Some of the areas in which second language acquisition (SLA) theories and research have contributed to language teaching are highlighted. It is noted that while results of SLA research may have contributed to understanding of language learning, insights from such research may have little direct effect on classroom instruction. One explanation is…

An annotated bibliography lists 80 articles and books published primarily between 1975 and 1985 on error treatment in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. Citations are listed alphabetically by author, but two indexes are included. The first index divides citations into those dealing with error treatment during pre-production stages,…

The research on which this study is based found that 50% of the errors in English of French-speaking students were due to interlingual causes and 50% had their source within the target language itself. The question of a correlation between the errors and the teaching method used is explored. Five methods are discussed and evaluated:…

In this course text on second language acquisition, the latest research of Halle and Chomsky, Lenneberg, Hatch, Larsen-Freeman, Dulay and Burt, and Krashen is presented. The text covers such topics as the effects of environment, age, and personality on second language acquisition; the role of the first language; and error analysis. Enough has been…

Evaluation of the Russian oral and written proficiency of third-year university students (N=9) suggested a clear relationship between the students' initial oral proficiency ratings and the grammatical accuracy of their written compositions; the lower a student's oral proficiency rating, the greater the average number of written mistakes, and vice…

Describes an attempt to build a computer-assisted language instruction program which can trap and comment on grammatical errors such as subject/verb agreement by a purely syntactic analysis, that is, without recourse to word meanings. The program aims to increase educational effectiveness and to reduce the number of separate stored answers.…

Examines second language students' perceptions of grammar instruction, with specific reference to writing skill. Discusses issues involved in defining a role for grammar study and presents excerpts from student essays and explanations of classroom lessons. Results indicate that the instruction provided helped to improve students' ability to use…

Presents the results of a study undertaken to determine the number and nature of the problems encountered by advanced undergraduate students in a French composition course. The primary objective of the study was to find an explanation for the repetition and frequency of student errors and to modify the content of the course. Presents quantitative…

Understanding why mistakes are made in a class of ESL students not only helps teachers emend the mistakes, but also enables them to better explain to the author how to correct mistakes in future writing. When a teacher shows some understanding of a writer's native language, it makes the writer feel more comfortable with, and less alienated from,…

The uses of the present progressive tense in informal English spoken discourse are examined, focusing on the increasing frequency of the so-called stative or non-action verbs found in the progressive aspect. Generalizations are proposed to account for: (1) the discrepancy between grammar book explanations and actual usage, and (2) the meaning of…

Two studies investigated three questions: (1) Do second language learners provide mostly faulty feedback to their peers in evaluating written composition? (2) Is peer feedback more or less effective than teacher correction? and (3) Do second language learners welcome or resist peer feedback? The studies were done in Thailand and Hawaii with…

A study investigated the relationship between writing proficiency and two aspects of proofreading: (1) the ability to detect structural errors, and (2) the ability to accurately correct them. During the fall of 1986 seventeen English-as-a-Second-Language students in the intermediate-level grammar review and paragraph writing class at Biola…

Presents the results of a study of the errors made on essays by Moroccan students of English as a second language. The average number of grammatical errors was 10.62 per paper and the most frequent errors were related to tense, prepositions, articles, form, and concord. (SED)

Lists and discusses certain recurrent errors made by adult Arab students of English literature at the university level. The errors were produced spontaneously in free writing and not through mechanical drills or isolated occurrences of sentences, so they reflect the learner's competence in English. (SED)

Discusses the changes in foreign language instructional strategies regarding error avoidance and correction that have emerged from the emphasis on communicative competence. Considering this trend away from audiolingualism and consistent oral accuracy, urges teachers to reevaluate procedures for conducting class activities and correcting students'…