bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TWENTY QUESTIONS: The Most Commonly Asked Questions About Starting an Immersion Program
Authors: Met Myriam
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Program planners of new elementary school foreign language immersion programs have similar concerns and questions. These generally relate to understanding what an immersion program is, how it is organized and administered, what the effects of the program on student achievement will be, how immersion programs are staffed, and what instructional materials are available. The purpose of this article is to address twenty of the most frequently asked questions about immersion.
Teaching for Content in a Skills Course: Greek Mythology in French
Authors: Giauque Gerald
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Teaching other subjects in foreign languages is an idea that surfaces from time to time but which faces opposition: neither students nor teachers may be qualified to study non‐language material in a foreign language. This paper is a report of a course developed around Greek mythology which has been taught at the intermediate level in college and can be taught in advanced high school French courses, with little re‐tooling on the part of the teacher. The course also can whet the appetite of students to continue their study of French literature, Classical History and Art History.
Achieving Communicative Competence Through Gambits and Routines
Authors: Siskin H. Jay , Spinelli Emily
Published: January 2009

ABSTRECT One of the major goals of foreign language instruction is the development of communicative competence. This article analyzes the importance of conversational gambits and routines for achieving this goal. After presenting a model for communicative competence, we illustrate gambits and routines within the context of telephone conversations. We then present exercises for drilling and testing these items. We conclude by discussing the importance of gambits and routines for the attainment of oral proficiency and acculturation.
Reading Strategies for the Business Foreign Language Class
Authors: Rusterholz Barbara Lomas
Published: January 2009

ABSTRECT Explicit instruction in reading comprehension has not been an important element of the Business Foreign Language course. This paper argues that teaching students how to read newspapers and magazines in the target language can prepare them to make an important contribution to their future employers.

Current principles of reading pedagogy are examined, including pre‐reading activities, schema theory, the importance of background knowledge, and post‐reading activities. Concrete examples are provided of how those ideas can be applied in the Business Foreign Language classroom.
The Computer as a Tool in the Teaching of Translation
Authors: Aikin Judith P.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRECT Teaching students the skills necessary to translate from one language to another, a tedious process for both students and instructor when restricted to conventional teaching techniques, can become a dynamic learning situation with the help of the computer. In the system described here, the students use a word processor to record their translations of a passage, and the instructor, using a simple computer program, manipulates these translations in order to produce a translation sampler which becomes the basis of class discussion. Each student then edits his or her own translation on the basis of discussion and submits for grading a final draft which reflects the insights gained rather than the initial mistakes.
Foreign Language Teaching and the Computer
Authors: Garrett Nina , Hart Robert S.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRECTThis column presents reviews of foreign language software and discussions of problems and perspectives in foreign language computer‐assisted instruction (CAI). We are eager to receive materials for review, and to hear from Foreign Language Annals readers experienced in foreign language CAI who would be interested in submitting reviews to this column. We also invite suggestions of problems or topics on which future discussions might focus. Send items of interest to the above‐mentioned editors at Language Learning Laboratory, University of Illinois, G 70 Foreign Languages Building, 707 South Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801.
Purposeful Practice with the Four‐by‐Six Card: Quick, Convenient, and Communicative
Authors: Ervin Gerard L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Even the best teachers need suggestions for purposeful, enjoyable, communicative activities that relate to the level of their students and the lessons they've been doing. This article offers several ideas that can be utilized with very little planning, and that can be augmented and improved upon from year to year, creating a file of useful student‐centered modules the teacher can tap at a moment's notice.
Distance Education and Foreign Language Education: Towards a Coherent Approach
Authors: Davis James N.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The distance education movement in North America is growing in size and prestige. The lack of immediate two‐way interaction, which characterizes many distance‐education programs, appears inimical to the aims of foreign‐language teaching. In this article, it is argued that distance technologies, viewed from the perspective ofKrashen's Input Hypothesis, are capable of providing student‐friendly foreign‐language teaching. An overview of the present state of distance education is presented, along with suggestions for profession‐wide dialogue on this powerful channel for instruction.
The ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview in a Canadian Context: The French Speaking Proficiency of Two Groups of Ontario High‐School Graduates
Authors: Hamm Christiane
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Ontario high‐school students enter universities with a variety of educational backgrounds in French. In order to obtain information about the French language competence of some of these students, a study was conducted at Queen's University in 1987. Its objective was to rate, by means of the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview, the French speaking proficiency of a group of immersion graduates and a group of core program graduates who had taken a six‐week language course in a francophone environment. The data suggest that a) immersion graduates tend to perform functions well but at the expense of accuracy, and b) students from the core program, who take a six‐week course, show fewer discrepancies in their speaking skills and obtain ratings only slightly lower than those of immersion graduates. The author, however, calls for further investigation.
New Assumptions For Teacher Education
Authors: Combs Arthur W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Traditional assumptions for teacher education are only partly accurate; hence, they provide us with inadequate bases for program design. New assumptions drawn from perceptual‐humanistic thinking suggest that teacher education must be seen as a problem in personal becoming. This, in turn, calls for important changes in philosophy, goals, priorities, student‐faculty relationships and instructional styles. Special implications for teaching methods and field experience are explored.
The Making of a Foreign Language Teacher — Regina Style
Authors: Moeller Paulette C.
Published: January 2009

It is the purpose of this paper to explore a specialist conceptualization of a teacher education program leading to certification as a foreign language teacher. The particular program under examination is the four year Bachelor of Education (R Ed.) program that offers a specialization in secondary French teacher education at the University of Regina's Faculty of Education.

The first part of the article focuses on the four basic components that comprise the program: a) the pedagogical component, b) the generic teacher education component, c) the foreign language and communication component, and d) the meta‐linguistic and meta‐cogmtive component

The second part explains how these elements of the program have been structured in a way that allows both formal and experiental learning, thereby contributing to the personal and professional development of future language teachers. The ACTFL provisional program guidelines for foreign language teacher education are examined and lead the discussion on the merits of the Regina model
A New Perspective for Strengthening Teaching Skills: Pre‐Teacher Assessment
Authors: Gerlach Gail J. , Millward Robert E.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The Pre‐Teacher Assessment Project assesses a sophomore education major on thirteen skill dimensions important for teaching. Students have opportunities to exhibit these dimensions during four simulation activities. Trained assessors conduct the simulations and evaluate these exercises. Follow‐up modules are provided for students to remediate weak areas. The process is currently being validated. Pre‐Teacher Assessment has the potential to benefit education majors, inservice teachers, and university faculty.
The South Carolina Plan for Improved Curriculum Articulation Between High Schools and Colleges
Authors: Mosher Arthur D.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  A revision of the admissions requirements to state‐supported colleges and universities included a minimum of two years' high school study of one foreign language. In response to this policy, a large group of secondary and postsecondary colleagues organized the South Carolina Council on Foreign Language Placement and Curriculum (SCCFLPAC). This independent ad hoc committee serves as a forum for the exchange of information and helps provide professional critique of plans to change curriculum and implement new placement tests at the various postsecondary institutions. Secondary teachers have been trained to write proficiency‐oriented outcome statements for each of four years of language instruction; these statements are designed to serve as the basis for future revisions of postsecondary curricula.
Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Foreign Language Educators in American Colleges and Universities
Authors: AItman Howard B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Foreign language faculty have various needs for professional development. Some of these are unique to the discipline and others are shared with all other academics. This article examines the demographics of foreign language departments today, the tasks which language professors undertake as part of their professional lives, and the results of a survey of foreign language professors in three state‐supported institutions in which faculty have rank ordered their professional needs. Implications for faculty development at the department level are suggested.
What Teachers Should Know About Their Classroom Learners
Authors: Barnett Harriet
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Foreign language education is now being made available to students of all abilities and interests. A positive, accepting, and understanding attitude coupled with appropriate techniques will help us succeed with the new student population in our foreign language classes.
Grading Classroom Oral Activities: Effects on Motivation and Proficiency
Authors: Hahn Sidney L. , Stassen Tamara , Reschke Claus
Published: January 2009

The purpose of this pilot study was to gather initial information on the effects of grading on oral production and attitude of high school students in firstyear German classes. The following questions were addmsed in the study: Are structured situational practice activities sufficient, or will students who are graded during situational practice activities be better able to communicate orally than students who are not graded? Is gmding in the form of points counted in the student's final evaluation a motivator or incentive to work harder during such activities?

Two groups of beginning German students were studied, one graded, one not graded on their oral perforrnance over the first srjc months of the school term. Each student was then rated in an oral proficiency interview administered by a certified Oral Proficiency Interviewer (OPI), and each student completed an attitude survey. Results indicated that there were differences in proficiency as related to grading for individual students, but no significant difference was found between the two groups, nor again when interaction effects of age, ability, achievement, and learning style were considered. Constrasting attitudes toward grading were expressed by the two groups. The non‐graded group would like to have been graded; the graded group considered grading stressful and nonproductive. The results have interesting implications for teachers and indicate a need for further investigation of the effects of grading with larger numbers than we were able to use in the pilot study.
Teaching Advanced Level Students to Hypothesize: Proceeding One Step at a Time1
Authors: Kline Rebecca R.
Published: January 2009

Most textbook approaches to the linguistic function of hypothesizing rely heavily on presentation of the conditional mood, thus neglecting simpler structum, lexical items, and strategies used by native speakers as they proceed incrementally through the “cognitive/emotional mnge” representative of the hypothetical mood. Furthermore, in the majority of cases, intermediate‐ and advanced‐level textbooks fail to lead students beyond the sentence‐length utterance. This effective& limits their ability to develop a number of linguistic functions, not the least of which is hypothesizing.

In this article, I propose to describe and discuss incrementally‐organized instructional strategies for teaching students of French how to hypothesize. The organization is based on the naturally‐occurring phenomenon present in a French short story by Michelle Maurois, titled “La Vie Conjugale.” Instructional activities designed to aid students in developing their own mastery of this function will be described.
Classroom Community: A Prerequisite for Communication
Authors: Little Greta D. , Sanders Sara L.
Published: January 2009

This report of participant‐observer research in beginning French and German classes shows that recognition of common ground within the classmom is essential for communication. Without it, exercises, no matter how communicative in intent, will fail to produce communication. A sense of classroom community is a crucial prerequisite to truly communicative interaction.
Conversion of a Teacher‐Delivered Course into an Interactive Videodisc‐Delivered Program
Authors: Hughes Helena
Published: January 2009

In 1982, the Central Intelligence Agency started a Spanish language course to teach adults to survive in a Spanish‐speaking country in a two‐week full‐time course. The course was extremely successful and has been copied in several other languages as well as in other government language programs. It takes students with no knowledge of the Ianguage to a 0 + or I level (ILR scale) within two weeks.

We finished converting the classroom course in December 1988 into an interactive videodisc course that permits students to learn the same amount (or more) working three to five hours per day at the workstation, with only one additional hour of instruction with a teacher.

This paper describes how the project was designed and produced; how it integrates strategies from the Natural Approach and Total Physical Response into an interactive videodisc. The reader will get a good picture of what an interactive videodisc language course actually entails.
The University of Utah's Immersion/Multiliteracy Program: An Example of an Area Studies Approach to the Design of First‐year College Foreign Language Instruction
Authors: Sternfeld Steven
Published: January 2009

The University of Utah's Immersion/Multiliteracy (IM/ML) Program is an outgrowth of the post‐WWII movement towards an extension of the area studies model to modern foreign language study. Where the IM/ML program has sought to innovate is in the creation of a first‐year language course based on the area studies model. Using a methodology based on the Canadian immersion approach, the IM/ML Program has set as its goal multiliteracy, i.e, the pursuit of intellectually challenging and culturally broadening activities in more than one language. This article describes the pilot IM/ML Program in Spanish in which first‐year language students used Spanish‐language newspapers and culture/civilizations texts to study the history, geography and current affairs of Latin America. Results of the pilot program indicate 1) that IM/ML students are for the most part keeping up with students in traditional courses with respect to skill development, and 2) that the IM/ML Program holds promise for enhancing the contribution of introductory foreign language study to students' liberal education.
Cultural Meaning and Structure in Conversations and their Pedagogical Implications
Authors: Rings Lana
Published: January 2009

As teachers of foreign language are becoming more aware than ever that language form, function, and cultural meaning are integrally linked, two questions arise which demand our attention: how are form, function, and meaning interconnected within target language texts, and how can knowledge of structure and meaning interrelationships be conveyed to students? To these ends, this article examines features of a German conversation, which illustrate some of the connections. It then explom the pedagogical implications through suggested first‐year classroom activities.
Are Foreign Language Textbooks Sexist? An Exploration of Mobes of Evaluation
Authors: Graci Joseph P.
Published: January 2009

This paper discusses nonsexist guidelines that have been established by publishing houses and some preliminary research on sexism in educational materials. Research (the data are 20 studies conducted between 1975 a.nd 1984) on sexism in foreign language (FL) textbooks is then reviewed and critically compared. It is argued that the relatively sparse and dissimilar body of research identifying and assessing gender role portrayal in FL textbooks underscores the need for more analyses. The unsystematic nature of the research on sexual bias demonstrates the need for a standardized evaluative instrument, so that a data base of similarly analyzed FL textbooks can thus be generated.
Foreign Language Teaching and the Computer
Authors: Garrett Nina , Hart Robert S. , Meskill Carla
Published: January 2009

This column presents reviews of foreign language software and discussions of problems and perspectives in foreign language computer‐assisted instruction (CAI). We are eager to receive materials for review, and to hear from Foreign Language Annals readers experienced in foreign language CAI who would be interested in submitting reviews to this column. We also invite suggestions of problems or topics on which future discussions might focus. Send items of interest to the above mentioned editors at Language Learning Laboratory, University of Illinois, G 70 Foreign Languages Building, 707 South Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801.
Listening for Real in the Foreign‐Language Classroom1
Authors: Bacon Susan M.
Published: January 2009

Authentic reading and listening texts expose students to real language from the beginning of their language study. Although authentic reading texts are available for novice students, real listening traditionally has been delayed until students are at the intermediate or advanced levels. This paper argues that novices can understand and benefit from authentic texts and that an early exposure to such texts will help them develop useful listening strategies for more complex tasks later on. Pre‐listening strategies are as delicate as pre‐reading activities, however. Care must be taken that the text is cultumlly relevant to the experience of the listener.
Bonjour: The Tennessee Experience
Authors: Stephens Doris T.
Published: January 2009

This paper describes an experimental program developed by The University of Tennessee to teach French to children by videotape. The program was designed to be usedd by teachers who have no knowledge of the target language. The rationale for the program, the goals of the course, a description of the procedures followed for its development, and teaching techniques are discussed.
Learning Strategies in Foreign Language Instruction
Authors: Chamot Anna Uhl , Kupper Lisa
Published: January 2009

This paper summarizes the findings of a three year project which investigated the use of learning strategies by foreign language students and their teachers,1 and suggests specific classroom applications for learning strategy instruction. Three studies were conducted under this project: (a) a Descriptive Study, which identified learning strategies used in studying foreign languages, (b) a Longitudinal Study, which identified differences in the strategy use of effective and ineffective language learners and analyzed changes in strategy use over time, and (c) a Course Development Study, in which foreign language instructors taught students how to apply learning strategies. Classroom applications discussed in the paper include guidelines for developing students' metacognition and motivation through the identification and discussion of their existing language learning strategies, and techniques for modeling and practicing additional strategies that can help students become more effective and independent language learners.
Teaching and Evaluating Writing as a Communicative Skill
Authors: Terry Robert M.
Published: January 2009

The writing tasks that we have our students carry out are often nothing more than academic exercises that have little or no communicative content or purpose. It is incumbent upon us to integrate writing as a communicative act into our present use of writing as a support skill for ensuring student preparation of “traditional” homework assignments and for the purpose of evaluation on paper‐and‐pencil tests. This article presents (1) the purposes of writing in a second‐language classroom, (2) types of writing tasks, (3) proficiency levels in writing, (4) content of writing activities, (5) sample writing activities, (6) evaluating writing samples using both holistic and analytical scoring techniques, and (7) a sample evaluation of student writing.
Dismantling Classroom Walls for Increased Foreign Language Proficiency
Authors: Leaver Betty Lou
Published: January 2009

This paper describes current and past communicative classroom exercises used at the Foreign Service Institute to “break down” classroom walls with activities that encourage language acquisition. These activities were instituted as part of the Russian program of the Foreign Service Institute in 1984 and include immersion experiences during Russian Week, the Monolingual Training Program (MOLT), the Russian Internship Program (RIP), speaking tracks, phase projects, and language/area integration. Each activity's success at promoting language acquisition is assessed.
Ease and Difficulty in Vocabulary Learning: Some Teaching Implications
Authors: Laufer Batia
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the relationship between ease/difficulty in learning particular words and some issues in the teaching of vocabulary.

Some factors that interfere with learning a word are claimed to be the following: similarity of form between the word and other words (embrace/embarrass, price/prize); morphological similarity between it and other words (industrial/industrious, respectable/respective); deceptive morphological structure (infallible); different syntactic patterning in L1; differences in the classification of experience between L1 and L2 (one‐to‐many correspondence, partial overlap in meaning, metaphorical extension, lexical voids, multiplicity of meaning); abstractness; specificity; negative value; connotations nonexistent in L1; differences in the pragmatic meaning of near synonyms and of L1 translation equivalents; the learning burden of synonyms; the apparent rulelessness of collocations.

It is argued that word learnability (ease/difficulty in learning a particular word) can serve as a guideline to the following: the selection of words to be taught; their presentation (quantity, grouping, language of presentation, isolation/ context issue); the facilitation of long‐term memorization (meaningful tasks, mnemonic techniques, rote learning, reactivation); the development of strategies for self‐learning; and the assessment of vocabulary knowledge.
Oral Testing of Beginning Language Students at Large Universities: Is It Worth the Trouble?
Authors: Harlow Linda L. , Caminero Rosario
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  With the current emphasis on developing the communicative competence of our students, most would agree that it is not only desirable but essential that oral skills be tested from beginning levels on. Maintaining a high quality oral testing program is not without difficulties, however, which may be compounded in large universities where beginning level teaching is typically done in large classes by inexperienced graduate students. This article summarizes the findings of a study that examined the place of oral testing in foreign language instructional programs at large institutions today. Problems common to most oral testing programs are described, and suggestions on ways to minimize these problems are proposed.
Raising the Entrance Requirements: The Foreign Language Educator's Role in Implementing Florida's New Model for Teacher Certification
Authors: LeBlanc Leona B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article is a report of a three‐year project to develop subject area certification examinations in foreign languages for the state of Florida. The project was carried out by foreign language educators at each stage of implementation: research, writing, validation, pilot‐testing, editing, and scoring. This teacher‐directed project of certification test development can serve as a model to other states engaged in similar efforts.
An Investigation of Students' Perspectives on Anxiety and Speaking
Authors: Young Dolly Jesusita
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Language anxiety is becoming an important area of research in our profession. Debilitating language anxiety can have profound consequences on the language learning process. The purpose of this study is to examine anxiety and speaking from the students' perspective. Do speaking activities indeed make students nervous? If so, what is it about speaking that makes students anxious? Which speaking activities make students particularly uncomfortable? Can instructors do anything to reduce anxiety, particularly speaking anxiety, in the classroom?

A questionnaire designed to identify sources of anxiety over speaking in the foreign language was administered to 135 university‐level beginning Spanish students and 109 high school students. The questionnaire had three sections: the first one asked students to agree or disagree with twenty‐four items related to language anxiety; the second section asked students to indicate their level of anxiety regarding certain in‐class practices; the third section asked learners to identify instructor characteristics and instructor practices that helped reduce language anxiety. Results of the analysis of data suggest, among other things, that speaking in the foreign language in not exclusively the source of student anxiety, but that speaking in front of the class is. Furthermore, the instructor's relaxed and positive error‐correction attitude can greatly reduce language anxiety. Additional suggestions for reducing language anxiety are offered
Student Attitudes Toward Foreign Language Study at Historically and Predominantly Black Institutions
Authors: Davis James J. , Markham Paul L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to assess the attitudes of first‐ and second‐year foreign language students enrolled at historically and predominantly Black colleges and universities. Specifically, the researchers assessed student attitudes regarding foreign language study in general and attitudes toward the linguistic and cultural component of foreign language instruction. A secondary purpose of the study was to gather information from foreign language faculty and administrators concerning the current status of foreign language programs at the cooperating institutions. A total of 53, or 70% of the 76 targeted institutions, participated in the study in its entirety. Fifty‐seven (75 %) of the administrators, 50 (60%) of the language faculty, and 810 (67%) of the students responded to the survey. Compared with earlier studies assessing African‐American student attitudes toward foreign language study, the results revealed that the student respondents in this study perceived foreign language study as being less threatening to their own cultural identity, and they demonstrated greater awareness of the career benefits of foreign language study. On the minus side, many students expressed considerable dissatisfaction with the limited development of speaking ability, the lack of emphasis on cultural information, particularly conferring the Black experience in the target language culture, the limited amount of attention given to addressing individual students' needs and learning styles, and the restricted amount of time allowed for mastering the new language material. The article concludes with several recommendations for improving the status of foreign language education at Black colleges and universities.
Elementary School Foreign Languages and English Reading Achievement: A New View of the Relationship
Authors: Garfinkel Alan , Tabor Kenneth E.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The authors examined English reading scores of students of varying levels of intelligence who had and had not extended a third and fourth grade introduction to Spanish to a full one to two years of Spanish instruction in grades five and six. An especially significant relationship between high scores in reading and extending foreign language study from a minimal introduction to a larger scale instructional program was found in the cases of children of average intelligence. It was concluded that children of average intelligence may be the one group that profits most from extending foreign language study. The results of the observation favor more widespread enrollment in elementary school foreign language classes.
Learning Style Differences: Gifted vs. Regular Language Students
Authors: Trayer Marie
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT This study focused on the learning style differences of gifted and regular adolescent foreign language students. Five hundred forty‐four second‐year high school language students of French, Spanish and German were given Kolb's Learning Style Inventory, which identifies four learning style types: diverger, assimilator, converger, and accommodator. The Chi‐square statistic was used to analyze differences between the regular and gifted language students. No significant difference in the learning styles of regular and gifted students was found, both groups having a higher percentage of assimilators than the other styles. However, when gifted and regular groups were separately analyzed according to each language, significant differences were found among the gifted and regular students studying French and those studying Spanish. There were more gifted Spanish students in the accommodator category than expected. The gifted French students had a higher percentage of assimilators than the regular French student population. The findings suggest that learning style is a factor in language instruction.
Foreign Language Teachers' Demographic Characteristics, In‐Service Training Needs, and Attitudes Toward Teaching
Authors: Wolf W. C. , Riordan Kathleen M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT A report prepared by Jamie B. Draper (1)for the Joint National Committee/or Languages revealed that 55% of the responding state supervisors neither maintained nor had access to information of importance to foreign language teaching. Thisstudy was designed to fill part of the information gap in one of the inactive states identified by Draper.

The study draws upon survey data to describe demographic characteristics and attitudes of a random sample of foreign language teachers who are affiliated with a statewide professional association. Analyses of data obtained brought into focus four problems that need to be addressed by local and state level officials held accountable for foreign language programs.
The Effect of Authentic Oral Texts on Student Listening Comprehension in the Foreign Language Classroom
Authors: Herron Carol A. , Seay Irene
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The current study determined the effect of authentic, unedited radio features on student listening skills in the foreign language classroom. Twenty‐three students in two classes of intermediate French participated in the research. The basic instructional approach and materials for the two classes of students were identical. The groups differed only in that classwork, in the experimental condition, was regularly supplemented with Champs‐Elyseés, an unedited radio program produced in Paris. Student listening comprehension skills at the end of the fifteen‐week semester were superior in the experimental condition as measured on two different aural tests of unedited native speech. Results confirmed that listening comprehension improves with increased exposure to authentic speech. The current study suggests that adjusting levels of speech (speed, content, and form) to students' developing comprehension, while perhaps helpful to the intermediate‐level foreign language student, might not be essential to improvement of listening skills.
Can We Talk?
Authors: Brooks Frank B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The negotiation of meaning, the process whereby speakers work with each others' messages to achieve understanding, is currently regarded as an important factor in second language development. This article discusses the negotiation process and presents selected findings from a study of learner‐to‐learner talk found during systematic observation of a Spanish conversation course at the college level. The findings suggest that an interview‐type speaking activity does not necessarily provide opportunities for negotiation work to take place. An example is provided for a speaking activity that promotes negotiation work among learners of foreign languages. Using this example as a guide, similar tasks can be created.
A Study of Foreign Language Proficiency‐Based Testing in Secondary Schools
Authors: Huebner Thom , Jensen Anne
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT As foreign language education moves toward proficiency‐based teaching and testing, few studies have looked systematically at its effects on student performance, classroom methods and materials, teacher expectations, and program administration, particularly at the secondary level.

The study reported here examines the effects of district‐wide ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) testing. Specifically, the study asks, “Do students who perform well on the OPI also perform well on more traditional measures of student success?” and “What other effects, if any, does oral proficiency testing have on a foreign language program?” Multivariate analyses of variance were performed on scores from the OPI and the subscales of the College Board Foreign Language Achievement Test from 492 third, fourth, and fifth year high school foreign language students. Qualitative data include information from interviews, observations, and a questionnaire distributed to administrators, teachers and students. Significant correlations were found between student performance at the higher levels of the OPI and on the achievement tests. Furthermore, the benefits of the oral proficiency testing program extended beyond student performance to the sense of common direction it provided to teachers and programs.
Preparing Students for Meaningful Culture Learning
Authors: Mantle‐Bromley Corinne
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT As culture becomes more a focus in the foreign language classroom, teachers need to increase their understanding of two related concepts: first, what preparation is necessary for students to succeed in learning another culture; second, what problems language teachers and their students may encounter in the culture learning process. This article discusses the need for teachers to restructure their views of culture learning, taking into account both the process itself and the problems that may arise. Presented are practical lessons that can help both to prepare students to accept another culture and to address potential problems.
Using Authentic Cultural Materials to Teach Reading in Chinese
Authors: Ph.D Scott McGinnis , Ke Chuanren
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The usage of authentic texts to develop cultural understanding extends to at least three types of culture—functional, informational and achievement. Even seemingly survival (functional) oriented texts such as transportation time schedules embody a great deal of informational culture. The present project describes how to utilize two timetables (one boat, one train) from the People's Republic of China to enhance students' understanding of elements of the informational culture on the mainland, as well as their performative ability with respect to the functional culture. Specifics of both pre‐reading and reading activities are provided, as well as a suggestion for a post‐reading activity which may serve as an effective language game either within or outside of the formal language classroom.
Development and Implementation of FLES Summer Institutes in Florida: A Functional‐Collaborative Effort
Authors: Hallman Clemens L. , Campbell Anne E. , Ernst Gisela
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article1 describes the University of Florida (UF) Functional‐Collaborative Model used to develop a FLES Methods Course Syllabus for pre‐ and inservice teacher training in Florida and to develop Summer Institutes to train FLES teachers. The UF Model is process‐oriented and utilizes a collaborative approach based on function, expertise and knowledge of participants, whereby decision‐making and power are shared equally among individuals during all phases—design, implementation, and evaluation.

Also described is the FLES Methods Course Syllabus and the Summer FLES Institutes that were the products of four functional‐collaborative meetings held during a two‐year period which brought together foreign language educators from seven state universities, the state foreign language consultant, fifteen district foreign language supervisors, and ten practicing FLES teachers. The Institutes were given in 1989 at six state universities to 72 teachers. Two additional Institutes were given in Spanish to an additional 75 inservice teachers in two Florida counties. The Institute Syllabus and Institute pre‐ and post‐test scores are presented. Implications of using intensive training institutes to meet statewide demands for FLES teachers are discussed.
Assessing Literary Interpretation Skills
Authors: Henning Sylvie Debevec
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Along with other foreign language colleagues, the author has been participating in a comprehensive assessment project. Having accepted the principle of assessment based on proficiency rather than fact‐acquisition for the four language skills, the group tried to apply the same principle to literary interpretation. ACTFL has no rating scale in this area, so the author undertook to elaborate one.

The four levels of the author's scale are based on a graduated arrangement of interpretive activities, each composed of an action and a textual or contextual component. Since literary interpretation requires strong reading comprehension, the novice level presupposes an intermediate‐high level of reading comprehension. The notional components are sequenced from the specific and concrete to the general and abstract (e.g., from plot events to temporal structures). They are also arranged to move readers out of a self‐oriented (biographical) perspective into a more world‐oriented one (e.g., from character description to the work's relation to its socio‐cultural or historical contexts). Finally, the components are increasingly self‐conscious. The functions progress from recognizing and distinguishing through describing to understanding and finally to analyzing critically. The same textual/contextual component may appear at several levels, each time, however, matched with a different action.

The group is here concerned with the assessment of interpretive proficiency, not coverage. Consequently, the focus is on literary components that can be used to interpret any work, both as a coherent textual structure and as an element in larger contextual frameworks.
Can Students Apply Grammar Rules After Reading Textbook Explanations?
Authors: Scott Virginia M. , Randall Sarah A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines have become a standard by which many teachers devise foreign language curricula and daily classroom procedures. However, for many teachers, there seems to be little guidance with regard to the role of explicit grammar instruction in the proficiency‐oriented classroom. Proponents of proficiency‐oriented instruction recognize the importance of grammar and accuracy, yet the questions involving what kind of explicit grammar instruction teachers need to do in class as well as what students can do outside of class, without teacher intervention, have yet to be answered. In order to begin answering these questions, we designed a research experiment to determine how well students are able to read, learn and use targeted grammar structures on their own. Results suggest that students can learn certain kinds of linguistic structures autonomously, whereas other kinds of structures require more active teacher intervention. While these results raise further questions about explicit grammar instruction in the proficiency‐oriented classroom, they point ultimately to more effective use of class time.
The Effectiveness of Vocabulary Visual Aids for Auditory and Visual Foreign Language Students
Authors: Pouwels Joel B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  A classroom experiment involving seventy‐nine first semester Spanish students at the University of Central Arkansas measured the relationship between foreign language vocabulary visual aids, vocabulary achievement scores, and student modality strengths. The objective was to determine whether students of different perceptual learning styles (e.g., auditory and visual) would achieve differential scores on a multiple‐choice test over a three‐part foreign language (Swahili) vocabulary presentation using pictorial, verbal, and combination pictorial‐verbal aids. The results showed significant positive correlation between the visual parameter as measured by the Swassing‐Barbe Modality Index and scores on vocabulary items presented and tested with combination pictorial‐verbal aids. Conversely, there was a negative correlation between the auditory parameter and the combination pictorial‐verbal vocabulary section. Median scores on the pictorial and verbal sections were too close for conclusions to be drawn regarding the efficiency of those visual aids for different learning styles. However, the overall results suggest that further investigation will prove useful in devising the best combinations of visual aids, particularly for the predominantly visual or auditory student. A serendipitous finding was that the auditory students in this study had generally lower grades and ACT scores, and may be most benefited by individualized study aids.
Identifying Native Language Deficits in High‐ and Low‐Risk Foreign Language Learners in High School
Authors: Sparks Richard L. , Ganschow Leonore , Javorsky James , Pohlman Jane , Patton John
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This study compared low and high risk first‐year high school foreign language learners on measures of cognitive, foreign language, and native language performance. Low risk learners were those who had made an A or B in the first‐quarter foreign language course, were identified by their foreign language teacher as good language learners, and scored low risk on an author‐designed foreign language screening instrument (Ganschow and Sparks, 21); high risk learners made a D or F in the first quarter, were identified by their foreign language teachers as poor language learners, and scored high risk on the screening instrument. Significant differences between the groups were found on most assessed measures of native language phonology and syntax and on the Short and Long Forms and all subtests of the Modern Language Aptitude Test. No differences were found on semantic measures. Based on results of native and foreign language assessments, the authors infer that students with foreign language learning difficulties have subtle but underlying native language learning difficulties, especially in the phonological and syntactic codes of language. Implications for the diagnosis and teaching of students with foreign language learning problems are discussed.
The Use of Synchronous Computer Networks in Second Language Instruction: A Preliminary Report
Authors: Kelm Orlando R.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This paper reports some personal observations regarding a second language teaching situation where non‐native speakers of Portuguese participated in class discussions via real time computer networks. Synchronous computer networks have been utilized in university courses to improve group participation in writing and composition in L1 situations. This same process offers L2 an opportunity to participate in interlanguage discussions via computer. Preliminary observations from this experience suggest that computer assisted class discussions may promote increased participation from all members of a work group, allow students to speak without interruption, reduce anxiety which is frequently present in oral conversations, render honest and candid expression of emotion, provide personalized identification of target language errors and create substantial interlanguage communication among L2 learners.
Developing Practical Speaking Tests for the Foreign Language Classroom: A Small Group Approach
Authors: Robison Robert E.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  A major goal of foreign language learning is acquiring oral facility in the target language. Methods of instruction and testing must correlate with each other to achieve the goal. The Columbus Public Schools Level I Foreign Language Oral Assessment Project has created a systematic oral testing program, and the department is practicing with at least one strategy that can enable foreign language teachers to achieve the goal within a reasonable amount of class time. Foreign language classroom testing can be enhanced by limiting the paper‐and‐pencil portion of the test and by using a small‐group or team approach, so that the oral production of large numbers of students can be evaluated quickly and efficiently with brief, real‐life samples from the “universe” of tasks students have been asked to accomplish over the course of the week, unit, semester, or school year.
Computer‐Mediated Lists for Foreign Languages
Authors: Shires Nancy P.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Technological changes bring new opportunities and ways of accomplishing goals. One development of interest to foreign language faculty is the computer‐mediated discussion list, which can serve as a teaching tool or an evolving path of scholarly communication. A relevant list of lists is provided. The lists range widely in purpose and content, from broad discussions of teaching effectiveness to news from a particular country, from considering first drafts of scholarly articles to ethnic recipes and dances. Many stress the use of the target language.