Discusses problems associated with existing commercial word processing materials and shows the reasons why their use in second language (L2) instructional settings is inappropriate. Describes the processes and obstacles involved in creating a manual for use in formal computer lab L2 instructional settings or by students learning word processing…

Investigates the degree of importance that Human Resources Departments of Ohio's international businesses place on foreign languages and cross-cultural understanding when selecting candidates for employment; on foreign languages and cross-cultural training of these employees; and on cooperation with colleges and universities to provide the…

Analyzes data from oral interviews with child learners of Japanese as a second language. Findings indicate that: tasks sensitive to students' understanding of critical syntactic structures and manageable for their cognitive level were effective; high-level students tried to produce more Japanese with more complexity; and phrase particle use was…

A case study is provided of Chinese teachers' (n=16) views on culture in both their English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learning and teaching. Findings reveal participants' major support for the role of culture in their EFL learning, but also suggest the need for a greater understanding of how to incorporate culture into their own EFL classes. (JL)

In this article, autonomous learning in foreign languages is defined and the steps for introducing it to Year 9 low-ability students and Year 10 high-ability students are described. (six references) (CK)

Describes current procedures used for testing bilingual teachers in the United States and focuses on one means of assessment used in Arizona. Examinee questionnaire responses, teacher questionnaire responses and test section analysis all contributed evidence for validity. (33 references) (Author/CK)

Evaluates the effectiveness of video and interactive multimedia in increasing second-language skills. Subjects were 20 students from an all-girls private high school; half watched an English-subtitled video of a French film and half worked on a multimedia program for the film. Results indicate that an interactive multimedia program is more…

Notes that little agreement exists as to which factors influencing academic outcomes for second-language learners are of primary importance. The study hypothesizes that second-language learners in immersion situations undergo an attention shift away from auditory system processing and towards visual information processing. (59 references)…

Discusses the manipulation of various grammatical devices in a Spanish short story. Points out that variations in the use of verbal aspect mark stages in the development of the plot and that modal and lexical choices reinforce its reflexive and repetitive nature. Argues that this story exemplifies creative use of grammatical choices. (13…

As in other countries, German Studies in Canada is facing an existential crisis. Because of the changes in this discipline, one must seriously think in Canada as well about how it can and should go forward. Discusses aspects of the "German Studies Program," which offers an alternative and which has been introduced in the last four years…

Presents data on the comparative efficacy of tonal spelling and diacritics in the teaching of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation. Results indicate that the tonal spelling system did not lead to significantly greater accuracy in tonal production but reflected slightly lower rates of tonal production accuracy for native speakers of both American English…

Addresses the social psychological paradox of learning a language, which in one interethnic situation represents the "ingroup" language, while in another interethnic context, it represents the "outgroup" language, a situation characterizing the language-learning experience of most Puerto Rican return migrants (PRRMs). (25…

Discusses variation in interlanguage and suggests two hypotheses to explain such variation as multiple internal representations of a form and processing errors. Suggests that second language learners can initially represent new forms as prototype schemas, and that such non-discrete representations are a third source of variation in interlanguage.…

Discusses the appropriate education for engineers in the global workplace and focuses on the need for bilingual and cross-cultural training. A questionnaire was designed and distributed among engineering professionals in Germany, Spain, France and England in one division of a company which makes fastening components for many of the world's major…

Offers tips on how to study effectively at home for class and how to benefit from class time. Discusses teacher expectations of the foreign-language learner. (Author/CK)