bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Guidelines for and by Non‐English Speaking Students*
Authors: Crymes Ruth
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT This paper describes a project in which seasoned immigrant students developed guidelines for the use of incoming non‐English speaking immigrant students in bilingual text—Korean and English in the present instance. The guidelines were used for orientation of new students and as the basis for follow‐up discussions and explorations about their evolving feelings and attitudes toward school and toward language. From the follow‐up, information has been obtained for revision of the guidelines, and, more importantly, for transmittal to teachers of non‐English speaking students. It is suggested that the process of developing and revising the guidelines is a workable way of gaining insights, gradually and over a period of time, into the thoughts and feelings of the non‐English‐speaking students.
Means to Overcome the Anxieties of Second Language Learners*
Authors: McCoy Ingeborg R.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The fears and anxieties of students in second language learning situations often prevent successful performance in the language. The following techniques from behavior modification can be applied to overcome such anxieties and to further achievement in second language learning: (1) systematic desensitization; (2) cognitive restructuring; and (3) modeling and guided participation.
Foreign Language Learning and the Stutterer
Authors: Weiss David
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Foreign language learning is a very special problem for students who stutter, since they are subject not only to the strains and stresses which the learning process itself entails, but also have to cope with the production and acquisition of new sounds and language patterns. The problem is intensified by the fact that modern language objectives stress the development of oral communication. A frequently mentioned hazard for the stutterer is speech pressure which can be caused by various elements of the foreign language lesson. Among the recommendations for the alleviation of the problem are the involvement of the stutterer in the lesson, openness about the problem, good listening habits on the part of the teacher and the other students, the use of techniques like choral speaking, dramatization, and singing, and the development of a pleasant, non‐threatening atmosphere. The question of whether learning a foreign language can ameliorate stuttering because it is a new form of communication which is not encumbered by old associations deserves further investigation.
I Fail, You Fail, Who Fails?
Authors: McClary Paul Patrick
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The article describes a positive reinforcement method in a foreign language course, with special emphasis on the relationship of evaluation to the entire learning process. The article presents a brief analysis of the overall learning process and focuses on the teaching of attitudes and values. The teacher's role in the formation of student attitudes is given primary consideration. The exact nature of the evaluation method is described, and the secondary advantages are discussed. The article concludes with some suggestions and cautions for teachers interested in implementing the ideas.
A Need to Discover How Students Have Been Taught Foreign Languages
Authors: Alsop Thomas W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The following article identifies a variety of possible language methodologies and examines the effects these have on the learners. A sample questionnaire is included, whose purpose is to discover how students have previously been instructed in foreign language. If foreign language educators use the questionnaire, students and teachers can most likely expect an improved transition period between the junior high, high school, and college levels of language study.
Purposeful Communication Practice: Developing Functional Proficiency in a Foreign Language
Authors: Guntermann Gail
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT In spite of recent efforts by foreign language educators to design activities which develop com municative competence, and by sociolinguists to identify the component elements of communication events, the foreign language teaching profession remains in need of a functional definition of communication on which to base performance objectives, and a system for designing and selecting appropriate learning activities. This article presents an approach to providing students with communication practice by relating course material to the common purposes of language use, and outlines a system for classifying communication activities in order to insure realistic, varied practice. Examples are given in Spanish.
Components for a Preschool Foreign Language Program
Authors: Szymanski Jeannette R.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Factors contributing to the development of successful early childhood foreign language programs are considered within a specific context. Included are discussions of grouping strategies based on size and flexibility, and examination of curriculum design based on learned native language patterns, hierarchies of language learning experiences, variety of instructional activities, affective learning processes, adaptation of commercial and other prepared foreign language materials, and repetition of foreign language patterns within varied personalized environments. Sample learning experiences illustrate implementation of the various components and indicate a rationale for observed outcomes.
The Project in the Foreign Language Classroom
Authors: Bornscheuer Joan
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Second‐year university students were presented with the idea of doing a project early in the semester and chose topics based on their own interests. After a month, a two‐part program was scheduled in place of the regular classes; projects on similar subjects were grouped and presented to the class as a whole. This article describes some projects in detail, also some variations on the “one student, one project” idea which were introduced as a result of student participation in the planning process. The students' reactions are shown through their responses to the Teacher/Course Evaluation questionnaire, administered at the end of the semester.
Foreign Language: Maligned Essential
Authors: Gurney David
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT A perennial question about the necessity of foreign languages is brought into focus again due to efforts in support of bilingual/bicultural education. What is the place of foreign languages in public education? Are we ready for cultural pluralism? Accepting cultural pluralism will imply restructuring of practices and philosophies of curriculum, instruction, and administration. Foreign language teachers are challenged to exert leadership in such fundamental changes in education. In this article potential changes are examined against a background of pluralism in American educational history in comparison to the relative prestige of foreign language learning in the curriculum. Generally maligned during various periods of U.S. educational history, foreign languages suffer today from competition brought about by limited finances, early release programs and a plethora of electives. Language teachers are urged to be leaders in seeking more involvement of foreign languages in the total educational experience of youth. Finally, foreign language is described as essential in terms of human choices, of survival, and human tolerance toward people who differ from one another.
Rate‐Controlled Speech in Foreign Language Education
Authors: Flaherty Etienne
Published: January 2009

This publication is the sixty‐first in the CAL·ERIC/CLL Series on Languages and Linguistics. The material in this publication was prepared pursuant to a contract with the National Institute of Education, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Contractors undertaking such projects under Government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their judgment in professional and technical matters. Prior to publication, the manuscript was submitted to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages for critical review and determaintion of professional competence. This publication has met such standards. Points of view or opinions, however, do not necessarily represent the official view or opinions of either the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages or the National Institute of Education.
Planning and Implementing a Slide Show
Authors: Smith Nathaniel B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The basic language textbook, often needing supplementary linguistic and cultural work, can conveniently be expanded through slide shows suited to students' level of interest and ability in a given school. As an experiment in feasibility and methodology, a series of nine slide shows were planned and produced at the University of Georgia and integrated into the first four courses of elementary and intermediate French. Under supervision, graduate Teaching Assistants wrote scripts of fifteen to twenty minutes each, which were taped by native students and accompanied by slides depicting French life. Slides were generally copied from illustrations in books, through a free instructional photographic service. The programs were fully automated and were presented to students in the library and in class. Technical procedures and linguistic problems are discussed, and student reactions analyzed, with recommendations for the benefit of others wishing to engage in similar projects.
Filming French Gestures
Authors: Walz Joel Chandler
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Nonverbal communication can be an important addition to regular classroom subject matter. Since most gestures entail motion, film is the most effective medium for studying them. This article describes a short movie, based on a dialogue acted out by native French students, and introduces French gestures to American students. The film's dialogue is transcribed, and suggestions for classroom use are presented. With a bibliography describing other typical French gestures, teachers are encouraged to make their own films, Technical advice on photography is offered as well as suggestions for locations to be used in filming. For teachers who cannot go abroad, ideas are given for working in this country, particularly with other media: videotapes, color slides, and still photographs.
Students' Reactions to Computer Assisted Instruction in German*
Authors: Taylor Heimtraut F.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The Department of German at The Ohio State University is presently using two Computer Assisted Instruction programs as adjunct to the basic language courses, German 101 and 102. The programs are not intended to substitute for classrooom or laboratory work, nor for the teacher, but rather are supplementary devices which make effective use of the principles and practices of the tutorial method. The tutoring is accomplished by adapting all computer responses to the individual student's response. Students are asked to practice grammatical exercises. If they make a mistake, the program offers advice as to the nature of the error, and gives clues which will lead to the correct answer and help them to gain a better understanding of the problem.
Fads and Fashions in Foreign Language Teaching
Authors: Ney James W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Skinner, the psychological theorist behind the audiolingual methodologists, might be forgiven for thinking that he had discovered the key to all human and animal behavior, and Chomsky, the linguistic theorist behind the cognitive code‐learning methodologists, might be commended for pointing out that Skinner had not found such a key. In any case, the Chomskyan model for language must still provide some indication of how the irregularities of a language are learned apart from such key concepts as language learning as hypothesis testing and language behavior as rule‐governed behavior. It is suggested here that practice is just such a key.
The Psychology of Language and Contrastive Linguistics: The Research and the Debate
Authors: Oller John W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Explicit and implicit claims of various approaches to contrastive linguistics are considered. Naive CL and general CL are differentiated. It is argued, on the basis of considerable research, that the strong claims of naive CL are generally false where they can be tested and useless where they cannot be made explicit enough to be tested. Four gradients of the contrastive linguistics hypothesis are considered, ranging from the naive assertion that the errors of second language learners are nearly perfectly predictable on the basis of a comparison of the native and target language grammars, to the other extreme suggesting that none of the errors second language learners make can be predicted on the basis of a contrastive analysis. The research favors a moderate CLH which merely claims that interference from the native language is a significant though small factor in second language learning. It is argued that the emphasis of contrastive linguistics in particular and structuralism in general on the surface form of language was perhaps misplaced. Present studies of the deeper generative system (expectancy grammar, interlanguage, or conceptual dependency system) that is being internalized by the learner seem far more promising. It is little wonder, for this reason, that contrastive analysis has lost much of its former appeal. Nevertheless, it is claimed that we can profit greatly by seeing the seriousness of the errors committed in superficial analyses of language. The current trend of placing greater emphasis on the relationship of utterance to experience (that is, the renewal of interest in pragmatics) seems more promising theoretically and more vulnerable empirically. These two qualities augur well for future study.
Utilizing the Semantic Differential to Determine the Effects of a Cross‐Cultural Experience
Authors: Pizzini Edward L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a cross‐cultural experience on the development of student attitudes and to identify the instrument scales which reflect shift in the Semantic Differential. Sixteen participants were involved in this study utilizing a one group, pretest‐posttest design. The statistical treatment for the data was the Wilcoxon Matched‐Pairs Signed Ranks Test and the t‐tests for related samples. The treatment consisted of a five‐week field experience emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach to observing and studying Mexico.
Error Analysis: Implications for the Teaching of Foreign Languages
Authors: von Wittich Barbara
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The analysis of high frequencies of identical errors made on the Pimsleur German Writing Proficiency Test revealed common learner strategies and pointed to certain aspects of the target language which need more emphasis and, perhaps, better implementation. The errors were analyzed with regard to item difficulty, the amount of previous instruction in the target language, and general competence as reflected by total raw score. An analysis of the distribution of the morphological, lexical, and syntactical deviations from the norm was made for each test item with regard to error frequency and variance. The deviations from the norm revealed as main sources of error: negative transfer from the native tongue, overgeneralization of rules concerning the target language, and cue‐copying. The analysis of error approximation to the norm led to the conclusion that the “degree” of error may be indicative of the learner's stage on the interlanguage continuum. The research was based on the analysis of 8729 errors made by 308 Iowa State University students testing out of first year German.
Games and Language Activities in the Italian High School Classroom
Authors: Mollica Anthony
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The author suggests that available Italian textbooks can be improved through the imaginative intervention on the part of the teacher. Games which will recall and / or expand the vocabulary of a given lesson and activities which will promote and encourage language interaction should constitute an integral part of the basic program. To help students recall and expand basic vocabulary, the teacher should make use of word puzzles, mazes, and word‐search puzzles. To encourage interaction, there are mathematical and detective puzzles, legal cases, dialogues, as well as picturesque speech. A unit on Italian geography shows how different types of games will help the student to become better acquainted with Italy. Although the article is based on Basic Italian by Speroni and Golino, the exercises can be adapted to any other Italian text, and the ideas to any other language.
Evaluating Spontaneous Communication Through Systematic Error Analysis*
Authors: Hendrickson James M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT When students use a foreign language in spontaneous communication, they produce varying frequencies of different error types. This article presents a method for classifying, coding, and recording oral and written errors systematically for the purpose of (a) evaluating the quantity and quality of information in samples of students' communication, (b) diagnosing specific needs of individual language learners, (c) developing individualized instructional materials, and (d) deciding which student errors to correct first. The author also discusses several suggestions for using the method for second language acquisition research.
Toward Rules for Rules in Foreign Language Textbooks
Authors: Peacock Dennis E.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Continuing dissatisfaction with many of the grammar rules in foreign language textbooks suggests a lack of fundamental standards of rule design. The present paper addresses itself to this need, offering for discussion a preliminary set of general principles for judging the pedagogical utility of proposed grammar rules. The eventual goal is the inclusion in our teaching materials of only those rules which are linguistically accurate, pedagogically sound, and relevant to specified instructional objectives.
Teaching Foreign Languages by Means of Subtitled Visuals
Authors: Berwald Jean‐Pierre
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Subtitles have been used for many years in television and film productions for the purpose of identification and clarification. The contention of this article is that teacher‐made captions to accompany slide and film presentations in the foreign language can be extremely useful in helping students to understand an accompanying taped narrative or film soundtrack. White letter titles are projected in slide form and superimposed over visuals projected from another source. They can be omitted when they are no longer needed. The tape, pictures, and captions can be presented individually to introduce material and, at a later time, all together for reinforcement. This article describes possible uses of titles as well as instructions for their preparation.
Articulation—A Dialogue for the Future
Authors: Webb John
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT This article describes a survey of secondary/postsecondary foreign language articulation in New York State conducted by the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers. The findings of the study clearly indicate a lack of regular communication between secondary schools and colleges, and show that the responsibility for such communication lies, haphazardly, in the hands of former students, student teachers, guidance counselors, and personal friends. A rationale for creating an organized program of articulation is presented pointing to the effects that it could have on increasing student enrollment, encouraging students to continue language study, expanding the role of foreign languages in the educational careers of all students in all discipline areas, and enhancing the mutual cooperation of language educators at all levels. The author recommends that teachers begin in earnest to talk with each other, sharing concerns, ideas, and information, and proposes a series of topics that should be dealt with if such communication is to yield successful results.
A Foreign Study Travel Program for the Urban University
Authors: Martin Laura , Stoll Anita
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT This program, designed especially for the urban university student, provides a unique combination of academic and practical preparation for an independent or group travel experience. Through an intensive classroom program which focuses on the destination as a cultural whole, the student learns both language and culture as he or she plans a visit in detail. In the program used as an example here, Mexico is the destination. Components of the course include literature and history as well as information directly related to the travel planning. The trip itself is organized around various projects or checklists and is carried out with a minimum of instructor supervision. The description includes details of course organization, trip planning, evaluation methods, and suggestions for adaptation to special situations.
Teaching Metrics in the Foreign Language Class*
Authors: Franzblau Daniel
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The metric system, a product of French genius during the Revolution, spread throughout the world as a mode of quantitative communication, but today is conspicuously absent in U.S. foreign language preparation programs and rarely observed in U.S. foreign language classrooms. It is the purpose of this article to suggest metric activities which foreign language professionals might incorporate into teacher preparation programs at the higher education level and into learning experiences for all foreign language students in public schools. Five activity stations help students estimate and then verify, through the use of metric instruments, the measurement of length, volume, weight, area, and temperature. At each station, appropriate metric vocabulary in the target language enhances the activity. A pretest/posttest in English helps language students and their teachers in public schools gather evidence of progress toward the attainment of metric goals and objectives. Teacher candidates and inservice teachers can also take a pretest/posttest in French, Spanish, or German for the same purpose.
Can Suggestopaedia Revolutionize Language Teaching?*
Authors: Racle Gabriel L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Suggestopaedia is the application of the principles of suggestology (the science of suggestion) to teaching. It was through practicing psychotherapy for fifteen to twenty years that Georgi Lozanov became interested in teaching. He came to the conclusion that suggestive factors help achieve good results in psychotherapy and that similar suggestive factors also influence pedagogy. One of the best examples of the pedagogical application of suggestopaedia is found in the field of language teaching. The article briefly describes the main principles of the system as well as their practical application.
Meeting Individual Needs in the College Composition and Conversation Class
Authors: Normand Guessler
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The traditional college composition and conversation course is usually organized according to the following assumptions: (1) Students have developed some proficiency in the foreign language skills; (2) They are familiar with the basic grammar of the language; and (3) They should therefore be able to speak and write with relative ease on everyday topics. Such assumptions, while understandable, are generally not valid because students who enroll in such a course come from varied backgrounds; some have greater facility in listening comprehension and speaking, while others are more grammar‐oriented and are better able to read and write. Occasionally some have rather serious language deficiencies in all skills. Such diversity in background, as well as in levels of competency, has resulted in problems that are not easily remedied in a lock‐step method of instruction. This article discusses strategies designed to cope with some of the problems encountered at the college level, but which can be applied equally well in high school.
Bridging the Gap Between Pattern Drills and Communication Exercises
Authors: Evans Use Klemperer
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The addition of communication practice to already crowded lesson plans carries the risk of undermining formal instruction and needs to be reexamined with specific pedagogical objectives in mind. This paper discusses the motivation behind the gradual shift in emphasis from drill to communication practice and concludes that the students' awareness of their learning process plays a significant role in bridging this gap. Specific examples of communication exercises demonstrate a method for promoting a natural exchange of information that encourages students to take responsibility for improving their communicative skills.
An Analysis of Surface Culture and Its Manner of Presentation in First‐Year College French Textbooks from 1972 to 1978
Authors: Levno Arley W. , Pfister Guenter G.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The authors developed an evaluation design to determine the French surface culture content and its manner of presentation in the first‐year college French textbook. This instrument was then applied to the first‐year college French textbooks published between 1972 and 1978. The surface culture part of the design was developed from the ten cultural categories of Edward T. Hall's Map of Culture, the institutional categories of Nostrand's Emergent Model, and Pfister and Borzilleri's five general surface culture categories. The second part, the pedagogical design, was adapted from Pfister and Borzilleri. Of the twenty‐one textbooks evaluated, only two were considered adequate in French surface culture content and in manner of presentation of surface culture. The implication is that first‐year college French students are not fully learning the language they are studying since they are lacking the cultural values and meanings by which the language is defined.
Computer‐Assisted Instruction in Latin
Authors: Scanlan Richard T.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article examines in detail three Latin courses which have been in operation for several years on the PLATO IV computer‐assisted instruction system: “Beginning Latin,” “Latin Composition,” and “Vergil's Aeneid.” These programs are supplemental to classroom work and have proved very effective in individualizing instruction. The lessons primarily provide drill and practice along with diagnostic information on current progress. Class time thus released can be given to more complex activities. Complete records can be kept and easily accessed so that instructors can evaluate individual and group strengths and weaknesses. Use of CAT lessons does not necessitate a knowledge of computer programming; one can use materials already developed in the same manner as one uses a textbook. In all, the computer appears to be a most useful tool for the FL instructor, and mass production would appear to make it economically viable as well.
The Relationship Between Personalized Classroom Talk and Teacher Effectiveness Ratings: Some Research Results
Authors: Omaggio Alice C.
Published: January 2009

Abstract  This article presents and discusses an observational system that discriminates between personal and impersonal (or neutral) verbal behavior of teachers and students in the foreign language classroom, ascertains the usability of the instrument for the collection of data on the nature of such interactions, determines the extent to which two groups of teachers at two large state universities are personalizing their classroom environment, and reports on preliminary findings on the relationship of these in‐class behavior variables and the perceptions of teacher effectiveness by both supervisors and students. Results obtained in the two studies indicate that teacher effectiveness ratings obtained from supervisors and students are significantly correlated with the degree to which verbal interactions in the language classroom are personalized.
Integrating Total Physical Response Strategy in a Level I Spanish Class
Authors: Wolfe David E. , Jones Gwendolyn
Published: January 2009

Abstract  The Total Physical Response (TPR) strategy for teaching languages has been researched for more than twenty years, yet, in spite of significant research differences, TPR has not received widespread acceptance in the language teaching profession. Furthermore, there is a paucity of studies conducted on the secondary school level. This study reports on an experiment conducted in a secondary school level I Spanish class for a period of thirteen weeks. The experimental group was taught by the TPR strategy for twenty minutes a day while the control group was taught in the usual manner. Results showed significant statistical and educational differences on the unit tests provided by the publisher. Experimental subjects also expressed greater satisfaction with their Spanish course and their Spanish teacher. The authors conclude that it is feasible to leach a beginning class using a combination of implicit (TPR) and explicit (audiolingual/cognitive‐code) methodologies. Suggestions for future research using a combination of implicit and explicit strategies are also made.
Oral Testing for First‐Year Language Classes
Authors: Frink Helen H.
Published: January 2009

Abstract  The acquisition of speaking skills has recently received increased attention among foreign language teachers. Yet the testing of speaking skills remains a time‐consuming task and rarely takes place at the elementary level. While numerous publications describe testing for intermediate and advanced language students, others in the profession are considering the adaptation of the Foreign Service Institute Interview for beginning students. The author outlines a format and scoring system for interviewing students during the first and second semesters of language study.
The International Bilingual City: How A University Meets the Challenge
Authors: Armengol Armando , Manley Joan H. , Teschner Richard V.
Published: January 2009

Abstract  Can language departments in schools on the U.S.‐Mexico border take advantage of bilingual situations, expanding their programs through a creative serving of diverse publics, or must they be constrained by cross‐ethnic taboos and restrictive local “rules of speaking”? These and kindred questions are addressed in this essay, which, following a sociolinguistic description of the El Paso‐Ciudad Juarez metropolitan area, relates how placement tests, multiple tracking, trans‐institutional program articulation, and an honest appraisal of weaknesses as well as strengths have contributed to improvement. Various topics discussed include the role of women in ethnic language maintenance, some intra‐ethnically segregative consequences of language‐dominance‐based tracking in the elementary school, the pitfalls and the benefits of establishing a mandatory placement system, and the price that is paid for failing to finely articulate FLES at the district level.
Presentation of Procedures for Development of a Second Language Achievement Test
Authors: Ravid Ruth
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The study describes the development and evaluation of a test designed to measure the level of achievement of Hebrew as a second language. It suggests procedures for developing a similar second language achievement test. The subjects were nine‐ and ten‐year‐old, second‐year students in after‐school Hebrew schools in the Chicago area. The Hebrew Language Achievement Test (HLAT) was developed in two stages: (1) the pilot study, which generated and tested items measuring reading comprehension and knowledge of vocabulary and language structure; and (2) the cross‐validation study, in which the revised test was cross‐validated on a new sample.
Suggested Guidelines for Pricing Your Foreign Language Services
Authors: Hartman Donald Dewayne
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  If you are translating from your native language into a second language, the importance of being sure that you do not take on a task beyond your linguistic reach cannot be overemphasized. Do not assume that because you are working with your dictionary, the danger of serious error is removed. Mistakes in translations of comments and advertisements, some of which have found their way on to billboards all over the world, are legendary in the profession and need not be repeated to make the point. Cultural nuances are the most difficult facets of any language to master, and a slight variation in tone or color of wording can bring disaster. Be careful!
Understanding the Total Meaning
Authors: Crawford Ruth E.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Understanding the overall meaning of a passage is a task distinct from the identification of the individual composite words. The purpose of this article is to suggest classroom techniques that strengthen reader strategies for discourse comprehension. Reading is conceived as a complex skill involving a number of general skills. Comprehension is viewed as taking place at a number of levels. Because of the unfamiliar linguistic forms and structures inevitably encountered in second language reading, the student is encouraged to exercise flexibility in approaching a text. The usefulness of drawing upon a knowledge of world events is highlighted through classroom practice.
Commercial, Legal, and Medical Spanish
Authors: Cannon Emilie Teresa
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Many foreign language departments have revised their offerings to include options to literature courses. This article presents a non‐literary language course at the advanced level. The one‐quarter course was successful because it was practical and useful to the students. It was suggested that the course be expanded to several quarters or that a separate course be given on each topic. The basic idea—to teach content courses in the foreign language being studied—can be adapted to high school classes.
Developing a Summer Intensive Course at a Commuter Campus
Authors: Eller Kenneth G.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  In an attempt to rebuild our severely reduced summer program, our Spanish faculty has created an intensive course, tailored especially to meet the needs of urban university students. The course has proven to be highly successful. Our summer enrollments have more than doubled and the students' accomplishments have been equal to or, in many cases, superior to those achieved by students in the normal two‐year sequence of courses. The article discusses specifically how this course evolved, what materials were used, and how the course, which satisfies the two‐year language requirement, differs from the regular courses. The advantages and disadvantages of the course are focused upon from the students' point of view as well as that of the teachers.
Building High School Foreign Language Programs: The Illinois State University Outreach Project
Authors: Pontillo James J.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  In order to strengthen foreign language instruction on all levels it is imperative that colleges and universities amplify their activities in order to help area elementary and secondary school foreign language teachers in their work. The direction that such outreach activities should take must be planned in cooperation with the teachers themselves, who, in the final analysis, are the best judges of what they need.

Central Illinois contains a number of small, mainly rural, and fairly isolated, school districts. Even in the cities, the number of foreign language teachers is small, and contact with foreign culture relatively low in comparison with other areas of the country and even with the more densely populated metropolitan areas of the state. In 1981, the Department of Foreign Languages of Illinois State University, desiring to help raise the level of foreign language instruction in the region and to offer support and assistance to area foreign language teachers, instituted a six‐point outreach program.

While some of the elements of this program are tailored to the regional situation, the method by which it was developed and the individual elements thereof may serve as a model for other institutions interested in instituting similar local programs.
Word Identification Strategies in Reading a Foreign Language
Authors: Walker Laura J.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The objectives of this research were to determine which strategies a reader of a foreign language uses to identify unknown words in context and if there is a hierarchy of application. Existing hypotheses concerning word identification strategies (graphic, syntactic, and semantic) are examined. In addition, recommendations are included concerning acquisition of skills which will allow the foreign language student to process unknown vocabulary independently.

Using the introspective technique, the interviewer elicited responses from the subject as he read from a script in which ten words had been deleted according to the cloze method and replaced with non‐words. The subject's oral responses during his attempt to assign meaning provided clues to the strategies being used. This investigation revealed that one hundred Spanish‐speaking (ESOL) university subjects, 17–24 years old, used at least ten word identification strategies while reading English in context: dictionary, guessing, graphemics, ignoring, intuition, morphemics, pronouncing, regressing, skipping, and syntax. Seven of the observed behaviors were statistically significant, and the order of application for the first three (pronouncing, skipping, and regressing) appears predictable.
Attitudes of Elementary School Principals Toward Foreign Language Instruction
Authors: Baranick William A. , Markham Paul L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The goal of this study was to examine the attitudes of elementary school principals toward foreign language programs at the elementary school level. The investigation focused on three topics: 1) examining the attitude of elementary principals concerning the addition of a foreign language program to the present curriculum, 2) studying differences in principals' attitudes toward foreign language programs based on school factors such as the socioeconomic status of the community, student achievement level, school locale, and the education level of the parents, and 3) comparing principals' attitudes about a foreign language program with their background and training in foreign languages.

The results revealed that more than half of the principals believed that the elementary curriculum should contain a foreign language program; however, many principals indicated that implementing a foreign language program was not high on their priority list. The majority of the respondents maintained that foreign language instruction should be required at some time during a student's school experience. The data also suggested that whenever parents, teachers, students, and other administrators increase their interest in foreign languages, the attitude of principals becomes more positive.
Televised Japanese Language Program: The First Year
Authors: Kataoka Hiroko C.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The Televised Japanese Language Program (TJaLP) is a system for providing Japanese long distance instruction by recycling videotapes of live classes. This system, supplemented by local coordinators and native‐speaker tutors, has been in operation since the fall semester of 1984, and has been quite successful in terms of students' performance and program evaluation. At institutions where employment of a full‐time instructor is not feasible, this system may prove to be the most effective and economical means of offering instruction in critical foreign languages.
Perceptions of French Slang: l'autre face de la médaille
Authors: Ensz Kathleen Y.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article reports on a second study of reactions of native French persons to use of French slang. In the first study (Foreign Language Annals, December 1985), French interviewees listened to thirty selected French slang expressions spoken by young Americans. In the present study, the French listeners heard the same expressions used by French youths. A comparison of reactions to French versus American usage of French slang was therefore possible. The same interviewing procedure was used in both studies. French listeners residing in different areas of France rated the thirty tape‐recorded slang expressions ranging in nonstandard usage from “very familiar” to “rather vulgar.” The possible reactions, très mauvais goût (very bad taste), un peu incorrect (socially inappropriate) or langage normal (acceptable speech), were scored one, two and three, respectively, and mean scores were calculated for each expression. Reactions were evaluated according to the sex, profession, age and residence of the listeners as well as to the sample as a whole. As in the previous study, findings reveal a generally critical attitude toward slang usage. Several sample subgroups found the Americans' use of French slang less acceptable, and there were notably lower tolerance ratings for various expressions when used by the Americans. Results of this study reinforce those of the first and suggest the need for discrimination, especially in terms of the quality of the expression, when considering the inclusion of slang in French‐language classrooms and in the curriculum.
Testing the Productive Skills: A Creative Focus for Hybrid Achievement Tests
Authors: Terry Robert M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The testing of the mechanics of a second language is essentially an activity most appropriate to brief quizzes. The evaluation of mastery at the various stages of language acquisition is more appropriately carried out through the use of creative testing on hybrid achievement tests, which retain certain features of achievement tests and which incorporate proficiency‐based tasks that require authentic communicative language use. Such tests call for the relatively autonomous use of language by the student, the quality of which will be restricted only by the level of study and the language repertoire of the student.

Although lip service is paid to proficiency‐focused instruction, many tests still reflect a sole preoccupation with grammatical accuracy. This paper suggests the incorporation of testing practices that allow students to demonstrate their true abilities in the second language, and the movement away from discrete‐point test items and purely objective evaluation toward holistic, analytical, or primary‐trait scoring procedures, which give credit for creative language use.

Creative testing on paper‐and‐pencil tests is a viable alternative. Such testing allows for student creativity in carrying out truly communicative tasks, yet it provides an effective measure of student learning and performance.
Multidimensionality of Foreign Language Reading Proficiency: Preliminary Considerations in Assessment
Authors: Kaya‐Carton Esin , Carton Aaron S.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: This paper reports the first phases of an ACTFL project to develop a computerized adaptive test of reading proficiency. The authors focus on the construct validity of foreign language proficiency as a preliminary step in test development. The theoretical multidimensionality of the construct is clarified, and its implications for test development, item calibration, and validation procedures are discussed. Strategies are specified for selecting text samples, and developing test items which take into account the multitude of text‐ related dimensions that contribute to variability in proficiency.
An Analysis of State Adopted Foreign Language Textbooks Used in First‐ and Third‐Year High School Spanish Classes
Authors: Macian Janice L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: At all stages and levels of foreign language instruction, teachers and students rely heavily on the core textbook. Research, however, has neglected the systematic evaluation and description of these texts. Using the Annehurst Curriculum Classification System as a tool for classifying, describing, and analyzing first‐ and third‐year high school Spanish textbooks, this study provides information about the curriculum characteristics of these textbooks and determines what differences exist among the texts evaluated. The characteristics or dimensions are: experience, intelligence, motivation, emotion/personality, creativity, sociability, verbal expression, and auditory, visual, and motor perception. Results of this study indicate that these textbooks are consistently “deficient” on nearly all of the dimensions examined. Similarity of characteristics among first‐ and third‐year Spanish textbooks suggests that the broad spectrum of cognitive and affective needs inherent in learners is not being met.
Prioritizing Selected Modern Language Teaching Skills
Authors: Hahn Sidney
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: Modern language classroom goals and processes are enjoying new attention and increased scrutiny as a result of recent political and professional factors including: (1) the recommendations of the President's Commission report in 1979, (2) various national studies and local follow‐up assessments of the effectiveness of secondary schools and educational programs, and (3) the recent development of ACTFL provisional guidelines and the training of examiners in the use of the oral proficiency interview. This article describes a research study of existing priorities of teachers as a step in analyzing their compatibility with changing directions in modern language education, especially in relation to the emerging focus on proficiency.
A Strategy for Long Term Role‐Play in the Second Language Classroom
Authors: Long Sheri Spaine
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: This paper describes an eight‐week model role‐play project applicable to adult‐, college‐, and secondary‐level second‐language classes, in which students create and adopt an assumed identity. The result of this strategy is greater variety in the students' acquired vocabulary, improved written work, enriched cultural knowledge, and a far‐from‐routine classroom atmosphere
Personality: Its Impact on Attitudes Toward Classroom Activities1
Authors: Ely Christopher M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This study investigated the degree to which students' personality characteristics influence their attitudes toward various learning activities in the language classroom. The research study was conducted with a group of 125 students of Spanish at the university level. The hypotheses of the study were that: 1) Language Class Risktaking positively affects attitudes toward activities involving relatively free language use; 2) Language Class Sociability positively affects attitudes toward activities involving the sharing of ideas or “performing;” and 3) Language Class Risktaking and Language Class Sociability negatively affect attitudes toward highly‐structured grammar practice. Multiple regression analysis provided partial confirmation of the hypotheses. The findings suggest the importance of taking personality into consideration in language instruction.
Foreign Languages in Elementary and Secondary Schools: Results of a National Survey
Authors: Rhodes Nancy C. , Oxford Rebecca L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR), through funding from the U.S. Department of Education, sought to address the issue of the status of foreign language instruction by conducting a national survey of elementary and secondary schools. This article presents the results of questionnaires completed by principals and foreign language teachers at 1,416 elementary schools and 1,349 secondary schools. The respondents represented public and private schools, ranging from nursery school through grade 12, throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The main purpose of the survey was to provide a national picture of foreign language education at the elementary and secondary levels in terms of specific categories, such as public and private schools. The survey questions covered six main areas: background demographics, amount of foreign language instruction, foreign language offerings, foreign language curriculum, teacher qualifications and training, and major problems. The results revealed that more than one‐fifth (22 percent) of the responding elementary schools and 87 percent of the responding secondary schools taught foreign languages in the 1986–87 school year.