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Forty papers presented at the Japanese Association for Language Teaching (JALT) conference were selected for inclusion in this volume. JALT is a nonprofit professional organization of language teachers dedicated to the improvement of language learning and teaching in Japan. JALT's publications and events serve as vehicles for the exchange of new ideas and techniques, and a means of keeping abreast of new developments in a rapidly changing field. The theme of this conference was connecting research to the classroom. Papers for this volume were selected in part for attention to this larger current running through the second language learning and teaching field. Numerous references are cited in the papers selected for this volume. (KFT)

Texts of conference papers and summaries of colloquia on classroom environment and interaction in second language teaching are presented, including: "Fluency Development" (James Dean Brown); "Learner Development: Three Designs" (in Japanese) (Hiroko Naito, Yoshitake Tonia, Takao Kinugawa, Morio Hamada); "Desirable Japanese Teachers and Classroom Activities: A Survey towards a Learner-Centered Classroom" (in Japanese) (Takako Ishida); "Identity and Beliefs in Language Learning" (Tim Murphey); "Japanese Language Learning Through Structured Group Encounters" (in Japanese) (Shin'ichi Hayashi, Yukari Saiki, Takako Ishida); "Learner Self-Evaluated Videoing" (Tim Murphey, Tom Kenny); "The Learning Journal: An Aid to Reinforcement and Evaluation" (Sophia Wisener); "Using Texts To Understand Texts" (Steven Brown); "Vocabulary and Reading: Teaching and Testing" (David Beglar, Alan Hunt); "Research on Vocabulary Retention" (Guy Kellogg); "Adapting the Shared Inquiry Method to the Japanese Classroom" (Carol Browning, Jerald Halvorsen, Denise Ahlquist); "Literature? Oral English? Or Both?" (Linda Donan); "Adding 'Magic' to an EFL Reading Program by Using Children's Literature" (Linda J. Viswat, Linda C. Rowe); "Reading Activities in the Communicative Classroom" (Gregory Strong); "Cross-Border Peer Journals in EFL" (David George); "Motivating Students To Write: Activities From Three Different Classrooms" (Midori Kimura, Keiko Kikuchi, Joyce Maeda); "Student Publishing: The Value of Controlled Chaos" (Brad Visgatis, Tamara Swenson); "Oral History: A New Look at an Old Subject" (Barbara Valentine Dunkley); "Invent Your Own Soap Opera" (Julia Dudas, Andrew Wright); "Metric Conversion: Acquiring English Rhythm" (Margaret Sharkey, Eiko Ushida); "Problems of Teaching German in Large Classes" (in German) (Alfred Gehrmann); and "Constructive Methods of Dealing with Large Classes" (Thomas L. Simmons, Dawn Yonally, Edward Haig). Individual papers contain references. (MSE)

The conference proceedings include 62 papers on aspects of language teaching and learning, organized in seven sections: looking back, looking forward (history of language teaching, future directions); curriculum design (curriculum development, competency-based curricula, content-based instruction, global issues in curriculum and evaluation, instructional materials, business English); computers and language learning (creating and selecting software, learning strategies, language laboratory use, computer network use, scope and limitation of computer-assisted language learning); classrooms and culture (intercultural/interpersonal communication, student behavior norms, learning styles of Japanese, Japanese student nonverbal behavior, sociocultural patterns and change); bilingualism and children (nurture and nature, early English-as-a-Second-Language acquisition, age factors and language proficiency, K-12 Japanese second language instruction); in the classroom (fluency development, learner development, a survey about Japanese teachers and class activities, identity and beliefs in language learning, structured group encounters, self-evaluation videotaping, student journals, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, shared inquiry, literature appreciation, reading activities, peer journals, writing instruction, student publishing, oral history, drama, language rhythm, German instruction, class size); and testing and evaluation (English entrance examinations, questionnaire design, oral testing, listening comprehension, interpreting teacher and course evaluations). Individual papers contain references. (MSE)

This volume includes papers presented at the 1998 Japan Association for Language Teaching Conference. Section 1, "Voices of Experience," includes: "Towards More Use of English in Class by JTEs" (Midori Iwano); "Paperless Portfolios" (Tim Stewart); "Textbook Creation in Reverse Order for Chinese" (Chou Jine Jing); "Career Exploitation Activities for EFL Learners" (Kristin Johannsen); "Lights Up: Drama in the ESL Classroom" (James Welker); "Managing a Successful E-mail Exchange" (Katsumi Ito and Dorothy Zemach); "Preparing for the Possibilities of DVD: Exploiting Language in TV Commercials" (Tim Knowles); "Theme Music Presentation" (Dale Haskell); "Outside Taping for Fluency" (David Kluge and Matthew A. Taylor); "Content and Creation: Student-Generated Textbooks" (Paul Borg and Richard Humphries); "Preparing Students for the Electronic World" (Steve Witt); "Activities for the Independent Learner" (Steve Petrucione and Stephan Ryan); and "Learner Autonomy in Japanese Classrooms: An Exchange of Views" (Leni Dam, David Little, Haruko Katsura, and Richard Smith). Section 2, "Voices of Observation," includes: "Entrapped by Understanding: The Use of the First Language" (Hannah Pillay); "Diagnostic Analysis of Motivational Factors in ESL" (Naoyuki Naganum); "In-Service Training with Japanese Teachers" (Judith Lamie); "Applications of Community Language Learning in Japan" (Tim Greer); "Total Quality Management in the Classroom" (Giles Parker); "Promoting English Use in the EFL Classroom" (Andrew MacNeill, James M. Perren, and Kevin Sullivan); "Discourse-Oriented Pronunciation Activities" (Don Hinkelman and Jerald Halvorsen); "Conversation Teaching Meets Discourse Analysis" (Dominic Cheetham); "Are Japanese Weak at Grammar, Too?" (Mikiya Koari); "Gadgets and Gizmos: Gimmicks or Godsends?" (Chris Pitts and Robert Weschler); "Classroom Activity: Learning Strategies Report" (Fumie Kato); and "Designing and Using Tasks To Promote Optimum Language Development" (Jane Willis). Section 3, "Voices of Interpretation," includes "Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning: From Classroom Practice to Generalizable Theory" (Leni Dam and David Little); "Task Ideas for Junior and Senior High" (Daina Plitkins-Denning); "Looking at Real-World Tasks: Comparing Task-Based and Skill-Based Classroom Instruction" (Peter Robinson, Gregory Strong, and Jennifer Whittle); "The Language Classroom on a Complex Systems Matrix" (Duane Kindt, Naoki Kumai, Paul Lewis, Matthew A. Taylor, and Michael Cholewinski); "Phonological Awareness in EFL Reading Acquisition" (Brett Reynolds); "Japanese Students Academic Literacy in English" (Mayumi Fujioka); "Empowerment and Unionization: Reason, Application and Effect" (Michael Fox, Bill Holden, Farell Cleary, and John McLaughlin); "The Function of Logical Models in Scientific Writing" (Atsuko Yamazaki); "Translating Questionnaires from English into Japanese: Is It Valid?" (Dale Griffee); and "Demystifying the STEP Test" (Laura MacGregor). Section 4, "Voices of Experimentation," includes: "Practicing Action Research" (Lois Scott-Conley, Neil Cowie, Janina Tubby, Richard Hodge, and Schinichi Yokomizo); "Creativity in High School Oral Communication B Classes" (Renee Gauthier Sawazaki); "Questioning Creativity: The CUE Forum on Higher Education" (Jack Kimball, David McMurray, and Brian McVeigh); "Teacher Beliefs and Teacher Development" (Kazuyoshi Sato and Tim Murphy); "Global Education and Language Teacher Training" (Kip Cates, James Kahny, Daniel Kirk, and Lynda-ann Blanchard); "English Language Needs Analysis for EST Students" (Robyn Najar, Guy Kellog, Scott Rogstad, Larraine Sakka, and John Thurman); "CALL: Classroom Interactions" (David Brooks, Joseph Dias, William Bradley, Paul Daniels, and James Wada); "Developing a Self-Access Center" (John E. Ingulsrud, Kate Allen, Miriam Black, Andrew Schaffer, and Patrick Benke); "East Meets West: Approaches to Learner Autonomy" (Jill Robbins); "Measuring Writing Apprehension in Japan" (Steve Cornwell and Sandra Mackay); "The 3D Effect: Combining Course and Self-Assessment" (Alan MacKenzie and Nanci Graves); and "Communication, Context, and Constraint: Working through the Riddles" (Mark A. Clarke). (SM)

Conference papers on second language classrooms and culture are presented, including: "Intercultural Communication as Interpersonal Communication" (Kensaku Yoshida); "Classroom Cultures: East Meets West" (Dominic Cogan); "Laying Down the Law: Teachers' Use of Rules" (Gregory Bornmann); "Student Behavior: Whose Norms?" (Stephen M. Ryan); "What Makes a Good Language Lesson?" (Ryan); "Learning Styles of Japanese Students" (Naoko Ozeki); "A Longitudinal Study on JSL Learners' Nonverbal Behavior" (Yutaka Ikeda, Tomoko Ikeda); "Japanese Students' Nonverbal Responses: What They Teach Us" (Ian Nakamura); and "Language Social Meaning, and Social Change: The Challenge for Teachers" (Sandra J. Savignon). (MSE)

This proceedings of the 1993 Asian Reading Conference contains the following 20 papers: "Adverse Effects of Lower Cognitive Processing Capacity on Achievement: What Can We Do?" (James M. Furukawa); "The Impact of Foreign Language Literacy on Higher Education in Thailand" (Uthai Piromruen); "Reading Achievement of Students in Selected Secondary Schools in Malaysia" (Safiah Osman); "Beginning Reading Instruction in India: An Appraisal" (Kuldeep Agarwal); "Literacy Instruction in Some Philippine Schools" (Patria Garcia-Aranas); "Why Do Japanese Children Read Books?: A Developmental Study of Conceptions on Book-Reading" (Kiyomi Akita and Takashi Muto); "Philosophy Is Also for Children: Teaching Reasoning Skills to Young Children" (Norma Lazaro-Jaramillo); "A Comparative Study of Opinions about Methods of Picture Book Reading in Japan and Taiwan" (Toshie Nakamura and Yasuchika Imai); "Implementing and Maintaining a Sustained Silent Reading Program in Secondary Classrooms" (Victoria Y. Hsui); "Confusion of Sounds" (Rajguru Rajendra Prasad); "Why Some Children Have Problems in Learning to Read and Spell in English" (Mary Rohl); "Support Teachers for Students with Reading Difficulties: Australian Research" (John Elkins); "Becoming Aware of World Cultures and Ways of Speaking through Literary Texts" (Maya Khemlani-David); "Response of Preschool Children to BAWAL as an 'Encouraging to Read Programme'" (Halimah Badioze Zaman); "Syntactic Awareness and Early Literacy" (Marion Milton); "The Language of Media: Student-Produced Films and Videos Stimulate Reading at All Levels" (Jeanne DeVaughn Dowd); "Characteristics of English Speaking Reading Instruction for the Visually Impaired on the College Level" (Yoshifumi Chijiiwa); "Teaching Reading in Refugee Camps on the Thai-Kampuchean Border" (Rita Yost Martin); "Differences in Kana and Kanji Processing by Native Japanese Speakers and Non-Native English-Speaking Learners of Japanese: A Summary of the Experiments" (Katsuo Tamaoka); and "Asian Conference on Reading: Closing Speech" (Donald A. Leton). (RS)