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Two language characteristics, Communicative Effectiveness (CE) and Grammatical Accuracy (GA), were investigated in 130 grade 5 students in intensive ESL classes. Using different types of elicitation tasks in across-sectional study, it was found that CE and GA are not independent, but the relation between the variables differs as a function of task type. In a short-utterance sentence production task, CE and GA appear to develop simultaneously. In an extended-discourse story retell, GA reaches a plateau with some subjects while CE continues to develop. Suggestions for classroom application of these findings are discussed.

University level students studying English as a foreign language participated in four language learning experiments which were conducted within the framework of existing EFL courses. The experiments indicated (1) that language learning is not related to amount of formal language instruction for those students concurrently enrolled in academic classes, and (2) that sequential mastery of materials is not necessary for learning in an intensive foreign language program. Even the possibility that sentences of a foreign language can be mastered in any order in which they are presented is questioned. The findings were interpreted in support of the view that the most efficient foreign language learning is informal and occurs when the learner must make communicative use of the language variety to be learned, and that the internal structure underlying a set of sentences of a foreign language is not completely learned by presentation and practice of that set of sentences.

Audio-lingual courses in English for speakers of other languages satisfy the conditions which warrant classroom testing of oral proficiency. Testing is a necessary part of teaching as the means whereby students are provided continuous information about the success of their attempts to speak English. This kind of information is necessary in skill learning. Tests are useful also as guides for control of instruction and for evaluation and proficiency reports. Testing entails (1) selection of test contents and techniques, (2) test taking, and (3) scoring. Tests can be improved by increasing the objectivity of selection and scoring, and increasing the subjectivity of test taking. Improvements are possible in tests which reflect two different but compatible views of language proficiency: that proficiency is measured by determining a speaker's knowledge of linguistically defined elements and processes which are useful for communication, and that proficiency is a measure of communication ability regardless of this knowledge. Cumulative records of instructional success provide the best measure of proficiency according to the first view. Communicative ability is best measured situationally. Interviews can be broadened to require the examinee to assume roles less restricted than 'interviewee'. Other techniques require the examinee to provide and seek information under various conditions and to alter his speech according to the comprehension abilities of his listeners.