The article reports the results of a 1979-80 survey of the kind and number of French language programs in Canadian elementary schools. It notes the development of both traditional and immersion French language programs and the increasing enrollment in French programs, especially in Eastern Canada. (SB)

Presents an investigation of a longitudinal study of the development of past tense and plural inflections in elementary school children enrolled in either a French immersion or a traditional English curriculum. The type of program did not influence the rate of acquisition. (Author/BK)

Three case studies of children with specific learning disabilities who were switched out of French immersion programs are presented to provide background for the development of hypotheses for future study regarding the advisability of switching. (JMF)

Provides an abbreviated update of a Spanish language program, initiated in Kansas City, Missouri in 1987-88, that was begun in response to a 1986 federal court order mandating the creation of magnet schools for ending segregative practices and beginning elementary school language immersion programs for French, German, and Spanish. (GLR)

A study investigated the communication strategies used by successful and less successful early French immersion learners by analysis of the use of 10 specific communication strategies. Results show effective communicators used virtually all strategies, with more achievement than reduction strategies; less effective communicators used fewer…

A colloquium convened at the Deutsches Haus in New York is summarized that brought together experts to discuss (1) the significance foreign languages have for other elementary school subjects, and (2) what function the other subjects serve for early foreign language learning. The following six topics, guided by session leaders, provided the…

A survey of the opinions of parents of 85 elementary school children in the San Diego area regarding elementary school foreign language instruction is reported. A questionnaire was used to gather data, which was processed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to provide results and correlations in the form of frequencies. Results…

The evaluation of bilingual education programs is complicated by such factors as the diversity of evaluation methodologies and program goals and the reliability of instruments for minority language students. Three bilingual program evaluations in foreign countries are described in terms of their different contexts and approaches in order to raise…

Instructional materials from the Milwaukee Public School System's elementary school French immersion program are presented. The materials for the Multi-Language School-German/French, are as follows: (1) Summer Reading Booklet, First Grade French Immersion; (2) L'automne: Livret de la premiere annee; (3) L'Halloween: Livret de la premiere annee;…

This volume of bilingual program curriculum guides enunciates the basic framework of the program, dealing with the rationale, philosophy, and general goals and objectives. Recommendations for implementation, integration, and evaluation are also included. The rationale concentrates on the educational options offered through study of foreign…

French immersion, a relatively new concept in second language teaching in the sixties, is well known in Canada today. Generally developed for Anglophones wanting to become bilingual, the program has tended to serve the needs of the English-speaking middle class. The question then is posed as to what must be done in order to offer the same kind of…

This study evaluates the quality of the teaching in an English immersion program on a South Pacific island. Naturalistic versus rationalistic language acquisition is discussed. The language proficiency of nonnative English speaking teachers is tested and related to the children's language proficiency. (MT)

Summarizes an evaluation of an early French immersion program at grades 6 and 8. In English language skills, immersion students performed as well as, or better than, English-only program groups; in mathematics and sciences, immersion students did as well as their comparison group. Other findings are discussed. (PJM)

Examines the characteristics of teachers' language in the classroom and the use of explicit teaching behaviors in an attempt to determine the relationship between selected characteristics of formal language input and second language achievement. The language samples discussed were collected in bilingual French/English and all-French grade schools.…

An exploration of the reasons for the failure of former elementary school foreign language programs precedes the identification of issues that should be addressed to ensure the effectiveness of current and future programs. The three basic FLES program models, Foreign Language Experience (FLEX), sequential FLES, and immersion, are described. (CB)