In this program English is taught as a second language, so that Puerto Ricans can meet the necessary language requirements for career development while maintaining their cultural integrity. (BH)

Describes Audio-Lectal Practice, a technique which offers systematic and controlled practice in connected discourse while emphasizing oral discourse features of rhythm, tempo, pausing, and suprasegmental patterns. Students listen to, read along with, and imitate recorded texts concurrently. Such practice facilitates oral fluency in the target…

Defines three previously overlooked subpopulations of English proficient students (English superior, equally limited, non-English superior) in terms of their relative proficiency in English and the home language. Presents data and clarifies assessment terms, criteria, and procedures used in relative proficiency assessment. Makes program…

Black children and White children were equally intelligible to Black adult listeners, while White adult listeners found White children significantly more intelligible than Black children. Noise deteriorated word discrimination scores of the Black and White listeners differently. (Author/RL)

Reviews recent research into the qualitative and quantitative aspects of fluency to more clearly define the word as a performance descriptor for oral assessment of foreign language learners and as an indicator of progress in language learning. The concept of fluency is confused and multilayered when used in the assessment of oral performance. (22…

Investigated the effects of both pre-task and on-line planning on second language (L2) oral production. Results show that pre-task planning enhances grammatical complexity while on-line planning positively influences accuracy and grammatical complexity. Pre-task planners also produced more fluent and lexically varied language than the on-line…

Surveys the growing body of research on formulaic language units--or ready-made chunks and sequences of words. Evidence suggests that these multi-word lexical units facilitate long-term memory storage and fluent language production. Examines formulaic language acquisition in children and adults and discusses applications for teaching. (Author/VWL)

Critiques a previously published article about the automatization of fluency within a communicative framework, and questions aspects of language learning principles cited by the authors. In response, the authors define automaticity and creativity and discuss other issues to clarify their principles. (CB)

The coordination, articulation, and implementation of informed teaching techniques and objectives will help to overcome the anarchy and confusion that characterize higher education advanced-level foreign language classes, and will begin to produce a pool of highly competent foreign language speakers and writers. (33 references) (CB)

Through individual interviews and focus groups, teachers, support staff, parents, deaf students and administrators participated in a training needs assessment (TNA). The focus was on actual teacher signing skills, the optimal performance desired, and possible solutions. TNA proved to be an effective staff development planning tool. (Author/DB)

Supports Krashen's theory on the benefits of free voluntary reading and the impact pleasure reading makes on results of the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test. The improved TOEFL scores indicate a measurable and viable result of reading for pleasure as well as an intangible attitudinal change on the part of the students. (10…

A study involving four male beginning readers with learning disabilities compared the effects on gains in fluency of two types of mastery criteria. One required students to reread a passage until they demonstrated 3 successive improvements; the other required rereading until 90 correct words per minute were reached. Both were successful;…