Reports on a study which sought to identify and examine the effects of certain learning strategies--practice, monitoring, and inferencing--on second language learning. (AM)

This article reports on a series of experiments designed to determine the validity of the Cloze test as a measure of the English language proficiency of nonnative speakers. (CFM)

This study examined the relationship between external language behavior in the form of intensity of verbal interaction between the learner and his language environment and the effects of this interaction on language abilities as measured by language tests. The subjects were adult learners of English as a second language. (CFM)

An oral situational structural test developed for ESL students is discussed. This article proposes that tests can be used as motivational instruments and as teaching instruments. Properly used, tests enable students to see a link between ultimate language proficiency and immediate exam passage. (CHK)

Six articles on the subject of testing are reviewed. The following themes are discussed: cloze tests, spelling tests and testing the student's total vocabulary. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Discusses the needs of language-minority students and explains the difference between progress in basic interpersonal communication skills (surface fluency) and cognitive/academic language proficiency (conceptual-linguistic knowledge). Strategies are provided for special educators in planning instruction, increasing comprehension during…

Critiques an article cautioning that children may perform poorly when questioned by professionals about emotional or painful events. Asserts that young children have the vocabulary to report feelings of distress or anger, even if they sometimes fail to make use of that vocabulary in particular contexts. (CR)

Argues that the focus of foreign-language instruction needs to be on students learning to become more efficient in using another language. This focus means charting each student's progress along the continuum of proficiency from novice to intermediate to advanced levels, not just checking off a list of what has been taught from the curriculum. (CK)

Reports results of a series of modified matched-guise tests measuring the attitudes of school principals, pupils, and other judges in Sweden towards foreign-born teachers' language proficiency and suitability to teach in a Swedish school. Results indicate that all groups of judges are accurate in judgments regarding accentedness. Judgments of…

Replicating earlier studies, 66 English as a second language speech students at a community college undertook content-based second language learning in psychology, sociology, and history. End-of-semester assessments showed they had improved second-language confidence and learned academic subject matter; most agreed sheltered courses were a useful…

Aimed to account for the different levels of pragmatic development among 137 university-level Japanese learners of English, as functions of their varying levels of English proficiency and amount of exposure to English. (Author/VWL)

Investigated the influence of nonverbal behavior in the context of interactive talk during the assessment of an oral proficiency interview test. Participants were Spanish- and Chinese-speaking international teaching assistants. Found interviewees who employed nonverbal behavior considered appropriate by North American evaluators and who negotiated…

Examines cooperative learning in relation to goals for second language (L2) development, first language (L1) maintenance, and content learning. Investigates how Chinese immigrant students perceive these goals and how they use the L1 and L2 to acquire content knowledge during cooperative learning activities. (Author/VWL)

Describes a process developed by the Language Training Centre at Red River College (RRC) to use the Canadian language benchmarks in analyzing the language levels used in programs and courses at RRC to identify appropriate entry-level language proficiency and the levels that second language students need in order to meet college or university…

Reviews the usefulness of proficiency models influencing second language testing. Findings indicate that several factors contribute to the lack of congruence between models and test construction and make a case for distinguishing between theoretical models. Underscores the significance of an empirical, contextualized and structured approach to the…