Language Aptitude Reconsidered. Language in Education: Theory and Practice, No. 74

Six of 11 papers presented at a symposium on language aptitude testing are included in this document. "Cognitive Abilities in Foreign Language Aptitude: Then and Now" (John B. Carroll) reconsiders language aptitude testing 30 years after publication of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). "Preliminary Investigation of the Relationship Between VORD, MLAT, and Language Proficiency" (Thomas S. Parry and James R. Child) reports preliminary findings of correlational validity of a new language aptitude test. "Styles, Strategies, and Aptitude: Connections for Language Learning" (Rebecca L. Oxford) defines and differentiates between several interrelated cognitive constructs that also relate to successful language learning. "The Role of Personality Type in Adult Language Learning: An Ongoing Investigation" (Madeline Ehrman), discusses the relationship between language learning styles, preferred student learning strategies, and method of instruction used at the Foreign Service Institute. "Attitudes, Motivation, and Personality as Predictors of Success in Foreign Language Learning" (Robert C. Gardner) examines the literature concerned with the relation of two variables to second language achievement. "Predictors of Success in an Intensive Foreign Language Learning Context: Correlates of Language Learning at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center" (John A. Lett and Francis E. O'Mara) describes how one measure (the Defense Language Aptitude Battery) is used to select learners of a particular language at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. (MSE)