Discussion of the enhancement of second-language instruction in a unified Europe looks at education for multilingualism; curriculum design at various educational levels; early language instruction; third and additional languages; ease or difficulty of language learning based on similarity to native language; program length; cross-cultural…

The 2008 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, a joint conference with the Michigan World Language Association, focused on learning about the diverse backgrounds and needs of today's students and discovering new ways to help them succeed in reaching the goal of language proficiency. A wide variety of workshops and…

The objective of this study is to assess whether arts-based curriculum facilitates the acquisition of English as a Second Language without sacrificing proficiency in the first language (in this case, Spanish). The paper has two chief parts, one theoretical, the other empirical. In the first part, similarities between authentic arts-based…

This study on Basque language learning is part of a project investigating alternative curriculum designs to promote native language maintenance in the Basque Country of Spain. This study measured the level of Basque and Spanish of fifth-graders (n=586 divided among 167 classrooms) in three program models (Basque taught as a second language--Model…

This study on Basque language learning is part of a project investigating alternative curriculum designs to promote native language maintenance in the Basque Country of Spain. This study, similar in design to an earlier study, measured the level of Basque and Spanish of second-graders (n=1,196 from 301 classrooms) in three program models (Basque…

An extensive discussion of literacy education in multicultural schools is designed to help teachers help students develop language competencies through integrated multicultural themes and topics based on relevant children's literature. The first part looks at the foundations for language and literacy: the role of culture, family, and society in…

The guide outlines performance standards for each of three broad goals of English-as-a-Second-Language teaching in elementary and secondary education. The three goals include: use of English to communicate in social settings; use of English to achieve academically in all content areas; and use of English in socially and culturally appropriate…

Issues related to school instruction in students' heritage or ancestral language are discussed, particularly in regard to dialect-speaking children or children with some degree of competence in the language. The first chapter considers similarities and differences between second language instruction and heritage language education. The findings on…

Nine papers read and discussed at the Skytop, Pennsylvania, Colloquium are presented along with discussion summaries by Theodore Andersson. Opening the colloquium with a paper on the importance of language style in education, Moses Hadas urges the cooperation of teachers of modern foreign languages and of classical languages in order to achieve…

Research reports, including some foreign ones, completed since 1945 or in progress in 1964 are included. The research reported was performed pursuant to a contract with the United States Office of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Bibliographies, periodicals, and serials are listed with occasional annotations; however,…

This report presents an evaluation of a bilingual education program in which English-speaking children receive most of their school instruction in French. The paper discusses details of the program and curriculum and reports on the tests conducted to evaluate the program. Results are presented of tests examining English and French language skills,…

Problems attributed to dual language learning in early childhood have been exaggerated and may be the result of a failure to control significant research variables. The relationship between a child's acquisition of a language and his ability to think must be better understood for closer investigation of the effects of dual language learning.…

Undergraduate students majoring in Islamic Studies at the women's colleges in Saudi Arabia need to take an English-for-Specific-Purposes (ESP) course each year of the B.A. program. The material for all four courses was developed in-house by a group of instructors at those colleges. An examination of the course material in general and reading…

Analyzes how Canadian immersion education has developed from its origins to the present in terms of a cycle guided by the interplay between theory and classroom practice of second- language acquisition. Johnson responds by questioning the extent to which bilingual education theory and practices are universal or context specific. (38 references)…

Describes an innovative Japanese elementary school foreign language (FLES) program introduced at the Laboratory School of the University of Pittsburgh. Lessons focused on thematic vocabulary presented within a context, a language function associated with the context, and some attention to the grammatical or syntactic structure necessary for…