(1983). English Needs of Community College Students: A Faculty Survey. To determine the special English language needs of foreign students enrolled in a Colorado community college, a needs assessment questionnaire was designed and administered to professors and lecturers and, in a variety of subject areas, to students enrolled in English as a second language classes at the school. Analysis of the responses given by the 49 teachers and 46 students indicates that curricula in the ESL classes should focus on the reading and vocabulary necessary for the beginning college students and on the brief writing tasks required in community college courses. Skills necessary to absorb material from a lecture were also stressed, such as notetaking, listening for main ideas, and asking questions. The results indicated that the ESL program in existence at the college had attempted to include instruction in too many skills and that it did not differentiate between students needing beginning language instruction and those wanting to concentrate on the skills necessary…
(1990). The Amish, A Bilingual-Multicultural Phenomenon. The Amish people are Christian separatists who speak a non-standard German dialect (Pennsylvania German) and practice a set of religious beliefs that separate them from wider society. There are approximately 100,000 Amish living in over 30 states, with the largest single settlement located in Ohio. Amish children are often educated in public schools and, although very bright, face language and cultural barriers and should be recognized as \at risk ESL students. Educators can take several steps that will decrease the effects of these barriers. First, the Amish child's background and self concept must be appreciated and respected in the school. Second, when testing or evaluating Amish children, cultural and language differences should be considered. Third, schools with Amish enrollments should accumulate extensive readings and resources on the Amish and their culture. Fourth, communication with the Amish community should be fostered via parents, community leaders and Amish school…
(1985). Fort Hamilton High School Project SPEED: Special Education to Eliminate Dropouts, 1983-1984. O.E.A. Evaluation Section Report. Project SPEED, which is housed at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, New York, provides instruction in English as a second language (ESL) and in the student's native language, as well as bilingual instruction in social studies, computers, and typing to 366 students of limited English proficiency (LEP) in Grades 9-12. In 1983-84, all of the program's students were born outside the United States. Almost half of them were Hispanics, and the remainder were Asian and Middle Eastern in origin. To achieve the program's central goal of dropout prevention, its bilingual instructional approach was transitional in nature. Individualized programs were planned for each student and classes were taught by both mainstream and resource teachers to heterogeneous groupings. In addition to instructional services, the program activities included student support services, curriculum development, staff development, parent involvement, and an advisory committee which addressed areas of program… [PDF]
(1986). John Jay High School Project TRIUNFE 1984-1985. OEA Evaluation Report. Project TRIUNFE provides instruction in English as a second language, native language development, and bilingual instruction in mathematics, science and social studies to limited English proficient Hispanic, Asian, and Haitian students. The program is a transitional program whose major goal is to mainstream students in less than two years. Mainstreamed students maintain contact with project staff through tutoring and career advising. Evaluation findings for the second year of a three-year funding cycle are presented by program objectives. They include the results of student performance in courses and tests, reviews of program materials and records, interviews with relevant personnel, and classroom observations. Overall, program objectives were met for English as a second language, content-area instruction in mathematics, science, and social studies and native language arts instruction, and student attendance. The project did not provide data to assess the objective for student…
(1988). English Only Movement: Confrontation with Language Diversity. A discussion of the movement to make English the only official language in the United States' multilingual society examines the nature and scope of the movement and draws instructional and language policy implications for teaching situations involving language-minority populations. It draws a relationship between the politics of language diversity and the cognitive, linguistic, and cultural factors associated with the academic movement of language-minority students. The English-only movement and its media coverage are analyzed, and research literature on the effectiveness of use of the home language for instruction is reviewed. It is concluded that the English language, as any other, is capable of coexisting with other languages and cultures, and that such coexistence has greatly enriched the English language and the human experience. It is noted that in countries where bilingualism has become associated with a problem, the countries have deep and complex sociocultural, political,…
(1985). The Relationship of Communication Anxiety, Avoidance and Competence of Non-Native English Speakers in the U.S. A study was conducted to determine the levels of communication apprehension (CA) experienced by individuals living in the United States whose native language is not English and to measure the extent to which CA varies with the interaction contexts, number of years speaking English, time living in the United States, and the speaker's sex. Subjects were 242 international students from 45 countries who completed two versions of a communication apprehension instrument, one to assess feelings of apprehension associated with speaking in the subject's native language, the other for apprehension about speaking in English. Data were also collected on subjects' sex, number of years speaking English, number of years in the mainland United States, and place of ethnic origin. The results indicated that Middle Eastern and European subjects reported levels of apprehension well below norms previously established by U.S. subjects, while Asian and Latin American subjects reported levels just slightly… [PDF]
(1977). Commissioner of Official Languages, Sixth Annual Report, 1976. In assessing the Canadian government's performance in 1976 in carrying out the spirit of the Official Languages Act, at least 80% of Ottawa's initiatives seem to have been successful, but many problems remain. This report surveys the progress made in varying sectors of government structure. The report is divided into two chapters. Chapter one, "Back on the Rails?", discusses encouraging trends which seem likely to emerge as policy, and stresses areas where bold initiatives seem in order: (1) French speakers outside Quebec; (2) amendments to the Official Languages Act; (3) long-term priority of youth; and (4) the government information inadequacy. Chapter two, "The Performance: Encouraging, But Still Uneven," is a technical section presenting certain stubborn problems, and an assessment of various government institutions' performance with regard to the language reform policy, including complaints against these agencies and departments. Appendices contain the…
(1978). Toward an Inventory of Federal Programs with Direct Impact on Families: Staff Report – Family Impact Seminar, February 1978. This report presents an inventory of 268 federal programs which have direct impact on families, selected from the 1,044 programs listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance for fiscal year 1976. Introductory sections describe the background of the inventory and explain the definitions and concepts (family, impact, direct impact, and indirect impact) used. Also dicussed is the context in which this report must be understood; the fact that both the inventory and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance represent only a portion of the wide range of policies which affect families is underscored. Subsequent sections of the report describe the inventory, briefly summarize and analyze the findings, and recommend selected programs for family impact analysis. Inventory tables pertaining to specific programs comprise the final and largest section of the report. Programs are categorized according to the 17 federal agencies responsible for them. The title, objective, target group,…
(1981). A Longitudinal Study of the Oral Language Development of Texas Bilingual Children (Spanish-English): Findings From the Second Year. Analysis Procedures and Summary Statistics of the Language Data. The Bilingual Reading Study employs several measures of oral language proficiency: (1) a standardized oral language proficiency test, the Language Assessment Scales (LAS); (2) teacher ratings on the Student Operational Language Assessment Scale (SOLA); (3) teacher ratings on the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) Oral Language Proficiency Scale (OLPS); and (4) an ethnographic verification of each child's linguistic capability based on audio tapes of the child in the classroom, on the playground, and at home. In this paper, the reliability and distribution of responses for each measure is presented, followed by a discussion of the relations among the various measures. (BW)… [PDF]
(1979). Mathematical Skills and Performance of the Elementary School Student in LAUSD: Fractional Numbers. Presented is a detailed discussion of the performance pattern of third- and sixth-grade pupils in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for the skill area of fractional numbers. The report begins with a brief and general introduction regarding minimum competencies and continues with tables showing the performance levels of non-English speaking/limited English speaking (NES/LES) and English/Bilingual students. The results discussed are those of a feasibility study conducted in fall 1978, which involved 3,835 students. Among the findings, the data revealed that all students in third grade have difficulty in differentiating between the concept of fraction and the concept of ratio when in a parts to whole context. It was also found that students at the sixth-grade level have difficulty adding and subtracting fractions or multiplying a whole or mixed number by a fraction. Performance patterns are identified for both groups in fractional number skills and suggestions for… [PDF]
(1979). Trends in Ethnic Enrollments. Junior College Resource Review. Some of the issues relating to ethnic enrollments in community and junior colleges are discussed in terms of the recent literature on recruitment, access, finances, effects, and, to a lesser extent, in terms of the development of special programs and curriculums for special students. Brief summaries are provided of reports focusing on practical and financial aspects of recruiting students, program evaluations, and of descriptions of bilingual programs. Allusions are made to general reports providing information on program development, questions of bias, the assessment of student populations in terms of ethnicity, descriptions of methods of recruiting and retaining minority faculty, and reviews of court cases relating to Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A bibliography listing the ERIC documents cited in this review is included. (Author/MB)… [PDF]
(1968). Evaluation of the Bilingual Project of Harlandale Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas, in the First and Second Grades of Four Elementary Schools during 1967-68 School Year. An evaluation is provided of a project designed to create a bilingual environment and a program of bilingual instruction for first and second grade Spanish speaking children. A comparison is included of the language development and reading ability of the students taught in Spanish and English with those taught in English only. A pre- and post-testing program and teacher observations, comments, evaluations, and recommendations are utilized in the evaluation. Conclusions reveal that teachers feel bilingual instruction should be continued; pupils have a better self-concept, feel more accepted, have more pride in their own culture, and derive pleasure from materials portraying their culture after completing the program; pupils who have exhibited the most language development are bilingual and have increased cognition and intellectual development; and there is no significant difference in the reading abilities of the 2 groups. It is recommended that: (1) a structured core program in… [PDF]
(1976). Content in English Language Materials in the Philippines: A Case Study of Cultural and Linguistic Emancipation. Developments in the linguistic and non-linguistic scenes in the Philippines indicate the emergence of a dialect of English that should appropriately be labelled Philippine English. Filipinos paradoxically have emancipated themselves from American English by taking over the code for their own creative uses. Philippine English has become and will continue to be distinctively different from American, British, Canadian and Australian English. In terms of classroom teaching, language education programming, and materials preparation, this will mean the end of American cultural content and the emergence of Philippine cultural content. (Author/CFM)…
(1976). The Lands of New Mexico. New Mexico, the fifth largest state, measures 390 miles from north to south and 350 miles from east to west. Six of the 7 life zones found in the U.S. are represented within the State's 77,866,240 acres. Its population has tended to congregate at altitudes of 7,000 feet and below, especially in areas where water is available. This booklet, prepared for use by schools with bilingual programs, presents information on New Mexico's past and present. The information covers: New Mexico's many environments, life zones, first inhabitants, and prehistoric agricultural communities; the Eve of the Spanish Conquest; the Apachean nomads; the State as a 17th century Spanish colony; New Mexico in the 18th and early 19th centuries; New Mexico on the Eve of Conquest by the U.S.; New Mexico as a U.S. territory (1846-1912); and New Mexico in the 20th century. A listing of 124 references is provided. The listing of New Mexico land grant claims includes such information as the: type (i.e., pueblo,… [PDF]
(1975). Las Tierras de Nuevo Mexico. [The Lands of New Mexico.]. New Mexico was inhabited thousands of years ago. Each group of settlers saw the land in distinct ways. For some, its beauty consisted of its quality, the abundance of water, and the hope of a good harvest. For others, its beautiful sites were of more importance. Thus, each group established its own manner of living on the land and of using it. Some influenced others as to their way of using the land. Archaeologists and historians can teach us much about the human experiences in New Mexico. This booklet, written in Spanish, presents the history of the various people who inhabited New Mexico and their relationship with the lands. Covering from prehistoric times to the present, the booklet presents information on: New Mexico's diverse environment, life zones, first inhabitants, and prehistoric agricultural communities; the Eve of the Spanish Conquest; the Apachean nomads; the State as a 17th century Spanish colony; New Mexico in the 18th and 19th centuries; the Eve of the Conquest by… [PDF]