The example of Lyons Township High School in Illinois is used to illustrate possibilities for increasing enrollments in high school foreign language departments. At a time of declining overall enrollment, the foreign language enrollment at Lyons increased from 33% to 55% of the student population. The first step in the process was image building,…

Four aspects of the problem of retention of students in foreign language programs are discussed. (1) "Retention and Dropout: The National Situation," by K. E. Muller, describes a survey of retention rates in a sample of colleges and universities; (2) "Retention and Dropout: Some Remarks on One Department's Experience," by F. Valette, reflects on…

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)

Discusses why most colleges have dropped a foreign language requirement and what should be done to reestablish and solidify the place of second language programs in a required curriculum. (EKN)

The decline of German language and area studies worldwide is documented, and ten specific strategies for strengthening German language education in Australia are outlined. (MSE)

Detailed, illustrated instructions are given for construction and decoration of an indoor foreign language kiosk to promote interest in foreign languages among students and teachers. The kiosk can be constructed in a home shop or possibly by a college theater department, high school woodworking department, or institutional physical plant. Once…

The components of motivation in foreign language (FL) learning are examined as well as the effect of those components on certain language learning behaviors. Two basic assumptions are derived from the results of the study. These include the following: (1) Motivation in FL learning contexts (e.g., learning English in Hungary) is different in some…

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 discussion of articulation in second language education between instructional levels looks at the current state of articulation, issues in the transition from secondary to higher education, and proposes a new approach that shifts the focus from product to process. Three forms of articulation are distinguished: vertical; horizontal; and…

This paper examines some of the reasons for the present enrollment crisis in foreign languages and some of the steps that can be taken to remedy it and describes in detail the University of Chicago training program for language teachers. The inherent importance of foreign language study is emphasized here. Since many of the language requirements…

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…

A discussion of Australia's language teaching situation focuses on the design of curricula in languages other than English (LOTE) and its possible role in the decline in LOTE enrollment in recent years, and addresses the LOTE profession's efforts to change that situation. First, Australian society's demographic composition is outlined, and the…

Translators and teachers of foreign languages need each other: translators need formal academic training and recognition and teachers of foreign languages need students. Unfortunately, translators know only too well that most FL teachers are not competent translators, and FL Departments generally consider translation as an activity beneath the…

A discussion of the status of German second language instruction, particularly at the postsecondary level, focuses on the role of standards, curriculum, and testing in increasing interest in and support for foreign language education. A substantial decline in German enrollments in the first half of the 1990s is noted, and possible reasons are…

The development of a successful short-range forecasting model for predicting enrollment in a university intensive English course began with examination of the characteristics (nationality, enrollment patterns, persistence) of both course participants and no-shows; the resulting figures revealed consistent patterns for country of origin and for…