This book assembles a wide range of research on children's language development, interprets it with analyses of how bilingualism affects that development, and, above all, breaks the myths surrounding bilingualism and bilingual education. The urgency about introducing language minority children to English immediately in schools, and about…

Describes a study of the listening comprehension of first-year, nonnative English speakers in a large North American university that sought to find out how students--all economics majors--were coping with listening to economics lectures and to try an experiment in mentoring by linking them with a lecture buddy. The mentoring project was found to…

Drawing on activity theory and the construct of investment, explores how three francophone college d'enseignement general et profesionnel (CEGEP) variously invested in a task that involved producing short documentary-style videos in English. case study data included interviews without he student and teacher and student work portfolios. suggests…

Compares the lexical environment of secondary school English language classrooms in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Teacher output for one week of first-form lessons was recorded in two representative schools. Lexical richness in terms of type-token ratio and word-type frequency was measured, the words that were explicitly taught were identified and…

Discusses the creation of a reading niche for second-language learners to motivate their development as independent readers, emphasizing that book selection for this niche should cater to student interests and that informal discussion of the books' subject matter should take place. (six references) (CK)

Describes various projects of the Didascalia computer-assisted language-learning research center, reflecting major steps in the development of the center and illustrating facets of the prevailing bottom-up approach: from the general lexical programs towards the more contextualized, to the company specific, to the language testing programs. (15…

Describes a prototype of computer-assisted language learning software, "BUSCA," that attempts to bridge the gap between commercially available, but pedagogically unsound, Spanish Foreign Language learning programs. The article notes that "BUSCA" is designed to be integrated into a formal course to assist students to become…

A study investigated late emergence, in learners of English as a Second Language, of the ability to interpret object gaps in purpose clauses (PCs). Subjects were 34 adult native speakers of French. Results indicate difficulty interpreting only PCs with prepositional object gaps, supporting the hypothesis that syntactically marked construction may…

Cloze tests were administered to native- and second-language speakers in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom to analyze problems that demonstratives pose for second- language students of Japanese and English and to suggest future improvements for existing explanations and grammatical accounts for each language. (25 references)…

Describes the use of a local area network for synchronous, real-time communication in a second language using a facilitating software package, the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment, composed of modules to enhance process writing in English. Describes five modules adapted for use in French as a second language classes: InterChange, Invent,…

Describes the contributions portfolios can make within a discourse community awareness framework through a "disciplinary portfolio" pedagogy. Outlines the case for such a pedagogy and describes a teaching situation in which the disciplinary portfolio has been employed within an English for academic purposes context. (34 references)…

Argues that one method of successfully raising learners' awareness of the sociocultural rules of speaking a foreign language is to invite them to become researchers of that language. Concludes that while the acquisition of pragmatic competence is a slow process, appropriate activities enhance the learners' chances for academic, professional, and…

Discusses the issue of who owns English from the perspective of non-native Englishes in Southern Africa, with a focus on the linguistic processes underpinning the owning of English there. Suggests that claiming ownership of English in the African context means to make English carry the weight of one's African experience and to alter it to suit its…

Argues for the use of poetry reading in second language classrooms. Reviews literary and linguistic theories of poetry and synthesizes these theories within a psycholinguistic model of poetry reading, according to which the central aspect of poetry reading is the conscious negotiation of the formal structures of language for comprehension…

Examines five important student learning needs that are being met in an English language institute in Mexico. These needs include feeling important and secure in the learning environment, understanding learning goals, having time to integrate learning, understanding the learning process, and receiving feedback. (Author/VWL)