A study, presented here in two volumes and entirely in French, investigated the usefulness of introducing different varieties of Spanish in the classroom to improve listening comprehension skills, and the capacity of students to understand language variations. The experiment was conducted during two quarters at the University of Laval (Quebec),…

A study of the nature, extent, and effectiveness of foreign language education in the Soviet Union is presented. Research methodology consisted of reading available literature and a panel discussion wiht three Soviet language teaching specialists, then review of a draft report by additional specialists from Moscow and the United States. The report…

This study investigated and compared the effects of two test formats (free response and multiple choice) on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' reading comprehension. The tests, together with a checklist of test-taking strategies and retrospective questionnaires concerning more general reading strategies, were administered to 57 ESL…

The third year of the partial immersion program in grades one through three at Key Elementary School (Arlington, Virginia), where half the day is taught in English and half in Spanish, is reported. The review includes classroom observations, student and teacher interviews, student assessment, and parent and staff interviews. Student assessments…

A study examined the differences in the way teachers use grammar-based courses and communicative courses of English language instruction in Dutch primary schools, and the differences in the achievement levels of children taught by the various methods. Eight standard curricula commonly used in Dutch schools and using either communicative or…

Ten principles based on the interactive nature of language learning and teaching include the following: (1) the student is the language learner; (2) language learning and teaching are shaped by student needs and objectives in particular circumstances; (3) language learning and teaching are based on normal uses of language, with communication of…

The use of the cloze procedure by classroom teachers who are not extensively trained in testing in general or language testing in particular is discussed. Focal points are material selection for cloze; some technical aspects of construction and administration; insights about testing language students naive to cloze; reliability of cloze…

A study investigated the use of a narrative discourse task to test oral English proficiency in non-native speakers for screening and placement. The subjects were Japanese university freshmen entering a five-level course in spoken English. The subjects were shown an animated cartoon of a Japanese folk tale, with narration in Japanese, and later…

Book four, part one, of an intermediate-advanced level German refresher course for college students is presented. The volume consists of 25 lessons of text material and 50 prerecorded tapes. A typical lesson with its two accompanying tapes is made up of interrogation, military terminology drill, and a comprehension test. The materials of the first…

This guide presents the philosophy, goals, and objectives, as well as the scope and sequence of Japanese language instruction at the secondary level for the public schools of Hawaii. The guide is intended to aid schools in developing their own instructional program and objectives. The six chapters of the guide treat the following points: (1)…

This study presents a synthesis of major dimensions of the second language teaching-learning process. The first four chapters survey some factors which are considered important in this process and examine what is known and unknown about each one. Subsequent chapters deal with the following problems: (1) language learners' errors, (2)…

Two Toronto community English-as-a-second-language (ESL) programs used oral interview tests to place adults in appropriate programs. Instruments used included: Foreign Service Oral Interview; Ilyin Oral Interview; object-oriented testing; group testing; performance in authentic situations; Ontario Test of English as a Second Language; and George…

Adult listeners have the ability to identify spoken samples of a language that they do not know and to discriminate among languages. In order to accomplish these tasks, listeners attend to rhythm, pitch excursions, and segmental properties of language samples. That is, they create simple representations of phonology. This study examined the…

"Dimension" is the annual volume containing the selected, refereed, edited proceedings of each year's conference. On the eve of its 40th anniversary, the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) plans a special series of articles on assessment within the foreign language profession. The 2004 edition of "Dimension"…

Five conference papers on use of technology in the second language classroom are presented, including: "Concept-Acquisition: Tapping the Internet for Ideas" (Jack Kimball), which offers suggestions for locating and using appropriate Internet materials; "Making Reading More Manageable--The Choice Offered by On-Line Newspapers and Magazines"…