The purpose of this paper is to present a practical model for determining and depicting language dominance, given the general nature and needs of bilingual education programs in the United States. The author proposes the use of parallel tests of aural ability to indicate initially the language dominance of children who, for example, are otherwise…

This article suggests a method for determining and depicting language dominance through the use of parallel tests of aural ability in two languages. In addition, the use of a two-dimensional graph consisting of the proficiency levels within each language appears fruitful as a means of depicting such dominance scores in the initial placement of…

This syllabus describes and outlines the first half of an experimental, two-year course leading to the study of a modern foreign language at the University of Washington. In effect, the two-year course, which introduces the student to the nature of language, tests the belief that it is easier to learn a second foreign language, due to linguistic…

Ways in which young children can and do develop language ability are discussed by experts in this collection of papers written by speech and language professionals. This book is designed to help educators and allied professionals guide children through the process of language acquisition in their early language forming years. Practical information…

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Michigan Migrant Primary Interdisciplinary Project's (MMPIP) "Interdisciplinary Oral Language Guide; Primary One" in helping 1st graders having limited control of standard English with the oral language they require for school, 6 unique conditions were imposed on bilingual and non-bilingual students…

The report reviews recent arguments for directing attention to suitability for a linguistic course of study. A first step in that direction, a Verbal Reasoning Test composed and tried out in the 1975 student selection for English, is described, and the results of this experiment, involving 1046 candidates, are given. The Verbal Reasoning Test is…

This study examined the most frequent communicative and linguistic errors made by 24 intermediate ESL students, and determined the effect of direct teacher correction upon these students' writing proficiency. Students were identified as having high or low communicative proficiency and were randomly assigned to one of two error correction…

The evaluation of the first year of the English as a Second Language Tutorial Program of Boulder Valley Public Schools included on-site observations, interviews with coordinators and teachers, a linguistic evaluation of each student (elementary and secondary levels), a classroom teacher's questionnaire, a parents' questionnaire, and a tutor's…

A discussion of Norway's efforts to develop a national test of modern languages to be administered at the end of compulsory education looks at the objectives of language instruction and the test types chosen to address the specific competencies desired. (MSE)

Forty-eight adult learners from three intermediate-level ESL classes participated in a study investigating the effects that differences in learners' out-of-class contact with the second language might have on proficiency. Results indicated that learners' informal contact interacted with differences in instruction to produce variation in…

Reviews current research on listening comprehension and development of listening tests and considers four issues in detail: 1) the meaning of context in listening testing; 2) the concept of criterion referenced tests; 3) the notion of specific purposes in testing; and 4) the use of technology in listening tests. Issues for future research are…

Reports on a study into the perceived problems that foreign graduate students in engineering pose to engineering faculty, as well as the solutions to those problems. Summarizes survey responses relating to communication and language difficulties, program and academic performance, and social and cultural factors. (TW)

English-as-a-second-language programs must have as their central intent the enabling of people to make meaning in English. Dimensions of context and vision and the tensions which may exist between them are explored, and an effort is made to point the way to curriculum as human praxis. (Author/CB)

The English section of the Canadian government's advanced language training program uses andragogy through such activities as an authentic weekly review and planning meeting, where French-speaking managers and professionals practice their language skills while participating in the management of their own learning. (Author/CB)

Describes advantages and disadvantages of computer-assisted foreign language testing, including unique capabilities of the computer, types of tests possible, limitations, problems, and language skill testing. The Spanish Computer Adaptive Placement Examination, developed at Brigham Young University (Utah), is described. (CB)