Examination of the ability of 300 German learners of English to state relevant rules and supply appropriate corrections to 12 common English errors indicates that, although rules do seem to help students correct errors, students could frequently supply appropriate corrections without knowing rules, which were sometimes difficult to learn. (41…

Examination of the effects of oral proficiency interview (OPI) testing on third-, fourth-, and fifth-year high school foreign language students found significant correlations between student performance at the higher OPI levels and on achievement tests as well as providing a sense of common direction to teachers and programs. (26 references)…

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Proficiency Guidelines are first reviewed and analyzed, followed by an analysis of the Spanish language writing produced by students at a very selective, private university who were enrolled at different levels of Spanish language study. (75 references) (LB)

Reasserts, in response to a review of a book about language immersion programs, that the linguistic failure of immersion programs has major theoretical implications, focusing on the failure of immersion students to reach nativelike language proficiency and the failure to emphasize language accuracy. (two references) (CB)

Educators who do not speak Spanish must learn to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking parents. Administrators should ensure that some staff member is fluent in both written and oral Spanish ensure that essential written materials are printed correctly, invest in translation devices, learn the language, demonstrate interest in parent's…

Provides an overview of issues and research in three areas where gender manifests itself in the English-as-a-foreign-language classroom: the English language, materials (grammars, textbooks and teacher-guides), and processes (learning styles and strategies). Also examined are implications of gender in materials and classroom interaction for…

Study investigated the effects of retelling practice sessions on the prose comprehension of fourth grade proficient and less proficient readers. For four sessions, they read silently, rendered free recall, then retold if desired. Researcher assessments indicated such practice in retelling caused significant improvements in quantity and quality of…

Reports on grammaticality judgments by early learners of a second language (Italian). The data, contrary to what might be assumed, point to no relationship between intuition and performance for L2 Learners. Data concerning advanced learners may prove to be more valid. (34 references) (LET)

The topic development process for the Educational Testing Service's Test of Written English (TWE) is described, along with the work of the Core Reader group and the procedures for reading and scoring the TWE. The TWE scoring guide (revised 2/90) is appended. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/LB)

The validity of the fourth edition of the Stanford-Binet (S-B IV) test was studied with 30 linguistically precocious children at ages 20, 24, and 30 months. Validity at 24 months was questionable. Problems in using the test with very young children are discussed. (SLD)

Looks at what constitutes near-native language skill for students looking for jobs and for those hiring them, with particular reference to Spanish. Finds little consensus among search committees or students about the definition of near-native ability. (Author/VWL)

Explored the effects of inherent task structure and processing load on narrative retelling task performance, analyzing task performance in terms of competition among fluency, complexity, and accuracy. Research with young adults found that degree of inherent task structure more strongly affected fluency of performance. Processing load influenced…

Presenting four types of evidence, this article argues that grammatical competence should not be a subcomponent of communicative competence in second-language instruction, but have a separate status. Focuses on the critical role of grammatical competence in the overall development of target-language proficiency. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the Defense Language Institute's Foreign Language Center's (DLIFLC) annual program review. Representatives from the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, HQ TRADOC, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence met to discuss…

Suggests that within the context of the Air Expedition Force, the United States Air Force must validate language skills and change current policies and practices to meet new, more dynamic requirements. Recommends a fresh look at language skills, especially for officers. (Author/VWL)