A study to find patterns of cohesion and rhetorical structure that distinguish good from weak English essay writing is described. The corpus consisted of ten Swedish college essays written as part of the final exam in a first-year English course. Methodological problems encountered included the delimitation of units for the analysis of cohesive…

The University of Illinois' Language Learning Laboratory began the process of developing its own videotape materials in 1979 with limited resources. Interest grew gradually among faculty and the graduate teaching staff, who generally designed and produced their own materials and then shared them with colleagues. A wide variety of tapes has been…

The validity of the theory of crucial similarity in language interference is investigated. The theory proposes that when a first and a second language are structurally similar in some aspects, the second language learner will assume similarity in other aspects, causing interference. In this study, the German of first grade students whose teacher…

All teachers are teachers of language, whether they recognize it or not, but the importance of language for learning, training, and vocational competence is underemphasized in much postsecondary education. As a result, performance in language for specialized purposes is declining and employers are dissatisfied. An adequate education in language…

This collection of conference papers includes: "When Does Teacher Talk Work as Input?"; "Cultural Input in Second Language Learning"; "Skilled Variation in a Kindergarten Teacher's Use of Foreigner Talk"; "Teacher-Pupil Interaction in Second Language Development"; "Foreigner Talk in the University…

The assessment reported in this paper represents the first attempt by British Columbia to use the Canadian Ministry of Education's assessment program model with special programs; in this case, the French immersion program was chosen. Objectives of the assessment were as follows: (1) examination of the extent to which students are achieving…

A literature survey of more than 800 sources, approximately 140 of which were judged to be relevant, assessed problems Alaska Natives and American Indians experience in learning English language skills required for survival and success in a modern, technological culture. Since the survey was to guide the adaptation and development of instructional…

A study of a two-way bilingual program in the Port Chester, NY Public Schools examined the relationship between classroom environment, and the language proficiency levels and second language learning outcomes of bilingual and monolingual pupils participating in the program. Pupils were second- through fifth-graders, including…

A survey of students in the school of economics in an Italian university investigated the following: (1) students' attitudes toward and interest in learning English as a second language; (2) their perceived need for using the language personally, academically, and professionally; (3) their assessment of their own second language proficiency; and…

Three research-based theoretical frameworks on which educational programs for language minority students might be based are discussed, along with a composite framework. The frameworks, which coincide with California's frameworks (described in "Schooling and Language Minority Students: A Theoretical Framework," 1981), are as follows: (1) a…

A study investigated the hypothesis that during the "silent" period of second language learning, in which there is a dramatic drop in language directed to speakers of the second language, children not only passively assimilate second language input but also use private speech to actively integrate it. The study examined the learning…

The A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University has developed an intensive, five-week orientation program based on weekly videotaping to help foreign graduate students confront problems of language orientation and build the confidence necessary to become successful students. The course covers a review of grammar rules, spelling rules,…

Do methods still have a place in 21st century language teaching? To answer this question, an international survey was conducted in the summer of 1999. A sample of 800 language teachers world-wide randomly drawn from 17,800 TESOLers were each given a 2-page survey. The return rate was 58.5% with the actual usable data set of 448, which was analyzed…

Canadian educators, researchers, and politicians gathered for a two-day conference in 1977 on the question of how educational research affects the formation of educational policy. The sixteen speakers analyzed the basic question from the points of view of the provincial politician, the school board chairman, the administrator, and the researcher,…

There has been a gradual decline in Utah in language enrollments at the rate of about 4% in about 10 years. The rate of teachers assigned to teach foreign languages also shows a diminishing trend. The Utah Foreign Language Association has worked to improve instruction and increase the professional status of its members. Workshops have been…