Presents a model for studying the process by which students decide to continue with, or to terminate, their second language studies. Previous research in the area is discussed. (MSE)

In order to make decisions about the continuation or alteration of different segments of a foreign language program, teachers must know what the student feels he needs and what he thinks he wants. The Edmonds, Washington, School District has, in the past several years, gathered this kind of information by means of surveys and studies of enrollment…

A survey conducted in a large, predominantly white suburban high school in the midwest investigated student attitudes toward study of Russian and other foreign languages. Respondents were 815 students of Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Latin at three levels of instruction. Students were first asked to rank the reasons they chose the…

Brigham Young University has implemented a policy of allowing non-language majors, often with limited second-language proficiency, to study abroad. A study examined the effect of a six-month study program in Vienna (Austria) on the academic achievement and post-reentry language registrations of 224 students. Study-abroad students were matched with…

Following a brief review of the history of interest in foreign languages in America, facts to be considered when interpreting falling enrollment statistics, such as a drop in the birth rate, are discussed. It is stressed that foreign language teaching cannot be neglected in a world having improved and extensive communication between people…

Familiarization with the thoughts and creations of great minds, past and present, is a significant function of education. Many students, however, are effectively denied such opportunity for intellectual growth by the identification of education with job-training. Much of the curriculum neglects the past and the foreign. Humanists approach this…

One of the most pressing problems in foreign language education concerns the financing of foreign language instruction and foreign language associations. Alternatives that the profession may have to consider in this regard are discussed, and some possible courses of action are suggested. The chances of future survival of discipline-oriented…

This paper discusses the crisis in the teaching of foreign languages brought on by the willingness of higher education institutions in the United States to discourage the study of foreign language as a general educational requirement. A questionnaire recently administered to the graduating class of a major university found that the courses…

The foreign language teaching situation in community colleges is discussed. Foreign language teaching in community colleges tends to be demanding due to the limited curriculum of such institutions, limited enrollment in foreign language courses, and the heterogeneity of the student population in terms of career goals, educational preparation, and…

Many junior college foreign language teachers work in schools which serve a large proportion of nontraditional students. A primary reason for low language program enrollments is that these students often believe that foreign language study is difficult, or uninteresting, or they actually fear participation; their cultural and travel experiences,…

This paper reports on the techniques developed by Valdosta State College's Department of Modern Foreign Languages to promote interest in the study of foreign languages and culture. The techniques are divided into two major categories: internal and external. External activities include those for the benefit of high school students and teachers and…