The Oral Language Program for which this document serves as a teacher's manual is a set of 147 daily lessons designed to help five- to seven-year-old children who do not speak English or who speak dialects of English that offer significant structural competition with the standard dialects. The manual provides a guide to the lessons, explaining…

The original objective of the nursery school was that acting in cooperation with the home, it should develop children motorically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. A comparison of objectives with effects reveals many to be non-existent. A 1966 study of nursery school effects on child development revealed the following breakdown: (1)…

The British Columbia French Speaking Test, administered to grade 3 immersion students, measured their speaking skills through a story- retelling and group discussion task. When 110 immersion children were compared to 25 Francophone children, results indicated that the immersion children were comparable to the francophones in communicative skills…

Reviews current practice in the study of phonological interlanguage. The methodology of 22 pieces of research is surveyed in terms of subjects, range of phonological features, "synchronic" and "diachronic" approaches, techniques and materials, audio-recording and transcription. The article discusses the advantages and…

Following publication of the National Languages Strategy on 18 December 2002 the teaching of foreign languages (FL) in the primary school is again high on the agenda in England as in other parts of Europe. Research has shown in the past (Burstall "et al.," 1974) that an early start in FL does not necessarily result in any long-term…

Context of learning, such as whether a learner studies a second language (L2) in a formal classroom--"at home" or abroad--may be a key factor in developing grammatical and lexical abilities. Yet, little empirical data is available comparing the effects of study abroad (SA) and formal instruction "at home" (AH) experiences on…

The Education Watch initiative is being implemented in the Solomon Islands by the Coalition on Education Solomon Islands (COESI) in partnership with Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE). COESI aims to generate a reliable body of information that will: (1) Accurately explain how much the national government has done and can do to…

A graduate level course offered to foreign medical graduates (FMGs) at Wayne State University in Michigan was developed after a needs assessment indicated the desirability of improving the speaking fluency, pronunciation, and cultural understanding of FMGs. It was found that weaknesses in those areas, which are not assessed in the Test of English…

The quality of language is a matter of concern in numerous educational systems throughout the world. In Quebec, questions of the health of both the French and English languages take on particular importance. This report makes a series of proposals to the Ministry of Higher Education and Science designed to ensure the coherence and quality of…

The proceedings of a two and one-half day symposium concerning the assessment of functional language ability through the oral interview process included the following papers: "The FSI/ILR/ACTFL Proficiency Scales and Testing Techniques: Development, Current Status, and Need Research" (John L. D. Clark, Ray T. Clifford); "The ACTFL…

The Natural Approach to second language instruction has theoretical flaws and tends to reverse teaching methods that have been used successfully for many years. The approach exaggerates the presumed failure of previous language programs and ignores some important characteristics of children's language learning processes. It assumes that explicit…

Problems facing foreign students in American colleges and universities are examined. With the number of foreign students studying in the United States increasing each year (over 203,000 in 1976-77), services for foreign students need to be expanded with more emphasis on improving orientation programs. Preadmission screening and counseling are…

Book two, part one, of an intermediate-advanced level German refresher course for college students is presented. The volume consists of 42 lessons of text material and 42 prerecorded tapes. A typical unit is made up of spontaneous dialogues, substitution drills, and tests. A dialogue for listening is a short conversation between German speakers…

This Vietnamese translation manual for nursing aides is designed to improve speaking skills of U.S. immigrants. Each section contains previews in Vietnamese as well as exercises and dialog situations that include English translations. Sections on introductions, time, meals, parts of the body, clothing and common articles, telephone situations,…

Communicative competence, the ability to use a language effectively in unrehearsed transactions with native speakers, must be the ultimate goal of language teaching. Drills and repetition of patterned phrases do not, in and of themselves, lead to real language use. We should begin giving students opportunities to use language in unrehearsed,…