The results of a project to develop training materials for volunteer English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) tutors, and to develop instructional materials for their migrant worker students, are presented here. The first section describes the federally-funded tutor training project, initially intended to focus on migrant workers whose first language…

This resource guide is designed to assist administrators and teachers of limited-English-proficient (LEP) migrant students. A section on students' rights highlights key federal legislation, court rulings, and administrative regulations addressing language-minority students and the legal responsibilities of educational agencies serving them. The…

Although recent classroom research on second language acquisition has begun to focus on student discourse, there are still few studies which examine student questions and their influence in the classroom. Based on multiple observations of four classrooms in an intensive English program, the researchers investigate the factors that work together to…

Changes in the U.S. economy are altering employment patterns, and these changes have implications for workers whose language is other than English. This digest summarizes the existing types of programs that prepare English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adults for the workplace or help workers whose first language is other than English who are already…

In this University of Hong Kong ESP assignment, an approach to the teaching of English for Special Purposes (ESP) that addresses: (1) the role of language in the target discipline; (2) the socialization of the learner into the disciplinary culture; and (3) the role of the discipline in ESP instruction is presented, and illustrated. In the project…

Eleven papers cover the Language and International Trade Program at Clemson University, similar foreign language programs at other universities, and the role of government funding in the development of such programs. The papers include the following: (1) "The Language and International Trade Program at Clemson University: Remarks on Program…

A Thai inservice training program for secondary school teachers of English as a Second Language is discussed, focusing on the skills needed by trainers to provide effective collaborative instruction to teachers. The training is provided at specialized regional centers. Staff (n=22) at these centers were surveyed concerning the training skills they…

This manual presents activities designed to encourage speaking in elementary and secondary school French language classes at the novice and intermediate proficiency levels. Following guidelines outlined in the Utah "Foreign Language Mastery Curriculum Guide," each of the activities is identified according to the topic, level, and…

Language testing historians have tended to ignore a significant period in the evolution of language tests, the years 1883-1929. In the earliest years, testing focused on knowledge about, not of, the language and reflected the teaching of Latin and Greek more than that of living languages. Grammatical formalism and translation were emphasized, and…

The role of learning strategies in independent learning, particularly second language learning, is discussed. It is argued that "learning to learn" is a necessary, although not sufficient, condition for independent learning. It is also not innate, but must be taught. The learner must learn to define his objectives, accomplish them, evaluate…

This article examines the phenomenon of fossilization in second language (SL) learning and instruction, discussing this process as a form of simplification. Fossilization occurs when particular linguistic forms become permanently established in the interlanguage of SL learners in a form that is deviant from the target language norm and that…

A discussion of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) focuses on principles and techniques for the development of one form of communicative competence, i.e., sociolinguistic competence. First, the concept of sociolinguistic competence is explained, drawing on research in this area. Sources of problems in development of second language…

This study addresses the validation of an oral proficiency test by examining the language that is obtained from the items presented in the test. The study focused on the language elicited by a form of the Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI), the Spanish version of the Texas Oral Proficiency Test (TOPT). The TOPT is used to measure the oral…

This article discusses the system of reference as one of the linguistic systems operating in English texts. It introduces reference systems as systems that code cohesive dependency relationships between entities in texts. References in texts are treated as ways of introducing and keeping track of text participants. The cohesive operation of…

Curriculum frameworks for North Dakota elementary-secondary education are presented in this document. These frameworks are voluntary and serve to promote interdisciplinary learning, active learning, and student diversity. They are part of a larger systemic approach to improve instruction in the state's schools and to identify content outcomes and…