Predicting Success in Intensive Foreign Language Courses

Abstract

foreign language courses is an important task, one that has been approached in a variety of ways.' Placement decisions typically use one or more of the following kinds of information: 1) knowledge of performance in previous foreign language courses; 2) hunches based on interviews and recourse to common sense; 3) standardized questionnaires and aptitude tests; 4) grades in non-foreign language courses and overall academic performance; and 5) demographic data. The task of making appropriate placements is particularly important in intensive foreign language courses because they usually require at least twenty-five to thirty hours of classroom work per week and may last from two weeks to several months. Due to the