A questionnaire administered to 607 Colombian foreign language (FL) students and 122 of their teachers, as well as to 824 U.S. FL students and 92 teachers, elicited student and teacher perceptions concerning the role of explicit grammar instruction and corrective feedback in FL learning. Data comparisons indicated relatively high agreement between students as a group and teachers as a group across cultures on the majority of questions. A number of discrepancies were, however, evident between student and teacher beliefs within each culture, as well as in comparisons of the two groups across cultures, particularly regarding the role of formal grammar instruction in language learning. Given that discrepancies in student and teacher belief systems can be detrimental to learning, it is important that teachers explore their students' perceptions regarding those factors believed to enhance the learning of a new language and make efforts to deal with potential conflicts between student beliefs and instructional practices.

While the professional literature abounds with treatises for and against the values of explicit grammar instruction and error correction in foreign or second language classrooms, few researchers have investigated student and teacher beliefs regarding the benefit of these pedagogical procedures. This paper reports on an exploratory study, conducted at the University of Arizona, which examines and compares foreign language student and teacher beliefs regarding the benefit of a focus on form in language learning. A total of 824 students and 92 teachers of the commonly taught as well as the less commonly taught languages were included in the study. Results reveal that the students surveyed are relatively favorably disposed toward a focus on form, regardless of language. However, some surprising discrepancies surfaced in teacher beliefs and in a comparison of student and teacher beliefs. The author recommends that in order to establish pedagogical credibility and increase their students' commitment to and involvement in learning, teachers make an effort to explore students' beliefs about language learning and to establish a fit between their own and their students' expectations.

Numerous publications, including the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century (National Standards, 1999), emphasize the importance of cultural understanding in the development of intercultural competence in foreign language learning. However, there is no agreement on how culture should be defined operationally in the context of the foreign language curriculum in terms of concrete instructional objectives, and there is even less consensus on whether or how it should be formally assessed. This article reviews the literature relating to goals and objectives for the teaching of culture and suggests five fundamental objectives to serve as a foundation for the development of cross‐cultural understanding and intercultural competence. Portfolio assessment is proposed to evaluate students' emerging awareness, and a template for such a portfolio is provided.

The preparation of U.S. foreign language (FL) teachers has been a frequently discussed topic during the past century. As the oldest, continuously published American journal devoted to FL learning and teaching, the MLJ provides an overview of the many issues pertinent to FL teacher education that the profession has grappled with. This historical review traces discussions and developments in teacher preparation and certification since the MLJ 's inception in 1916. In three sections, each covering a quarter century of the Journal 's publications, the article describes the most relevant discussions and events that have helped shape FL teacher education in the United States. Although many efforts —and doubtlessly many advances —have been made to assure a supply of qualified FL teachers for the nation 's schools, many of the problems discussed more than 80 years ago still remain unsolved. The author hopes that a critical look at the past will help the profession to focus on those proposals that are finding emerging consensus and to prioritize those needs and activities that help effect meaningful change in improving the qualifications of FL teachers.

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