This issue contains five articles on teaching English as a second language. "Predictive Validity of the CELT" by R. T. Moran and J. G. Erion discusses use of the Comprehensive English Language Test for Speakers of English as a Second Language to predict later success in a setting where nearly all students speak English as their second…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: predictors of primary grade reading achievement; factor analysis of the WISC-R to distinguish disabled readers at three grade levels; a process model for…

This paper offers an example of how to apply action research to improve English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL)/English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing instruction. This research was conducted over a 5-year period while the researcher taught 9 semester-long sections of advanced EFL writing to Taiwanese undergraduates. Using Reid's (1987) Perceptual…

In 1999, the City University of New York (CUNY) abolished remedial programs in its four-year colleges and began to rely on standardized test scores as criteria both for exiting remediation and for admission to bachelor's programs. By doing that, the university has in effect eradicated its three-decade-old "open admissions" policy, argue…

This monograph consists of 13 chapters featuring a diverse range of perspectives centralizing student standpoints about their experiences in higher education and access programs. Chapter 1, "Student Perspectives on College Readiness" (Jeanne L. Higbee), provides the results of a survey of developmental education students regarding college…

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 collection of essays on bilingualism and its relationship to development of reading and writing skills includes: "Awareness of Text Structure: Effects on Recall" (Patricia L. Carrell); "Second-Language Readers' Memory for Narrative Texts: Evidence for Structure-Preserving Top-Down Processing" (Yukie Horiba, Paul W. van den…

Pedagogical features and implementation of a UNIX-based management system (UNIEM) designed to support the instructor in teaching English as a second language using a network of workstations are described. The application discussed here is for teaching English composition to students at the University of Aizu (Japan). UNIEM is constructed to assist…

This paper reports on a survey that examined writing pedagogy and assessment across the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The survey attempted to identify "best practices" in writing pedagogy, the extent to which these practices are being implemented, characteristics of campuses implementing these practices, and whether…

Instruction in English as a second language for differentially prepared college students should be conducted in an environment in which students have input from a wide range of authentic spoken and written language samples, varying in difficulty level. The instructional process should be viewed by the students as neither intimidating nor…

This document highlights the findings of a committee formed by The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to assess the status of film at all levels in American education. The introduction by the editor, William Costanzo, stresses that film is best understood in relation to the language arts--not as a "visual aid" but as an…

Six 1980 issues of the TESOL Newsletter are presented. Topics include the following: preparing a written paper for oral presentation (Fraida Dubin); current trends in teaching English as a second language (TESL) (Ruth Crymes); ESL syllabuses (Carlos Yorio); teaching Black English (Lorraine Goldman); the state of certification and employment within…

The essays in this collection are designed to provide an overview of the most pressing issues and ideas with which English teachers contend today and will contend in the near future. The contributors, 22 English teachers and educators, have attempted to view change in a sufficiently broad perspective to enable them to make responsible predictions…

Three themes were addressed at the conference: (1) implications of factor analysis for achievement testing; (2) use of achievement tests in awarding course credits; and (3) extended conceptions of evaluation in higher education. The speeches were entitled: Factors of Verbal Achievement, by John B. Carroll; Schools of Thought in Judging Excellence…

This document is the official report of a study, begun in 1972, conducted by the Committee of Inquiry, Department of Education and Science, United Kingdom. The study, designed to show the relationships between reading, writing, talking, and listening, was based on a series of visits to 100 schools, 21 colleges of education, and 6 reading centers…