The National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958 changed the federal government's relationship to education. Previously, while the federal government had provided land grants for schools and aid to vocational education, it had been unwilling to fund general education. The Soviet Union's launching of Sputnik in 1957, however, allowed supporters to…

The following papers on foreign language curriculum development for the 1980s are included: (1) "Foreign Language and the Humanistic Tradition: The Relationship to the Coming Decade," by Claire Gaudiani; (2) "Practical Implications of New Trends and Directions," by Wilga Rivers; (3) "Directions in Foreign Language Curriculum Development," by H. H.…

The effect of language variation on language teaching is considered. It is suggested there has been a shift away from the notion that a language can be perceived by learners as a fixed system to an emphasis on its negotiability in a social context. This is not precisely the shift from grammatical concerns to functional ones, for it arises out of…

This is an evaluation report for a Title VII bilingual program that served Spanish-speaking students attending John Bowne high school, Flushing, New York, in 1979-1980. The first section of the report discusses the school neighborhood and its demographic composition. The second section focuses on participating students' characteristics, outlining…

While the goal of language teaching has been the development of practical communication, most language tests have stressed mastery of discrete linguistic skills. Oral language performance-based testing requires test-takers to use and perform in the language in actual communicative situations. The variations in communication created by the…

During 1978-79, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) conducted a career education project. During this year, the project staff developed several products which would be employed by workshop directors and their audiences as they attempt to demonstrate and implement the incorporation process of the career education…

This paper describes an on-going experiment about training adult (Latin American engineers about to come to France) beginners in oral expression. The first goal is to acquire the communicative means necessary to cope with four top priority situations and then master the communicative functions involved in understanding and making oneself…

A method is described for teaching writing to students for whom English is nearly a "first" language by virtue of the nature and circumstances of their use of it. The basic tenet of the approach is that the student can only learn to write well if he has a belief in himself and in the value of his own responses. To write well, the student must…

Results of an experimental study in India comparing two alternative procedures for teaching the set English text for class IX are examined against the background of the general mental ability, verbal reasoning ability, numerical reasoning ability, and general intelligence of the pupils. Other variables considered in the analysis are sex, age, and…

This study was undertaken to provide recent and comprehensive information on the state of Chinese studies in the United States. An extensive questionnaire was completed by 111 American institutions of higher education offering Chinese instruction. Overall enrollments and enrollment trends are discussed, and the degrees awarded in 1978 are…

The Teaching English as a Second Language Program was developed as a response to the needs of a multicultural population. It provides services geared to the individual needs of non-English speaking children in elementary and junior high schools. Children were seen for five 40 to 45 minute periods weekly in groups of 10 to 12. An audio-lingual…

A program for early identification of children who are a high risk for failure in a primary French immersion program was undertaken in Ontario, Canada. As the last year of a three-year project, the investigation was designed to identify a set of variables predictive of success or failure in the primary program. The predictive validity of measures…

The fourth of 20 volumes of lessons designed for use in a full-time, intensive training program in Arabic is presented. Each lesson deals with grammatical patterns and vocabulary through explanations, vocabulary lists, dialogues, audiolingual drills, and question-answer and free oral expression exercises. A review lesson is included after every…

The fifth of 20 volumes of lessons designed for use in a full-time, intensive training program in Arabic is presented. Each lesson deals with grammatical patterns and vocabulary through explanations, vocabulary lists, dialogues, audiolingual drills, and question-answer and free oral expression exercises. A review lesson is included after every…

The sixth of 20 volumes of lessons designed for use in a full-time, intensive training program in Arabic is presented. Each lesson deals with grammatical patterns and vocabulary through explanations, vocabulary lists, dialogues, audiolingual drills, and question-answer and free oral expression exercises. A review lesson is included after every…