To investigate the influence of student modes of learning, or preferences for modes of learning, researchers at the Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) studied 97 Thai students who were beginners of English. It was hypothesized that: (1) aural and visual modes of listening and reading are related to achievement in English; (2) language aptitude,…

The benefits and costs of the impact of textbooks on teaching English-as-a-Second-Language courses are discussed. This paper examines the role of commercial textbooks in instruction, reasons for their present status, and the consequences of that status. (10 references) (Author/LB)

The oral performance of a sample of 87 undergraduates was evaluated first in a face-to-face setting and then through audio recordings of that same performance. Results confirm that effectiveness in oral communication clearly is not dependent on words and sounds alone but that paralinguistic and extralinguistic data also play a significant role.…

Two types of verbal-report data (concurrent and retrospective) and four major introspective methods used in second-language research (L2) (thinking-aloud, questionnaires, interviews, diary-keeping) are described in a discussion of introspective L2 research studies. It is argued that, though incomplete, verbal reports from informant-learners offer…

The assessment of foreign students' writing by native speaker English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers was examined using an analytical scoring technique based on the "ESL Composition Profile." Results showed that vocabulary accounted for the largest among of variance in total scores, followed by content, language use, organization, and…

Two groups of nonnative Spanish students and four nonnative English teachers participated in a study of the effect of high cognitive questions on foreign language learning. Results indicate that the use of high cognitive questions can promote the kind of verbal interaction that facilitates comprehension and written production of the foreign…

Information on the type of language use and skills emphasized in the existing Thai English-for-Special-Purposes materials for computer sciences was gathered. Structured interviews with 25 subjects in 22 firms indicated that speaking skills were of great importance, followed by reading and writing skills. Pedagogical implications are discussed, and…

Primary school students in Papua New Guinea take three examinations for secondary school admission. This study showed that examination results are influenced by student competencies in native language and English, and language of schooling. (15 references) (Author/LB)

Summaries of six language-related research projects are presented from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Topics include reading proficiency evaluation instruments, computer-assisted language learning, English-for-Special-Purposes instructional design, editing strategies for college English-as-a-Second-Language student compositions, genre…

A group of core French studies involving the development and validation of the COLT (Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching) observation scheme, a French immersion observation study of vocabulary instruction and talk, and a French experimental immersion study regarding the effect on proficiency of functionally focused materials are…

Pronunciation is reexamined from a "top-down" perspective that shifts the focus of attention in language instruction from individual phonemes to suprasegmentals and other features of the larger context of utterances, including prosody, phonological fluency, voice quality, and gestures. (57 references) (Author/LB)

Nonnative institutionalized varieties of English (NIVEs) are placed within a wide framework that includes the study of language contact and language acquisition in general. NIVEs and other contact varieties are explored from a sociolinguistic as well as second-language acquisition perspective. (105 references) (Author/LB)

A study of miscorrection in group writing activities among 18 third-year English majors in a Thailand university is consistent with studies of miscorrection in spoken activities. The relatively small amount of miscorrection found suggests that peer feedback can play a role in the development of writing ability. (22 references) (LB)

A study of 39 university English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students and 13 ESL teachers was conducted to examine Newkirk's 1984 findings regarding differences between teacher and peer evaluations of writing samples. Evidence was found that the role and function of teacher evaluations differ from that of peer evaluations. (27 references) (LB)

Summaries of six language-related research projects are presented from Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Topics include English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) textbook evaluation, translatability of Filipino texts, group discussions in Thai junior colleges, bilingual language, and children's reading development. (LB)