(1980). Automatic Processing of Word Meaning by Bilingual Children: Intralingual And Interlingual Interference. Automatic processing of word meaning by bilingual children was studied in a picture/word interference task. Thirty elementary and junior high students, fluent in French and English, named pictures as rapidly as possible while attempting to ignore distractor words printed inside the pictures' borders. The printed distractors interfered with naming both on intralingual trials, for which the distractor and name language were the same, and on interlingual trials, for which they were different. The pattern of interference across the six levels of name/distractor relation was similar for the intralingual and interlingual conditions and indicated that at least part of the interference occurred at a semantic level. Results question whether an "input switch" operates for bilingual word processing and suggest implications for the question of single versus dual conceptual systems in bilingual children. (Author/MP)… [PDF]
(1983). Learning to Use a New Language: Language Functions and Use By First Grade Chinese-Americans. Final Report. The language use and interactions of limited English proficient Chinese American first graders and their two teachers were analyzed. One teacher was bilingual; the other was not. The study consisted of three phases: identification of speech events, recording and analysis of speech acts during teacher-directed lessons, and followup of target students in second grade. The monolingual English teacher was found to differentially treat the students who were less English proficient, using less effective questioning strategies and less clear instructions. The bilingual teacher was consistent and used Chinese during English reading instruction for a variety of carefully chosen purposes. In regard to student language use, it was found that student language varied less when comparing their communication with the two teachers, as English proficiency increased. The students targeted for followup appeared to have no problem making the transition to second grade. (Author/RW)… [PDF]
(1982). Limited Language Proficiency: A Problem in the Definition and Measurement of Bilingualism. Final Report. The phenomenon of limited bilingual language proficiency is reported to have negative academic and/or cognitive consequences, especially among Mexican-American minority language students. Where such students have been diagnosed, fears of concomitant congitive retardation are also expressed. Research was undertaken to understand the phenomenon better and to investigate its possible cognitive/academic consequences. The study defined the meaning of knowing a language, described bilingualism, and discussed bilingualism and cognitive development. The subjects for the investigation were Mexican-American third grade students in Santa Clara County (California) School districts. Analyses of all the test data used in the study indicated that no two language proficiency tests gave the same information about a child, and that the measure of communication skills was the best predictor of achievement. The results of the investigation do not lend support to the idea that limited bilingual language…
(1976). Lost in the Jungles of Multi-Culturalism: Immigrant Children and Canadian Schools: A Review. This Magazine, 10, 1, 8-10, Feb-Mar 76. Suggests that a survey of ESL programs all across the country narrows the approach to the subject of the role of the Canadian schools in the development and education of non-English speaking immigrant children. (Author/AM)…
(1974). Techniques for Analyzing Second Language Acquistion Data –A Report from the 1974 TESOL Convention. TESOL Quarterly, 8, 4, 417-423, Dec 74. This paper summarizes the presentations given at the 1974 TESOL Convention, and includes discussion of second language learning universals, statistical techniques for analyzing morphemes, data collection techniques and tests of hypotheses about the nature of the second language learning process. (CK)…
(1981). Workshop on Problems Relating to the Language of Instruction in Multilingual Countries in Asia and the Pacific (Mysore, India, December 8-12, 1980). Final Report. The final report of a workshop convened by UNESCO is presented. The objective of the workshop was to formulate a conceptual framework for language instruction in a multicultural context that would be in harmony with the aspirations and interests of the population of individual countries and that would contribute to bringing national communities together in a spirit of justice and mutual respect. The discussion of the following issues is outlined: (1) linguistic profile of Asia and Oceania, (2) typology and dynamics of multilingualism, (3) assessment of cultural influence and oral traditions in relation to multilingualism in Asia and Oceania, (4) examination of current trends in national education and language situations with special reference to objectives and practice related particularly to local languages used as teaching subjects and media of instrucion, and (5) review of technical problems of language development. The discussion of each of these topics is summarized in outline…
(1974). KOT: Measuring Occupational Awareness. School Shop, 34, 2, 47-8, Oct 74. A Knowledge of Occupations Test (KOT), developed at the University of South Carolina and administered to a norm group, revealed high school seniors planning immediate work after graduation scored significantly lower than students planning further training. Vocational education and industrial arts students did not show any greater knowledge of occupations. (EA)…
(1974). The Fredericton plan and how it started. Education Canada, 14, 2, 39-43, Jun 74. The author describes how a New Brunswick board set up an early French immersion program. (Editor)…
(1974). "Bilingualism in the Southwest": A Review. Research in the Teaching of English, 8, 1, 69-74, Spr 74. …
(1975). Le bilinguisme et l'enseignement d'une langue etrangere (Bilingualism and Foreign Language Teaching). Glottodidactica, 8, 45-52, 75. Discusses the notion of bilingualism, the role of interference in language instruction to bilingual students, training for language teachers, and socio-cultural factors in second language learning. (Text is in French.) (AM)…
(1969). Bilingual Schooling: Oasis or Mirage?. Hispania, 52, 1, 69-74, 69 Mar. …
(1980). Assessing English Literacy Skills: Writing. The work involved in preparing writing skill specifications that could be used to determine bilingual students' entry into and exit from bilingual programs is described in this paper. The first section of the paper details the steps involved in identifying the critical writing skills required in grades one through six, while the second section discusses techniques for assessing those skills. The final section reviews some of the problems that were encountered in completing the specifications. A copy of a computer printout of data collected from textbooks, a chart depicting the variation that occurs between authorities' designations and textbook presentation of certain skills, and a portion of the complete framework are appended. (FL)…
(1981). The Measurement of Language Diversity. Accepting that language diversity is functionally related to other variables characterizing human societies, much discussion stems from the advantages or disadvantageous nature of language diversity in terms of national development and national unity. To discover ways of measuring language diversity would help, in part, to solve the language diversity issue; however, the lack of consistency and agreement in the definition of the two viewpoints hampers the language planners. Bearing in mind that any language diversity measure takes into consideration all languages present and considers the numbers of users of the languages, the coupling of these two independent variables renders the elimination of all ambiguity impossible in a diversity measure. For example, a society bearing a large number of languages with widely differing numbers of users will have the same diversity measurement as one characterized by a smaller number of languages but greater evenness of user distribution. The… [PDF]
(1981). Basic Skills Programs at the City University of New York: English as a Second Language. One of four reports describing the basic skills programs in writing, reading, English as a second language (ESL), and mathematics at the City University of New York (CUNY), this volume describes the ESL program designed for students who do not meet CUNY's standards for minimum competency in writing and reading or higher standards set by the colleges in which they are enrolled. Specifically, it contains data from a survey conducted to update information gathered through the instructional resource center in 1976. The report provides survey data that focuses on the experience of students from their identification as ESL students requiring specialized instruction through their placement in the proper courses and accompanying academic programs at CUNY to the point at which they complete the ESL sequence. Areas described include program structure and content and placement procedures for each CUNY college. Also described are the support services, faculty, and the impact on student…
(1980). Inchworm, Inchworm: Persistent Problems in Reading Education. The papers in this volume represent thoughts about the state of the art of teaching reading (with an emphasis on persistent problems) of many recognized authorities in the field of reading education. Eight of the articles were originally presented at a joint Reading Hall of Fame and International Reading Association (IRA) symposium at the IRA Convention in 1977. The book is divided into five sections with several articles on each topic. Writers in the section on a more literate society are David B. Tyack, Leo Fay, J. E. Merritt, and Keith J. Henderson. Writers represented in the section on the media and the reading teacher are Edgar Dale, Nancy Larrick, and Joanne E. Bernstein. Writers who contributed to the section on learning disabilities/reading disabilities are E. Jennifer Monaghan, Robert Karlin, Albert J. Harris, A. Sterl Artley, and Russell G. Stauffer. Authors of the articles on important components in reading education are Margaret Early, Marilyn Jager Adams, Richard C….