Details the results of four tests comparing the French and English achievement of francophone, anglophone, and mixed subpopulations of fifth-grade students in Edmonton Catholic School System French immersion programs. Discusses the behavioral, cognitive, and academic correlates of language competence of the three subgroups. (SB)

The responsibility of the admissions office in recruiting and admitting foreign students includes providing adequate and accurate information about program availability, financial aid, costs, and academic requirements; providing special personnel for handling applications; considering providing English language training; and providing adequate…

Identifies four misconceptions about language proficiency which are currently impeding the implementation of effective bilingual education programs. Misconceptions involve: (1) surface structure deviations and academic achievement; (2) surface fluency and "English Proficiency"; (3) bilingual language proficiency and instruction; and (4)…

The attitude of the target-language community toward the foreign language learner has been overlooked in language teaching. The teacher should consider the native speaker's attitude toward the language learner's command of the language, whether the native speaker views the learner's proficiency as an intrusion, and whether situations dictate…

Statistics indicate a growing interest in the study of Latin across the country. In elementary and secondary schools, it is taught as an end in itself and as a means of improving the English language skills and the linguistic background of Hispanic students. The American Classical League supports this revival. (PMJ)

Studies are reported which attempt to discover the exact level of second language proficiency reached by students in second language immersion programs, with emphasis on analysis of error. (RM)

Investigated the relationship between language learning strategies and second language proficiency for Korean students of English as a Second Language. Findings indicate that the relationship between strategies and proficiency was linear; strategies were significantly correlated with test scores; and cognitive and social strategies were more…

A study compared the pragmatic performance, using the Adolescent Pragmatics Screening Scale, between two groups of students (n=14) who had been enrolled in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes for varying lengths of time. Results yielded information about the rate at which Latino bilingual students' English pragmatic skills emerged.…

Investigated whether a correlation exists between a nonnative English speaker's reading proficiency in English and the use of native-English-like pausing in reading aloud. Results indicate a statistically significant although moderate correlation between students' reading test scores and their native-like use of pausing in reading aloud. (38…

Reports on a study of high school students on the relationship between the types of listening comprehension strategies used, the frequency of their use, and the differences in reported use across four variables: level of language proficiency, gender, listening ability, and learning style. (Author/JL)

Examines the inferencing procedures used by university-level second language (L2) learners of French to guess at the meaning of unfamiliar words in a written L2 text. The article combines qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and compares the strategies used by students assessed as high or low in French proficiency relative to their…

Explores conceptual syntheses advancing second language (L2) word recognition research and uncovers agendas relating to cross-linguistic examinations of L2 processing in a cohort of undergraduate students in France. Describes connections between word recognition and reading, overviews the connectionist construct, and illustrates cross-linguistic…

Examined the validity of the pragmatic approach to test difficulty put forward by Child (1987). This study investigated whether the Child discourse-type hierarchy predicts text difficulty for second-language readers. Results suggested that this hierarchy may provide a sound basis for developing foreign-language tests when it is applied by trained…

Examines the effectiveness of graphics as lecture comprehension supports for low-proficiency English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) listeners. The study compared the performance of Asian students in Canada listening to an audiotape while viewing an organizational graphic with that of a control group. Findings indicate that the graphics enhanced…

Discusses the Basque Government's policy requiring its employees to learn the minority, co-official language. Presents reasons for the plan's deficiency, including a lack of incentives for workers, and points to a more comprehensive plan for Basquisation. (16 references) (Author/CK)