The Specialist Schools Initiative in England has urged schools to plan their teaching of foreign languages in relation to the linguistic needs and preferences of their local communities. The changing multilingual fabric of many parts of Britain make such a goal a potentially difficult and controversial process. This paper explores the views of a…

Presents a case study of the bilingual section established in a modular business studies course taught in Spanish and designed to integrate the themes of "business" and "information studies" within a single subject. The teachers were expert in the subject studied and the language concerned, and the students had an adequate…

This article reports on the practitioner research conducted by the English participants in a European Co-operation Programme project entitled "Lateral Language Learning." The project was based on the belief that there is much that teachers of a first foreign language can do to prepare their students to access other languages in the…

Paired listening was originally developed as a research tool with the aim to understand the strategies used by L2 learners when listening to recorded speech in the target language. It offers researchers a useful combination of direct observation and verbal data, whilst avoiding the common drawbacks of subjective introspection. This paper examines…

Compiles the main findings of the Oxford Project on Diversification of First Foreign Language Teaching. This project examined pupils' and teachers' experiences of diversification, set in the context of local and national developments in language policy, and investigated matters affecting decisions as to which modern foreign language(s) to offer.…

Foreign-language cinema has generally been relegated to a minor role in language education. This paper reports on and analyses the results of a survey of attitudes towards foreign film among UK university students of French, German and Spanish. The findings reveal students' limited exposure to and relative lack of familiarity with non-anglophone…

Analyzes the computer program, "Question Mark," produced in England and designed to be a testing tool for large second-language classes. Using this tool, it is possible to create and edit up to 500 questions using any one of 8 different question types. The program also can provide a running score for students using it. Notes that student…

Research into learners' attributions for their successes and failures has received considerable attention. However, very little research has been carried out in the area of learning foreign languages. This study is timely in view of the current interest by the government in promoting foreign languages. The aims of the study were (1) to investigate…

Reports on a survey conducted by the Association for Language Learning (ALL) of 199 foreign language teachers in England and Wales concerning the implementation of the National Curriculum in Modern Foreign Languages. Teachers felt that the major strengths of the curriculum included emphasis on the target language and enhanced status for foreign…

Investigates the institutions in Cheshire, England, where Spanish is taught. The method involves a survey by questionnaire of 16 Comprehensive schools, 3 VI Form Colleges, and 5 Colleges of Further Education. Of the 24 institutions sent questionnaires, 79% were returned and analyzed. Results are provided. (four references) (CK)

Examines ways to motivate students who do not want to learn a foreign language. Questionnaires were completed by 191 year 9 pupils and 7 teachers. The responses of the teachers offered simple strategies that could be replicated without great addition to workload or financial outlay. Responses of a disgruntled minority of students are presented.…

Provides a case study of a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) program for beginning learners of Spanish at the University of Bradford, England. The pros and cons of various software used in the program, as well student attitudes toward CALL, are discussed. (six references) (MDM)

Overviews government policy of national coordination aimed at achieving broad agreements on curriculum objectives for the General Certificate for Secondary Education and providing examinations reflecting that agreement. This article also presents the experience of teachers and examiners regarding the validity of the government's claim as to the…

In this article, the author critiques six articles. Five of the six articles are about motivation in language learning, an area which has seen considerable theoretical and empirical development over the last decade. The articles she reviews include: (1) Udo Jung's report on the top twelve "most prestigious FLT (foreign language teaching) journals"…