A college second language program compared the effectiveness of traditional second language instruction and a communicative approach in second year French, German, and Spanish courses. The communicative classes used only authentic materials, thematically organized and prepared for classroom use by the instructors. Similar topics were addressed in each language. Testing of all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) involved functional language use situations. Comparison of the test results of the experimental and control groups showed no significant differences between them, but an attitude survey of both groups revealed that students responded favorably to the absence of a traditional text. However, while some students thrived on the responsibility offered by the communicative approach, and the experimental group seemed generally well-motivated, some missed the traditional vocabulary lists for each topic, the review of grammatical structure, and the disciplined structure of finite content and testing. The program's teachers found that selection and planning for using the authentic materials required considerable extra preparation time, and that they needed to minimize their role of authority to encourage the students' direct contact with the culture. Students seemed to favor current events materials and gained respect for the new points of view they encountered. (MSE)