A York University (Ontario) project in which four French second-language teachers paired with peers for observation of their classroom techniques and interactions is described. It is concluded that this form of extensive peer- and self-evaluation is a powerful tool for understanding the complexity of language teaching and learning. (Contains 14…

This paper shows how the opportunity to encounter the other culture "in my backyard" (IMBY) can be used in landeskunde. This approach moves away from landeskunde as piecemeal factual background information toward developing own-culture and foreign/target culture awareness in mixed groups of native language students. (Contains 15…

Explores mental health, adjustment, and acculturation among Amerasian refugees as they attempted to adapt to American culture. Findings did not support the literature on refugees, which indicates males are most at risk regarding acculturative stress. No significant correlation between effective spoken English and employment on stress levels was…

Sixty middle school students, half average-achieving and half with learning disabilities (LD), were assigned to either a positive or neutral mood induction condition prior to receiving instruction in elementary Hindi language (to control for effects of prior knowledge). Across a two-week period, the LD students in the positive condition performed…

The attitudes of 100 Israeli-Jewish students toward learning Arabic and coexistence with Arabs within Israel were investigated, as was their evaluation of characters they read about in familiar and unfamiliar texts. The students were found to possess low instrumental and low indoors integrative motivation, but their army service motivation and…

Investigated the potentiality that culture studies has to motivate Tawainese junior-high-school pupils to learn English, and tried to establish the relations between pupil interests in culture studies and their orientations, attitudes, and motivation toward learning English. Grade 1 and 2 students (n=480) from Taipei City and Taipei County…

Describes the U.S.-SiberLink Project that linked universities in Santa Barbara, CA, Washington, D.C., and Yakutsk, Siberia. Discusses the project's multimedia Web site and traces development of the project as students in the three cities discuss topics, find research materials, share writing for peer review, and communicate via e-mail and…

Describes workplace literacy programs serving immigrants at Cableco, a cable manufacturing plant in California serving the electronics industry in Silicon valley. A workplace literacy lesson, employees responses to it, and an interview with the manufacturing manager demonstrate some of the dangers of conceiving of language as a discrete workplace…

Identified the acoustic features of the vowels produced by Hebrew speakers differing in age and sex. Ninety speakers were recorded. Vowels were presented in a nonword context that was placed in a meaningful Hebrew sentence. Results are discussed. (Author/VWL)

Explores and illustrates the ways in which the Chechen language and culture are preserved in Jordan, despite a passage of almost 100 years since Chechen first arrived in the country. Examines the relationship between language maintenance and the non-linguistic processes that affect the outcome of the language situation. (Author/VWL)

Case study of second language acquisition presents a Chinese mother's observations of her daughter over a 5-month period following immigration to Hawaii. Language minority parents' positive attitudes toward both first and second languages and cultures, and supportive interactions with their children at home are important to the children's…

Examined Taiwanese university students' responses to five American short stories. A reader-response approach to teaching English-as-a-foreign-language reading was used. Students' journals were analyzed and students were interviewed. Analysis of the journals reveals students went beyond comprehension of text and actively constructed meaning through…

Presents preliminary research concerning learners whose native language is not English and who attend public school in New York State. Research focused on how English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in the state view and use technologies to help develop their students' literacy skills. Discusses data from a statewide survey and from initial…

Sixty third-grade English learners received one of three treatments: listening to a story in English with no intervention or explanation, listening to the story with concurrent Spanish translation, or listening to the story with preview of background and review of important points in Spanish. Vocabulary development scores were highest among the…

Provides observations from a study of an attempt to introduce Indonesian in an Australian high school. Data collection was done through interviews and classroom observations. Classroom test results were used to compare achievement in subject content and language learning. Findings are discussed. (Author/VWL)