Tips for Searching the ERIC Database on Foreign Language Topics
Vickie Lewelling and Jeanne Rennie

The ERIC database--the largest education database in the world--can be a great resource for anyone who wants information about foreign language teaching and learning. ERIC offers abstracts of nearly 1 million journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, and conference papers dating from 1966 to the present. You can search the ERIC database on the Internet or through print indexes, CD-ROMs, or online services at hundreds of libraries, campuses, and state and district education offices.

The result of your search will be an annotated bibliography of documents and journal literature on your topic. You can review the bibliography to determine which listings are of interest to you. Then select the relevant listings to get an abstract of each document.¹ To get the full text of a journal article (shown as EJ followed by six digits), you can go to a university library, research library, or large public library or contact a journal article reprint service such as The Uncover Company (1-800-787-7979), University Microfilms International (1-800-248-0360), or the Institute for Scientific Information (1-800-336-4474). To get the full text of a document (shown as ED followed by six digits), you can read or print it from microfiche at more than 1,000 libraries around the world; you can also order a print copy from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (1-800-443-3742) or from a third party. Additionally, many documents published after 1992 may be ordered and delivered via the Internet (http://edrs.com/).

All journal articles and documents in the ERIC database have been indexed with key words, called descriptors, to describe their most important concepts. Although it is possible to search the database using common terminology, your search results will be more effective if you use ERIC terminology. When searching the database for documents on foreign language education, the most important factor to keep in mind is that ERIC uses "second language" rather than "foreign language." The following items are the most commonly used second language descriptors:

   Second Language Instruction (focus is on teaching)
   Second Language Learning (focus is on the learner)
   Second Language Programs (focus is on the program)
   Second Languages (focus is on the language)

Other descriptors commonly used may also be helpful when searching the ERIC database. Other ERIC indexing practices that are useful to remember when conducting a search include the following:

	All documents that discuss languages other than English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish are indexed with the term Uncommonly Taught Languages in addition to descriptors for the specific language(s) involved.
	ERIC terminology does not make the usual distinction between "translation" (for the written word) and "interpretation" (for the spoken word). The descriptor Translation is used for both translation and interpretation, and the descriptor Interpreters is used for both interpreters and translators.
	The descriptor Language Acquisition is used only for native language acquisition. For documents on foreign language acquisition, use the descriptor Second Language Learning.
	Sometimes two descriptors are combined to index a particular concept, as in these examples:

	Documents on foreign language teachers are indexed with the terms Language Teachers and Second Language Instruction.
	Documents on computer-assisted language learning are indexed with Computer Assisted Instruction and Second Language Learning (or Second Language Instruction, depending on the focus of the document).

One final tip to help you locate documents that are as closely related to your topic as possible: Use the descriptor that is most specific to your topic. For example, if you are looking for information on foreign language immersion programs, use the descriptor Immersion Programs, not the broader term Second Language Programs. If you are looking for documents on French and Spanish, use the descriptors French and Spanish, not the broader term Romance Languages.

If you need assistance with searching the ERIC database on a foreign language topic, call the User Services Coordinator at 1-800-276-9834. If you will be doing extensive searching, you may also find the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors helpful. The Thesaurus is available at most places that offer access to the ERIC database and also directly from The ORYX Press at 1-800-279-ORYX (6799). For general information about accessing the database or for a free copy of All About ERIC, call ACCESS ERIC at 1-800-LET-ERIC (538-3742).

Note

¹ If you are searching the ERIC database using the Internet, CD-ROMs, or online services, you can click on the listing and it will connect you to the abstract.

Vickie Lewelling is Assistant Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, D.C. She is Editor of the ERIC/CLL News Bulletin and coordinates the development and publication of ERIC Digests. She is a fluent speaker of Danish and can also communicate in Norwegian and Swedish. Jeanne Rennie is Associate Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics at CAL in Washington, D.C. She is also Codirector of CAL's Foreign Language Education division and Editor for the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence. She is a fluent speaker of French and can also communicate in Spanish.

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