This paper discusses certain problems that can arise with respect to the selection of content in the preparation of a test to measure language proficiency for some specific purpose. Forty employees in a defense plant in Montreal, Canada were interviewed in order to specify language needs, to arrive at a precise interpretation of the required…

The Langugage Proficiency Assessment Committees (LPACs) authorized by Congress were given the responsibility of assessing limited-English-speaking students within a school district and making placement recommendations regarding these students to the local school board. This packet consists of a variety of materials, mostly handouts to assist in…

The symbolic representational block constructions of twenty 4-year-olds and twenty 7-year-olds were analyzed from Werner and Kaplan's (1963) theoretical perspective. Each child was read a story and then asked to use the blocks to represent the story. Older children included in their representations a larger number of features that were central to…

Several factors come into play in the discussion of foreign languages and improved prospects for employment. With regard to the question of proficiency, it seems that prospective employers are more realistic than teachers in their expectations. If an employee is good in the field he or she is in, further language training is often made available.…

This paper deals with two experiments whose purposes are to investigate the linguistic competence of young children and their receptivity to adult speech. In the free response experiment, imperative sentences were presented to 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-year-olds. The sentences were minimal (a single noun), telegraphic, or full adult sentences. The youngest…

This bibliography is divided into four main sections. The first section cites bibliographies dealing with language testing, while the second and third sections deal with books and articles in the same area. A fourth section lists test distributors' catalogues. Entries include publications from many countries. Most entries have been published since…

The linguistic state-of-the-art relevant to the construction of a battery of tests intended to yield language proficiency profiles of preschool children is surveyed in this paper. A basic assumption is that language data can be structured with a model that reflects stages in the development of control over phonological features, morphological…

Foreign language students often find themselves unable to produce appropriate responses in certain social situations. A contributing factor is that until recently, linguists and foreign language educators have concentrated on the student's acquisition of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon), and have not concerned themselves with…

Forty preschool Negro children took part in a study to test the effect of oral response versus listening in improving the spoken language of disadvantaged children. It was hypothesized that children who echo and produce sentences in response to an instruction to select the appropriate picture to match a spoken sentence would show greater verbal…

A study was conducted in conjunction with a year-long tryout of the SWRL English Language and Concepts Program for Spanish-Speaking children to determine the effects of periodic and seasonal absenteeism on student performance. Procedures were established for obtaining enroute criterion-referenced pupil performance and attendance data from eight…

The current emphasis on "teaching in the language of the child" has led to a demand for bilingual programs in Mexican-American communities. Ninety preschool children, assumed to be Spanish speaking, were referred to a summer program for amelioration of English language deficiency. Spanish and English versions of the Preschool Language…

Analyzes the difference between "ultimate-target language" (authentic English in all its varieties), "learner's language" (with its limitations), and "learning-goal language," this latter referring to differentiated instruction with graded "input" steps. Teaching suggestions are given. (IFS/WGA)

Based primarily on observation of university English courses in Ethiopia, this article concludes that service courses in English are ineffective. ESL courses in Hawaii and California are compared with Ethiopian programs for learning time and results. (CHK)

This article discusses the problems invovled in presenting grammar in a threshold approach to French as a second language. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

A thorough knowledge of grammar is a necessary condition for fluency and correct expression in a foreign language because it replaces one's instinct in the native language. Three rules for mastery are given: regular practice of specific exercises; a habit of self-criticism; work on weak points. (Text is in French.) (AMH)