In order to teach a language effectively, teachers need to be both proficient users of the target language, and have an explicit understanding of its linguistic structures. This study reports on the linguistic knowledge of Irish of a group of student primary teachers (SPTs) (N = 75) preparing to teach in primary schools in the Republic of Ireland.…

While CLIL programmes have been extensively researched for their impact on L2 learning outcomes, the relationship between young learners' L2 proficiency and subject knowledge has received less attention. This study aimed to address this research gap by examining the science content knowledge of two cohorts of Grade 5 students (n = 100) from two…

The aim of this study was to examine how sign language policies are being implemented in special schools for the Deaf in Zimbabwe. It employed in-depth interviews to solicit data from 29 participants who were four district school inspectors, four educational psychologists, four school heads and 17 grade one to three specialist teachers. Data were…

The recent decades have seen enthusiastic calls for reconceptualizing English as a foreign language (EFL) education, taking into account the current socio-lingual status of English and how it is used "genuinely" for communication interculturally and internationally. However, a wide gap still exists between promulgation such as…

This is a qualitative case study framed by a sociosemiotic theoretical framework to explore science and language instruction with three Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) in sixth grade. The study details the modeling and explanatory processes used by EBs to mediate science learning through evidence-based argumentation. A thematic analysis of students'…

Background Study: English education has been promoted in Taiwan for many years. Recently, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has received attention as an effective way to integrate English into real-life contexts. With advances in technology, digital storytelling is suitable for students to develop multiple skills such as narrating…

This study explores the instructional decisions made by elementary principals in implementing dual language programs, with a focus on the choice of language for state reading assessments. Utilizing a qualitative phenomenological approach, the research examines the lived experiences of eight principals in a South Texas school district, offering…

This article reports on two quantitative studies of English learners' (ELs) interactions with constructed-response items from a Grade 5 state science test. Study 1 investigated the relationships between the constructed-response item-level variables of English Reading Demand, English Writing Demand, and Background Knowledge Demand and the…

This study investigated the dependability of reading comprehension scores across different text genres and response formats for readers with varied language knowledge. Participants included 78 fourth-graders in an urban elementary school. A randomized and counterbalanced 3 × 2 study design investigated three response formats (open-ended,…

Multiple-meaning words may pose acute challenges to young learners, especially those who speak a home language other than English. The goal of this study was to investigate Emergent Bilinguals' (EBs) knowledge about words that convey both specific mathematical meanings as well as everyday meanings (e.g., the "volume" of a triangular…

Traditionally, content assessments have been carried out through written language. However, the latest standards in U.S. K-12 education expect all students, including English learners (ELs), to demonstrate their content learning using multiple modalities. This study examined the performance of fifth-grade students at varying levels of English…

Due to a lack of science instruction and a need to serve an increasing number of students identifying as Emerging Bilingual, one school district in Oregon sought to develop a new method of integrating science and language instruction. In the model, all teachers taught science with embedded language instruction, three to four days a week, to every…

This article reports on a 3-year formative experiment involving the implementation and testing of a long-term, multifaceted vocabulary instruction program in fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms in three demographically distinct schools. The quantitative findings indicate that the students, across the 3 years of the project, showed accelerated…

The Ministry of Education has organized the teacher training--Boot Camp--to improve teachers' English proficiency and teaching methodology. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the extent of primary school English teachers' application of knowledge/skills obtained from Boot Camp to their classroom teaching practices and factors that…

Purpose: Japanese school teachers are facing challenges under the new curricula reform, and there is still a lack of preparation to guide them to a successful implementation. Dilemmas related to teaching English language in primary schools were seen among participant teachers in a program of professional learning. This study aims (1) to identify a…