Asks whether the sustained instruction in the "basics" of English, especially grammar, is being unrightfully ignored. Challenges teachers who claim that instruction in grammar is unneeded or ill-advised. Counters such assertions by examining two research studies purportedly proving the ineffectiveness of teaching grammar. (HB)

Addresses some of the recent debates regarding second-language acquisition (SLA). Draws on studies of school restructuring and argues that SLA needs to be understood as an institutional phenomenon, because the ways in which schools are structured present or constrain possibilities for language use and development. (Author/VWL)

Traces historical, linguistic, and educational contexts for the Oakland School Board resolution. Suggests the resolution is a sensible extension of the linguistic and cultural history of the African-American community, a reasonable implementation of research and theory, and an intrinsic desire of parents to have their children's teachers acquire…

Provides an historical sketch of form-focused instruction research, defines what is meant by form-focused instruction, and discusses the main research methods that have been used to investigate form-focused instruction in terms of a broad distinction between confirmatory and interpretive research. (Author/VWL)

In this article I put forth the core argument that Second Language Acquisition (SLA) needs to account for the psychological and emotional dimensions of second language (L2) learning, but that a number of epistemological and methodological difficulties must be surmounted before this new research program can be a reality. To illustrate my arguments,…

The study of how learners acquire a second language (SLA) has helped to shape thinking about how to teach the grammar of a second language. There remain, however, a number of controversial issues. This paper considers eight key questions relating to grammar pedagogy in the light of findings from SLA. As such, this article complements…

A 3-year statewide English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) video learning mini-research project focused on three main areas of televised and video-based instruction in Texas: literacy, adult general education, and ESL. The project described in this paper is a subset of the statewide study and concentrates on the impact of video-based learning when used…

This discussion briefly surveys the development of the immersion method of second language teaching, outlining the central program strategies and characteristics using Curtain's and Pesola's descriptions. An overview of recent research focuses on error correction and feedback studies as an example of pedagogical-methodological evolution in this…

No evidence was found to indicate that grammatical reading interference is an important factor in the poor reading achievement of Black youngsters. (JH)

Although the constraints of time and environment under which most language learning is done mean that a natural language situation can never be reproduced in school, many of the findings from first language acquisition studies apply to second language (L2) learning. This would mean therefore that instead of stressing speaking in a beginning L2…

Discusses the empirical analysis of experimental and non-experimental foreign language teaching methods and materials, based on the view of the teaching/learning process as a set of causative relationships among psychological, linguistic, and educational phenomena. (AM)

This discussion is intended as a general introduction to communicative language teaching. The text is divided into six parts dealing with the reasons for communicative language teaching, the background to it, learning to communicate, classroom activities, the role of the teacher, and ways to get the method started. Part One examines the nature of…

This monograph describes the development of a language program for four-year-old disadvantaged boys in Northern Ireland. Various sections of the work describe the steps in devising the program; its objectives, organization, evaluations, and subsequent modifications; the problems affecting implementation, and the efforts made to overcome them; the…

Applied linguistic theory is examined in light of neuroscientific knowledge, especially in regard to the structure and function of the cerebral cortex, in order to illuminate the process and methods of teaching or learning language. Wernicke's Area and Broca's Area are parts of the brain that have been associated with language function.…

The extended effects of two instructional approaches, the Coordinated Basal Language Arts Approach and the Integrated Experience Approach to Communication, on pupils' language development at the second- and third-grade levels were investigated. Original subjects were 669 first graders who were pretested for readiness and intelligence. Of these,…