A comparison of the end-of-study versus months-to-years later levels of language proficiency of 49 students of Japanese at Cornell University, from both intensive and nonintensive programs, is reported. In addition to academic records and performance on the Japanese Proficiency Test, data obtained from a comprehensive background questionnaire…

A strategy for including writing of a research paper in a university's advanced intensive English course for students of English as a second language is described. The method consists of eight assignments given over the course of 11 weeks, resulting in a short research paper. The method is designed to minimize error by dealing with specific…

The 5-week French Business Language and Environment Program at the Nantes Graduate School of Business is intended for overseas students of any country with at least a good intermediate level of general French language proficiency, or for language faculty wishing to acquire French business language and concepts and gain exposure to the case method…

A college language instructor recounts his experience in a retraining program in business German at the West Germany's Goethe Institute. Twenty-eight individuals from the United States and from five European countries participated in a program that offered (1) a 14-day immersion into business-related German, (2) establishment of German business…

Many intensive advanced English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes become boring for advanced ESL learners because the courses offer little opportunity for them to experience the interplay between language proficiency and background knowledge. The implementation of a sourcebook project can provide a renewing input into the curriculum for advanced…

Investigates the extent to which pedagogical intervention can facilitate the development of pragmatic competence in English. First-year Japanese students were tape recorded in group discussions at the beginning and end of a course in which attempts were made to increase their level of awareness of, and expand their ability to use, markers of…

In an effort to stem declining foreign student numbers, Japan will moderately increase its traditional scholarships for foreign students and sponsor 1,900 students from other countries under a short-term student exchange promotion program. The new policy also encourages the national universities to join private ones in developing ties with…

Describes a computer-assisted language-learning project undertaken in an intensive English course at West Virginia University. The results of the project have applications for English-language teaching across a wide range of contexts that include university-based English-as-a-Second-Language and the K-12 classroom, adult education, and literacy…

Addresses issue of whether free voluntary reading (FVR) is appropriate for programs whose primary goal is development of academic second-language competence, such as university-level programs for international students. Argues that FVR does have a place in these programs, even though FVR often means reading light fiction; competence gained via FVR…

Based on a hypothetical situation in which second language learners must attain substantial skills in a very short time, the paper recommends intensive training not in the language itself, but in skills and strategies for learning the language. This requires achieving self-directed learning skills to: create a climate maximizing learning; identify…

The demand for an improved international dimension in American education is a move in the right direction, and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and Educational Testing Service efforts in defining foreign language proficiency guidelines and developing a reliable mechanism for testing oral proficiency have resulted in…

The Spanish Intensive Courses sequence at the University of South Carolina, first offered in fall 1982, has become well received and highly visible in the university. The sequence has grown to three courses in fall 1983, all exceeding minimum enrollment requirements despite selective admission criteria. The success of the sequence has inspired the…

The Summer Language Houses (SLH) in French, German, and Spanish at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been extremely effective in teaching language skills and encouraging students to continue language study. The five-week intensive language programs at the second-year level emphasize oral communication but provide practice in all language…

Contrastive rhetoric theory, an extension of contrastive grammar, holds that the rhetorical predispositions of a student's native language will interfere with attempts to learn the rhetoric of a second language; and that because speakers of different languages think differently, they organize paragraphs differently, a situation which influences…

In response to the need for specialized French language skills among foreign students at France's prestigious engineering school, the Ecole Nationale de Lyon, an intensive language instruction program was developed. The 3-week program precedes the school year so that language immersion and orientation targeted to the particular student group can…