Theoretical questions on the functional relationship between personality and social systems are extended to a consideration of social change. The analysis is made in terms of the interaction of personality structure and varying modes of social reform. (Author)

Examined the extent to which cross-linguistic differences in sentence interpretation would generalize to complex sentences with an embedded clause. College students who were native speakers of English or Italian completed four experiments. Results indicated that cross-linguistic differences were maintained when students interpreted complex…

Tests empirically the model of second-language reading proficiency promoted by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Reader developmental levels are not consistent with the ACTFL hierarchy of text types and reading skills. Graphs compare hypothesized and obtainable results. (LMO)

Reports on grammaticality judgments by early learners of a second language (Italian). The data, contrary to what might be assumed, point to no relationship between intuition and performance for L2 Learners. Data concerning advanced learners may prove to be more valid. (34 references) (LET)

Argues for the inclusion of courses in phonetics and phonology in college Italian programs, claiming that the myth of Italian as a phonetic language blurs the clear need for such training and that students actually require advanced coursework in phonetics and phonology to improve their articulation and pronunciation. (43 references) (Author/CB)

Discusses a study designed to identify reasons for growing dissatisfaction with the dictionary among foreign-language students. Subjects were Italian university students of French who were asked how often they used the dictionary, how they used it, what they expected from it, and why they were dissatisfied with it. (CFM)

The present study examines the relationship between learner participation and accuracy improvement in the use of some features of standard Italian, which were taught over a period of intensive grammatical instruction in a tertiary classroom setting. The subjects of the study are 60 tertiary learners of L2 Italian from a variety of Italian dialect…

Recent research in second language acquisition found that learners reached higher levels of achievement when grammar practice included the processing and negotiation of meaning. Explored the degree to which certain textbook activities reflected earlier findings. Activities for two grammar points from Italian texts still rely heavily on…

This study investigated college students' levels of understanding of texts and reading processes, noting how they changed through a cycle of individual reading and writing followed by classroom comparison of students' responses, text re-reading, and re-writing. The study, which followed 17 students of continuing Italian over 6 weeks, involved…

Previous studies have shown that phonological awareness correlates with children's reading aloud and also adults' literacy experience. More recent research has further suggested that phonological awareness is associated with the processing of spoken language, which is a correlate of reading comprehension. In this paper, I argue that phonological…

A student questionnaire at Augsburg University revealed that students overwhelmingly favored continuing to study foreign languages begun in school, but also beginning Italian, Spanish or Russian. Speaking and auditory understanding were rated higher than reading and writing. Over two-thirds favored English as a common European language. (Text is…

Attitudes towards receiving professional services were measured among Italian American and Greek American college students (N=232) attending schools in the Northeast. Italian American women had greater recognition of the need for help and increased confidence in counseling than the men did. Greek women were also more willing to seek counseling.…

A study investigated aspects of reading comprehension for familiar and unfamiliar topics among native and nonnative English-speaking college students enrolled in French and Italian courses. Results suggest that, as comprehension proficiency improves, qualitative differences appear rather than just quantitative ones. Background knowledge was found…

The author discusses the preparation of a test of reading comprehension in Italian as a Second Language for Spanish university students and analyzes the results of the test. The article includes the reading passage and the test. (CFM)