University of Santa Clara in California. The class combined authentic materials with real-life experiences. (Author/VWL)

Briefly discusses the theoretical and empirical literature regarding the "negotiation of meaning" as a construct, presents and discusses selected findings from a longitudinal study of an intact Spanish conversation course at the college level relative to learner-to-learner conversation and the "negotiating of meaning," and…

Presents an approach for developing oral proficiency in the advanced conversation course that proposes, as an organizing principle, the use of Swales's concept of genre as a class of communicative events that share a communicative purpose. It is concluded that focus on genre can improve proficiency performance and articulation. (eight references)…