Investigation of Spanish speakers' methods of recognizing written English suggested that speakers of Spanish, which has a highly regular spelling system, may rely on a phonological route because subjects performed quite poorly on exception words. (Author/CB)

Describes several activities designed as part of La Salle University's Writing across the Curriculum project to improve advanced Spanish composition skills. Activities involved both formal and informal writing assignments such as notetaking, job application letters, and thesis support essays. (CB)

Explores the relationship between Spanish language use and ethnic identity through analysis of discourse among a Chicano family whose members had differing proficiencies in Spanish and/or English. Such factors as interaction in Anglo-dominated settings, conversational techniques, linguistic competence, and language attitudes appeared to influence…

Presents a model for preparing secondary school Spanish students for short-story reading comprehension. The model focuses primarily on eliciting students' personal responses to stories so that they will "invest" more into comprehending and appreciating the text. (CB)

A review of the progress made in incorporating computers in second language study focuses on benefits of computer use, software problems, authoring systems, research on instructional effectiveness, and remaining areas to be addressed. (45 references) (CB)

Offers an alternative to the two approaches to teaching Spanish to adolescent and college-level bilingual native speakers interested in developing their Spanish abilities. This theory draws heavily from Freire's problem-posing procedure for critical dialogue and Vygotsky's theory of social learning. (28 references) (Author/VWL)

Explores the methods employed in southern Texas primary and secondary schools to discourage Spanish use, and examines the justifications given for this practice. The data, gathered by interviewing Pan American University students, indicates that Spanish use by students is a social problem largely because of its classification as such by school…

Comparison of the effectiveness of inductive versus deductive teaching approaches in helping high school second language (French or Spanish) students (N=319) understand grammatical concepts found no significant differences between the two approaches, dispelling the long-held bias against inductive methods.(CB)

A systematic approach for introducing new teaching techniques into the second language classroom is suggested, an exemplary form for recording information on specific techniques is presented, and 10 concrete proposals for implementing innovative techniques are offered, with examples from 4 languages. (55 references) (Author/MSE)

Because of the diverse proficiency ranges among his students, a foreign language professor twice covered the content of a semester-long introductory Spanish course, allowing more proficient students to complete the course at mid-term and retainng less proficient students to re-review difficult areas. (CB)

A primary grade school with a large low-income Hispanic population reviewed and revised several instructional programs, particularly for language arts and mathematics, to increase student achievement and motivation. (CB)

Describes the goals and responsibilities of the Institute of Latin American Studies at Liverpool University, including brief biographical sketches of staff members and a listing of research in progress. (CB)

This study examined the results of a case study of a school that labels itself as a bilingual school. The study examines and describes language use in bilingual classrooms in the school and language use in the larger school environment outside of the classroom. (52 references) (JL)

This study examined the effects of direct instruction in the phonology/orthography of Spanish on the native language skills and foreign language aptitude of 14 high school women at risk for foreign language learning problems. Pretest/posttest comparisons with students not at risk showed that subjects made significantly greater gains on…

Buoyed by the success of an informal, unexpected "pilot study" using sign language and Spanish and a challenge from a university colleague, a Florida middle-school teacher expanded the use of second languages in her classes. An ensuing study involving 115 eighth graders showed a positive change in students' attitudes toward foreign…