(1995). The State of Minority Languages. International Perspectives on Survival and Decline. European Studies on Multilingualism. Volume 5. In many respects, the state of minority language reflects the dynamics of the society at large. At this time, many minority languages are threatened by modernization and urbanization, although others find support in new regional autonomy and movements toward cultural preservation. The 17 chapters of this collection describe the status of a number of minority languages. The topical variation on the state of minority languages is well illustrated in the first section of the book, in which three articles focus on national policies, educational issues, and communication styles or attitudes. The second section presents four studies reflecting the long-time academic concerns with multilingualism and the language proficiency of bilingual speakers in Europe. Two articles then report on the state of Native American minority languages in the United States and Mexico, and one considers the relevance of language planning in national policy. These discussions are followed by large-scale surveys…
(1993). Teachers' Theoretical Beliefs and Practices: A Case Study of Literacy and Biliteracy in a Bilingual Classroom. A study examined how one sixth-grade teacher's theoretical beliefs about literacy and biliteracy were reflected in her instructional practices. The subject taught in an English-Spanish bilingual classroom in a public school located in a neighborhood of low- to middle-class families in a large, southwestern city. Data included field notes comprising two and a half months of participant observation of reading and writing activities, interviews, and examination of instructional materials and students' written work. Results indicated that: (1) the teacher described herself as a whole language teacher; (2) the teacher made references to the importance of joint decision-making in a whole language classroom and viewed herself as offering choices; (3) however, the choices were limited by her clearly specified guidelines; (4) the teacher believed in the importance of helping her students to become more responsible, but for her, responsibility had more to do with procedure than with content;… [PDF]
(1994). Cultural Conflict and Struggle: Working and Playing in Learning Centers. This ethnographic study examined two bilingual, ethnic-minority children in a developmentally appropriate kindergarten to discover how they worked and played in learning centers. A Vietnamese-Cambodian-American girl and an Indian-American boy were observed two to three times per week throughout the school year. The two children's interactions with other, mainly European-American, students were observed as the children engaged in activities in various learning centers. These centers focused on sand and water play, school readiness, housekeeping, listening to music and stories, discovery learning, block play, writing, art, and math. Additional data were collected through interviews of the two students, their parents, and educators, along with an analysis of student work, report cards, testing information, and classroom materials. The study found that the two children did not have positive social interactions in the learning centers. The Indian-American boy was usually dominated by the… [PDF]
(1983). Seward Park High School. Project Superemos, 1981-1982. O.E.E. Evaluation Report. Project Superemos, conducted at Seward Park High School in New York City, was implemented in order to supplement the school's instructional services in English as a Second Language, native language arts, and bilingual instruction. The project provided supportive services necessary for mainstreaming into the regular school curriculum approximately 150 Hispanic, limited English proficiency students in grades nine through eleven. These services consisted of personal, academic, and career counseling, as well as peer tutoring, home visits, and referrals to outside agencies. Also conducted through the project were staff development and participation activities. Evaluation of the project's first year results showed: (1) statistically significant improvement in native language reading ability among participants; (2) improved performance on teacher-made mathematics and science tests; and (3) higher attendance rates among participants than among the general school population. However, the… [PDF]
(1983). Project L'Ouverture, 1981-1982. O.E.E. Final Evaluation Report. Originally proposed as a supplement to basic bilingual programs for Haitian students in three New York City high schools, Project L'Ouverture changed its focus to the development and reinforcement of basic skills. In response to a need for basic bilingual services not available in participating schools, the project provided tutorial services to limited-English-speaking Haitian students on a voluntary basis. Evaluation of the 1981-82 school year showed that project staff continued to develop a rapport with project students and the Haitian community. Communication with parents and with school administrators was weak. Documentation of project activities in nearly every area was incomplete and thus hampered evaluation efforts, since it was impossible to gauge the extent or substance of tutorial services, or the number of students actually tutored regularly. There was little evidence of parental involvment or curriculum development. Staff development activities apparently took place, but… [PDF]
(1983). Dual Language = Saad Ahaah Sinil. A Navajo-English Dictionary. Revised Edition. A dual-language Navajo-English dictionary provides a chart of the Navajo kinship system, a two-page map of the Navajo Nation, and English equivalents for Navajo words in 46 linguistic and cultural categories. Included are words for: races (Indian and other ethnic groups); Navajo clans; age groups; Navajo ceremonies; body parts; sickness; clothing; grooming; jewelry; different types of hogans/houses and their contents; outdoor surrroundings; tools; kitchen utensils; food; domestic and wild animals; birds; insects; plants; heavenly bodies; minerals; sacred mountains; rivers, creeks and washes; weather; geograhical directions and spatial relationships; time; days, months, and seasons; office and school supplies; numbers; shapes, lines, and textures; colors; games and sports; community places and people; equipment and transportation; weaving; riding gear; towns and cities; adjectives; counting money; and mathematical terms. (MH)… [PDF]
(1989). The Bilingual Academic Services and Integrated Career Systems Program: Project BASICS, 1987-1988. OREA Report. The Bilingual Academic Services and Integrated Career Systems Program (Project BASICS) is a federally-funded program of instructional and support services provided to 122 students at a Queens high school. The program's aim was to develop English literacy skills and appreciation of cultural diversity, and to prepare students for the psychosocial dimensions of the workplace. The program provided instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL) to all students, computer-assisted tutorials in ESL and mainstream content area, vocational classes, and social studies courses taught with an ESL approach. The program's non-instructional component included career orientation, conferences, and guidance and counseling. Most participants were recent immigrants. The project met its objectives in ESL and content-area learning, partially achieved its objectives in career-oriented activities and curriculum development, but failed to meet the attendance objective. Whether objectives were met in… [PDF]
(1986). Evander Childs High School Computer-Literacy and Word-Processing Skills for Bilingual Students 1985-1986. O.E.A. Evaluation Section Report. A program sought to enhance the educational achievement and employability of 167 Hispanic students of limited English proficiency in grades 9-12 through elective courses in keyboarding, computer literacy, word processing, and automated accounting. The instructional approach was based on students' English proficiency. Students with the least English proficiency were taught primarily in Spanish; students with greater proficiency were taught in English. In addition to English as a second language, native language arts, and bilingual content-area instruction, all students were enrolled in classes in keyboarding conducted in English and Spanish. Supportive services were also offered to program participants. Program objectives were assessed in English language development (Criterion Referenced English Syntax Test–CREST and the Regents Competency Test–RCT in reading), work study/work readiness skills (staff-developed examination), and attendance (school and program records). A… [PDF]
(1987). Corrections in Bilingual Student Talk. A study of self-correction, or repair (the righting of the trouble source) among bilingual secondary students differed from most repair studies in three ways. It: (1) examined results in the form of description rather than in quantifiable analyses; (2) defined errors as trouble sources (hearable errors, breaks in communication such as word searches, and changes made by the speaker when no error was heard) rather than errors in form only; and (3) examined error and repair in peer conversations and in oral tests rather than under experiment conditions. Subjects were grade nine students from late immersion (French study begun in grade seven) and continuing bilingual (French study begun in kindergarten or in grade one) programs. Videotapes of peer interactions among the students were analyzed for evidence of turn-taking and repairs; in addition, the inter-relationship of turn-taking and repairs in different contexts were examined. The analysis, produced a "grammar" of repair… [PDF]
(1986). Composing in Two Languages: A Bilingual Child's Response. A study of code-switching in a group of 35 Spanish-English bilingual third-graders is reported. The students' diary journal entries and writing assignments based on previous classwork are examined. Retelling of stories previously told by the teacher and the journal entries helped identify the kind of language used by students, the code-switching differences in oral versus written language, and the relationship of code-switching to the type or purpose of the writing. The study found evidence of language variation in the form of language interference and code-switching. Samples of interference clearly demonstrate the students' occasional need to fall back on first-language competence to communicate a message. Code-switching instances suggest a difference between previously reported language mixing in speech and code-switching in writing. Written code-switching was limited to single lexical items or very short phrases. In addition, the purpose of the writing appeared to affect… [PDF]
(1986). Project GET SET, 1984-1985. OEA Evaluation Report. This project, in the second year of a three-year funding cycle, serves approximately 100 Hispanic students of limited proficiency in both English and Spanish at two junior high schools. Both schools had high enrollments (over 50 percent) of Hispanic students and were located in economically depressed areas of New York City. Project goals include: (1) to reinforce English language skills, especially reading and writing; (2) to improve language arts skills in the students' native language (Spanish); (3) to offer counseling support services; and (4) to offer career guidance services. In addition, two students from a nearby high school served as peer tutors in English reading, and curriculum materials appropriate to the students' needs were developed. Implementation was delayed due to a reduced level and late receipt of funding, a change in sites, and difficulties finding and hiring appropriate staff. In spite of these problems, student achievement data indicate significant gains in…
(1988). Young Children's Oral Language Proficiency and Reading Ability in Spanish and English. CLEAR Technical Report Series. Seventy-one subjects (22 English monolinguals, 23 Spanish monolinguals, and one bilingual group comprised of 19 Spanish-dominant and 7 English-dominant bilinguals) were assessed by means of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery and the Woodcock-Johnson Language Proficiency Battery at the beginning of kindergarten and first grade. These instruments were used to measure oral language, reading aptitude, and reading ability. Results helped to establish patterns of language dominance in the bilinguals and to define different aspects of language proficiency in terms of semantic functioning (i.e., defining words and understanding relationships between words) and communicative competence in everyday activities. It was found that when tested in their weaker language, bilingual children fell behind in basic reading ability and, in the case of early reading in English, group differences were more related to differences in language proficiency and lack of formal English instruction… [PDF]
(1985). Evaluation of the Grade Nine French Immersion Program in Fredericton, N.B. The academic achievement in French of two cohorts of grade 9 students of a public school early immersion program in New Brunswick, which has total French-language instruction through grade 4 and includes all students in the program except transfers was compared to that of a group of native French-speaking students at a nearby French-language school. The students were tested on academic achievement in French language arts (including three reading comprehension tests, a writing skills measure, a general language arts test, and an overall French language proficiency test requiring reading and writing skills) and linguistic competence in French (including test of French morphology and vocabulary and three tests of listening comprehension). Results indicate that the program has met its goal of continued improvement in French skills during grades 7-9, with test score improvement on all of the relevant measures. The immersion students' level of performance on academic measures of French…
(1981). The Hmong in America–Their Cultural Continuities and Discontinuities. In adjusting to their new environment, Hmong refugees to the United States have attempted to preserve cultural traditions while accommodating the demands of American society and culture. The Hmong refugee background includes a tradition of close family ties and self sufficiency in the Laotian hinterlands; a history of war, hardship, and drastic life changes; and life in Thailand's refugee camps that was characterized by uncertainty, the distress of losing a homeland, and forced dependence on foreign aid. Their arrival in the United States has required new adjustments in culture, housing, language, education, employment, health practices, and family relations. The process of adjustment has resulted in some cultural discontinuities. While the traditional sense of kinship and the characteristics of independence and initiative continue to be reflected in Hmong life, changes have had to be made in family roles, marriage customs, and employment practices. Some culture gaps remain due to…
(1979). Resources: Materials for Special Needs Learners. "It Isn't Easy Being Special." Bibliography Series No. 50. This bibliography contains publications which provide information that will help meet the needs of special individuals with unique characteristics. The bibliography is divided into thirteen sections. Each section is identified by specific population and contains a listing of both generic resources and those specific to each individual special populaiton. Special populations included are (1) American Indians, (2) Asian Americans, (3) bilinguals and those with limited English proficiency, (4) black Americans, (5) disadvantaged, (6) exceptional children, (7) gifted and talented, (8) handicapped, (9) Hispanics, (10) the incarcerated, (11) migrants, (12) older Americans, and (13) single parents. (LRA)… [PDF]