A review of higher education Portuguese language programs explores the characteristics of these programs between 1945 and 1979 and enrollment in the 1980s. A discussion focuses on how recent developments in French and Spanish applied linguistics and new teaching methodologies and materials will affect the future development of such programs. (CB)

Summarizes existing research on the use and teaching of learning strategies, and presents six situational case studies of strategy training. A research-based strategy training model is proposed, as well as other instructional ideas for strategy training in the second-language classroom. (116 references) (Author/CB)

Novice second-language learners can understand and benefit from authentic reading and listening language texts that are not typically introduced until students have intermediate or advanced language skills. Early exposure to such texts can help learners develop useful listening strategies for more complex tasks. (Author/CB)

The comparison of languages can be an effective instructional technique if used well. The comparison of isolated elements is less effective than the examination of languages at several levels: system, norm, and usage. (MSE)

Responds to Dunn's paper on Hispanic-Anglo differences in IQ scores. Comments on Dunn's translation of Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised into Castilian Spanish, and concludes this version is inappropriate for mainland Puerto Rican and Mexican-American children due to improper translation and validation methods. Contains 27 references.…

Stresses the importance of "teacher talk" in the foreign language classroom. Recommendations include fitting the level of language to the learner, balancing practice of both lexicon and grammar, limiting redundancy, and suiting content of the language to each sentence's specific purpose. Examples of faulty teacher talk in Spanish are…

EUROLINKS 1988, a pilot project involving school/industry links in the field of foreign languages, investigated ways of promoting the North East of England and its companies and products to European partners. The project demonstrated to students how foreign language skills relate to the working world and to regional and national prosperity. (CB)

Describes an interactive television program in which one Spanish teacher reached 3,959 elementary school students at nine different sites through the use of studio and classroom cameras and televisions. (Author/CB)

A study compared how native speakers of Spanish and English produced four English word pairs that are morphologically related but differ in stress and vowel quality. The magnitude of differences observed suggests that second language learners acquire stress placement and vowel reduction in English on a word-by-word basis. (Author/MSE)

Increasingly, in response to demand, colleges are offering Spanish courses for Hispanic-American students with little formal training in their native language. The federal government is providing some support. Courses focus on grammar, spelling, and Hispanic culture. Controversy exists over the kind of Spanish (vernacular vs. standard usage)…

This article describes using dialog journals as part of a teaching-methods course in a summer program in Spain. Participants were teachers of Spanish with a range of experience and language proficiency. (JL)

This study looked at current reading strategies used by Spanish learners in fourth- and fifth-semester college Spanish. Students ranked strategies they found most useful. No single strategy was chosen by an overwhelming majority of students; however, a mean ranking revealed that instruction in skimming and word guessing proved most useful to…

The mindset of children regarding the development of two languages, specifically Spanish and English in bilingual programs, is examined. It is concluded that students' attitudes and understanding of dual language development should be added to biliteracy programs. (Contains 26 references.) (LB)

Describes an active approach to teaching culture in commercial Spanish classes through experiential learning projects. The approach promotes students' linguistic and business skills and allows them to experience cultural phenomena and build cross-cultural understanding using a variety of realistic scenarios. (11 references) (JL)

Describes a third-year course in Spanish composition and conversation, in which students make use of community resources by doing on-site observation of local television, radio, or newspaper production. Students learn how to write in journalistic style and also read texts by well-known authors. (5 references) (Author/CK)