Until very recently, assessment in the Arabian Gulf focused primarily on high stakes testing. However, with the increased popularity of multiple-measure assessment, institutions in the region are adopting alternative forms of assessment. This paper provides a rationale for alternative assessment in the English-as-a-Foreign/Second-Language…

Writing figures prominently in accounts of foreign language learning that is specially concerned with promoting the development of learner autonomy. Writing things down plays a prominent role in the autonomous foreign language classroom. The learner texts presented and discussed in this paper invite reflection on three issues of general importance…

It has been argued that the acquisition of the English article system is delayed for most second language (L2) learners until the very final stages of learning. This paper examines the difficulties of the acquisition of this system by Persian speakers. It suggests that no single available theory can account for the causes of the learners' errors,…

This study investigated preservice foreign language teachers' preconceived ideas about language learning and teaching. Surveys were administered at the beginning and the end of two foreign language methods courses at different universities. Data analysis indicated that while many of the respondents' beliefs remained consistent throughout the…

This professional development packet consists of two sessions, each requiring 6 hours. Session one is designed to teach participants to do the following: identify at least three unique characteristics of workplace English as a Second Language (ESL); describe the steps involved in developing a workplace ESL program; identify the basic steps of…

Responds to Tony Silva's 1997 article, which asserted that English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing teachers should prevent themes and topics from dominating or controlling the curriculum. This paper argues that it is sometimes helpful for writing teachers to control why and what students write, focusing on university-level English writing in…

In 1998, the Education Department of Western Australia commissioned a research project to investigate the implementation and development of second language learning for special needs students in three diverse elementary education support settings. This paper presents project findings. Researchers documented implementation, collected and analyzed…

This book examines how nonnative speakers develop pragmatic ability in a nonprimary language, focusing on acquisitional processes, conditions, and sequential patterns. Nine chapters discuss the following: (1) "Introduction to Second Language Pragmatic Development"; (2) "Theories of Second Language Pragmatic Development" (e.g., the acculturation…

This paper provides an overview of Student Modeling techniques that have been employed in Intelligent Languages Tutoring Systems (ILTSs) over the past decade. It further discusses the Student Model of the English-as-a-Second-Languages (ESL) Tutor, an ILTS for ESL. The Student Model is based on student subject matter performance and provides…

This teacher guidebook is intended to be a comprehensive resource for second language teachers wishing to use and teach language learning strategies to their students. It is intended to be used by both English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers and teachers of such foreign languages as German, French, and Spanish to American native speakers of…

This paper presents an overview of a plenary panel entitled "Measuring Outcomes and Setting Standards in Languages Education.""Outcomes" implies what learners take away from their course, while the term "standards" seems commonly to have at least two senses: first it may imply some yardstick or framework against which…

This paper describes the procedures for developing and delivering a training program designed to enhance the language ability and teacher training skills of lead teachers of English in the Czech Republic. The described program was funded by PHARE, a European Commission funding source dedicated to strengthening and enhancing the skills, knowledge,…

This paper discusses the mechanics of how and why to use videos to teach English-as-a-Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). It is divided into three sections: a review of current theory on the use of video as an educational medium of instruction, using video in the ESL/EFL classroom, and key considerations for using video in the classroom with…

This paper examines the effect of foreign language instruction on middle school students' attitudes toward "the other." The primary purpose of this case study is to describe the process of culture learning as it takes place within a middle school foreign language program. Culture learning is a particular type of human learning related to the…

This paper considers the influence of the values and the discourse behaviors of the native-speaking assessor as interlocutor. These variables in the assessments of oral proficiency interrelate in complex ways with features of test design such as tasks, prompts, topics, guidelines, and assessor training. This paper reviews some previous studies,…