摘要:

In this article the status of methods in language teaching is considered from three perspectives. First, methods are discussed according to whether they are based primarily on a theory of language (and subsequent views concerning the nature of a language syllabus) or whether they are based on a theory of the nature of language learning processes. The differences between language‐centered and learning‐centered methods are discussed with reference to recent trends in language program and syllabus design and innovative methods proposals. Second, the reasons for the adoption and influence of methods are discussed. These are often largely independent of the content or philosophy of particular methods but rather depend on the form that a method takes and the support and promotion that it receives. Last, methods are discussed in terms of the broader concerns of curriculum development. From this perspective, it can be seen that a more informed approach to methods issues is needed. Most of the currently fashionable methods have not been properly evaluated, and insufficient data have been gathered to enable their claims to be assessed. Objectives and criterion measures are often not specified, nor is data available on how they are actually used. The need for a focus on broader issues in curriculum development is stres

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586332

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This study considers teachers' evaluations of students who perform equivalently in written academic work but who have distinct speech varieties. Stimulus materials to which teachers were asked to react were collected from third and fourth graders in schools in the Southwest of the United States. The materials included speech samples (some of which exhibited Spanish‐influenced English and some of which did not) and writing samples which exhibited no Spanish influence. Forty teachers evaluated paired speech and writing samples, assuming that each pair had been produced by one and the same student. In fact, the writing samples had been independently evaluated as equal before they were paired with the speech samples, half of which exhibited Spanish influence.In their evaluations, all teachers favored the non‐Spanish‐influenced speakers despite the evidence of comparable written work. Length of teaching experience and teacher ethnicity did not significantly affect the degree or directionality of differences in the teachers' ratings of the speech groups. However, in evaluating social status, the teachers who spoke Spanish as a first language showed significantly less difference between their ratings of the two groups than did the other teachers.This study offers evidence that, due to the stereotyped expectations of teachers, Spanish‐influenced English speakers are at a disadvantage in schools in geographic areas of the United States where there are large Hispanic populations. This evidence is also of relevance to other parts of the world where linguistic prejudice may exist. The findings further suggest that a teacher's first language may affect that teacher's perception of students who speak distinct speech va

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586333

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Good lecture comprehension involves the interaction of the following skills: 1) the ability to synthesize discourse in order to extract relevant information, 2) the ability to predict future information, and 3) the ability to relate background knowledge to new information. Many non‐native English‐speaking students, who are competent listeners in their native languages, are not aware of the conventions and cues which signal important information in lectures delivered in a foreign language. This article will demonstrate how transcripts of academic lectures and pseudo‐cloze exercises developed from these transcripts may be used to help foreign students to become aware of the skills involved in the process of listening to lectures. By making cues and conventions salient, these exercises give students confidence in their ability to listen selectively without attending to every word. The article begins with a discussion of several theories of discourse processing and follows with relevant examples of analyzed lecture discourse and suggested exercises for non‐native s

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586334

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Krashen's distinction between acquisition and learning has been discussed widely in the recent ESL literature. Reported here are two studies of oral performance by university ESL students which show patterns of use of the present tense third person singular morpheme(‐s)that are interpreted in terms of this distinction. In the first study, speech taken to represent the acquired language system was elicited by asking subjects to talk about several pictures. Analysis of correctly and incorrectly formed third person singular verbs showed that subjects tended to cluster thes's on a few verbs rather than randomly distributing them over all verbs. This pattern suggests that the morpheme may be acquired, not in isolation, but attached to particular verbs. The second study investigated this pattern further by looking at seven third person singular verbs in imitated sentences. Here, just under half of the subjects produced the non‐random cluster pattern. The remaining subjects attached the s more randomly to all verbs in a pattern that most likely represents application of a learned rule (monitoring). A difficulty index constructed for the verbs used in the non‐random pattern suggests that phonetic environment and perhaps frequency of use influence the order in which verbs attracts. Implications for the classroom are disc

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586335

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This article describes an approach for dealing with the pronunciation of advanced ESL learners who may be relatively fluent but who remain quite inaccurate. Their pronunciation is often thought of as being “fossilized” (Selinker 1972), highly resistant to change. The specific group for which this approach was designed is somewhat unique: foreign professionals, many of whom have been in English‐ speaking environments for years. Nonetheless, the general framework and the method involved are applicable in many contexts. For such fossilized learners, traditional pronunciation methods are often ineffective. A successful, somewhat unorthodox teaching program that draws on research from several disciplines is out

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586336

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This article discusses the relationship between subjective evaluation and objective measures of ESL writing proficiency. The objective measures used in this study accounted for 84% of the variance of subjective grades assigned to a sample of ESL compositions at the intermediate level. The relationship between the statistical procedures used in this study and the subjective grading mechanism are discussed, and a funnel model of subjective grading of ESL writing proficiency is proposed.

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586337

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This article reports the results of a survey of Master's degree graduates in ESL from the University of Hawaii. From the responses of 137 graduates, we learn that the first positions and current positions for a substantial majority were in ESL teaching, primarily full‐time, both in the United States and abroad. Other duties included administration, materials preparation, and curriculum design. Information is provided on the respondents' areas of employment, number of students per class and semester, and salary levels. Employment status, salary for first position after receiving the M.A. degree, and year of graduation were more important than sex in determining the respondents' current salaries. The respondents reported that the training they received in their M.A. program helped either a great deal or to a very great extent. A revised questionnaire is proposed to serve as a model for future surveys. The results are useful not only to administrators and faculty in ESL professional preparation programs, but also to those contemplating enrolling in an M.A. progra

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586338

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586339

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586340

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0039-8322    

DOI:10.2307/3586341

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1984

数据来源: WILEY