bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teachers' Views of Immersion‐Type Bilingual Programs: A Quebec Example
Authors: Campbell Russell N. , Taylor Donald M. , Tucker G. Richard
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The writers have examined the opinions of English‐speaking and French‐speaking teachers about the traditional program of English language instruction with French as a second language and an innovative program involving French immersion. Both French and English teachers agree that the traditional program provides English children with a firm base in English—but not in French—language arts and in content subjects, and with a sensitivity to their own—but not to the other group's—cultural heritage. The French‐speaking teachers generally view the immersion programs favorably; but the English‐speaking teachers view them unfavorably. Some implications of these findings are presented here.
Innovative Involvement with Foreign Languages
Authors: Listerman Randall W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Filmmaking can be an innovative means of involving a class of language students to utilize or to discover their talents within the framework and mission of learning a foreign language. This article discusses how filmmaking creatively involved the talents of students of two German classes. Motion picture production, as an energetic impetus toward creating and capturing varied student interest, is considered. Specifically, the article recommends basic approaches and film techniques to help future teacher‐directors produce films for their own foreign language classes.
The Culture Cluster
Authors: Meade Betsy , Morain Genelle
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The culture cluster is a series of culture capsules each of which introduces a different aspect of a central theme. Presented as brief lessons, they lead to a summarizing activity which takes the form of a dramatic simulation. In this manner, the cluster not only provides factual information but also gives the student the opportunity to become personally involved through dramatic participation in a cultural situation. Illustrating the technique is a culture cluster on a French country wedding. To be operational in the French classroom, the script need only be supplemented with visuals and realia. The technique can be adopted by teachers of other languages to structure the presentation of cultural information.
Contracts versus the Commitment Process
Authors: Bockman John F. , Bockman Valerie M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Securing commitment to learning is a continuing problem for teachers. In lieu of some as yet poorly understood system of internal goading, contracting is a device to which teachers are tempted to turn in securing student commitment to individualized instruction. Teachers should recognize, however, that contracting, far from being an innovation, is a technique from the past of doubtful validity. The Dalton Plan of the 1920's appeared to utilize the contract successfully until equating learning with manual labor ultimately proved fallacious. Without the contract plan, the recent curriculum reform movement, equating learning with intellectual labor, again seems to have proved fallacious. The contemporary revival of the contract plan has stressed reform of the teacher role, either by demonstrating a potential link with technology to form an instructional system, or by aiding the student to achieve a transition to self‐direction. Inevitably, contracting in itself constitutes an extrinsic factor contributing little to human growth and development. However, the process of contracting, here termed the commitment process, is an intrinsic factor of great potential. The commitment process may have the effect of helping solve several contemporary educational problems, not the least of which are the personalization and humanization of instruction. Today's students are less in need of contracts than problem‐solving mechanisms. The commitment process, which may never terminate in a contract, appears to be just such a mechanism.
Students, Teachers, and the Future*
Authors: Rivers Wilga M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Our best preparation for the future of foreign language teaching is to recognize the directions of change in our present situation. The author examines changing relations and changing directions, the present state of the field from the point of view of the classroom teacher, the future demands on the classroom teacher in view of these changing relations and directions, the steps that can be taken to ensure development of a flexible and future‐oriented profession, and steps the profession can take to influence de cision makers. The seed‐ of the future of foreign language teaching are seen to lie in the hands of the present teachers and those they train.
Linguists and Foreign Language Teachers
Authors: Stein Jack M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Since foreign language teachers are neither structural nor transformational linguists, the current controversy between the two linguistic schools has caused uncertainty about the validity of audiolingual techniques. Addressing itself to the foreign language teacher and his dilemma, the article briefly examines the two theories, their affinities, and their associations with more general theories of knowledge, particularly with learning psychology. It draws the implications of each position for the teaching of foreign languages and ends with the suggestion that we continue using structurally‐based audio‐lingual techniques, but enrich them with experimental infusions from the transformationalist position. While remaining alert for possible new developments in language teaching techniques, the teacher can then safely leave the infighting to the professional linguists.
Multiple‐Tracks for Individualized Foreign Language Instruction: The Purdue Plan
Authors: Wipf Joseph A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The topic of individualized instructions is equally as popular in the 1970's as was audiolingualism in the 1960's. One decided difference, however, is that a much more flexible and less prescriptive atmosphere prevails in this than in the last; hence, we are likely to see many variations of individualized instruction, such the one described here. The thesis of this paper is that many students are not prepared to cope with the flexibility a totally self‐pacing individualized instruction program offers. A multiple‐track plan is described which does not restrict the learner who is able to proceed at an accelerated pace, and which simultaneously offers a considerable amount of flexibility to other students. Both short‐term and long‐term goals enhance systematic progress and prevent needless procrastination.
The Classroom Interaction of Outstanding Foreign Language Teachers
Authors: Moskowitz Gertrude
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The classroom interaction of ten foreign language teachers who were identified as outstanding in a survey of former students was studied and compared with a group of ‘typical’ foreign language teachers. The FLint system of interaction analysis and anecdotal records were used to collect data as the teachers taught four different lessons. The FLint system includes verbal and nonverbal behaviors, as well as whether specific behaviors are in the target or native language.

A number of differences was found between the two groups. Outstanding foreign language teachers and their students used the foreign language more than typical foreign language teachers and their students for almost every category of behavior. They also tended to use nonverbal behavior more than typical teachers. Outstanding teachers used a number of indirect behaviors, such as praising, joking, and personalizing questions, significantly more and direct behaviors, such as directing drills and criticizing student behaviors, significantly less than typical teachers.
A Canadian Experiment in Bilingual Education: The Peel Study
Authors: Barik Henri C. , Swain Merrill
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This paper presents the evaluation of a bilingual program for native English‐speakers in Brampton, Ontario, which involves the use of French as the medium of instruction for 70% of the curriculum in Grade 8 and 40% in Grade 9. Two successive cohorts are considered in relation to students in the regular English program. By the end of Grade 9, students in the bilingual program show a much higher level of French achievement than those in the regular program (twenty minutes of French per day) and do as well with respect to English skills and other academic areas. They also show a greater facility in study skills relating to the use of graphic materials. Both groups show the same degree of positive attitude toward French and French culture and people.
Two New Strategies for Computer‐Assiste Language Instruction (CAL)
Authors: Nelson G.E. , Ward Jean Renard , Desch Samuel H. , Kaplow Roy
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT CAI has yet to fulfill the promise it seemed to hold for language instruction. Its failure to do so is to a large extent the result of the failure of existing CALI programs to take full advantage of the interactive capabilities of the computer. At M.I.T. two new strategies have been developed in CALI to take advantage of these capabilities. In one of them, used to teach German reading, the student learns to translate German into English by asking the computer program questions about the structure and vocabulary of exercise sentences until he is able to translate them. In the other, used to teach German word order, the computer is programmed with rules for German word on which allow it to recognize all the correct oreings of exercise sentences and give the studyrules which allow him to correct erroneous derings. These strategies may be combined other techniques, and with each other, to exercises which function in much the same maner as a drill run by a teacher. Since the puter is still not able to deal with the language, such exercises are best used in junction with classroom work in the first or in a self‐paced grammar review in the sew year.
Regression in Adult Learning of a Second Language
Authors: Green Madeleine F.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The author proposes that both psychological and linguistic regression are integral to the process of learning a second language. Forty college students of second‐year French wrote compositions in English and French on “A Visit to the Doctor or Dentist.” The texts were analyzed for demonstrations of regressive phenomena. The French texts displayed a more primitive level of functioning, with the writers describing themselves as passive, needy, and narcissistic. Students rarely mobilized ego defenses against sexuality and aggression as they did in English, where they frequently used higher level defenses of intellectualization, rationalization, and humor. Students also displayed childish thought processes and modes of expression in French that did not derive solely from a limited knowledge of the language. Piaget̂s descriptions of children's thought–egocentrism, lack of direction, concrete thinking, and metonymic distortion–were found regularly in the French texts. Drawing on psychological and linguistic literature, the author suggests several theoretical explanations for all these regressive phenomena and points out their implications for language teachers.
Views of Secondary School Superintendents on Foreign Language Study: A Support‐Constraint Analysis
Authors: DeFelippis Dominick
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The writer conducted a support‐constraint analysis among secondary school superintendents in western Pennsylvania to determine: 1) general attitude toward foreign language study on the secondary and college levels; 2) forces operating within the secondary schools which deter foreign language study; and 3) perceived reasons for the study of a foreign language. The overall results of this study indicate that district superintendents do not place a high value on the study of foreign languages either in the secondary schools or in colleges. Such findings suggest that efforts should be directed toward a reeducation of secondary school superintendents on the merits of foreign language study.
Foreign Language Mini‐Courses: Still a Good Idea
Authors: Johnson Edward V.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Many high school students do not continue their foreign language study beyond the second year. A major cause of this is schedule conflicts. With a mini‐course system, such conflicts can be minimized: students are not locked into a full‐year commitment, courses are independent and flexible, and individualized learning programs can be readily organized. However, mini‐course systems initially require much work, make continuity difficult, and often demand materials that students have to buy. Among the sources which can help a teacher to set up a mini‐course system are materials on hand, materials catalogues, and students. The plan should involve the administration, a school‐wide public relations program, and continual evaluation. In one school the advanced class enrollment tripled within five years after establishing a mini‐course system.
Tuning In: Popular Culture in the Second Language Classroom
Authors: Loew Helene Z.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The importance of the popular or mass arts has grown in the past two decades to form a strong social force which has influenced many phases of our daily lives and helped to shape our values. While investigating another culture with our students in second language classes, it is logical to utilize the students' known world as a stimulus to gain insight into various social values often taken for granted. This awareness serves as a pivotal point for the study of another culture, an unknown world for our students. Media investigated include newspapers and magazines, television, and popular songs in the student's native language and in the target language. The appeal of the media is used to teach language skills as well as the culture component. Classroom strategies are included in this discussion.
Testing Oral Communicative Skills
Authors: Rosser Harry L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The language proficiency tests used for providing reliable feedback to both teacher and student are largely oriented toward establishing situations which require a rather mechanical and relatively passive phonological and morphological discrimination. The use of an interview to test the ability to communicate orally in the target language has been generally neglected. While there are inconsistencies and variables involved in such a testing procedure, it is possible to maximize the attention given to factors that lend themselves to more objective observation: fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension. Based on a scale that takes into account minimum and maximum levels of acceptability for dealing effectively in specific professional and social situations, the test allows for various ranges of oral proficiency. Effective ways of eliciting the variety of responses that is needed for arriving at a linguistic diagnosis are suggested. Sample questions are included in Spanish. By testing oral communicative skills in this fashion, it is possible to make an assessment that will aid in providing accurate and meaningful comments on language evaluation forms, in planning the direction a grammar course will take, and in stimulating the further development of an individual's language skills.
The Roles of the University Supervisor: Perceived Importance and Practical Implications
Authors: Nerenz Anne Grundstrom
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The literature on student teacher supervision has suggested five major supervisory roles, including the Teacher, Counselor, Curriculum Specialist, Coordinator, and Evaluator. In order to determine the relative importance of these roles, a survey was developed and administered to university supervisors, cooperating teachers, and student teachers. In this survey, respondents rated the relative importance of specific behaviors representative of each major role. Overall, the Teacher role was seen as the most important, followed by the Coordinator, Counselor, Curriculum Specialist, and Evaluator roles. However, the three groups of respondents differed somewhat in their perceptions of these supervisory positions, with the university supervisors viewing the Counselor role as the most important, followed by the Coordinator and then the Teacher roles. Implications of these results for supervisory practice are discussed.
An Intensive Approach to High School Foreign Language Learning
Authors: Wattenmaker Beverly
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article details a program of intensive foreign language learning at Kenston (Ohio) High School that starts with a 2 ½‐hour‐a‐day class and ends with a three‐week homestay on school time. The author shares an approach to using foreign language for communicating about matters that are relevant to the students. This approach, combined with a no‐grade, no‐fail system, allows the classes to develop a strong group feeling that has proved beneficial to both language learning and the success of the foreign homestays. A program for dealing with the disruptions created for other departments is also discussed. The real success of the program, according to the author, is how much the students learn about themselves as well as how successful they are in using the target language. While the trips provide important motivation, the author believes the intensive approach can be successful without them.
Acquisition of Reading Skills in Immersion Programs
Authors: Genesee Fred
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The article reviews research findings as they relate to the acquisition of reading skills (in the first and second language) by majority‐group school children participating in early immersion programs, i.e., programs where all or part of the course instruction in the primary grades is provided in a second language. Special consideration is given to the importance of language sequencing in initial reading instruction, first and second language reading proficiency, and transfer of skills from one language to the other. It is concluded that participation in a second language immersion program does not adversely affect reading acquisition in the first language, and, in fact, that early introduction of reading instruction in the first language does not yield any appreciable benefits to the student. Acquisition of reading skills in the second language is discussed, briefly, in terms of the type of reading skill and the student's academic ability.
Student‐Perceived Communication Needs: Infrastructure of the Functional/Notional Syllabus
Authors: Harlow Linda L. , Smith W. Flint , Garfinkel Alan
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Curricula which reflect a more pragmatic approach to language learning require a variation in traditonal syllabus design. This paper identifies a to compose a syllabus, based upon concrete data, is patterned after the functional/notional con. Results of a survey of communication needs among students enrolled in beginning French indicate siderable concordance of opinion with regard to which functions and notions of language hold the most probable intrinsic value for the language learner. The further suggests how information from the can be used in the construction of functional/no syllabi at various levels of instruction.
A Personalized Approach to the Teaching of Literature at the Elementary and Intermediate Levels of Instruction
Authors: Birckbichler Diane W. , Muyskens Judith A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The development of linguistic skills and literary appreciation are common goals in many language courses. The techniques used in these courses, however, often do not take into account the students' personal reactions, their linguistic limitations, and their lack of critical or analytical skill. The personalized approach presented in this article takes into account both the author's intentions and the students' interests and linguistic level. The levels of analysis presented are: (1) engagement or involvement—students express personal feelings about the literary work, its characters or events; (2) interpretations—students justify motives, find evidence to support generalizations, solve problems, and make predictions; and (3) evaluation—students judge the quality, worth, and significance of all or part of a literary work. Classroom activities of varying linguistic difficulty (e.g. ranking, agree/disagree statements, completion items, direct question, and roleplaying formats) provide ways for students to develop these analytic skills.
Preliminary Investigation of Factors Influencing the Revitalization of High School Foreign Language Programs
Authors: Potoker Elaine M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This paper reports the findings of a series of interviews of high school guidance counselors and foreign language teachers from 13 public school districts within the Northwestern Pennsylvania region. The study was conducted in order to show that although there may be indications of a renewed national interest toward revitalizing foreign language study, there are still many obstacles which cannot be solved by the good intentions of foreign language educators alone. The obstacles which surfaced during the interviews point out the need to reevaluate the present framework and general milieu in which high school foreign language programs exist on a local level. The article indicates that a teamwork approach of guidance counselors and administrators meeting in cooperation with teachers will be an essential ingredient in the reevaluation process.
Building Positive Attitudes by Using Cooperative Learning Groups
Authors: Gunderson Barbara , Johnson David
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article describes the teacher's role in using cooperative learning groups to teach junior high school introductory French classes. It also describes the results of an evaluation of how cooperative learning experiences affect (1) the students' attitudes toward French, (2) their relationships with peers and the teacher, and (3) the perceived impact of the cooperative learning experiences on their motivation to learn French, the personal benefits they received from the group experiences, and their attitudes toward learning in groups. Cooperative learning experiences promoted positive attitudes among students toward all of these aspects of learning French.
Replacing Teacher Talk with Gestures: Nonverbal Communication in the Foreign Language Classroom
Authors: Barnett Marva A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Studies on nonverbal communication in the classroom have generally focused on the elementary school and on teaching methods which may be employed in teaching any subject matter. Researchers have paid little attention to the unique situation in language classes. Yet foreign language teachers who consciously control their movements and stance enjoy a subtle but effective power. During pattern drills, they can increase noticeably the tempo of the class, while concurrently reducing teacher talk. Throughout a class period encompassing such varied activities as conversation and choral repetition, language teachers can use gestures to signal and instigate changes in the class atmosphere and thus further their instructional goals. Moreover, through nonverbal communication, they can effect personalization between class members and thus lessen the inhibitions which normally plague language students. For teachers who wish to analyze and improve their own use of gesture and nonverbal communication in the classroom, it is suggested that a videotape recording of the class provides useful and objective feedback.
Multiple‐Choice Modifications of the Cloze Procedure Using Word‐Length and Sentence‐Length Blanks*
Authors: Bensoussan Marsha
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This paper explains the construction and uses of three exercises in English as a Foreign Language reading comprehension at the advanced level. These techniques combine the techniques of the multiple‐choice and cloze formats. In word fill‐in exercises, the student chooses the best word or phrase, from among four possibilities given, to fill in the gap in the text. Sentence fill‐in exercises contain blank spaces, each representing an entire sentence. There is approximately one blank space per paragraph. The student chooses the best sentence, from among four possibilities given, to fill in the gap in the text. In the exercise rearranging the order of the sentences, each blank space represents a sentence. A list of sentences is given, separate from the text, containing more sentences than there are blank spaces. Among the sentences on this list are all those originally in the text, but they appear in a scrambled order. The student is required to choose the sentences that will fill in the blanks in the text from this list.
Rater Reliability of the Oral Interview Speaking Test
Authors: Shohamy Elana
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This paper reports results of a study which examined inter‐ and intra‐rater reliability of the Oral Interview test. Oral interviews were administered to one hundred six students of Hebrew at the University of Minnesota; the taped interviews were then graded independently by three trained raters. The results suggest that communicative tests such as the Oral Interview can be used reliably by decision‐makers in spite of their subjective nature.
The Importance and Implementation of a Business Foreign Language Overseas Internship Program
Authors: Paulsell Patricia R.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Business foreign language courses may very well be the fastest growing phenomenon in the language curriculum today, partly in response to internal pressures within the academic world itself, but also partly in response to external pressures upon the business world today. The United States is no longer isolated from the world market, and the survival of American business in the same arena with fierce world competitors like the Japanese is heavily dependent upon its ability to understand and adapt to foreign markets. Foreign markets are products of foreign cultures, as any number of American companies have learned, often after having suffered severe monetary losses as well as public relations blunders due to poor market strategies abroad. Increasingly, American firms are looking to specialists who can advise them against the risks involved in foreign investment and enlighten them as to the demands of doing business in foreign markets. Business/Foreign Language graduates can fill this very special need of the American business community, but the foreign language component of their backgrounds must be complemented by comparative/contrastive business practice studies between home and target cultures, as well as practical business internship experience in the target culture. The Michigan State University Business Overseas Internship Program in Germany is used as a model for the implementation of such a program.
Communicative Uses of the Computer: Ideas and Directions
Authors: Raschio Richard A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  While much concern has been expressed about the lack of a communicative focus in current computer software, few have responded with new conceptualizations of the computer's role in fostering communication. This paper presents a review of concepts which form a basis for a communicative approach to foreign language software design. Examples of communicative program formats are described that can be derived from or integrated with extended class activities. The role of the Local Area Networks (LAN) is examined for their contribution to the goals of individualized attention, personalized content and lesson pace, and curriculum articulation. Next, teachers' roles and obstacles to the implementation of this new focus are examined. Suggestions are offered for the gradual acquisition and integration of new technologies and software based on communicative concepts.
Computer‐Assisted Instruction—How, When and Why
Authors: Morgan Leslie Zarker
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article reports the result of three years of developing CAI in Italian for college first‐year courses and discusses the program's advantages and disadvantages.
Developing Public Support for Community Language Programs: A Working Model
Authors: de Lopez Mary , Montalvo‐Sisneros Maria A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  In 1983, the Albuquerque Language Teachers Association was formed as part of the Academic Alliances project under the auspices of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Rockefeller Foundation. An immediate objective for the association was defined: “To increase public awareness of, and support for, second language education.” A public relations strategy was carefully designed and executed to maximize the impact of the association's activity on the Albuquerque community. This strategy, along with supporting activities, is outlined below. ALTA members invite you to replicate and outdo their efforts.
Language Learning Strategies Used by Adolescents Studying French in New York Schools
Authors: Ramírez Arnulfo G.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT: Students studying French at Levels I, II, and III in a rural and urban school setting indicated on a questionnaire their use of learning strategies associated with classroom behaviors, individual study tactics, and social interactional behaviors. Successful learning behaviors related to communicative abilities, reading performance, and achievement on a standardized test were found to vary due to the nature of the task. Years of language study also influenced the use/need of different sets of strategies. Eight strategies contributed differentially to the overall success of these learners: (1) asking for clarification/verification, (2) using inferencing skills or deductive reasoning, (3) creating opportunities for practice, (4) memorizing, (5) using vocabulary learning techniques, (6) employing available linguistic knowledge and contextual cues, (7) being able to self‐monitor performance, and (8) practicing.
A Plan for Teaching Listening Comprehension: Adaptation of an Instructional Reading Model
Authors: Glisan Eileen W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Many studies in foreign language learning over the past several years have explored the processes involved in listening and reading as well as the benefits of receptive skill development. Empirical investigations continue to identify the positive effects of extensive practice in listening and reading early in language study. The purpose of this article is to present a strategy for teaching listening comprehension by adapting several aspects of an effective reading model. The paper explores the processes underlying listening and reading as well as pedagogical implications of current research in the receptive skills. Specific guidelines for integrating listening skills are presented.
Cultural Appreciation through Literature
Authors: Purcell John M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The decision concerning which cultural aspects in literature to discuss can best be made by determining the kind of cultural content it contains, and whether the culture depicted is authentic, aculture, burlesque of culture, or deformation of culture. Preparatory to teaching culture in literature, appropriate goals should be established and necessary background provided. A variety of activities may be utilized to focus on culture while reading the work. Finally, learning outcomes should be assessed in reference to the established goals.
A Team Approach To Proficiency Testing in African Languages
Authors: Dwyer David J. , Hiple David V.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This paper focuses on a major pressing problem in the field of African language teaching, that of developing common standards and procedures for language proficiency assessment, given Africa's more than 1500 distinct languages. The authors report the results of a workshop to examine the application of ACTFL proficiency testing to African languages, specifically to address the possibility of an alternative proficiency testing procedure for those languages for which certified testers may never be available. The potential and problems of a team assessment approach are discussed.
The Applicability of the Immersion Approach to College Foreign Language Instruction
Authors: Sternfeld Steven
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The immersion approach to second language teaching differs from conventional skills‐based instruction in that in immersion the target language is used primarily as a vehicle for teaching other subjects in the school curriculum. Extensive evaluation has shown that immersion students, when compared to students in traditional language courses, develop higher levels of language skills and more positive attitudes towards language study. While the results of the Canadian immersion program have already led to the creation of similar programs in over a dozen school districts in the United States, its impact on the design of college foreign language instruction has yet to be felt. This paper argues that the research on immersion and subject‐matter teaching indicates this approach to be both a feasible and desirable alternative to traditional skills‐based instruction for college foreign language programs.
Current Foreign Language In The Elementary School Programs in the State of Michigan
Authors: Heining‐Boynton Audrey L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Foreign language experiences in the elementary schools are making a comeback. Several states and numerous school districts are instituting extensive early second language experiences; others are investigating the option and are looking for information from programs currently in existence. This study describes basic characteristics of Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) programs in the state of Michigan. Goals and objectives were identified, and perceptions were recorded as to whether the indicated outcomes were being achieved. Also ascertained were the languages offered, learning materials and pedagogical techniques used, and time spent on foreign language instruction for various grade levels. Other topics covered in this paper are articulation with the junior high and high school, program strengths and weaknesses, perceived collegial and community support, and evaluation. The information gathered from this research is intended to be used for comparison with findings of earlier studies, to furnish information to schools interested in establishing FLES programs, and to provide a vehicle of self‐evaluation for programs already instituted.
A Four‐State Survey of Secondary Administrators' Perceptions of Foreign Language Supervision
Authors: Hammadou JoAnn , Schrier Leslie L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This study investigated the attitudes of secondary school administrators toward the supervision of foreign language teachers and gathered information about administrators' own foreign language backgrounds. The results indicate a limited knowledge of foreign languages among secondary teacher supervisors and widely varying opinions on the consequences of this limited understanding. The survey also identified the instructional strategies deemed most important and the areas of supervision considered most difficult by these administrators.
Training French Immersion Teachers for the Primary Grades: An Experimental Course at The University of Western Ontario
Authors: Majhanovich Suzanne E. , Fish Saundra B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The fact that French immersion programs in Canada have undergone such rapid expansion in the last few years attests to the enormous success and general approbation that the immersion phenomenon has enjoyed. In the rush to put the program in place, however, one necessary factor to ensure its continued success has been overlooked: the training of immersion teachers. In this paper, the authors outline a course designed to prepare primary immersion teachers, and discuss general implications for the training of teachers competent to meet the challenge of immersion programs.
Vive la Différence? Reflections on Sex Differences in Use of Language Learning Strategies
Authors: Oxford Rebecca , Nyikos Martha , Ehrman Madeline
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Sex has been omitted as a variable in most research on language learning strategies. This is a serious omission, given that sex is typically a significant predictor in other educational, psychological, and linguistic research. This article reports on the few studies which have explored sex differences in the use of language learning strategies. The authors of this article speculate why females appear to use afar wider range of language learning strategies than do males, and why social strategies — which contribute strongly to the development of communicative competence — seem to be more popular among women than men. Research implications of the few available findings on sex differences in strategy use are presented.
Attitudes of Students of French Toward Required Language Study1
Authors: Morello Joseph
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The goal of this study is to examine the attitude of students who were about to complete the final course of their language requirement in order to determine their perception of the total requirement experience. The investigation focused on three areas: 1) whether or not students considered the language requirement a worthwhile experience, 2) whether or not their attitude toward the language requirement had improved during the time they spent in required courses, and 3) their attitude toward foreign language study as a part of a university curriculum. The results revealed that students have a much more positive attitude toward required language study than is generally believed and that a critical factor in this determination is their perception of their own progress toward mastery of the language. The majority of students also reported that their attitude toward the language requirement had improved during the time they had spent in required courses. Finally, students expressed a surprisingly strong conviction that the study of a foreign language should be a required part of a university education.
Towards Cultural Proficiency in Arabic1
Authors: Al‐Batal Mahmoud
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The teaching of culture in the Arabic language curriculum has been sporadic, peripheral and overshadowed by a strong emphasis on developing grammatical competence in students. The literature of foreign language education, however, reveals a continuously growing interest in making culture an active component of the foreign language curriculum and provides ample techniques to help achieve this goal. The present paper addresses itself to the question of teaching culture in Arabic. Its purpose is to 1) examine the current status of teaching culture in the Arabic language curriculum, 2) discuss a number of objectives for the teaching of culture in Arabic, 3) examine means by which these cultural objectives can be fulfilled, and 4) discuss some of the particular difficulties involved in teaching culture in A rabic. This paper also includes a number of examples of the techniques that can be used to introduce culture teaching into the Arabic language classroom.
Using TV/Video As Primary Text in a Foreign Language Classroom At the University of Colorado, Denver
Authors: Manning Jeanne L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  TV/Video is usually used as ancillary material in the foreign language classroom. As part of the implementation of a Department of Education Title VI grant, a fourth‐semester French course was designed using “France‐TVMagazine,” a video‐taped news broadcast, which comes via satellite, as the major text of the course. This article discusses how the course was designed and how the grammar, reading materials and regular compositions were integrated to supplement and reinforce the primary text, TV.
Language With A Purpose: Using Authentic Materials in the Foreign Language Classroom
Authors: Rogers Carmen Villegas , Medley Frank W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  In order for students to learn to communicate effectively in a foreign language, they must experience the language as it is used for real communication by native speakers. Inclusion of authentic materials in the instructional process addresses this need. In this article the authors suggest criteria by which resources can be selected and activities developed. Examples of exercises based on video, audio, and print media materials in French and Spanish are provided, in addition to a selected bibliography on the topic.
Foreign Languages And International Studies In The Elementary School: A Program of Teacher Preparation
Authors: Glisan Eileen W. , Phillips June K.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  In response to a national emphasis on language proficiency and global awareness, many elementary schools are establishing language programs in which the foreign language is used to teach students content area material such as mathematics and science. There is currently a lack of training programs which prepare elementary teachers to utilize the language as a means for instruction in the content areas. This paper presents an innovative program which prepares teachers for work in immersion or partial immersion schools and describes the summer language experiences designed to develop their proficiency. The model can be used by other institutions interested in preparing elementary school foreign language teachers.
Factors That Influence High School Students' Decisions to Continue or Discontinue the Study of French and Spanish after Levels II, III, and IV
Authors: Speiller Judith
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Although the number of public secondary school students enrolled in foreign language courses increased by 5.8 percent between 1982 and 1985, student enrollment in French and Spanish classes continued to decline precipitously from Level I (first year) to Level V (fifth year). This study addressed the issue of student retention in and withdrawal from French and Spanish classes beyond the basic two‐year high school sequence. The degree of influence of 16 factors on the continue/discontinue decision was measured through a Likert‐scale questionnaire as well as through demographic data. Chi‐square testing, t tests, and comparison of ranks were utilized to determine the strongest and weakest influences for continuing and discontinuing students. Continuing students indicated practical, utilitarian reasons as prime motivators for continuing (enhancement of college applications and language usage). Discontinuing students withdrew because of other courses that they found more suitable and because of concerns about both the level of difficulty of the following course and concerns about their present progress.
The Renaissance of Foreign Language Teaching in Alabama: A Case Study
Authors: Millman Mary M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Federal funding under the Education for Economic Security Act led to the establishment in 1985 of a Foreign Language Consortium within the Alabama Commission on Higher Education — the body charged with coordinating all fifty‐seven public institutions of higher learning in the State (ACHE). Its charge was to develop and administer projects which would enhance foreign language teacher training. This article describes the nature of the Consortium, the many projects it has funded, and the resulting enhancement of foreign language education in Alabama.
Commercial Spanish: Instructional Techniques
Authors: Reyes Jose E.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Commercial courses, among the most challenging and fastest‐growing phenomena in language curriculum, have evolved from the realization of American business that to gain foreign markets one must be knowledgeable of foreign languages and foreign cultures. This article describes several successful activities implemented in a six‐credit undergraduate commercial Spanish course at Marywood College. Supplementary materials were developed to provide linkage between practical exercises and simulations in order to improve acquisition of commercial terminology and practices. Examples from a carpeta, a file of original student correspondence, are included and the establishment of a faculty‐monitored translation clinic is addressed.
A National Survey of Spanish Language Testing for Placement or Outcome Assessment at B.A.‐granting Institutions in the United States1
Authors: Wherritt Irene , Cleary T. Anne
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Currently, very little is known about foreign language testing for placement or outcome assessment at B.A.‐granting institutions in the United States. This research project is part of a newly instituted unit at the University of Iowa called the Foreign Language Assessment Project (FLAP). FLAP has two principal goals for its test development: the first is to improve articulation of foreign language study between feeder high schools and The University of Iowa; the second is to create instruments to assess language competency outcomes necessary to meet the language requirement, completion of the major, and teacher certification. It was necessary to know what had been done in foreign language assessment in the United States in order not to duplicate other efforts. Information on procedures for placement or outcome assessment was difficult to find, and literature reviews and professional contacts did not locate tests that were both appropriate and affordable. A survey was undertaken on departments of Spanish language B.A.‐granting institutions in the United States. Spanish language was chosen because most B.A.‐granting institutions offer Spanish. Furthermore, Spanish language presents the biggest challenge in placement and assessment since large numbers of students study Spanish at both the secondary and college level. The results of the survey include information on special first‐year courses, purposes for test use, tests used for freshmen placement, skills assessed, incentives and penalties for incoming freshmen, instructional activities, and class size.
The Advanced German Course: A Multidimensional Approach
Authors: Lutcavage Charles
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article presents a detailed description of an advanced course focusing on modern German culture and society. An emphasis on advanced reading, grammar, conversation and composition provided a firm pedagogical foundation for the course. This traditional framework was then enhanced by regularly incorporating audio and video technology into the program as a means of heightening students' awareness of language and topical issues.
Strategy Training for Language Learners: Six Situational Case Studies and a Training Model
Authors: Oxford Rebecca , Crookall David , Cohen Andrew , Lavine Roberta , Nyikos Martha , Sutter Will
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  As teachers, we all want to help learners discover how to learn languages more effectively and more easily. One way of doing this is strategy training, which has recently caught the imagination of researchers and teachers in many parts of the globe. The article's four purposes are: a) to summarize existing research on use of learning strategies and on conducting strategy training; b) to present six situational case studies of strategy training, with affective aspects interwoven as part of the training; c) to offer a possible strategy training model based on research and personal experience; and d) to make other instructional suggestions for strategy training in the language classroom.
Russian and the Pre‐Literate Language Learner: On the Development of a Methodology
Authors: Poritsky Ellen Franke
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  When the author was asked to design an enrichment program in Russian language for four‐year‐olds and kindergartners, the available literature provided little assistance. Consequently, the experience became a laboratory in which to develop appropriate methods for teaching young learners. Lexical items were introduced and reviewed through visual aids, games, songs, and acting. Only grammatically correct material was utilized, although the issue of adjective‐noun agreement was generally avoided and only limited verb forms were presented. Discussion of cultural material contrasted the lives of Soviet and American children. Although few of the children will continue to study Russian in grade school, perhaps the program's greatest strength has been to help dispel some misconceptions about the Soviet Union