es differently. The level and the nature of interests likewise differ between the adult and the young schoolchild: Few six-year olds have an interest in phonology and syntactics, management theories and politics, engineering and electronics. And few adults are affectively touched by the fate of Little Red Riding Hood or of Cinderella (A statement which remains to be proved in the light of the spurious motivation of the tales' writers!).
Materials for the adult ESL learner
Apart from audiovisual media, such as language laboratories and interactive televised or computerized programs, the bedrock of ESL curricula for adults has been and still is the language textbook. Should it, however, continue to be so, or should, rather, the book, the literary or professional work, be the major instrument of L2 literacy acquisition? Does the language laboratory really constitute the best (or, at least, most practical) substitute for in vivo acculturation and language acquisition? Or rather, would guided communicative experiences with their stress on oral communication be more effective? Can the ESL program simply disregard the occupational, cultural, and vocational interests of the adult? Or should it exploit those interests with a view to fostering motivation?
If the adult is a professional and if his or her goal is to be able to read and write in the target-language material of personal relevance, then obviously the L2 professional book or journal article is called for. "The textbook generally makes it easier for the student reader tha
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