To garner student perceptions, a questionnaire listing questions for math, science, and foreign language was sent to the 1997, 1996, and 1995 graduates of two Pennsylvania high schools that had implemented the 4X4 semester-block-scheduling model. Overall, students felt their block-scheduled high school prepared them adequately for college. (MLH)

Reviews variations in levels of English-language proficiency among immigrants from non-English-speaking countries to Australia. Data on 27 of the largest birthplace groups are used from the 1996 census. Discusses immigrants' motivation to learn English and be included in Australian society and Australian policies regarding immigration-selection…

Clarifies the nature of second-language (L2) self-instruction involving the use of self-instructional broadcast materials, with particular reference to Japan, where such materials are widely used. Analysis of responses to an open-ended questionnaire administered to 138 university students reveals benefits and problems associated with this mode of…

Conducted a survey of college French as a foreign language students' reactions to narrow listening, the repeated listening of tape-recorded interviews of proficient speakers discussing a topic both familiar and interesting to the acquirers, and their assessment of its impact on their language development. Students found narrow listening to be…

Reports on a study where tertiary English-as-a-Second-Language learners of intermediate and advanced proficiency were required to complete three types of grammar-focused exercises commonly used in the classroom: a cloze exercise, a text reconstruction, and a short composition. Comparison of exercises completed individually with those completed by…

Considers whether it is possible to account for the phenomenon of uptake by looking at some of the discoursal features of the interactive work that goes on between an instructor and his students in biology lessons in the context of nonnative English-speaking instructors working with nonnative English-speaking students in a tertiary-level…

Examines the relationship between optimal listening rate and reading rate of 56 Japanese college students of English at different proficiency levels. (Author/VWL)

Describes evaluation and assessment tools that have been devised by one institution as practical and informative ways to report students' results. (Author/VWL)

Presents preliminary findings from a longitudinal study of French teaching and learning in two secondary schools in southern England. Focuses on a subgroup of teachers involved in the project, examining their classroom practices and beliefs about effective teaching (Author/VWL)

Describes the Americas Award for children's and young adult literature, designed to encourage and commend authors and publishers who produce quality children's and young adult books that portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States and to provide teachers with recommendations for classroom use. (Author/JL)

Because interaction gives language learners an opportunity to modify their speech upon a signal of noncomprehension, it should also have a positive effect on native speakers' (NS) comprehension of nonnative speakers (NNS). This study shows that interaction does help NSs comprehend NNSs, contrasting the claims of an earlier study that found no…

Describes a complete, interactive, introductory German course on CD for adults. Designed for independent learning, the course emphasizes speaking and listening, though it provides a basis in reading and writing. Describes the role of contrastive grammar, proficiency-oriented teaching, the notational-functional approach, and word frequency counts…

The consistency of parental reports of expressive vocabulary and word combinations with observed expressive language among 21- to 27- month-old children regularly exposed to English and Spanish was investigated. The number of different words parents reported correlated with the number of different words children used during a 30-minute videotape.…

Reports the results of research conducted in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) graduate courses on the discourse socialization of students through the process of engaging in oral academic presentations. Data sheds light on the complex process of discourse socialization and are informative for faculty who assign oral academic…

Analyzes the effectiveness of e-mail as a tool to promote foreign language learning. Identifies the following features of the foreign language generated through the electronic medium: greater amount of language; more variety of topics and language functions; higher level of language accuracy; more similarity with oral language; more…