Examines the extent to which research findings from second language and immersion programs--concerning the efficacy of different instructional approaches--are transferable to the context of foreign language learning in British higher education. Data are drawn from a study of German learners exposed to focus on form tuition and focus on forms…

This article, originally published in 1981 (Canadian Modern Language Review; v37 n4), examines recent research and thinking in the field of second language teaching to find directions and suggestions for change that can be interwoven into an audio-lingual approach. (Author/VWL)

Addresses two questions: What strategies do good language learners use? What factors affect choice of language learning? A review and synthesis of existing research on language learning strategies, including a number of new and unpublished studies, is used to answer these questions. (53 references) (Author/VWL)

Examines language research conducted at Napier. The objective of this research program was to improve the teaching of scientific and technical French that had been identified as a requirement for the specialist groups of scientists, doctors, and engineers interested in the use of French language in their work. (CK)

The summary cloze technique offers an alternative to multiple choice. Summary cloze exercises are prepared by summarizing the content of the original text. The shortened text is transformed into a rational cloze exercise. The learner completes the summary text using the list of choices provided. This technique is a good measure of reading…

This paper examines the teacher-student relationship in the foreign language classroom, focusing on how the teacher runs the class, the kinds of control required, and the rules governing the delegation of control. It reviews research on teacher talk, error correction, questioning of students, and wait time for student responses. (MDM)

This article reports research with 80 children in 4 English-as-a-Foreign-Language classes in an elementary school in Lucca, Italy, discusses the teaching methods, and analyzes the results of the teaching. (CFM)

Two experiments are reported that compare teacher-managed videotaped instructional materials featuring native speakers in everyday situations (using the "French in Action" video-based curriculum) to more traditional pedagogical methods involving a variety of classroom exercises and drills. The benefits of video use are discussed. (27…

An experimental study was designed to evaluate the effect on French language proficiency of an integrated, formal, analytic and functional, communicative approach to second-language teaching in French immersion. The study consisted of 315 grade 7 early French immersion students. (28 references) (VWL)

Examined strategies that students reported using in the comprehension and learning of new information while listening to two radio broadcasts in Spanish. The findings have implications for both the use of authentic listening materials in instruction and for listening strategy research. (51 references) (LB)

Discusses issues related to psycholinguistics since second-language acquisition (SLA) research has emerged as a scientific discipline. These issues include the debate about the place of an innate universal grammar in language acquisition, basic cognitive mechanisms underlying SLA, and pedagogical implications of recent developments in the…

Suggests that to understand the interrelationship between technology and language learning, researchers must investigate the broader ecological context that affects language learning and use in today's society, both inside and outside the classroom. This involves expanding research paradigms to engage in critical qualitative research attempts to…

English language teaching is a field in transition as it seeks new approaches and reexamines older ones in an effort to address the range and level of proficiency required in today's global community. Describes the context of the transitional period, discusses contributions of second language acquisition theory and research, and reviews classroom…

Exploratory Practice (EP) has been developed over the last 15 or so years as an approach to practitioner research that is devoted to understanding the quality of language classroom life. It started in reaction both to academic classroom research and to Action Research, the practitioner research model most in vogue at that time in our field. At…

A study of the impact of a major recent language education reform project in Italy employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, some of which could inform other studies of language learning and teaching. Impact study findings suggested interesting differences between the perceptions of learners and teachers on…