Examined decisions about which languages to include in the school curriculum and which languages to use as languages of learning and teaching in South Africa, paying particular attention to the relative role and status of Xhosa and English from the perspective of high school students studying Xhosa as a first language and English as a second.…

These two single-subject, alternating treatment design experiments with a total of seven young children (Navajo speaking and Spanish speaking) found that receptive learning of novel words in a second language reaches a preestablished criterion in fewer trials under a bilingual compared with a monolingual condition. (Author/DB)

Reports the results of a survey in Adelaide (Australia) concerning public attitudes toward language diversity and the need to teach English and/or second languages to children in the schools. The survey analyzed responses on the basis of respondent's occupation, sex, income, and age, and found a high degree of support for language diversity. (MSE)

Identifies linguistic, curricular, and social benefits of cooperative learning arrangements in second language and bilingual instruction. Discusses five major models of cooperative learning, and reviews research findings in linguistically diverse settings. Contains 45 references. (Author/SV)

Responses of 118 Cantonese-speaking students at Hong Kong English-medium secondary schools to a questionnaire indicated those factors that contribute to the ineffectiveness of the English-medium education include: (1) lack of exposure to English outside the classroom; (2) absence of the Hawthorne effect on the immersion programs; and (3)…

Outlines an application of theoretical understandings of institutionalized or nativized varieties of English to the practical concern of English-as-a-Second-Language programs, including testing, placement, and pedagogy. (29 references) (Author/OD)

Supports the theory of language policy formulation in a "conflict" paradigm (involving value, resources, and power) with a case example of the development of Ontario's Native language policy. Research and theory were applied to policy formulation when there was significant consensus regarding both societal and educational goals. (CB)

A review of the research on Canadian immersion programs supports two notions regarding second language learning: (1) older learners may have as much learning success as younger learners, and in a shorter time period; and (2) integration of content teaching and language teaching is paramount in effective second language instruction. (29 references)…

Achievement in English was measured for 64 German eighth graders by a cloze test, which was evaluated by three methods, yielding similar results. Twenty-one native English speakers comprised a criterion group. The cloze test may be appropriate for evaluating oral communication when an oral interview is not feasible. (SLD)

Investigates whether a three-month extensive reading program involving graded readers could improve English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' second language competence. Finds improvement in reading and writing skills and a simpler but more correct use of syntax in the second language. (RS)

Reports on two studies designed to prove three hypotheses: (1) five-year-olds can successfully learn a second language (L2); (2) early L2 learning has a positive effect on the development of children's cognitive and first language linguistic abilities; and (3) early L2 learning assists socio-economically disadvantaged children in overcoming…

A project at Indiana University of Pennsylvania to improve the speaking skills of 36 secondary school French and Spanish teachers is described. The project consisted of a total immersion workshop for strengthening oral skills, learning classroom techniques, and developing innovative curricula, and teacher projects to incorporate innovations into…

Questions the plausibility of the unitary competence hypothesis, which assumes a universal structure of second language competence. New evidence, showing divergent structures in language ability subgroups and different influences of teaching styles on different language components, better supports a multidimensional model of foreign language…

Several techniques used to enhance creativity in writing workshops are offered as potential exercises in writing and literature appreciation for French second-language classes. The activities include wordplay, linking poetry and narration, and story creation by computer program. (MSE)

Evaluated two training methods that might be used to increase Mandarin adults' accuracy in identifying final /t/ and /d/ as stops in English. Results indicate that the effects of training generalized to words that were not used in training, and subjects maintained the effects of same/different training better than those of identification training.…