Posits that a child's success in acquiring English may depend to a large degree on his or her proficiency in the heritage language. (CB)

Investigates the degree to which potential users of language reading proficiency scales acquire the standard for accurately grading reading passages of foreign-language learners. A five-day workshop helped users of the guidelines rank reading passages for levels of difficulty and rate them accurate according to the ACTFL scales. (Author/CB)

Illustrates an inexpensive use of videodisc technology in the foreign language classroom for proficiency, provides information on foreign language discs and instructions for combining disc materials with a given text to produce a proficiency-oriented syllabus, and shows a simple technique for individualizing videodisc instruction. (Author/CB)

Investigates what correlations might exist between an individual's score on the Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache and on the Oral Proficiency Interview. The tests themselves are briefly described. Results indicate that the two tests appear to correlate well in their evaluation of speaking skills. (SED)

Suggests how transcripts of academic lectures and pseudo-cloze exercises developed from these transcripts may be used to help foreign students to become aware of the skills (e.g., recognition of conventions and cues which signal important information in lectures) involved in the process of listening to lectures. (SL)

Focuses on the changes necessary in Dutch foreign language teaching policies. Cites the need for a greater differentiation of objectives in learning languages. The relevance of the European context to these policies suggests international communication as one essential goal, whether the approach involves multilingualism or a small number of…

This article discusses the use of commercial television programs as a tool for teaching French. (CLK)

This book presents a range of views on the concept of the native speaker, considering psycholinguistic, linguistic, and sociolinguistic aspects. It examines the Critical Period Hypothesis; the role of the standard language; the kinds of knowledge (metalinguistic, discriminating, communicational, and skills) that the native speaker possesses; and…

This study investigates closing patterns for an institutional conversation in an ELP (English Language Program) at a university in the United States, noting the relationship between the closing patterns of the participants and their level of proficiency in English. By indicating that ESL learners, especially beginners, face difficulty in closing…

The Victorian ESL (English as a Second Language) Framework is currently undergoing renewal as part of the reaccreditation process. This ESL curriculum framework, developed in Victoria, Australia, is currently used in TAFE Institutes and private and community adult ESL programs. It provides a framework for 10 certificate courses across three…

This paper presents an ethnographic record of one teacher's ongoing experience trying to understand the kinds of language ideologies constructed in the classroom about the Korean language and culture. The paper describes a class of Korean-American college students in a Korean language class who had never successfully achieved native fluency in…

This research paper presents a learners' perspective on (the promotion of) learner autonomy and Self-Access Language Learning in an English Proficiency Program. It provides an evaluation of the success of these course elements as well as an interpretation of students' understanding of the related concepts. Finally, it identifies factors that…

This report examines how the development of literacy in the native language plays a role in the acquisition of second language literacy, and how educators may determine when a student is ready to transition into English-only literacy programs by assessing the transfer of skills. In this report, transitional programs refer to instructional programs…

This study determined which study habits would distinguish successful from unsuccessful foreign language learners. Participants were 219 college students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds enrolled in either Spanish, French, German, or Japanese classes. The students completed the Study Habits Inventory and the Background Demographic Form.…