A study compared the effectiveness of two methods of second language instruction, video-based and text-based, during one academic year of college-level French instruction. Experimental and control groups each had 14 subjects. Results showed some difference in achievement in listening, and little in reading, speaking, writing, or grammar. (MSE)

A student project for learners of English for academic purposes (EAP) at a Hong Kong university is described and discussed. The project involved independent production by students of a documentary on the uses of English in the community. Topic, method of delivery, and organizational aspects were negotiated within the group of 15 students. Project…

The author ranks speaking as the first priority and major educational objective in the study of Russian. It is felt that inadequate training in the oral skills in high school leads to an increased mortality rate in college programs. To combat this, general remarks on teaching techniques which would encourage students to continue their study of the…

A series of partial studies aimed at understanding how much progress students can make in 1 year of second language study are described. The first concerns Swedish university students in their first year studying Spanish as a third language in higher education. Students were tested and interviewed for their perceptions of their language ability…

Two groups of Japanese students, 40 university students (aged 18-25) and 34 high school students (aged 13-15), assessed their own English language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) after having lived in an English-speaking country for at least a year before returning to Japan. This evaluation was compared with objective listening…

A study investigated Japanese college students' perceptions and assessments of their college English classes, and to what factors they attribute difficulty in acquiring oral English. Subjects were 189 students from a junior college and a university, in first- through third-year English conversation classes. Most were English majors required to…

This issue includes the following articles: "A Problem Solving Approach to the Management of Change in Language Education" (Andy Curtis); "Nonverbal Communications Skills in the EFL Curriculum" (Chung-Il Kang); "Korean Student Exposure to English Listening and Speaking: Instruction, Multimedia, Travel Experience and…

This paper is a virtual transcript of a conference presentation. It discusses the context of the course: the students, the expectations of the faculty and employers and the administrative constraints, and the course itself at the University of Hong Kong, an English-medium institution. Teaching non-native speakers to make effective oral…

A study investigated how students of English as a second language (ESL) improved their use of learning strategies through awareness-raising in group interviews and informal training. Subjects were 68 Taiwanese university students in two freshman English classes. Subjects responded to an English learning strategy questionnaire in the beginning and…

A study undertaken by the American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR) and National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) is described. The project was designed to examine the process and results of language study abroad. The first phase of the project was a statistical analysis of the relationship between student characteristics (demographic and…

Ways in which institutions can attract and aid re-entry women students by offering courses, workshops and support personnel to help them refresh, upgrade, and update basic academic skills are suggested. A wide range of possible actions is included so that institutions can pursue those most appropriate to their individual circumstances. Reasons why…

This book is a general introduction to the performed culture approach, which trains students how to express themselves in a way that native speakers of the target culture feel appropriate in given situations. Target readership includes Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language teachers and graduate students. Chapters of this book include: (1)…

The Cortland College Skills Center at the State University of New York, Cortland, helps students learn how they learn best, providing assistance in reading, writing, researching, listening, speaking, vocabulary, study skills, math, and standardized test preparation. Services are offered for learning disabled (LD) and handicapped students, and the…

This paper discusses two experiments with autonomous learning strategies for learners studying English as a second language in France, one for non-specialist adults and the other for university students. The first group consisted of 26 adults who were mostly professionals and had opted for autonomy not out of preference but for lack of any other…

The conference proceedings include the opening address, plenary session papers, workshop reports, a final forum and address, and the conference program and participant list. The plenary session papers include: "What Are We Doing in Modern Languages Today?"; "Communicative Skills and the Modern Languages Degree"; "The Place of Spoken Language in…