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Researchers and foreign language (FL) educators alike have investigated changes in learners' intercultural competence (IC) in response to pedagogical interventions aimed at preparing learners for cross-cultural encounters. Byram's (1997) multimodal IC model and Bennett's (1993) developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (DMIS) are predominant IC assessment models in the field of FL education. This paper reports empirical evidence that reveals discrepancies between these two models drawing from the findings of a larger study that employed both theoretical lenses to investigate culture learning in a computer-mediated environment. Specifically, the study investigated changes in the way 13 U.S. French language learners talked about French people and culture in online classroom discussions in response to virtual instruction about French cultural practices at two levels: (1) at the individual level--with Byram's IC model in three case studies and (2) at the group level--with Bennett's DMIS. A post hoc comparison of the findings revealed assessment discrepancies between the models--empirical evidence revealing contradictions both between and within the models. These discrepancies are reported and the merits of each model within the research design are discussed. The aim of this paper is to empower readers with an understanding of IC research instruments and assessment tools commonly used to measure IC development in FL education and to inform methodological decisions of future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an approach to helping end the literacy crisis that faces ESL learners in US public schools. Grounded in educational research in second language acquisition and literacy studies, the paper offers support for all students enrolled in academic programs of English language instruction. By generating motivation and enthusiasm for reading and writing, ESL students are more likely to do better on tests, enjoy reading and writing, and do more of both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the foreign language learner of English who, according to the author, tends to be taught the reading and writing skills and spelling techniques without becoming fluent and confident in speaking English. This paper presents a plan which could enable the adult foreign speaker living in the U.S. to acquire confidence in communication when speaking English. It is to be made clear that the discussion of this paper is not intended for an academic course offered through a Speech Communication or Communicative Disorders curriculum. It is noted that problems in acquiring articulation-pronunciation proficiency of the host or target language are numerous.

Through deconstructing the term, international student, in Korea and the U.S., this paper examines how a Korean student's asserted identity as a cosmopolitan individual diverges from his assigned identity as an other in the U.S (Cornell & Hartman, 2005). His growing awareness of his assigned identity as a racial minority and foreigner in the U.S. was negotiated through his authorial voice as he wrote about affirmative action in his first-year composition class. Analysis of his first and final writing drafts illustrates that writing and literacy are ideological acts, where a text is interpreted in the context with the author's intention. Even though the student maintained his cosmopolitan identity, he tactically repositioned his assigned identity in relation to his mainstream American audience. The findings of this research show that the identification process of becoming is relational, social, and situated, which shifts L2 reading and writing practices from a comprehensive mode to a critical one, and eventually to a creative one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of Spanish in the southwestern region of the United States includes both traditional and newly formed speech communities, as demonstrated by the many contributions to the body of research that look at the Spanish of this region. However, as we observe current demographic patterns, it is evident that there is a significant change from the dominant Mexican, Mexican-American focus to one that is more inclusive of the diversity and growth of other Hispanic/Latino populations. This paper focuses on presenting the changing demographics of Latinos in the U.S. and exemplifies the case of Oregon to show the implications those changing demographics may have on our cultural and linguistic landscape as well as on future research endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the struggle that Pakistani immigrant students make during the process of learning English as a second language and the ways in which lack of proficiency in English complicates the process of learning and even hinders their academic growth. The major focus is on immigrant students at the beginning level of English language learning who come from less commonly known cultures and with their first language less commonly taught in USA. Discourse analysis of the narratives of three Pakistani immigrant students is presented and discussed in the context of language, identity and power relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We set about to facilitate the learning of basic phrases in Mandarin Chinese among US college students in an interactive online environment. We designed two interactive web-based instructional modules that included animated movies, "listen and repeat" exercises, and interactive practice. One module used a back-story ("Mission Impossible" detective quest) and the other did not. Students in the back-story condition scored marginally higher than learners in the control group on a timed online posttest, but not a significant difference. After the assessment, students were introduced to an open multiplayer online game (http://clubpenguin.com) in which they had the opportunity to use what they had just learned to complete tasks cooperatively. This paper will describe the design of the instruction as well as the implications of the findings. In particular, the role back-stories is discussed in light of Mayer's coherence effect, which calls on designers of multimedia environments to avoid including extraneous information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents some ideas for promoting the Year of Languages at the local, state and regional level in the U.S. Create a parent brochure explaining the benefits of learning other languages, beginning in early grades and continuing through post-secondary. The idea is to print the brochures and get them into the hands of as many parents as possible. Print copies of the Year of Languages Resolution that was just passed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and display on parchment paper in a frame in every foreign language classroom and at the entrances to schools and district offices. Include a copy of this document as part of next parent letter. Create a billboard with colleagues and ask the state non-profit foreign language teacher's organization to help put it up in a prominent place, or have it moved around the state during the 2005-2006 school year. This will expose the whole community to the fact that language learning is important. Sponsor a Year of Languages regional or state poster contest. Decide on a theme and set the guidelines.