Explores social interactive features of synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC)--commonly known as "chat"--as such features unfolded in real time and developed over a 9-week period in two college Spanish courses. Invoked a Vygotskian sociocultural theoretical framework and employed discourse analysis as a research tool to…

Observed a beginning-level Japanese language class of eight students taught by satellite at a high school in the United States during one academic year. Investigated students' learning experience, motivation and attitudes towards Japanese speakers and learning Japanese, language skill development, student-teacher interaction, and broadcast…

This paper presents and discusses some longitudinal observations of a case study of multilingual language acquisition from birth to the age of five. The analyses are based on data provided from written observations and audio recordings made on a regular basis. The child in this study is acquiring two minority languages at home and the two official…

In the past few decades, new governmental efforts to internationalize Japanese higher education have been in progress. One move has been to provide assistance to study abroad programs using English as the language of instruction. Though seen as an effective internationalization strategy, the consequences are by no means culturally neutral. This…

This paper is based on a qualitative case study on the perceptions of Malaysian Chinese parents towards literacy practices of their two children specifically in relation to the socialization practices they privilege at home. It looks at these literacy practices as choices made by parents for their teenage children at the intersection of home,…

With the implementation in 2003 of the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind, students from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including English language learners (ELLs), are required to perform well on state assessments. Since the numbers of ELLs in schools are growing and since schools are held accountable for all students'…

The educational system in many schools fails to meet the academic needs of minority students. The dramatic shifts in student demographics are demanding changes in the ways teachers are teaching them. It is essential to understand the long term effects of past educational practices and bilingual programs. Research indicates that there are many…

Although video has long been used as a teaching aid in adult literacy and basic education, literacy researchers seem to have ignored the potential benefits of using video as a tool that could add rigour to research. Reporting on their field experiences of an adult literacy learning study in Canada, the authors provide a narrative account of their…

A case study described Mei, a second language learner from Vietnam, in terms of her participation in a literature-based reading instructional program, Book Club. The context of the case study was an urban neighborhood K-5 school in a large midwestern city district. Data were collected about Mei from third through fifth grades using reading logs,…

The use of prepositions, past tense verb forms, and subject-verb agreement in the English of a Korean college student of English for foreign students is analyzed in the context of Krashen's Monitor Model theory of language acquisition. The student was interviewed, asked to give a free writing sample, asked to read his own writing, and asked to…

This paper describes accounts of two kindergarten-aged children learning English as a second language (ESL) to demonstrate that exposure is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for acquiring a second language. The 10-month histories of "L," a quick and highly successful learner, and "M," a less successful, much slower…

The relationship between the source language (Spanish) and the target language (French) in the construction of lexis during target language acquisition was examined in two case studies, leading to the hypothesis that there are both systematic and nonsystematic approaches to the construction of lexis used by Hispanophones learning French.…

This book includes the following chapters: "Historical, Theoretical, and Pragmatic Perspectives on Mentoring" (H. Jay Siskin, with Jim Davis); "New Paradigms, Old Practices: Disciplinary Tensions in TA Training" (Elizabeth Guthrie); "The Professional Development of Highly Experienced and Less Experienced Teachers: Meeting Diverse Needs" (Elizabeth…

It has been widely acknowledged in language acquisition research that cultural learning is an inseparable part of language learning. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the culture of classroom learning which involves both teachers' and learners' cultural values, beliefs, roles, expectations, and conceptions of teaching and learning.…

Proposes that instructors of advanced ESL courses for executives adopt the case method, which allows these executives to use the managerial skills they have developed over the years. Explains this method and describes the role of the instructor/consultant. (EKN)