The research articles in this special issue are authored by scholars who share as their common concern the ways in which technologies can best be used to support the acquisition of additional languages. Taken as a whole, the overall agenda of these studies is to capture what happens when language teachers and learners use technologies as part of…

Presents a study of integrated computer technology which incorporates pace-controlled syntactic chunking in a captioned video presentation. In addition to increasing student motivation and learning efficiency over time, the program supplied the least able students with the means to better understand and respond to foreign language discourse. The…

Presents preliminary research concerning learners whose native language is not English and who attend public school in New York State. Research focused on how English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in the state view and use technologies to help develop their students' literacy skills. Discusses data from a statewide survey and from initial…

Examines use of learning strategies by experienced adult learners of foreign languages. The goal was to determine how these exemplary language learners engage a multimedia environment, what strategies they employ, and how insights on strategy use can be useful for learners and teachers. (Author)

Captures the complexity of incorporating new technologies in an advanced foreign language course. Describes the activity in which participants engaged to acquire cultural knowledge through use of the Internet. Examines how the instructional context advanced learning. Findings suggest learning can be assisted by computers when this use is supported…

Researchers spent four months observing and interviewing students in French and Spanish language classrooms. Several themes emerged from the data which characterize the phenomenon of learner interaction in technology-enhanced language learning environments. This article presents a more contextualized picture of the implementation of technology in…

Discusses pedagogical issues for intelligent agents to successfully serve as mentors for educational purposes. Examines broader issues about the nature or persona necessary for an intelligent agent as mentor, incorporating usability and human-computer interaction issues such as the anthropomorphic qualities of the agent and the social relationship…

The effectiveness of simulations for teaching statistical concepts was compared to the effectiveness of a textbook. Subjects were 115 college students. Subjects trained by simulation performed significantly better than those trained with a textbook. Results support the increasing use of simulation in education and training. (AEF)

Reports on a case study that led to a model of how teachers use computers in classroom teaching. This model conceptualizes the computer as a teaching resource that helps teachers to develop their teaching strategy, replacing the teachers in their role of managing students' rehearsal of materials and serving as a classroom management tool. (AEF)

This study evaluated three tutorial modules, equivalent in content but different in mode of presentation, for introducing elementary statistics concepts. Fifty-seven college students participated in one of four randomly assigned conditions: paper-and-pencil, basic computerized, computerized multimedia, or control group. Participant evaluations…

Presents a study of interactions among eight-year-old students working with computers. Students' communicative interactions in front of the computer were compared with interaction occurring in other activities. Students interacted more when they were using the computer. Most of this interaction was concerned with problem-solving. Students…

Examines barriers to technology adoption based on the literature and on data from two studies (one with K-12 teachers and one with higher education faculty). A product of this examination is a visual model of the interaction/interdependence of elements that contribute to construction of barriers to technology adoption and serve as an aid to…

Examines male and female high school students' attitudes toward computers in relation to gender and computer experience. Findings revealed: males showed a more positive attitude toward computers even when computer experience was controlled; females were less interested in computer science (CS) than males, however no gender differences were found…

Investigates the effects of group personalization of instruction on the mathematics achievement and attitudes of 72 fifth-grade Taiwanese students. Personalization was accomplished by incorporating personal information and preferences provided by students into their mathematics word problems. Students were blocked by ability level, then randomly…

Describes an investigation undertaken by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) in four areas designated as having special difficulties. The problems faced by the schools are outlined, together with the various innovations and methods employed by the schools to deal with them. (Author)