Examines the components of motivation in foreign language learning in institutional/academic settings without regular interaction with the target language community. A motivational questionnaire to define the relevance and characteristics of integration and instrumentality in foreign language learning was developed and administered to learners of…

The hispanicization of Mayan immigrants in Los Angeles is explored, focusing on the patterns of usage of Mayan, Spanish, and English among men, women, and children, and the trend toward Spanish-English bilingualism. (Author/MSE)

Reports a study that investigated ethnocentrism in foreign language education. The study utilized a quasiexperimental intact group design where nine sections of first-semester German students were randomly assigned to one of three groups: one that stressed German and American cultural similarities, one that stressed German and American…

Presents the results of a two-year study on the integration of Internet resources as a primary instructional tool in the teaching of Italian-language classes at the University of Utah. All students studying Italian belonged to a virtual community of Italian speakers who communicated daily on various channels and mailing lists. (Author/JL)

Examines the development of a pilot questionnaire used for a series of investigations into aspects of language learning in further and higher education. The questionnaire was administered to over 3,000 learners of French, Spanish, German, English, and Russian attending 12 British universities and 6 schools/colleges of further education. (16…

Presents case studies of three high-achieving learners who demonstrated a variety of motivations and strategy uses according to their individual differences. The primary focus of the study is on the strategies employed by learners during their school days in their native Germany. The three studies demonstrate a wide range of strategy uses and…

Describes a study that investigated issues related to timing of feedback in writing instruction and explores answers to the following: (1) What would English-as-a-Second-Language learners like to have emphasized in feedback and when? (2) While revising, do learners respond to feedback on both content and language use? and (3) What are the…

Investigates effect of task type on resultant candidate discourse and input of the interlocutor. The experimental design ensured an information gap in one of the interview tasks for prospective immigrants to Australia. Findings indicate that candidate discourse differs in quantity and quality between situations when an information gap exists and…

Reports on student perceptions of classroom discourse, which includes speech between teacher and students as well as among peers. Students indicate both observations of frequency and value judgments. Responses are analyzed by their final course grade. Results are intended to guide future formal and informal observational studies on how relative…

Reports an examination of the social values of senior students in a high school with a culturally and linguistically diverse population in South Australia. Social-value patterns were determined using the Schwartz Values Questionnaire and compared with those of a control group of Australian-born students of Australian parents from culturally and…

Varying methodological conditions changed the emphasis of Spanish instruction for 212 English-speaking university students. Evaluation of the cognitive style preferences of first semester students via the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, Learning Styles Inventory, and a specially-designed questionnaire produced a single cognitive preference score.…

Reports a study of academic and non-academic demands as perceived by a group of Australian non- native English speaking students in the first semester of postgraduate studies. Relates relevant research to participants' responses to a questionnaire and in follow-up interviews about academic difficulties, such as the use of first language and the…

Describes the peer-editing behaviors of eight undergraduate students in a third-year Spanish composition and grammar review course. Data collected over four months through interviews, participant observation, artifact inventories, and questionnaires revealed a strong tendency among informants to define the peer-editing process in social and…

Examined the extent to which foreign student families view attrition of the first language (L1) and academic skills as a serious issue for their children, and what steps they take to maintain these skills. Suggests foreign-student parents are concerned their children are losing L1 literacy and academic ability and are supplementing their…

Assessed attitudes of elementary and middle school students toward foreign language study via a questionnaire. Results show students with home languages other than English demonstrated more positive attitudes toward foreign languages and a higher degree of perceived parental support for their foreign language program. No gender difference emerged.…