This Advice provides important information on the national context and describes best practice to support senior leaders, practitioners, and education authorities in evaluating and planning for improvement in Gaelic Education. It is based on evidence from inspections, reviews and validated self-evaluation, covering all sectors of Gaelic Education…

Language teacher education is widely identified as one of the most important areas that needs addressing in order to improve early language instruction, yet research into teacher education for early language teachers remains relatively sparse. This volume responds to this gap by compiling studies with diverse methodological tenets from a wide…

This qualitative case study examined the perceived impact of immersion language study for pre-service teachers. The focus of the case was a month-long exploratory language and cultural immersion project in Costa Rica. The guiding questions were: what knowledge of teaching literacy do pre-service teachers reflect upon during a linguistic and…

The present study investigates 2-way bilingual immersion (TWBI) as a potentially viable pedagogical model for adult language learners. A review of the literature on TWBI at the K-6 level is provided, followed by an examination of key issues in adult second and foreign language education. Implications for potential adult TWBI programs are discussed…

This mixed methods study with an Explanatory Design is an exploration of students' language learning motivation as it relates to their attrition from a language immersion program. A total of 131 students who had graduated from five public elementary immersion schools responded to surveys, and 33 of those students were interviewed. Data analysis…

In recent times, there has been significant interest in reviving the Gaelic language. The National Plan for Gaelic aims to secure a sustainable future for the language. Gaelic Education plays a major role. The term "Gaelic Education" covers a spectrum of opportunity ranging from raising an awareness of Gaelic as a Scottish language to…

This article describes the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School (PVCICS), a regional public charter school in western Massachusetts, which opened in 2007 and the only Chinese immersion school in New England. The school draws students from over twenty-five towns and cities in a predominantly rural area of Massachusetts that includes the…

To help students compete in a global economy, American teachers must begin teaching children a second language at an early age. Describes the advantages of learning a second language at the elementary school level, highlighting three currently-used language programs (immersion, Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools, and Foreign Language…

Student adaptation involved in moving from an elementary school in English Canada to a French school in Europe was investigated. Information was gathered from 35 students. About half had gone from an early French immersion program to a French language school in Europe. The others had either attended French schools in Quebec or schools using a…

Students' use of French in unsupervised classroom situations and outside the classroom was investigated in immersion center schools (all students are involved in French immersion programs) and dual track schools (French immersion programs co-exist with regular English language programs). A total of 414 students in grades 3 and 4 were observed…

Explains the three approaches to foreign language teaching: immersion, Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES), and Foreign Language Experience (FLEX). Presents notable current examples of the use of each type of approach throughout the country that suggest that language teaching is reviving. (JM)

Investigates the nature of the spelling lag existing in the development of English spelling in early French immersion students. Results reveal in grade three a tendency to employ French orthography to spell English words, a tendency that increases as words become less familiar. By grade eight, this tendency diminishes greatly but remains evident…

The purpose of this study was to enlist practitioners in language immersion programs in the identification and elaboration of issues and challenges in immersion language teaching. Through focus groups and extensive individual interviews, 6 elementary Spanish-language immersion teachers in 3 school settings served as informants. (Author/VWL)

Describes immersion programs in the United States and Canada and reviews results of evaluative research pertaining to them. Discusses findings with respect to students' native-language development, academic achievement, and second language proficiency. Also discusses the suitability of immersion for students with distinctive, potentially…

Describes immersion programs currently in operation in Finland and Spain. Both are based on the Canadian model and are perhaps the start of an overall trend in Europe toward multiculturalism and multilingualism. (LET)