THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAMED LEARNING IN AN AUDIOLINGUAL FRENCH COURSE WAS INVESTIGATED. THE EXPERIMENT INTENDED TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL COURSE WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A COURSE TAUGHT UNDER TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM CONDITIONS, WHETHER THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS DROPPING OUT COULD BE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND WHETHER STUDENT INTEREST COULD BE MAINTAINED. A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS SHOWED THAT--(1) A SMALLER PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS DROPPED THE COURSE, (2) LOW APTITUDE STUDENTS WHO COMPLETED THE COURSE DID WELL, (3) A GREATER PERCENTAGE FROM THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP THAN FROM THE CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED IN AND COMPLETED THEIR 2D YEAR FRENCH, (4) ALL STUDENTS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ATTAINED EXCEPTIONAL ACCURACY IN PRONUNCIATION, (5) GENERALLY THE STUDENTS FROM THE EXPERIMENTAL DID AS WELL AS THE CONTROL GROUP, AND SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IN THEIR MASTERY OF THE SPOKEN LANGUAGE AND IN THEIR VARIETY AND ACCURACY OF GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES, (6) AT THE END OF THE 2D YEAR STUDENTS FROM THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP HAD MAINTAINED THEIR STANDING IN RESPECT TO THE STUDENTS FROM THE CONTROL GROUP, (7) LOW-APTITUDE STUDENTS ACHIEVED RESULTS THAT COMPARE WELL WITH THOSE OF MORE GIFTED COLLEAGUES, AND (8) A COMPLETELY SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM, WITHOUT A TEACHER, IS NOT FEASIBLE. THIS ARTICLE IS A REPRINT FROM THE "INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING," VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1, 1966. (AUTHOR)