The importance of repetition in the acquisition of lexical items has been widely acknowledged in single-word vocabulary research but has been relatively neglected in collocation studies. Since collocations are considered one key to achieving language fluency, and because learners spend a great amount of time interacting with their textbooks, the…

The oral interview (OI) was developed to meet the need for a testing procedure of second language speaking skills. It has been refined and expanded several times since first developed in the 1950's for use by the U.S. Government. Now known as the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/Educational Testing Services (ACTFL/ETS) scale,…

There is an increasing amount of research and discussion about the characteristics and learning needs of "Generation 1.5." These learners share characteristics of both first- and second-generation immigrants; they have grown up and been educated in the United States, but live in homes where English is not the primary language. They often…

The purpose of this highly quantitative study is to manifest the direct effects of communicative learning in the context of public high school teaching in Japan. A small-scale (n=12) experiment was conducted to reveal intergroup differences. The experiment was based on the assumption that there are clear differences in the amount of input from and…

Despite several years of English language instruction, most Japanese students remain unable to produce nor comprehend more than rudimentary English. In order to overcome this problem, students must be motivated to participate in tasks designed to get them to use English communicatively--a difficult task in a country where students typically remain…

A study investigated the validity of a second-language student's actual speed of delivery of a passage read aloud as an indicator of second-language fluency. The study, conducted in Hong Kong with 83 secondary school students, used the oral dialogue test in a standardized secondary school-leaving examination. The dialogues were timed and the rate…

Israeli 12th graders studying English as a Second Language benefit from writers' workshops where they compose written portfolios and learn to express themselves fluently in writing. Students write with paper and pen or work via the Internet. They write on selected issues and send letters and articles to various online and print journals and…