Describes a speech-interactive graphics microworld in which learners speak problem-solving directions to an animated agent and in which new scenarios can be authored. A proof-of-concept application is illustrated for sustaining basic speaking skill in Modern Standard Arabic. (Author/VWL)

Discusses how second-language learners whose first languages contain an article system differ in their acquisition of English articles from learners whose first languages do not contain such a system. Reviews the approach of Mizuno's (1988) interlanguage analysis for uncovering the process in second-language acquisition, and summarizes findings of…

Describes an English for academic purposes program design that uses a content-based, integrated skills approach to prepare learners for the demands of mainstream instruction. (Author/VWL)

Investigates the cause of avoidance in learning negation in a Korean as a second-language (KSL) situation. Because Korean has two types of negatives--preverbal and postverbal--examination focused on whether students of KSL avoid a certain negative form, and if so, why. (Author/VWL)

Shows that multimedia can provide Korean high school students with an interesting environment for learning English and can motivate them to study English more readily. Motivation is linked to higher grades on an English test. (Author/VWL)

Examines the acquisition of two colloquial English features: word medial /t/ flapping and discourse-marker use. These features are characteristic of North American English and are not taught explicitly through formal instruction. Subjects were ethnic Korean speakers stratified according to English education and sex. (Author/VWL)

Discusses research conducted to develop Japanese multimedia teaching materials for use on the Internet. The research verified the effects of different types of images used in multimedia teaching materials on the story understanding and reproduction ability of Japanese language learners based on a Japanese fairy tale. (Author/VWL)

Aimed to determine the basic English words Japanese students are not familiar with and to develop a reliable and easy-to-use vocabulary survey. Investigated the relationship between familiarity and second language and first-language recall to judge the amount students overestimate their vocabulary when using a self-checking familiarity survey.…

Examines aspects of cross-cultural studies, delineates a concept of culture, explores the interplay of culture and ethics, and analyzes the shifting cultural and economic values as issues that either the economists or the humanists will deal with under the banner of the future global village. (Author/VWL)

Introduces a computer-assisted language-learning system called L2tutor that is designed to provide an immersion experience to travelers before they leave on a trip to a country where a different language is spoken. The learner takes part in a fully mixed-initiative dialog with the system to gain fluency and hone vocabulary and grammatical skills.…

Examines the learning motivation and strategies of first-year university students of Japanese in relation to the learning of kanji via computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Findings indicate that instrumental motivation was a dominant factor; metacognitive strategies and a positive attitude toward the CALL program are also influential…

Recent interest in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has been accompanied by an expansion in the demand for CALL centers. The planning and creation of these facilities present educators and administrators with a unique set of challenges. This article highlights these factors and illustrates how a CALL center can be successfully…

A questionnaire was designed to elicit what adult learners disliked most about learning English. Seven dislikes were identified, including the following: textbooks in English only, role plays, drills, textbooks with no reading material or with artificial texts, homework, inflexible teachers, and audiotapes. (Author/VWL)

Provides excerpts from two thematic units, developed at the 1996 National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center at Iowa State University, that integrate language, culture, and content. (Author/JL)

Proposes a language-socialization approach to the study of second-language acquisition and illustrates the application of this approach by analyzing non-instructional discourse between native and nonnative speakers of Spanish. Analysis draws from a corpus of videotaped data collected during a two-year participant-observer study at a Los Angeles…