As part of a larger summative evaluation of a foreign language department and a two-year foreign language core competency, the researcher investigated fourth-semester student self-efficacy (a person's belief, rooted in experience, that they can do something) and future expectancy of second language use. In effect, this was also an evaluation of…

This study of L-2 Russian interlanguage production examined the salience of phonetic, lexical and syntactical features for L-1 listener intelligibility, based on L-2 recitation of written scripts (Part I) and also unrehearsed speech (Part II). Part III of the study investigated strategies used by native-speaking teachers of Russian as a Second…

Russian Village Prose began in the 1950s with articles critical of the way collective farms were being managed and developed into an insider's view of rural life and a celebration of the values and rituals of traditional rural Russia. It represented a new approach to rural themes and characters and a return to literature of high aesthetic quality…

Study supported by grants from Brown University, American Philosophical Society, American Council of Learned Societies, and the Social Science Research Council. (DS)

The selection of appropriately simple and authentic reading materials for high school Russian classes is discussed in light of the temporal and lexical constraints of that instructional level. Teachers are warned against overly ambitious materials and analysis when language learning, not literature appreciation, is the primary objective. (MSE)

Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis can be used to great advantage in second language (L2) assessments. This study examined the differences in performance on L2 test items between groups from different first language backgrounds and suggested ways of improving L2 assessments. The study examined DIF on L2 (Hebrew) test items for two…

This study reports on the uneasy compromise in language and education policies in the post-Soviet Republic of Moldova since its first moves toward independence in 1989. Taking an approach that posits language policies as needing to be anchored in both international norms and the idiosyncrasies of local conditions, the discussion explores the…

The study argues that, in addition to advantages in conscious attention-demanding processing, bilinguals may also exhibit enhanced unconscious divergent thinking. To investigate this issue, the performance of Russian-English bilingual immigrants and English monolingual native speakers was compared on the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, which…

Georgia, along with a number of other former Soviet countries, is rapidly reforming its higher-education system. Russian is being replaced by English in classrooms and textbooks. Western-trained professors are flooding campuses with new methods of teaching and liberal-arts courses are replacing vocational training. This change is part of broader…

From incorporation into the Russian Empire in 1828, through the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991 governmental language policies and other socio/political forces influenced the Turkic population of the Republic of Azerbaijan to speak Russian. Even with changes since independence Russian use--including various kinds of code-switching and…

The factors affecting the mastery of the host country's language by the children of immigrants are important in the study of immigration-related issues. This exploratory study analyses the possible link between parental socio-linguistic background factors (parent-child language choice, parental proficiency in L2, educational level, socio-economic…

Congress held in Varna, Bulgaria, September 3-8, 1973. (HK)

A 16-page, four-color-on-newsprint magazine, "Krokodil" is among the world's most popular magazines of humor and satire. As a product of the Pravda Publishing House, it is produced by a branch of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, yet there are no official taboos or guidelines. Connections, popularity, and profits give…

Examines four approaches to teaching Russian literature in translation and offers suggestions from the most successful programs to help in establishing, developing, or improving similar programs at other educational institutions. (EKN)