Describes development of testing program to evaluate listening comprehension in second language classes. Suggests it is necessary to incorporate the aural component into classroom activities to a greater degree. Time and effort must be spent in developing the ability to understand and process the spoken word. (Author/BK)

Summarizes research findings on achievement and attitudes in foreign language learning appearing in Communicative Competence: An Experiment in Foreign Language Teaching'', published by The Center for Curriculum Development, Philadelphia, Pa., 1972. (DS)

Claiming that the actual learning of basic language skills takes place in the language laboratory, the author states four requisites for effective use of the laboratory: (1) a clear statement of specific objectives, (2) instructions for the student, (3) realistic objectives, and (4) student rewards. Testing, learning theory, applied linguistics,…

A statement of valid, acceptable goals and optimum characteristics of foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) is embodied in a section on guidelines for the subjective evaluation of FLES programs and in a field survey evaluation form. Description of ways and means of achieving the stated goals and specifications for measurement and…

This booklet describes the test used by the federal government to determine oral proficiency in a foreign language. The test is essentially an oral interview, conducted by two testers, and lasting from 15 to 30 minutes, although the format can vary. Proficiency levels range from 0 (for no practical speaking proficiency) to 5 (for speaking…

Research was conducted to investigate the development of linguistic competence in early French immersion programs. Fifty-five students in grades 3, 4, and 5 were administered a test of oral production in French. Twenty-seven grammatical features were examined by means of a detailed error analysis. The results show that there was little improvement…

This study conducted at the University of Kentucky in 1967-68 tests the theory of interaction between discrimination and pronunciation through a field test. After a brief review of previous research in phonemic discrimination as related to foreign language learning, the procedures and results of the test are presented. The text used was "Basic…

Foreign language instruction guidelines designed to improve and extend current programs at all levels are offered to teachers, principals, guidance counselors, general supervisors, foreign language coordinators, and superintendents. Major emphasis on teaching a language is developed, particularly through remarks on the spoken and the written word.…

Principles of the "St. Cloud" audiovisual language instruction methodology based on "Le Francais fondamental" are presented in this guide for teachers. The material concentrates on course content, methodology, and application--including criteria for selection and gradation of course content, a description of the audiovisual and written language…

Some 115 comments on improving the teaching of foreign languages are organized in a broad variety of categories. They include: (1) class preparation, (2) student-teacher contact, (3) acoustic problems, (4) the role of English, (5) the use of the blackboard, (6) the role of the textbook, (7) grammar, (8) students and their questions, (9) teaching…

This special issue consists of the following seven articles on communicative competence: (1) "Psycholinguistics and Language Teaching," by Elisabeth Ingram; (2) "Current Trends in Language Teaching at the C.R.A.P.E.L.," by Philip Riley; (3) "Who Needs a Teacher? - An Alternative to the 'Conversation Class'," by Ken…

An analysis of French oral proficiency and guidelines for evaluating and testing the development of such proficiency in learning French as a second language are the keynotes of this dissertation. The speech patterns (structural complexity, rate of production, and hesitation) of three groups of French students with various levels of audiolingual…

Proponents of the cognitive approach to language teaching list linguistic competence as the primary instructional objective and attribute considerable importance to listening comprehension. For the student, linguistic competence would be knowledge of grammatical components of the language and its vocabulary. Understanding oral messages is an…