Presents results of a background survey and proficiency test of student teachers at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. TEFL student teachers lacked confidence in their speaking ability but had a positive attitude toward the use and study of English in their country. (61 references) (LT)

Discusses the importance of conversational implicatures in cross-cultural communication and argues that the use of opened-ended questions to study such implicatures is inherently flawed. It is asserted that multiple-choice tests are better investigational devices, and an ongoing investigation of the cross-cultural interpretation of implicature…

A research project is reported that incorporates foreign language study into a transition program at the University of Tennessee designed to improve academic performance and "demystify" the college experience. The immediate goals of the foreign language component as well as its broader implications for minority student achievement are…

Four activities for the French language classroom are described, including exploration of the relationships between the perfect, imperfect, and pluperfect tenses; an introductory French geography activity; vocabulary development through creation of new words; and exercises to enhance comprehension of the titles and subtitles of newspaper articles.…

Step-by-step instructions for bringing the French minitel telecommunications system into the language classroom as part of a larger telecommunications center project are outlined. Information sources for such a project, budget, timeline, a classroom lesson sample integrating French and science, and a list of useful addresses are provided. (MSE)

Discusses research to determine whether the methodology used in English-as-a-Second-Language classes affected scores on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Test results of students in a Los Angeles school district exposed to a comprehension-based approach were compared to those exposed to a grammar-based approach. (21 references) (CFM)

The role of cultural context in the communicative interaction of young Inuit children, their caregivers, and their non-Inuit teachers was examined in a longitudinal ethnographic study conducted in two small communities of arctic Quebec. Focus was on discourse features of primary language socialization of Inuit families. (32 references) (Author/LB)

Four activities for the French language classroom are described, including a comprehension game based on the cow's digestive system, a group journal exercise using current events, an economics vocabulary development activity, and a grammar exercise focusing on the use of determiners in news articles. (MSE)

Summaries of six language-related research projects are presented from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Topics include reading proficiency evaluation instruments, computer-assisted language learning, English-for-Special-Purposes instructional design, editing strategies for college English-as-a-Second-Language student compositions, genre…

A discussion of multilingualism in the European context looks at various topics, including the origins of multilingualism, value judgments about foreign languages and multilingualism, current trends, language contact and mixture, human potential for multilingualism, simultaneous and consecutive language acquisition, individual needs for different…

Examined the influence of input and interactional modifications on second-language acquisition, assigning 41 learners of Japanese to 1 of 3 experimental groups: (1) unmodified input with no interaction; (2) premodified input with no interaction; and (3) unmodified input with the chance for negotiated input. Results indicated that comprehension was…

Discusses the development and implementation of an instructional unit that applies selected whole language strategies to teach reading and writing in the beginning stages of literacy in French. The unit shows how an authentic folktale can be used for integrating topics from the elementary curriculum to form a second-language curriculum for an…

This article addresses training of hearing-impaired children who have received cochlear implants from a "hearing as a second language" point of view. It compares cochlear implants to hearing aids. A project involving 7 children, ages 5 to 12, is detailed, noting efforts to provide a rich auditory environment and encouraging both manual and oral…

Describes the North Dade Center for Modern Languages (CML), a public elementary magnet school that focuses on international studies and provides students with the opportunity to become bilingual, biliterate, and multicultural. Training and costs for telecommunications are discussed, computer networks are described, and the use of video equipment…

The English-for-Science-and-Technology (EST) versus English-for-General-Purposes (EGP) dilemma is reviewed and a Hong Kong study is reported. Results of a study of EST and EGP students suggest that a balance between the two approaches would be more appropriate and useful for future career purposes. (eight references) (Author/LB)