Found a relationship between enriched sociodramatic play experiences and increases in children's language performance in the year before the children entered kindergarten. (BC)

This article reports on the process of developing a proficiency-oriented writing contest, as well as a system of assessment of that writing based on a set of rubrics for each level of writing. (Contains six references.) (VWL)

Sixty-two quantitative, lexical, and syntactic features in a corpus of 160 English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) texts were identified and counted, producing 28 text variables that were compared with ESL proficiency levels of the writers. Results suggest pedagogical implications for ESL composition instructors. (Contains 12 references.) (LB)

A discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of pragmatic approaches to foreign language testing focuses on why methods emphasizing holistic approaches to language through sensible experience are more effective than bit-by-bit, discrete-point, surface-oriented approaches that tend to neglect meaning. (21 references) (Author/CB)

Suggests that, to understand the relationship between grammatical competence and actual communicative language use, a model is needed of classroom language processing that considers learners' own connections between meaning and form as a major factor in language use and language acquisition. (nine references) (GLR)

Deals with the construct of educated native speaker (ENS) speech, which constitutes the implicit target norm in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Proficiency Guidelines. It is argued that, in classroom foreign language instruction, such a target is too restrictive, and as an alternative, a multitarget model of language…

Eighty-four students enrolled in German classes completed graded communication activities and oral proficiency interviews to examine whether grades motivate classroom performance. Data show that grading does not affect foreign language performance as measured by the OPI, the American Association of Teachers of German Achievement Test, and the…

The effect of repetition on grammatical change in an unrehearsed talk is examined based on a case study of a single learner. It was found that repetition allows for accuracy monitoring in that errors committed in repeated contexts undergo correction. Implications for teaching are discussed. (23 references) (LB)

Part of a larger project on ethnolinguistic vitality and bilingual development, this study compares anglophones and francophones on their linguistic contacts in French and English, linguistic proficiency, vitality beliefs, ethnolinguistic identities, and social language use. The assimilation process is attributed to low schooling and…

A 1987 experimental study at the Singapore Institute of Education on rhetorical organization tested the findings of a 1984 American study. The finding that English-as-a-Second-Language readers with different native languages showed different recall patterns for the various rhetorical organizations is not confirmed in the Singapore study. (Contains…

Considers how the contributions of the proficiency movement and modern critical theory can be used to deal with literature in language and literature programs. In particular, the discussion looks at the possibility of applying some of the basic ideas and tools of proficiency-oriented language instruction to the way students work with literature.…

Discusses the Rhode Island School for the Deaf's use of Matthew Lipman's Philosophy for Children Program, focusing on how the relationship of philosophy and logic to language structure affect such instruction with deaf students and providing some suggestions for effective instruction. (32 references) (CB)

Investigates whether three cognitive components of language proficiency--metalinguistic awareness of symbol, syntax, and ambiguity--are associated with students' success in learning algebraic notation. Reports that very few students with low metalinguistic awareness scores achieved high algebra scores in a total sample of more than 1500 students.…

Discusses the role of metalinguistic awareness in multilinguals within the framework of a systems-theoretic approach to multilingual proficiency. Data from trilingual adults on their use of certain problem-solving behavior in think-aloud protocols during the academic writing process are shown to provide evidence of certain processes taking place…

Suggests that performance tests as currently represented in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)-Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) may not adequately address the basic concerns brought about by the perceived shortcomings of academic second language programs. Supports this argument with a critical analysis of the ACTFL…