Study investigated effectiveness of two techniques in second-language vocabulary development: spacing of first-language (FL) and second-language (SL) words and reversal of the conventional FL/SL order in paired associate learning. Subjects were 16 English-speaking grade-seven students of French. Results showed superior performance in both spacing…

A study examined disparity and resulting conflict in learning and teaching styles of high school teachers (n=29) and students (n=299) in South African province. The majority of teachers were intuitive and introverted, preferring abstract ideas and independent work, while students tended to be concrete-sequential and extroverted, needing direct…

Examines the interrelationships among accentedness, perceived comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second-language (L2) learners. The findings suggest that although strength of foreign accent is correlated with perceived comprehensibility and intelligibility, a strong foreign accent does not necessarily reduce the…

Focuses on the employment-related aspect of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes at the intermediate and advanced levels. Activities described include researched pair presentations, company research, working through occupational modules and an exercise to enhance self-image. Networking with colleagues and the community helps in the…

Presents a history of the use of technology in second-language instruction, beginning with the 1960s and the grammar translation method; through the audiolingual movement and language laboratories; into emerging use of tape recorders, videotapes, and computer-assisted language learning; and up through computer-assisted instruction, distance…

Describes how cross-over training and a whole-school approach help preschool educators assist disabled students who have not yet acquired their native language, examining New York's English-as-a Second-Language/Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Training Program for Pre-K Special Education Personnel, which trains preschool personnel to meet…

The Clinton administration has placed equal, accessible education of immigrants at the top of its agenda for 21st-century American schools. This paper examines the initiative, discussing criticism it has already drawn. For example, there are doubts as to whether providing more money for bilingual education without proper monitoring and evaluation…

Distinct regional patterns emerged in a comparison of letters of recommendation from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Eastern Europe. Both quantitative (linearity, symmetry, data integration, advance organizers, sentence types) and qualitative (content) analyses revealed differences, including organizational patterns and methods of…

Examines classroom activities engaged in by more and less experienced Punjabi-Sikh Grade 1 speakers of English and discusses how relationship between those speakers are implicated in their speech activities. Three occasions in this classroom are examined: A common, teacher-directed interaction; an excerpt of children at play; and a playful…

Describes an instructional collaboration designed to create and deliver a distance learning module for helping students improve their skills in writing and reading Spanish. Results identified a technology gap, where students without their own computers and the latest versions of Web browsers finished assignments with greater difficulty. (AEF)

Discusses the influence of Dan Davidson on the Russian language teaching profession, concentrating on the NEH-CORLAC Institutes in Russian Language and Culture and materials development projects and on Davidson's role in programs involving high schools that teach Russian, the high school exchange program, and two national contests to stimulate…

This paper examines philosophical frame factors for English Language Teaching in the Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) classroom. Drawing on the experience of a Native English Teacher in a government-aided Hong Kong High School it pays attention to two related difficulties: the "reality" of English in the classroom and the perceived…

Numerous reports and articles have decried the mediocrity of U.S. students' foreign language skills and have called for improved language education. One study that looked at foreign language education in 19 countries suggests several characteristics of successful foreign language programs: starting early, providing an articulated framework,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate ESL instructors' feedback techniques and the rationales behind these techniques, to explore ESL students' beliefs about the relative effectiveness of various types of feedback, and to compare students' beliefs with those of their instructors. A university-level ESL instructor and two of her students…

This article examines social presence in virtual asynchronous learning communities among foreign language teachers. We present the findings of two studies investigating cross-institutional asynchronous forums created to engage participants in online dialogues regarding their foreign language teacher preparation experiences in and out of the…