Describes one secondary Russian/English bilingual science teacher's practice and her literate students' experiences as they learn science and adapt to a new school. Discusses the notion of whether literacy skills in the native language are transferable to a second language. (Author/VWL)

An ethnographic study investigated the reticence of Chinese students in an English-medium undergraduate business course in Hong Kong. Used surveys, interviews, and observation and analysis to determine reasons for students' reticence. A complex mix of affective, sociocultural, and educational factors were found to play a significant role in…

A pair of qualitative case studies looks at the pedagogical practices of two teachers, and the role they played in the development of print literacy of young anglophone children who were immersed in French as a second language. Results suggest that teachers who provide a structured instructional scaffold for their students offer a richer literacy…

Explores the usefulness of a typology of contact mechanisms for one type of contact setting: that of a typical immigrant language, in this case the variety of Turkish that is spoken in the Netherlands. Examines the relevance of insertional code switching to the genesis of mixed languages--Dutch and Turkish. (Author/VWL)

Comments on an article that argues that the compartmentalism of structures observed in mixed languages is the result of the cumulative effect of different contact mechanisms. Focuses on the suggestion that "words are not simply words, but are divided into functional categories." (Author/VWL)

Reports on a longitudinal study that examines first language vocabulary decline in a child whose native language input effectively ceased after her immersion in a second language environment. The subject was a Russian girl adopted by an American family and brought to the United States, completely isolated from any contact with Russian. (Author/VWL)

Reports on a research project conducted in Mauritius that aimed to investigate patterns of language use, language choice, and language attitudes of Mauritian adolescents in full-time education. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and interviews from a sample of the secondary school population. (Author/VWL)

Language departments in Britain have responded to the need for finding less costly alternatives for delivering instruction, by introducing autonomous language learning into the curriculum. This article warns that it is neither a cheap nor easy alternative, and that there are important economic, psychological, pedagogical, and practical issues to…

Explains how language activities can become the key objectives of the foreign language or English-as-a-Second-Language lesson based on the case study. By developing a lesson plan focused on language functions and speech events, the language instructor directs learning away from business concepts toward business communication skills. (Author/VWL)

Reports on research examining whether first language learners do not include regular plural [-s] inflection within compounds, whereas they do include irregulars. Adolescent francophone English-as-Second-Language students and 15 adult native-speaker controls were required to generate novel compounds in English. Results report regular plurals were…

Reviews research on proficiency levels attained by foreign language students, and describes an advanced Russian conversation course, which is geared toward students who have achieved intermediate-mid or intermediate-high oral proficiency and who are striving towards advanced level speech according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign…

Discusses activities for developing students' listening comprehension in English-as-a-foreign-language classrooms in China. The activities have proved successful, and students participating in these courses have done well on the National Test for English Majors Band 4. (Author/VWL)

This article discusses ways to implement an effective first- or second-language reading program that provides children with access to reading materials that are relevant to their needs and interests, encourages them to participate in carefully structured activities, and gives them incentives that promote reading. (Author/VWL)

Ongoing evaluation occurs during the progression of an action and is widely used as a means of judging the progress and achievements of language programs. This article focuses on the ongoing evaluation of an English-as-a-Foreign-Language program in China and the roles of the teachers and learners in the process. (Author/VWL)

Presents a survey of recent developments in teaching Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) in North Africa and discusses current issues and future challenges. (Author/VWL)