This paper examines the effect which certain environmental variables have upon learning to speak English as a second language. (Author)

This paper asserts that lack of cultural knowledge related to English among Iranian students who pursue advanced education abroad affects their English language proficiency. It examines whether the disconnection between the English language and the culture of that language embodied in Iranian English textbooks hinders students' knowledge and use…

The terrorist attacks of September 11th, the Global War on Terrorism, and the continued threat to the Homeland have defined the critical need to take action to improve the foreign language and cultural capabilities of the Nation. The government must act now to improve the gathering and analysis of information, advance international diplomacy, and…

Reading in the Malaysian primary and secondary school system is largely a master of skill mastery and school textbooks, workbooks and even examinations are a testament to this approach. The teacher of reading is often forced to make the choice of training her learners to read and answer comprehension questions for examination purposes. Reading in…

This report describes a qualitative research project designed to evaluate the use of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) in Irish post-primary schools. The project was coordinated by the Centre for Language and Communication Studies, Trinity College Dublin, and involved the participation of language teachers and learners from a number of schools…

This study examined the writing profiles of three Japanese writers with distinctly different writing experiences, investigating participants' school writing experiences and attitudes toward writing, characteristics of the composing process, and teaching implications. The three Japanese participants included an experienced writer in both Japanese…

This study evaluated a semester-long English learning strategy training course in terms of its impact on students' learning achievement, attitudes, anxiety, and proficiency. Participants were 47 Taiwanese college students who were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Prior to the course, all participants took the Test of English as…

A Compensation Model is proposed to help explain the difference between child and adult language acquisition in terms of different cognitive modules and theories. In this model, two assumptions are made: (1) existence of two different cognitive modules (language-specific and general-cognition) in the mind, and (2) the independent and interactive…

This report examined the demographic characteristics, educational attainment, language ability, labor force participation, and income levels of citizen and non-citizen immigrants in the United States in 1990. Based on recent census data, the report found that the foreign-born population of the United States, at nearly 20 million, is growing 4…

This paper considers the importance of teaching "register" in the Spanish as a second language classroom. Generally speaking, register means "variety according to use." A register is what you are speaking at the time determined by what you are doing (the nature of the social activity being engaged in), and an expression of…

An English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Intensive Program was established at Hostos Community College, New York, to help accelerate students' acquisition of ESL by combining three semesters of the college's regular ESL program into two semesters. Each level of this program provides 15 hours of classroom instruction per week, a 6-hour reading and…

Data from four different school sites nationwide were analyzed to examine whether standardized test results may be confounded by the lack of language proficiency of English language learners. Several analyses comparing the performance of limited English proficient (LEP) students and their non-LEP classmates revealed major differences. A Disparity…

This study compared the performance of 946 8th-grade students with different language proficiencies (limited English proficient [LEP], fluent English proficient [FEP], and initially fluent in English [IFE]) and language backgrounds on a 35-item math test (from the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 8 Bilingual…

This report reviews four English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) textbooks, using criteria developed for volunteer-based organizations (VBOs). It illustrates the process that VBOs need to undertake prior to ESL textbook selection. The four texts include the following: "Laubach Way to English" (J. Macero and M. Lane), which focuses on linguistic rather…

This study identified the second language acquisition, culture shock, and language stress of adult Latinas in New York as related to language, culture, and education. Participants were eight adult Latinas, for whom Spanish was the first language, who had come to the United States 10-15 years previously and developed some functioning English as a…