This paper describes an ongoing project to create an online version of a reading programme, a custom-designed English language proficiency course at a university in Japan. Following an interactionist view of second language acquisition, it was hypothesised that comprehension of a reading passage could be enhanced by online materials promoting…

This paper looks at the acquisition of articles and related nominal functional properties (the status of classifier, the singular-plural distinction) in English and French by native speakers of Hong Kong Cantonese. Two experimental studies are reported. In the generative SLA literature, there is disagreement as to which properties of the grammar…

Developmental stages in reading English words were examined among 118 Chinese children in Grades 2, 4, and 6 from a working-class elementary school in Tianjin, China. Proficiency in Chinese and English, ability to make orthographic analogies in both languages, and strategies in reading English words were assessed. Results suggest that Chinese…

The current study examined the social and language development of 345 Spanish-speaking pre-kindergartners who attended pre-kindergarten programs that varied widely in how much Spanish was spoken in the classroom by the teacher. Previous studies on English language learners have focused on how the language of instruction impacts children's language…

The community college has historically functioned as a primary access point to postsecondary education for Latino students. This study, an investigation conducted through an analysis of the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students (TRUCCS) project, focuses on Latino students enrolled in urban "minority-majority" community…

This study examined students' essay performance on topics from the Test of Written English (TWE) under time limits of 30 minutes, as currently administered, and 45 minutes. In the main groups of the study, each student wrote an essay on one topic under the current time limit and on another under the 45-minute time limit. A total of 820 intensive…

The Texas Refugee Study was initiated to collect valid and reliable information to better direct refugee policy, improve services to refugees, give service providers information to help them become more competitive in seeking federal and private dollars, and help refugees better understand their own communities. The targeted groups, Vietnamese,…

An adult education curriculum integrating language and life skills instruction for students of English as a Second Language, based on the English Language Matrix (ELM) model, is presented. The curriculum is designed to meet the adult language learner's life competency needs, integrating communicative language skills of listening, interpreting…

This report describes the method of foreign language teacher training used in Hungary called the Veszprem (a region in Hungary) model, with particular emphasis on English-language teaching, and includes a brief review of foreign language teacher training in Hungary and in the United States from 1988-1990. The Veszprem model maintains the positive…

Testing English listening skills involves a variety of skills. Sounds are sometimes difficult to discriminate in a language that is not one's native tongue, so testing phoneme discrimination, the ability to tell the difference between sounds, is important. Picture choice items are a good way to select among alternatives to demonstrate…

Possible population differences in speed versus level of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) reading comprehension scores were explored. The study used operational measures computed post hoc from item-level data in GRE files for a pre-October 1977 version of the verbal test in which 40 GRE reading comprehension (RC) items were included as a…

This report describes one segment of the Federal Language Testing Board's Unified Language Testing Plan (ULTP), the validation of speaking proficiency tests in Spanish and English. The ULTP is a project to increase standardization of foreign language proficiency measurement and promote sharing of resources among testing programs in the federal…

This guidebook provides Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian refugees being resettled in the United States with general information about what they will encounter and the services they can receive in their first months in the country. The book is distributed to overseas processing agencies, refugees overseas who have been approved for U.S. admission,…

This guidebook provides Somali-speaking refugees being resettled in the United States with general information about what they will encounter and the services they can receive in their first months in the country. The book is distributed to overseas processing agencies, refugees overseas who have been approved for U.S. admission, and service…

This guidebook provides French-speaking refugees being resettled in the United States with general information about what they will encounter and the services they can receive in their first months in the country. The book is distributed to overseas processing agencies, refugees overseas who have been approved for U.S. admission, and service…