Beginning level French students in Grades 4-6 completed listening comprehension tasks and reflective exercises using instruments that engaged them in prediction, evaluation, and other processes involved in listening. Results suggest that use of these instruments helped sensitize students to the processes underlying second language listening…

Aims to give foreign language reading teachers a way of coping with a common phenomenon in the reading class: students appear to have the linguistic proficiency to deal with a text, but are unable to do so because they are approaching it in an appropriate way. Argues that this problem relates to styles and attitudes in reading and that these may…

Investigated the impact of extensive reading on an adult's self-study of Japanese over a 20-week period. Data were collected from a learner diary, audio recordings from several private tutorial sessions, and vocabulary tests. Results show extensive reading can enhance vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension and promote a positive attitude…

Analysis of native speakers ratings of newspaper articles for bias revealed that the occurrence of six linguistic variables significantly affected bias ratings. Comparison of the native speakers' ratings with those of non-native speakers found that both groups similarly rated bias in the articles. (Author/CB)

Presents an overview of introspective approaches to gaining insight into cognitive processing behavior and traces their application in classical psychology, cognitive psychology, second language learning, and reading. Considers the implications of these approaches for the study of the reading process. Posits criteria for designing process-oriented…

Reviews research on the language acquisition of spelling and vocabulary that further supports the Input Hypothesis for language acquisition, demonstrates the role of reading in spelling and vocabulary development, and reveals those research results' inconsistencies with two alternative hypotheses. (144 references) (CB)

Over the past decade, Brigham Young University has developed many interactive videodisc programs for personalized foreign language instruction, from early prototypal projects to current HyperCard and Toolbook packages. A broad description of the different models, their variations, and their implementation is provided. (Contains seven references.)…

First-language (L1) reading theories are examined from second- language (L2) perspectives to identify significant research voids related to L2 problems. Unique aspects of L2 reading are considered and three distinct areas are discussed: consequences of prior reading experience, effects of cross-linguistic processing, and compensatory devices for…

Discusses findings of a research project to determine whether the teacher's reading aloud to listeners of English as a foreign language leads to a significantly higher level of comprehension than when the learners read silently on their own. Results showed a positive effect on learner comprehension. (10 references) (GLR)

The value of open-ended responses for computer-assisted-language-learning lessons and language tests is asserted. Results from a study in which students' notes and recall protocols of computerized reading passages were scored by both people and computers indicate that computer programs can score reliably with people, and in less time. (45…

Presents findings of a collaborative study that examined a teacher's implementation of portfolio instruction and assessment in a high school French class. Gives perspectives of the teacher and students involved, and discusses implications of these perspectives. (HB)

Study looks at whether Spanish-speaking learners of Brazilian Portuguese as a foreign language demonstrates advantage or disadvantage in acquisition of semi-open vowels e and o. To research the question, eight students enrolled in first-year Portuguese were given a listening discrimination test composed of 18 minimal pairs to determine the extent…

Discusses the use of the communication media (radio, television, films) in assisting second-language students of Spanish in developing their listening comprehension. (nine references) (GLR)

Analysis of the reading strategies used by Spanish-speaking students of English as a Second Language (ESL) for ESL reading comprehension tests and academic reading tasks revealed that students' knowledge of how to use a strategy effectively, rather than use of a specific strategy, led to more successful reading comprehension. (38 references) (CB)

Some of the cognitive and affective factors influencing second language reading comprehension are reviewed, and an instructional technique designed to both guide the reading process and develop comprehension at several levels is described. Teachers are urged to develop process-oriented reading comprehension activities in collaboration with…