An experiment in language instruction undertaken in Canadian junior high schools during the 1960-61 school year is reported in this study. The pilot project: (1) examines the phenomena of learning to comprehend and speak French through two different but direct modes of instruction; (2) compares by achievement tests the results of the two modes of…

Critical of the language instruction which students receive in elementary and secondary schools, the author examines the teaching potential of televised instruction. Foreign language instruction in the elementary school is noted to be particularly weak. Discussion of an experiment involving some 800 children in 4th and 5th grades suggests that…

This document describes an educational experiment designed to test the proposition that language learning can best be carried on through a program of maximum exposure in the least possible time. An experimental class of 19 average students participated in an eight-week intensive course consisting of four half-hour laboratory sessions; there were…

THE CONSTRUCTION, REVISION, AND STANDARDIZATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL IN GERMAN IS DISCUSSED IN THIS REPORT AFTER CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN TO THE METHODS AND GOALS CONNECTED WITH THE PRODUCTION OF LANGUAGE MATERIAL. THE ROLE OF RESEARCHERS, AUTHORS, PUBLISHERS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS IN DEVELOPING COURSE MATERIAL IS OUTLINED. DESCRIPTIONS ARE…

This report contains experiment results obtained from a comparative study of two groups of seventh grade students learning German in Sweden. The main objectives of the investigation, which lasted one school year, are: (1) to investigate possible achievement differences in German between similar groups of students when one group is instructed…

This study evaluates the counseling-learning approach to foreign language instruction as compared with traditional methods in terms of language achievement and change in personal orientation and in attitude toward learning. Twelve students volunteered to learn Spanish or German under simultaneous exposure to both languages using the…

An experimental course in college-level, introductory German, based on a modification of Fred S. Keller's work in individualized instruction, is described in this study. The establishment of specific time limits for completion of predetermined subject matter and the provision of tutorial services are essential variations from the classical…

This evaluation of two programs of materials used in introductory French classes tests two basic hypotheses: (1) pretests are good predictors of subsequent French achievement at the junior high school level, and (2) students in different programs will achieve to the same degree on a final French test. Results of the groups using the "audiolingual"…

This study explores the effect of visual stimuli on second language vocabulary development. An experiment performed at Georgetown University postulates the hypothesis that concrete target words learned through translation and visual aids should offer better learning than the same words learned through translation alone. Findings are determined…

Beginning with a brief review of the growth of the audiolingual method of foreign language instruction in the United States of America, this paper examines implications and lessons drawn from an educational experiment in language instruction known as the Pennsylvania Report. The text of a memorandum to school administrators in Pennsylvania by the…

Problems encountered at Black Hawk High School, Wisconsin, in an attempt to expand the French curriculum to include a level 3 and a level 4 course are examined in this article. Solutions to the difficulties caused by inadequate classroom space and insufficient funds lead the author to propose the elimination of the traditional, advanced-course…

The problems investigated in the present study are the identification of the most effective type of presentation of dialogues in language instruction--auditory, orthographic, or some combination of the two--and the measurement of the accuracy of pronunciation and the amount of dialogue retained by the student. The controlled experiment, performed…

This report of an educational experiment compares the methods and evaluates the results of two instructional approaches to language learning. The "community learning" method, in which emotional factors are believed crucial in the development of the instructional method, and a traditional approach are compared as to their effectiveness in the areas…

This study is designed to compare "traditional" and "immersion" methods of language instruction to determine whether the latter is a viable alternative in four-year, secondary-school language programs. Both methods are evaluated on the basis of student achievement in comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Spanish. The hypothesis…

An experiment in programed language instruction based on the "Basic French" method of T. Mueller and H. Niedzielski is reviewed in this paper. Seventy-two civil servants participated in the program which provided for 60 hours of taped instruction. Experiment description, objectives, modifications, and a review of the structuring of lessons 1-20…