Examines the general challenge of proficiency-oriented methodology as applied specifically to beginning Russian-as-a-Second-Language teaching. (Author/OD)

This article shares some learning concepts and activities which have been found to be successful in teaching college courses in basic health issues, drug education, and human sexuality to a varied multi-ethnic student population at the City College of New York. (IAH)

The computer and its attendant software, in combination with cooperative learning principles, provide all students, regardless of English-language proficiency level, greater opportunities for peer communication than are available within the traditional classroom setting. (IAH)

Discusses recent research about contesting the deficit models of language and class. Criticizes the work of Barbara Tizard and Martin Hughes, claiming that, in fact, they create a new version of the deficiency model and fail to analyze the differentials in access to schooling. Notes that such a model ignores social circumstances. (KO)

Uses data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress to examine the speaking skills of 21-25 year olds. Finds that 15 to 20 percent of those examined cannot adequately communicate orally. Suggests that speaking proficiency is inversely related to minority status, and positively related to education, occupational status, and age. (MS)

Analysis of four adult Quechua speakers' acquisition of clitic pronouns in Spanish revealed that educational attainment and amount of contact with monolingual Spanish speakers were positively related to native-like norms of competence in the use of object pronouns in Spanish. (CB)

Integrated schools that stress learning among students in two languages are called two-way schools. They provide a singularly rich educational environment and avoid the negative effects of educational segregation by tracking. A Chelsea, Massachusetts, bilingual elementary school focused on team building to use existing resources more effectively.…

Discusses the literature on bilingualism over the last decade, emphasizing publications between 1985 and 1989. Focus is placed on the following themes: (1) definitions of the field, (2) language specific research, (3) the bilingual individual and community, (4) education and bilingualism, and (5) national bilingualism and political economy. (128…

Examines the issue of giving English-language oral proficiency examinations in overseas English-medium universities as part of student evaluations. An oral test given at Jordan's Yarmouk University is reviewed showing an attempt to administer biannual, oral-communicative-proficiency tests to 1,000 students at a time. (24 references) (GLR)

Examines two proficiency testing models, the ACTFL/ETS Oral Proficiency Interview and another model developed at the University of Wisconsin, to determine which is more appropriate for use in academic settings and whether it is possible to combine the best of both models. (GLR)

To test whether the critical language learning period applies to second languages, the English proficiency was studied of 46 Asians varying in age at which they moved to America. Results on a grammaticality judgment task support the hypothesis; early arrivals were significantly superior to later arrivals in English proficiency. (TJH)

Two studies involving 30 third graders and 26 adults, respectively, assessed whether success at learning to read is related to awareness of phonological structure of spoken language. Differences in phonological awareness appeared to account for much of the variance between good and poor readers at both age levels. (TJH)

Attempts to clarify the notion of language competence and draws on its relevance to language teaching practices. Language use competence may involve the adjustment of pre-assembled and memorized patterns and not so much the generation of expressions by direct reference to rules. (Author/CB)

Reviews key issues generally addressed in studies of language attrition, including the effects of instructional methods on long-term retention, the effects of proficiency level on attrition, attrition's different effects on various language skills, typical forgetting curves, and typical attrition orders. 26 references.(CB)

Suggests that language testing should be more performance-based and realigned with a current and richer understanding of the language teaching and learning processes. This kind of testing has questionable validity until a wide range of variables are successfully defined and delimited. (CB)