This study examines the perceptions of employers, university authorities, English teachers and students concerning needs to promote English achievement in a Mexican university. By drawing on data collected from focus groups and questionnaires, the evidence suggests that there are several needs which hinder the attainment of English objectives in…

This study aims to explore the problems and the solutions concerning the English language preparatory curricula implemented at Eskisehir Osmangazi University, School of Foreign Languages according to ELT instructors. Participants of the study are 50 ELT instructors teaching English language in three different proficiency levels (A1, A2, B1). Case…

The present article reports on a study that set out to investigate the effectiveness of strategies and decisions formulated in foreign language planning to ensure learners' language achievement in a higher education context which trains learners to become English or French teachers or translators. By drawing on data collected from simulated…

This research is a report on a quantitative study carried out at the English Departments of three public universities in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Its main purpose was to analyze the strategies English departments coordinators use to enhance the quality of education their institutions provide in terms of bilingualism. The participants were…

This study explored Kansas pre-service ESOL endorsement seekers' knowledge and preparedness in creating lessons driven by Kansas English language proficiency standards. It elucidated the extent to which Kansas pre-service teachers consider Kansas English language proficiency (ELP) standards in their lessons, how well prepared they perceive they…

Student diversity has become a typical phenomenon in American public schools. The impact of increasing diversity on literacy instruction is unchallenged. Teachers reinforce this message by often citing ESL student diversity as a barrier for literacy teaching. In order to better understand the complexity of diversity issues, I explored two ESL…

This interview study of seven highly proficient Korean users of English examines the role of the "ideal second language self" as a motivator in the learning of English as a global language. It explores their perspectives on the cultural associations that English holds, the degree to which a "global identity" is a part of their…

The 23rd EUROCALL conference was held in Cyprus from the 24th to the 27th of August 2016. The theme of the conference this year was "CALL Communities and Culture." It offered a unique opportunity to hear from real-world CALL practitioners on how they practice CALL in their communities, and how the CALL culture has developed in local and…

Address given at the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held in New York, New York, on April 14, 1972. (DS)

Although a substantial amount of professional literature argues for the potential benefits of content-based instruction, limited research exists on how this type of instruction actually is appropriated, understood, and carried out in practice by foreign language teachers. This study examines the role of two sixth grade Spanish teachers' discursive…

Interest in foreign language education is growing rapidly, linked to increased concern about international trade and international relations and a general interest in educational quality. The foreign language profession in the 1980s is committed to the development of proficiency-oriented curricula and instruction and the production of proficient…

Responding to the growing need to foster communicative abilities in English, many Asian countries where English is taught as a foreign language have recently introduced English at the elementary school level. However, the majority of elementary school teachers in such countries might not be adequately prepared to teach English; improving their…

Linguistic and paralinguistic problems faced by non-native-English speakers training to be teachers of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) in non-English-speaking environments are discussed. Relevant theories of second language learning and acquisition are reviewed, and the affective factors and sociocultural variables that appear to…

Describes a study of teachers' priorities as a step in analyzing their compatibility with the focus on proficiency in modern language education. The study shows an overall compatibility of attitudes of the surveyed teachers with the notion of oral proficiency as the principle in modern language teaching. (SED)

This report states specific steps to follow in order to achieve the primary objectives of the Modern Language Association/American Council of Learned Societies Task Force, to improve the quantity and quality of second-language study in the commonly taught languages in the United States. (CFM)