The paper will explore the challenges students from selected South East Asian countries (Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia) face while studying English in Australia before entering into Australian University courses. These students must contend not only with different styles of teaching and learning, but also with the challenge of adapting to a new…

Examines reasons for studying Latin, noting resistance to such study in Australia. A civilization component is considered essential in Latin study to make students understand cultural context. Studying Latin can benefit all students by opening the door to learning other languages and to language in general. (SM)

This course, one of 16 sequential courses comprising phase one of a part-time Bachelor of Arts degree program in Australian Studies, examines a number of theoretical approaches to the study of language, particularly those which place language in a social context. It is designed for independent study combined with tutorial sessions. Chapter 1 is an…

Focuses on the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Japan and describes Charles Fries' influence in the field, the teaching methods used, and the preservice and continuing education of EFL teachers there. The article expresses the hope that this experience will improve cross-cultural understanding between Australian educators and…

Describes the changing social context of Asian language teaching in Australian universities and considers the increasing salience of the economic argument for Asian languages found in major reports on languages in education. Reviews major criticisms of this economic argument. (five references) (Author/CK)

Presents the results of an analysis of science-classroom lab talk which focuses on topics and manner of talk as an approach to understanding the social context of undergraduate lab work. Argues that lab instructors should pay attention to how "scientific" the lab talk is, and to sociability among students. Contains 32 references.…

Describes the ebb and flow of developments in language education in Tasmania. Notes priorities and developments in second language learning there while emphasizing that the island state of Tasmania is geographically isolated from the rest of the world, a situation leading to indifference toward second language learning. (Author/CK)

Focuses on the difficulties involved in keeping abreast of changes in Australian language policy and in attempting to guess the next trend in language teacher education. The number of publications indicates strong government support for the concept of language education, a support backed by millions of dollars allocated for this area. There is a…

Examines the use of e-mail to facilitate second language acquisition in an immersion education setting, with particular focus on an e-mail exchange between college students of Japanese as a second language in Australia and native speakers in Japan. Suggests that e-mail is a potentially valuable medium in language learning and could be useful in…

This collection of papers explores language socialization from very early childhood through adulthood. After "Introduction: Toward a Dynamic Model of Language Socialization" (Robert Bayley and Sandra R. Schecter), there are 16 papers in 4 parts. Part 1, "Language Socialization at Home," includes: (1) "Transforming…

This edited volume contains 15 chapters. Part one, "Language Teaching, Language Learning, and Literacy," has three chapters: "The Monolingual Teaching and Bilingual Learning of English" (Henry G. Widdowson); "Literacy: The Extension of Languages Through Other Means" (Ellen Bialystok); "Bilingual Processing…