Discusses the role of foreign language studies in middle school reforms. Considers how foreign language instruction works with the middle school curriculum to integrate learning through an interdisciplinary approach that connects meaningful experiences in school to the students' community and understanding of life outside school. (JPB)

Discusses a technology-based project as a requirement for a traditional intermediate Japanese course at the University of Arkansas in which students worked in a small group to produce the university's promotional video in the target language, thus enhancing their Japanese language skills and promoting the program to the public. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on literacy as a way of creating and interpreting meaning through texts that are taught within the larger framework of communicative-based language learning. Notes that literacy involves critical reflection on the relations of text and context, and offers seven principles that apply literacy to teaching and span the gap between the…

Calls on foreign language departments to take a closer look at a long-standing component of their curriculum: culture. The discussion focuses on language and culture, teaching foreign cultures, and foreign cultures, transnationality, and globalization. (Author/VWL)

Discusses opinions toward foreign language (FL) departments on the college campus. Points out that while there is support for the learning of foreign languages, questions arise about whether knowing a language other than English is necessary, even in the climate of globalization and internationalization. Outlines steps for achieving excellence in…

This article focuses on the paucity of resources usually designated for rising numbers of students in Spanish courses as enrollments dwindle in other languages. Offers advice on how the strength of Spanish can be deployed to help other languages. (Author/VWL)

Suggests the need for incentives to help combat the resistance or indifference regarding implementation of the national standards for foreign language learning at the university level, especially in upper division courses at large research universities. (Author/VWL)

Summarizes research demonstrating advantages of using British Sign Language, Italian Sign Language, and American Sign Language (ASL) as a second language with young children. Reports a qualitative study to determine whether American kindergartners can achieve bilingual ability in English and ASL in one academic year through exposure to a native…

The Foreign Language Standards of Learning identify essential content, processes, and skills for each level of language learning in Virginia's secondary schools. Included are specific standards for levels I through IV of French, German, Spanish, and Latin, as well as generic standards adaptable for levels I through IV of other modern languages,…

This paper reports on two studies that investigated the effectiveness of a contrastive analysis type of pedagogical intervention, which aimed to promote interlanguage development in the use and understanding of English possessive determiners (PDs) among adolescent second language (L2) learners. The first research question asked whether explicit…

In a week marked by a high-profile meeting between President Bush and China's President Hu Jintao, the College Board signed an agreement with the government of China intended to boost the numbers of Chinese-language teachers in American public schools through teaching exchanges, professional-development programs, and new instructional materials.…

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the existing literature on the foreign language learning of students with LLDs by conducting a comprehensive investigation of the performance of three students in middle school foreign language classes in a suburban school district in southwestern Pennsylvania. More specifically, this study documents…

The guide to self-study of programs teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) contains a series of essays on aspects of the self-study process and products. "Part One: Insights into the Self-Study Process" includes the following articles: "The TESOL Self-Study Program" (Ann C. Wintergerst, Carol J. Kreidler); and "Undertaking a…

The formative evaluation of a new Malaysian secondary school language curriculum is described. Reasons for choosing formative over summative evaluation are examined, and implementation of the evaluation to date is detailed. In the first two phases, state education officials were trained in principles and procedures of program evaluation, including…

The piloting of a new English language curriculum in Singapore's lower primary and lower secondary school in 1992 is described in three sections: (1) reasons for revising the existing curriculum; (2) objectives and procedures of the pilot testing; and (3) findings. The existing curriculum, implemented in the early 1980s, was found to be too…