The author has worked as a language teacher, teacher educator, and second language acquisition (SLA) researcher for over forty years. During this time grammar has figured largely in his thinking, in part because it has traditionally been so central to language pedagogy and in part because he became fascinated with how the human mind grapples with…

Adult English language learners who lack print literacy or experience with formal education encounter a unique set of challenges in their lives and their efforts to learn English. Educators and policymakers are similarly challenged by how best to help these adults acquire English literacy. This paper reviews a variety of research, including that…

Discusses the need for a strong ethical foundation in the social sciences, which include language testing. Proposes the need for a professional morality and explains the importance of such morality to individuals and other stakeholders. It is argued that the intrusive nature of language testing and the normative role of language tests raises…

Describes the processes of curriculum and teacher development that follow an evaluation of a British University English for academic purposes program. (Author/VWL)

Reviews publications dealing with the teaching of French to adult workers for whom French is either a second language or native language. (AM)

Considerable research has now been undertaken into the development of different approaches to exploiting language corpora for pedagogic purposes in the context of ESP. The question of how language corpora might be utilized by students beyond the immediate language-teaching context is, however, one as yet seldom addressed in the literature. This…

Suggests second language acquisition research can help promote change in language teachers' methodological beliefs and practices. Drawing on diffusion of innovations research, an area of sociological inquiry, examines a theoretical framework for understanding change in language education, and discusses practical applications supporting…

Learning academic English is probably one of the surest, most reliable ways of attaining socioeconomic success in the United States today. Learners cannot function in school settings effectively without it. This variety of English entails the multiple, complex features of English required for success in public schooling and career advancement. It…

This paper assembles innovative ideas from several disciplines and offers an integrated discussion for improving TESL/TEFL curriculum design, specifically for individuals from peripheral social contexts and to address the global demand for ESL/EFL teachers. Overall, the suggested innovations serve to: (1) increase program accessibility to…