The enlargement of the European Union (EU) has strengthened the position of English, a situation which has led some voices to warn against the hegemony of this language. Yet, very few studies have been undertaken in contexts where English is added to the presence of both a minority and a majority language. This is the case of the Basque Autonomous…

This paper begins by documenting the positive contribution of English as a Foreign\Second Language (EFL\ESL) to computers in language learning and teaching and then proposes a general framework, applicable in a range of contexts, for investigating their pedagogical applications in the EFL\ESL classroom. The paper then reports on a study which…

There is sufficient evidence that linguistic, social and psychological system variables are important in second language acquisition. This study examined the contribution of a selection of these components and characteristics to second language acquisition, specifically, the linkages between social structure (particularly the degree of…

This article examines language learner strategy use reported by 121 Chinese learners of English through a questionnaire and the relationships between their strategy use and language performance on a national English proficiency test: College English Test-Band 4. Results showed that this group of learners reported using more metacognitive…

The objective of this study is to assess whether arts-based curriculum facilitates the acquisition of English as a Second Language without sacrificing proficiency in the first language (in this case, Spanish). The paper has two chief parts, one theoretical, the other empirical. In the first part, similarities between authentic arts-based…

A research report summarizes second language study, language training practices, and trainee attitudes toward language learning in the Peace Corps. The two equal parts of the study consist of findings and appendixes. Conclusions are grouped under (1) training practices and trainee attitudes, (2) associations and relationships, and (3) qualitative…

This study was undertaken to determine motivational factors connected with the learning of English by francophone students living in a milieu where there is little contact with anglophones. Research is reviewed which supports the contention that the attitudinal/motivational dimension, or integrative motivation, bears an important relationship to…

About 2,200 immigrant children in Sweden were studied by means of tests and teacher questionnaires. The children, representing 36 nationalities, were born outside Sweden and were distributed over the nine grades of the Swedish Comprehensive School. Various functional language skills in Swedish as a second language (L2), nonverbal intelligence and…

This book presents practical solutions for teaching foreign language learners self instruction, ranging from needs analysis to resourcing, strategy training and monitoring tools. Special emphasis is placed on different ways in which learners can be supported by learning how to analyze their own needs and set their own goals, how to choose the most…

Multicultural education is an idea, a concept, and a reform movement that should be present at all levels of schooling. This project outlines two multicultural units taught in a high school French IV and V class. Focusing on the multicultural concepts of racism and immigration-migration, students were introduced to global historical and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate six preservice teachers' understandings of the theory and practice of teaching and learning foreign languages during their course work and field experiences in a teacher education program. The participants in the study were full-time students in a year-long graduate-level program. This paper focuses on…

This study examined the talk of 20 university level learners of Mandarin as a Second Language in three instructional modes: teacher-led (TL), unstructured group work (UGW), and structured group work using a cooperative learning technique (SGW), in this case, Jigsaw. Statistical analyses showed that more learner talk (in terms of turns and c-units)…

Discusses the need to polish the foreign language skills of second-language teachers during their professional training. This training should concentrate primarily on the improvement of confidence in spontaneous target language use and grammatical accuracy and should also emphasize pedagogical development and reflection. (one reference) (CK)

Describes an innovative Japanese elementary school foreign language (FLES) program introduced at the Laboratory School of the University of Pittsburgh. Lessons focused on thematic vocabulary presented within a context, a language function associated with the context, and some attention to the grammatical or syntactic structure necessary for…

This study applied social psychological constructs to examine the linguistic attitudes and motivations of 301 Hungarian high school students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Factor and correlational analyses of the results of a survey questionnaire revealed that xenophilic, sociocultural, instrumental, and media-use reasons were most…