This study extends previous research on the relationships among intelligibility, perceived comprehensibility, and accentedness. The researchers obtained accent and comprehensibility ratings and transcriptions of accented speech of Cantonese, Japanese, Polish, and Spanish intermediate English-as-a-Second-Language students from native English…

Reviews the challenges and benefits of using multimedia instructional technology to teach intermediate business Spanish at Thunderbird American Graduate School of International Management (Arizona). Challenges were technical and administrative support requirements, technical training needs, and locating quality materials. Benefits included learner…

Focuses on how the foreign language instructors' understanding of the historical development of forms and systematic language patterns enhances classroom presentations by transforming lists of irregularities and exceptions into coherent groups of related elements. Discusses examples of structures traditionally presented in lists or tables and…

Presents the results of an April 1996 survey on articulation between and among Japanese programs. Attempts to offer commentary about articulation from the perspective of Japanese and about the results of the survey, and to tie these results to more general issues. Suggests that articulation is an ongoing problem for virtually all language…

Discusses the foreign language teacher education project organized by the Modern Language Association to provide institutions the opportunity to develop exemplary programs in this field. Argues that the concept of articulation in this field currently focuses on irrelevant issues and that educators must formulate new concepts and tools to address…

Examines the relationship of codes across languages, with particular reference to written language and to English in relation to Japanese and Chinese. Reviews language contact and language learning effects related to reading, writing, cognition and linguistic creativity as various types of cross-language effects in biliteracy. (42 references)…

Highlights the importance of the dynamics of the learner group in shaping the second language (L2) learning process, and overviews the most relevant aspects of classroom dynamics. Argues that group characteristics and processes affect any success or failure in the L2 classroom and that teachers could benefit from an awareness of the principles of…

Explores the issue of international students' sense of personal identity in relation to postgraduate argument texts and examines research students' own perceptions about their writing experience in the English language. Argues that the associations these students make between their self-concepts as learners and their English language texts have…

Discusses how teachers can offer an inclusive setting for personal and academic growth by orchestrating group work to engage and develop unique learners. The article emphasizes that a focused whole-group discussion of working preferences affirms the presence and validity of diverse styles and maximizes the climate for learning in the classroom.…

Investigated the effect of grammatical and discourse features on rater perceptions of writing quality in evaluating foreign language writing samples. Also investigated differences in rating profiles between native and nonnative speaking raters. (Author/VWL)

Uses a detailed qualitative case study to explore the implementation of task-based teaching in three primary school classrooms in Hong Kong. Reviews six issues that were found to impact how teachers approached the implementation of communicative tasks in their classroom. Themes addressed are teacher beliefs, teacher understandings, the syllabus…

Offers communicative activities designed to enhance the cross-cultural awareness of Japanese university students whose language levels range from beginner to intermediate. The activities range from student-generated interviews of a guest speaker and e-mail exchanges with target language speakers to a mini-video ethnography project that focuses on…

Discusses how the appropriate interweaving of assessment and teaching encourages students to participate actively in their own learning. The article describes one teacher's efforts to enhance the proficiency of the English language-math learners in her class by encouraging the students to work toward an exhibition of student-built models of famous…

Focuses on the role of tests in assessing the reading comprehension of students of English as a Second Language. The article suggests that if tests are to be useful in placing students and developing instruction, they need to provide information about the reading processes of immediate interest. (83 references) (CK)

Focuses on the assessment of writing skills of incoming English-as-a-Second-Language college students in the United States and Canada. The article discusses the traditional impromptu essay and its alternatives, portfolio assessment and the Undergraduate Academic Writing Assessment (UAWA). The UAWA reveals students' previously unknown strengths and…