Argues that acquisition of English-as-a-Second-Language research must take into account social context and power relations in order to explain language learning processes. Uses interview data and writing samples to demonstrate how a student in South Africa is influenced in his written discourse in English by his power relations and experience as a…

Notes that salient input facilitates explicit learning by assisting second language (L2) learners to attend to the new L2 forms as they formulate or restructure rules. This study tested the effect of such input on the acquisition of difficult grammatical structures in English by speakers of Hebrew. Concludes that explicit contrastive input…

Compares the effectiveness of Nihongo-CALI (Japanese Computer Assisted Language Instruction) with non-CALI workbook instruction. Findings reveal that given the same grammar notes and exercises, ongoing intelligent computer feedback is more effective than simple workbook answer sheets for developing learners' grammatical skill in producing Japanese…

Investigates the effects of science students' domain-specific knowledge and language proficiency on local lexical and syntactic processing and on semantic and higher conceptual processing of biology texts written in the students' first and second languages. Results indicate that language proficiency affects lower-level processing and…

Reports a cross-sectional study of second language communication among students in a junior high French late immersion program. Effects of language, sex, and grade on willingness to communicate (WTC), anxiety, perceived communication competence, and frequency of communication in French and on attitude/motivation variables are examined globally and…

Finds that, among 117 Mexican-American second and fifth graders from Spanish-dominant homes, reading comprehension gains were proportionately much smaller in summer than the school year, while summer and school year gains in auditory vocabulary were similar. Discusses family, peer, and classroom influences on distinct language skills. (SV)

Five articles on issues associated with French immersion approaches and bilingual education within the Canadian educational system are presented. Topics include attitudes, impacts, children's reading processes, early versus late immersion programs in British Columbia, and a study of writing ability of English-speaking students in French-speaking…

Addresses the issue of collocations as an important and neglected variable in English-as-a-Foreign-Language classes. Two questionnaires, in English and Arabic, involving common collocations relating to food, color, and weather were administered to English majors and English language teachers. Results show both groups deficient in collocations. (36…

Studies the relationship of attitudes and cultural background to reading comprehension in a second language (L2) of students in three different social contexts: Israeli-Arab students learning Hebrew as their L2, Israeli-Jewish students learning English as their L2, and Canadian-Arab students learning English as their L2. Results showed that the…

A personal narrative documents the struggle of an Alaska native teacher through her years in school and in the teaching profession. The article discusses the difficulties students face when they are native Yup'ik speakers but are taught in English; demonstrates how recent bilingual and Yup'ik programs have increased students' success rates. (SM)

This case study argues that teachers are ill-prepared to give English-as-a-Second-Language students the instruction they need for integration into mainstream classrooms, and advocates ongoing teacher study groups as a replacement for traditional one-shot workshops. (Contains 21 references.) (LR)

Suggests ideas on how visuals and video-texts such as TV commercials and talk shows can enrich foreign language curricula; provide students with exposure to language in various contexts; develop socio-linguistic competence in a foreign language; provide models of pronunciation, intonation, rhythm and accent; and reduce anxiety in the classroom.…

Considers the use of pre- and posttest results as formative evaluation tools and describes a small group evaluation of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) courseware dealing with French for banking. Test design is discussed, including standards, validity, and reliability; and results from user questionnaires are examined. (Contains 14…

The historical realities of a northeastern urban community in two periods of high immigration (1890 to 1920 and 1970 to 1990) for European and Latin Americans point out the fallacies of stories of earlier times when newcomers supposedly learned English effortlessly and without special programs for linguistic minority children. (SLD)

Puerto Ricans have been largely ignored in the current debate over English as a national language. Once the rhetoric of language restrictionists is discarded, the real issue becomes that of the political empowerment of Puerto Ricans. The history of language policy in relation to Puerto Ricans is also reviewed. (SLD)