language teaching
As Cynthia White points out in this issue's state-of-the-art article, recent years have seen ‘a dramatic expansion of distance education with new language learning opportunities being made available to new audiences throughout the world’. In her review of distance education, she highlights the contribution made in the literature to our understanding of the nature of language learning in non-classroom settings. It is the first critical review to address important issues and debates that have developed within the field – such as the development of learners' interactive competence and the nature of optimal distance language learning environments. Throughout, the article's emphasis is on the complexity of distance language learning and teaching given the presence and interplay of human, institutional, technological and sociocultural influences. Throughout the paper, the author addresses a number of emerging trends for further research.We are delighted to welcome the return of Richard Johnstone's research review. An article in which he reviews research published in 2004 and 2005 on language teaching, learning and policy is available online at <http://uk.cambridge.org/jid_LTA>.