Essays concerning second language teaching as a means of promoting intercultural competence include: "Intercultural Competence: From Language Policy to Language Education" (Chantal Crozet, Anthony J. Liddicoat, Joseph Lo Bianco); "Linguistic Diversity, Globalisation and Intercultural Education" (Jagdish Gundara); "French…

This issue contains the following articles: "The Pragmatics of Wh-Question Intonation in English" (Christine Bartels); "The Nature of Object Agreement in Hungarian" (Huba Bartos); "Voah Mei Daett Sei Deitsh: Developments in the Vowel System of Pennsylvania German" (David Bowie); "Event Time Properties"…

California's school-age population is becoming more linguistically, racially, and ethnically diverse. Between 1986-87 and 2003-04, the enrollment of linguistic minority students--students from households where a language other than English is regularly spoken--increased 120 percent in California's public schools, or six times as fast as the 19…

In a study of developmental reading behaviors, errors of 75 Spanish-English bilingual students (grades 2-9) on the McLeod GAP Comprehension Test were categorized in an attempt to ascertain a pattern of language difficulties. Contrary to previous research, bilingual readers minimally used native language cues in reading second language materials.…

Reports on an experimental investigation of the effects of a systematic, story-reading-aloud program on some language variables in preschool and first-grade children. Results indicate that both age groups significantly increased their language comprehension and expressions when listening to stories read aloud, either at home or at school. (25…

A study investigated whether adult learners of a second language would judge grammaticality differently in visual and aural judgment tasks. Four groups were tested: English first-language, French first-language, English second-language, and French second-language. Results indicate judgments were slower and less accurate in the aural condition,…

Explores the effects of the attitudes and culture of Israeli-Jewish English-language students on their reading comprehension. Eighth-grade students read stories in Hebrew and English and answered questions both about the stories and their own attitudes. Reveals that culturally familiar texts boost reading comprehension scores. (MJP)

A study examined the relationship between syntactic complexity and overall accuracy in the written English of 30 advanced learners of English from five different native language groups. Results show similar patterns of error distribution, a similar level of relative strength in syntax, and relative weakness in morphology. (Author/MSE)

Concerns and trends in immersion instruction are identified and recommendations for the future are presented. Issues include language teacher education and qualifications; administrator role; accountability; junior, kindergarten, and special education; methods for encouraging nativelike language; and the definition of immersion. (Author/MSE)

Describes an inservice course for sixth-form teachers to examine ways of moving away from course books and discussing ways of getting pupils to be more competent orally, especially in the context of discussion issues as opposed to general conversation. Two intensive courses were used as the basis for the inservice day. (CK)

Explores the mismatch between pedagogical intentions and learner outcomes and argues for learner centeredness as a central (yet relative) concept. Ways in which the relationship between teachers and learners and teaching and learning can be strengthened, e.g., experiential content, language content, and learning process, are explored, and examples…

Examines the relationships of individual difference variables to end-of-training proficiency ratings in speaking and reading for a large sample of adults in intensive training in a wide range of languages at the U.S. Department of State. Variables included tested cognitive aptitude, learning strategies, learning styles, personality, motivation and…

Examines the often experimental programs and approaches of the Australian Army Education Service pertaining to adult literacy during World War II. The article records the extent of numeracy and literacy difficulties in the 1940s, comments on army responses to the pedagogical challenge they posed, and finds interesting similarities to the current…

Reports on a study of the impact of individual feedback on achievement, attitudes, and behavior in cooperative learning groups on 56 8th-grade students. Finds that individual feedback was more effective than group feedback and that individual feedback resulted in more positive relationships toward others. (CFR)

Describes an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program in which international graduate students in the sciences are grouped according to their particular disciplines. This ensures that the peer group members are the content experts, whereas the ESL teacher serves only as the language expert, providing help in organization, grammar, pronunciation,…