Two aspects of a study of the problems hearing people have in acquiring British Sign Language (BSL) are described: (1) the measurement of current skills in BSL of professionals in the field, and (2) current training programs in BSL in the United Kingdom and results of some controlled teaching situations. (Author/PJM)

Presents the results of three studies that support the hypothesis that there are two types of proficiency in second language learning, "compartmentalized control" and "integrated control." Relevance to the Monitor Model and a method of teaching for integration are discussed. (Author/AM)

Seventy-nine Latin American students at universities in Pittsburgh were studied to determine: (1) whether language proficiency varies between home and school domains; and (2) whether the relationship between language proficiency and attitude holds true when proficiency difference between two languages is small and subjects are highly proficient in…

Reviews literature dealing with the role of two-year colleges in educating foreign students. Examines community college enrollment of foreign students since the 1960s and explores related concerns in the areas of admissions, student finances, language skills, advisement, and cultural differences. Recommends several institutional responses to these…

Discusses the value of existing models of minimal language competencies, and makes suggestions for their improvement and use. (AM)

This article discusses the problems involved in insisting upon oral proficiency in language instruction, to the detriment of other language skills. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

This article constitutes a response challenging Balesdent's article which claimed that insistence on oral proficiency in language instruction is doomed to failure. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Concerns research undertaken to assess the role of intelligence, as measured by standardized, group I.Q. tests, in the acquisition of a second language. Reading and language usage tests correlated with I.Q. level; tests of listening comprehension and interpersonal communication did not for anglophone students learning French. (Author/POP)

This article states that affective learning is important to prevent boredom and stimulate language use. Use of affective learning activities in the language classroom is outlined and a teaching technique, the open-ended sentence is described as a method that elicits responses charged with personal opinions, feelings and humor. (CHK)

Cloze tests are valid, reliable second language proficiency tests. This paper discusses the construction, administration, scoring and interpretation of cloze tests of overall language proficiency. Other uses of the cloze in ESL are mentioned. Finally an explanation of the cognitive processes in doing cloze tasks is offered. (CHK)

This study investigated the interrater reliability of proficiency-level judgments of graduate student trainee raters on oral proficiency interviews (OPIs). Trainees' ratings were compared with the judgments of a certified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) tester for 150 interviews. (Author/JL)

This pilot study shows that the use of Internet resources is a meaningful way to integrate language and culture and to provide opportunities for students to learn about the target culture while using e-mail to discuss cultural aspects with native speakers. Results of the study showed that e-mail increased students' interest and motivation.…

Presents the results of a survey on the use of video materials at high school and college levels that was carried out to contribute a better communication between the two levels in Japanese-language education in the United States. Questions asked were, What kinds of videos are used at college and high school levels? and, What are the purposes of…

Describes a Chinese Canadian immigrant family that is encountering difficulties with schooling, demonstrating the complex interrelationship between home literacy, culture, and politics of schooling. Findings suggest that cultural mismatch theory alone cannot explain minority school failure. Rather, multilevel interactions, including cultural…

Reports on a small scale pilot project designed to elicit acceptability judgments regarding dative alternation in English studied as a second language. Preliminary results suggest that a thematic strategy may be one of a battery of learning strategies available to second-language learners. (40 references) (CK)