This study investigated the English language needs of 70 Chinese students at a Canadian university. The students (37 graduate students and 32 visiting scholars), were surveyed for background information (position and workplace in China, time in Canada, and major) and the perceived importance for success in Canada of 15 academic skills and 15…

A survey of teachers of composition in English as a Second Language in Japan addressed the perceptions of native-English-speaking and non-native-English-speaking teachers of the acceptability of specific error types within sentences. The native speakers of English were one British and 16 Americans. The non-native group was comprised of 26 Japanese…

A method of teaching public speaking adapted from the Toastmasters International program is presented for use in foreign language classes. Instructions need only to be translated into the target language and presented to students for immediate classroom use. The instructions address the structure of the speech class, writing and delivering the…

Presentations on aspects of foreign language instruction include: "A World Without Walls" (Lorraine A. Strasheim); "Practical Aspects of Individualizing Foreign Language Instruction" (Howard B. Altman); "Teaching Foreign Language Through Literature" (Jeanne Varney Pleasants); "Individualization of Foreign Language Instruction" (Howard B. Altman);…

The origins, development, and organization of a set of instructional materials entitled "La Francophonie" at North Carolina Central University are described. The project grew out of American students' disaffection for language learning in the mid 1960's and the narrow focus of much college-level instruction. The program consists of two…

Foreign language teachers should become familiar and comfortable with computers. Learning about computers and their applications to the foreign language instructional process will provide teachers with the information needed to examine issues related to the new technology and stimulate discussion of its implementation in the school. All educators…

A class project undertaken in an English-as-a-Second-Language class is described and presented. Students participating in the project were union employees in a Manhattan electronics factory, and most were native Spanish speakers. The project's objective was to produce an illustrated book and tapes to document work and union experience in the…

English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in general, and Chinese speakers in particular, often omit or misuse English prepositions in speaking or writing. A study traced the history and structure of the English preposition, using contrastive analysis and error analysis to find sources of Chinese error. To determine if Chinese speakers exceed…

In order to teach anything, two fundamental questions must be asked and answered continually: What should be taught, and how should it be taught? The answer to the second question is highly dependent on the answer to the first, but the present answer to the first question is inadequate and inappropriate to today's communication tools. Language…

An effective, systematic approach to teaching English articles in English as a second language instruction is described, with specific exercises using the approach presented. Background information on count and non-count nouns and determiners in English is outlined. Four principles underlying the choice of definite or indefinite articles in…

Research pertaining to adult second-language learning from television is reviewed. It is proposed that course design and marketing must begin with considerations of basic factors such as students' needs, nature of the target language, the uses to be made of the language, and the linguistic skills being taught. Decisions can be made best by keeping…

Eastern Michigan University's (EMU) bachelor's (B.A.) and master's (M.A.) programs in Language and International Trade began in 1978, and have awarded 181 B.A. and 249 M.A. degrees in their first 10 years. Two surveys of program graduates revealed that most are employed in jobs with international concerns. Alumni observations strongly reflected…

The use of authentic materials for an advanced French course for students of journalism and communication has the drawback that authentic French sources assume a regular, informed readership sharing the same culture and history. A solution found at Ohio University is to use a publication that bridges the two cultures, such as the "Journal…

A classroom technique called "ubertragung," used for exercise and evaluation of oral communication, is explained as it is applied in a course in business German for native speakers of Norwegian. Learners read a text in Norwegian containing information relevant to the study of German for international trade. Later, students use the…

This study explored the age variable within the framework of Stephen Krashen's (1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982) monitor hypothesis. The experiment conducted two types of English language lessons based on antithetical pedagogical strategies. The first aimed at the activation of monitor use, constructed around formal learning tasks and the second…