This paper is an attempt to show what parameters come into play when dealing with the problem of difficulty in foreign language learning. After subjecting the hierarchy of difficulty set up by R.P. Stockwell and J.D. Bowen to a critical examination, the author discusses various parameters such as individual and national difficulties, the…

The Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH) of the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) evaluates its self-instructional program for English listening comprehension in this final report. The program was designed for students whose English language proficiency does not enable them to follow…

This course outline for advanced students of Spanish is based on Units 24 and 25 of "A-LM Spanish," first edition, with numerous materials added. The multiple skills of language are enhanced with continued emphasis on guided discussion and free conversation. Nominalization with the definite, indefinite, and neuter articles is among the…

This is a collection of comments and research on the problems of students studying at the tertiary level through the medium of a second language. It includes sections on vacabulary, reading skills, syntax, and speech. It also contains several studies of actual students and conditions at the University of Papua and New Guinea. (HW)

This is the first volume in an annual series which collects, catalogues, analyzes, and compresses basic information intended to help improve foreign language instruction in America. The review, covering all levels of instruction, ranges from equipment selection standards to planning of bilingual programs. It concerns itself with materials…

This paper describes the activities to develop norms for the interpretation of tests designed to indicate proficiency in English for Amerindian children attending grades 3 through 6 in the Bureau of Indian Affairs' schools. The objectives of the test battery are described. The first is to identify the Amerindian child who needs special training in…

It is the task of educational linguistics to describe and analyze language education in all aspects. With respect to the Navajo Reading Study, it is within the realm of educational linguistics to develop and make available information that will permit the Navaho people, working through their own institutions, to make informed decisions about…

Results from research with eye movement photography (EMP) are discussed with a view to defining differences between native-speaker and non-native reading processes. The greatest contrast is in terms of the duration of eye fixations; non-native speakers at the college level require about as much time for a fixation as an average native-speaker at…

This profile reviews the state of English language teaching in Brazil. In 1968 the Brazilian government launched major university reforms, and the situation is still fluid. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil and English is learned as a foreign language for international communication, occasionally as a medium of instruction, as a tool…

This collection of papers on teaching English as a second language includes the following: (1) "Testing: A Case for Cooperation," by Paul A. Angelis; (2) "Developing a Learning Syllabus in ESL by Teacher Consensus," by Donald Byrd; (3) "Using Debate in ESOL," by Janet Constantinides and Mary Fry; (4) "Non-Verbal Films for Discussion," by Stephen…

This text on teaching students with language disabilities is divided into three parts. Part 1 presents the components of speech, language and communication and describes language development. Part 2 describes the language abilities of students with a variety of disabilities. Part 3 provides suggestions for assessment and intervention and discusses…

A discussion of current second language testing trends and practices in Australia focuses on the use of performance assessment, providing examples of its application in four specific contexts: an occupational English test used for to assess job-related English language skills as part of the certification procedure for health professionals;…

An examination of second language learning focuses on how universal cognitive processes in language learning and individual differences account for differences in language learning patterns. An introductory section gives background information suggesting that psycholinguistic factors in language learning should receive more attention for two…

The National Endowment for the Humanities and University of Texas (NEH-UT) collaborative project was established to develop authentic and practical tests of spoken Russian for younger, beginning students of Russian, and to create a guide for their implementation into instruction. The development process involved teachers of Russian at the middle,…

This paper reports a second-cycle validation study of the test of English at Matriculation (TEAM) following revisions made to the test in 1993. Candidates' scores from four academic sessions (1993-1997) were used to assess the relationship between the performance at the beginning of their degree course and their eventual academic outcome. Results…