Learning strategies are the steps taken to facilitate acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information. Although this process is common to all learners, researchers have found that good second language learners consciously use appropriate language strategies. Strategies are identified in these broad categories: cognitive; memory;…

This literature review examines use of the cloze procedure for assessing reading and language competence and for planning individualized reading curricula. The first half of the paper describes studies performed with non-hearing-impaired students, discussing validation of the cloze procedure, establishment of criterion test scores, and the…

An overview of the modern language teaching situation in the United Kingdom--and by extension in English-speaking countries--is presented. The record of achievement in foreign language education for the last two decades is viewed as a move from euphoria about the possibilities for imparting second language skills to disenchantment over the failure…

The following articles appear in this issue of a journal devoted to teaching English for science and technology in Kuwait: (1) "An Approach to the Implementation of Dr. J.L. Munby's 'Communicative Syllabus Design'" by Bill Robinson, (2) "Une experience d'elaboration de materiel pedagogique" (An Experiment in Developing Teaching…

THE NEED IN LANGUAGE STUDY FOR CULTURAL CONTENT, IN THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL SENSE (I.E., FOR CULTURAL REFERENTS OF LINGUISTIC UNITS), HAS GROWN WITH THE INCREASED EMPHASIS ON ORAL PROFICIENCY AND THE ABILITY TO FUNCTION IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE. INCORPORATING CULTURE INTO THE LANGUAGE PROGRAM CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED ON THE SECONDARY LEVEL BY HAVING THE…

The theoretical teaching model described in this document provides a plan whereby a child entering the Bilingual School in kindergarten and remaining in school through sixth grade will have experienced seven years of bilingual instruction and will be able to receive 50% of his instruction in English and 50% in Spanish. This objective is based on…

Most textbooks for teaching foreign languages have as their basis a grammatical syllabus. The theory has been that it is easier for students to learn a language if they are exposed to one part of the grammatical system at a time. Recently critics have questioned this theory, arguing that the grammatical syllabus fails to provide the necessary…

In the study reported here, an attempt was made to measure the relative achievement of students enrolled in four intermediate-level college Spanish courses, including one of near-immersion design. Course designs differed in methods of teaching and in intensity; it was expected that these differences would be reflected in student achievement.…

The English as a second language (ESL) curriculum should focus on tasks which embody the kinds of thinking that students might encounter outside the ESL class setting. A sample ESL unit having tasks to provide intrinsic motivation to use certain linguistic structures is presented. (SW)

Considers the degree to which scientifically acquired knowledge about language can be used in the design and execution of language teaching programs. Second language learners should become fluent speakers when they are exposed to copious linguistic data and have adequate opportunity for interaction in the language with other speakers. (CB)

Asserts that to revitalize foreign language study we need: (1) a reevaluation of the setting in which foreign language programs exist; (2) uniform standards for initial student placement in foreign language programs; and (3) continual updating by teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors of the objectives, methodology, and content of the…

Examines policy issues and options for the promotion of Asian Studies in Australia in the 1990s and suggests that the Asian Studies Association of Australia make constructive recommendations to attain a balance between language and nonlanguage Asian studies programs. Three models are used: the "concentrated,""hybrid," and…

Traces the development of innovations and renovations in the graduate and undergraduate German-studies program at Stanford University. Examines the conceptual framework within which the faculty was operating, discusses the practicalities and specifics of three experimental approaches within the German-studies undergraduate curriculum, and…

Describes an English for academic purposes program design that uses a content-based, integrated skills approach to prepare learners for the demands of mainstream instruction. (Author/VWL)

Examines aspects of cross-cultural studies, delineates a concept of culture, explores the interplay of culture and ethics, and analyzes the shifting cultural and economic values as issues that either the economists or the humanists will deal with under the banner of the future global village. (Author/VWL)