NFLC Publications Continued

• The Development Of Descriptors On Scales Of Language Proficiency Author: Brian North, 1993 ($5.00)
  This paper investigates theoretical issues underlying the development of scales of language proficiency, which have become increasingly popular during the last ten to fifteen years. North classifies the different types of scales and discusses the pros and cons each has to offer; he also discusses the issues of description and measurement in proficiency scale development.

• The Power Of Tests: The Impact Of Language Tests On Teaching And Learning Author: Elana Shohamy, 1993 ($5.00)
  This paper reports the results of three studies that examined the uses and impact of language tests within the educational context in which they operate. The approach is rooted in a broader view of construct validity, one that claims that construct validity encompasses aspects of test use, the impact of tests on test takers and teachers, the interpretation of scores by decision makers, and the misuses, abuses, and unintended uses of tests.

• A Framework For Introductory Japanese Language Curricula In American High Schools And Colleges Authors: J. Marshall Unger, Fred C. Lorish, Mari Noda, and Yasuko Wada, 1993 (Free)
  This framework provides general guidance in the design of curricula for teaching Japanese at the introductory level to English-speaking students at both the high school and college levels. It takes into account lessons learned from past experience and lays out a number of basic considerations to guide administrators and teachers who are searching for a coherent rationale upon which to base program decisions.

• Listening Comprehension Before And After Study Abroad Nflc Working Papers Authors: R. Ginsberg, R. Robin, and P. Wheeling, 1992 ($5.00)
  The authors examine the contribution of demographic, biographic, and educational background-variables to gain in listening proficiency during study abroad in Russia, as measured using standardized listening proficiency tests.

• Introducing Chinese Into High Schools: The Dodge Initiative Authors: Sarah Jane Moore with A. Ronald Walton and Richard D. Lambert, 1992 ($7.50)
  In 1982 the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation funded an initiative to introduce Chinese into high schools. This monograph presents an in-depth look at the instruction of Chinese at the high school level, and analyzes the following aspects of high school Chinese: the durability, support, and integration of the program into the school, recruitment and professionalization of the teacher, curricular standards and classroom practices, and student enrollment patterns.

• Language Assessment For Feedback: Testing And Other Strategies Editors: Elana Shohamy and A. Ronald Walton, 1992 ($25.00)
  This collection of papers from an NFLC-sponsored colloquium on the role of testing in the educational system focuses on how information obtained from tests and other forms of feedback can be utilized for improving the instructional process in a variety of contexts (the classroom, immersion programs, study abroad, and the workplace).

• Japanese Language Instruction In The United States: Resources, Practice, And Investment Strategy Authors: Eleanor H. Jorden with Richard D. Lambert, 1991 ($7.50)
  This comprehensive survey of Japanese language study in the United States today covers all types of programs, from elementary school to graduate school, as well as those offered by proprietary schools, government, and business, using a carefully developed sample. This survey of our national capacity to teach Japanese is one of a number of similar investigations carried out by NFLC. Their intent is to inform both policy-makers and the administrators engaged in the teaching of these languages.

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