A study examined dimensions of oral proficiency curriculum and testing (OP) in American colleges and universities for the purpose of appraising the implementability of educational policy derived from them. The framework used for this policy analysis looks at the system environment, demands and resources, the process that converts demands into…

A study examined two questions: Do students include more information or present it more concisely and explicitly when speaking or writing? and, Does language show different thematic relationships (through syntax or diction) depending upon the mode? Twenty-four community college students viewed one of two brief films and responded orally or in…

Errors made by first and second year university students are grouped into categories and means for dealing with these errors are suggested. The article is divided into six parts. The introduction includes information about: (1) the linguistic background of the students and the university staff, (2) the educational system, (3) some language…

A case study investigating the effect of grammar instruction on formal accuracy in spontaneous and monitored second language performance indicated that formal instruction appeared to have very little effect on spontaneous production but was very beneficial for controlled performance. (CB)

Outlines an oral interview format and scoring system for use with foreign language students during their first and second semesters of language study. (EKN)

Describes steps taken at the University of Pennsylvania to change foreign language requirement, including studies of student achievement by administering CEEB Language Achievement Tests and FSI Oral Proficiency Interview and the development of performance standards by faculty in order to make requirements proficiency-based. (BK)

This study investigated the interrater reliability of proficiency-level judgments of graduate student trainee raters on oral proficiency interviews (OPIs). Trainees' ratings were compared with the judgments of a certified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) tester for 150 interviews. (Author/JL)

A description of a German conversation class organized around video production projects includes the pedagogical rationale, course format, and detailed descriptions of individual taping projects. (17 references) (Author/CB)

Reviews the literature on the role of background knowledge in second-language listening comprehension, presents findings of pertinent first- and second-language research, and reports on a study showing the importance of schemata in second-language listening comprehension and the role of linguistic knowledge. (34 references) (Author/CB)

A study examined the control of selected areas of French grammar by 40 students at 4 different levels of university language study. Improved performance was found at each successive level of study, but significant discrepancies were also found within levels. Implications for instructional and curricular improvement are discussed. (MSE)

Discusses the relationship between communicative function and grammar, and the relationship between initiation and discourse. Using a systemic functional framework, a model is set up with with three planes (semiotic, discourse, and language/paralanguage) and two linguistic levels (grammar and phonology) to demonstrate how situation, communicative…

Reappraises conventional distinctions between oral-like and literate-like discourse, particularly Tannen's distinction between involvement focus and message focus. Treats message as an embodiment of involvement, and cohesion as an aspect of a developing writer-reader relationship. Offers speculations for rethinking "literate…

Reports a study that investigated syllable duration and pausing in Chinese speakers learning English as a Second Language. (nine references) (JL)

Examined 37 written and oral narrative pairs produced in a film retell task by college-level learners of English as a Second Language. Results found a developmental pattern in the distribution of tense/aspect morphology with respect to narrative structure. (contains 41 references) (MDM)

Provides various procedural criteria for performing error analysis, and introduces two new dimensions of error, extent and domain, which serve to differentiate errors systematically. (32 references) (Author/CB)