Reports on an investigation into the reading proficiency of primary school children in two African countries and tests two hypotheses regarding the relative reading ability of the children in these countries. Test results reveal statistically significant differences in favor of Malawi for reading proficiency in the first language and no…

Describes a documentary created during an English course teaching academic skills to first-year arts faculty undergraduates. The focus was on making a video documentary about an issue of concern to the learners whose own negotiated goal was to present their information in English in a way that would be appealing to other students on campus. (12…

Notes that it is important to lay the foundation for building English vocabulary and language skills using realistic situations. Reviews three computer programs that enable English-as-a-Second-Language students to achieve efficiency more quickly. The software titles reviewed are "Learning English--Home and Family Life and Neighborhood Life,""Let's…

Describes practical guidelines constructed by the staff of a large-scale self-access English language instruction project in Malaysia, focusing on the production of self-access materials in a situation where staff have limited resources, where both quantity and quality are required, and where there is a need to provide an in-house look to the…

Suggests using lesson plans in a lesson series as a means of reflection to help inexperienced or preservice teachers utilize their experience to effect self-development in teaching. The author discusses preparation of reflective lesson plans and demonstrates their use in effecting teaching improvement. (11 references) (CK)

Overviews the field of feminist pedagogy, its predominant elements, and some pointers toward further reading. The purpose of this article is to raise the consciousness of English-as-a-Second-Language professionals about feminist issues and to provoke further research about ways in which theories and practices of feminist pedagogy can be applied in…

This paper reports on a small-scale study of the outcomes generated by 15 underachieving English-as-a-Foreign-Language university writers copying text displayed on a computer monitor under pressure of time. Analysis of student's copied texts showed that various inaccuracies that were not in the original had passed into the copied version,…

Describes a step-by-step process for conducting a small-group activity for intermediate students of French as a Second Language in which the students are asked to create a print advertisement for a new, nutritious snack. The steps include contextualization, brainstorming, establishing criteria, planning the activity, language, and reflection on…

A study investigated the processes underlying acquisition of French by students in two late immersion programs (grades 8-10) in Queensland (Australia). Focus is on three features: the cooperative learning situation that developed, idiosyncratic language that emerged, and students' patterns of socialization. (31 references) (Author/MSE)

This paper discusses the Thai reading curriculum in use at the Foreign Service Institute, focusing on the development of the Thai curriculum over the past four years. It describes the instructional materials used in the program, activities developed to accompany the materials, and suggestions for improvement. Feedback from instructors and students…

Explains why teachers might feel uneasy about the apparent lessening of their crucial position at the front of the class when a learner-centered model is used. Attempts to show how teacher ego is not incompatible with different teacher roles; acceptance of a predilection for performance may be the first stage in a richer description of teacher…

An analysis of recent initiatives with the Langenscheidt Publishing Group reveals some of the emerging relationships between publishing and language teaching. The evolution of electronic publishing and multimedia learning within the contexts of the communications industry and shifting patterns of media use are discussed. (27 references) (MDM)

Discusses one teacher educator's difficulties in familiarizing Hungarian trainee teachers of English as a Second Language with tasks aimed at raising their awareness of English as a system and as a language in use. Inquiry-based language activities can pose a formidable challenge to non-native teachers' expectations and beliefs about language. (23…

Discusses the advantages of the use of large natural language corpora in promoting grammatical awareness among language teachers and students, focusing on word classes and prescriptive approaches to language as they relate to Britain's National Curriculum at the elementary level. (13 references) (MDM)

This article describes an analysis of English-language needs of an oil company in the Middle East, exploring the role of ethnography in carrying out the holistic research necessary to obtain a clear picture of the company's needs. It includes a discussion of the project's findings and recommendations for language training. (11 references) (MDM)