Due to the overriding power of World English in the global economy, media, academy, entertainment, etc., EFL education has become a crucial curricular element in the educational systems of developing societies. English language learning has therefore been portrayed either as a fundamental tool that unquestionably brings professional success or one…

Hoping to achieve the current Japanese administration's goals of decentralisation and privatisation, the Japanese government has granted substantial latitude to local governments and individual schools as part of its recent reform of foreign language education. In introducing English at elementary schools (EES), micro-language policies have been…

A scientist asserts that, while foreign language knowledge may not be needed for strictly scientific pursuits, such knowledge is critical in order to empathize with those who are rooted in other cultures and speak other tongues. Foreign language educators must take pride in their mission and carry their message and much-needed knowledge into the…

Adolescents' responses to California Psychological Inventory before and after one-month homestay in Japan indicated that all had become more flexibile and independent and less conventional. Those students who had either no previous language study or three or four semesters of language study prior to the homestay changed more than those with one or…

This report presents an overview of international education at U.S. colleges and universities. It reviews both published and unpublished accounts of curricular and co-curricular undergraduate internationalization. The data suggest that in spite of an apparent national interest in international education, relatively few undergraduates gain…

As we move from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, foreign language programs are hampered by inadequate curricular emphasis and negligible funding for materials or teachers. Five goals for foreign language learning include communicative competence, cultural awareness, interdisciplinary connections, cross-cultural comparisons, and…

Suggests current scholarship has paid little attention to issues of linguistic differences and cultural translatability and points out the need for language departments offering courses in cultural, ethnic, and Diaspora studies to require proficiency in another language and to cultivate responsiveness to language politics at both the local and…

The theme of this book cuts across disciplines. Contributors to this volume are specialized in education and especially classroom research as well as in linguistics, most being transdisciplinary themselves. Around 65 sub-Saharan languages figure in this volume as research objects: as means of instruction, in connection with teacher training,…

Prior research in the area of language policy and planning (LPP) has been focused primarily on macro decision-making and the impact of national, local, and institutional policies in educational settings. Only recently have scholars begun examining the everyday contexts in which policies are interpreted and negotiated in ways that reflect local…

Building on previous critical research regarding student resistance to English Language Teaching (ELT), this paper illustrates Chilean high-school English teachers' use of narrative to make sense of ideological challenges from students. While the government of Chile is promoting English in connection with the nation's export-oriented economic…

This article addresses two key challenges that globalization poses to literacy research: the need for new models of literacy and literacy education, and the stakes of adopting multiliteracies pedagogies in different contexts--that is, the tensions between competing hegemonic discourses of collective identity in the public sphere of ethnolinguistic…

Defines "global education" and urges foreign language teachers to establish dialogue with global educators to determine whether they want to or can be a contributing part of global education. Components and goals of global education are also discussed. (EJS)

This paper explores the various options available for dealing with the demands and costs of communication in a world of many languages. Globalization has increased the demand for language services necessary to accomplish effective communication. It is argued that the day is not far off when the complications, costs, and inequalities of language…

Discusses Australian state and federal initiatives to place languages other than English within the primary schools' core curriculum. Presents a model structure for appropriate investigative action. Research findings reveal the need for a clearly articulated philosophy for a language program that would promote cultural awareness, global…

Examines the importance of teaching all young students a second language. U.S. society often believes other countries must adjust to U.S. ways. They are unaware of the rich variety of world cultures. Learning a second language expands a child's world view and ultimately helps U.S. competitiveness in the world market. (SM)