Describes a prototype of computer-assisted language learning software, "BUSCA," that attempts to bridge the gap between commercially available, but pedagogically unsound, Spanish Foreign Language learning programs. The article notes that "BUSCA" is designed to be integrated into a formal course to assist students to become…

Five nutrition education lessons developed specifically for Latino families were broadcast over Spanish-language radio in urban and semi-rural areas of southern California. Pre- and postbroadcast interviews with participants revealed that although knowledge and practice gains were significant in both locations, reported food-frequency patterns…

Describes a model for situating an English-as-a- Second-or-Other-Language (ESOL) methods course in a Spanish speaking community. Organized ESOL classes for children and adults in a Latino neighborhood that serve as a practicum for university students working for ESOL teaching endorsements and as a service learning project in the methods course so…

Twelve Spanish-speaking school-aged children participated in an 8-week pretest/posttest design investigation targeting improvement of their communicative competence through a narrative intervention program. Also examined the efficacy of providing an intervention in the children's native language. Findings revealed that use of a narrative…

Addresses the socio-pragmatic phenomenon of academic conflict from a cross-cultural and diachronic perspective. It is examined by combining a quantitative approach and a qualitative discoursal analysis of its salient rhetorical features in corpus of Spanish, French, and English medical articles published between 1930 and 1995. (VWL)

Investigated the effects of readers' gender, topic familiarity, enjoyment, and interest on second language reading. University students of Spanish completed a reading passage each day, a written recall comprehension task, and a questionnaire. Findings suggest that in addition to linguistic factors, other variables such as gender, passage content,…

Describes the results of a national survey that was conducted to determine the current state of Spanish-language testing for placement and outcome assessments. The survey was undertaken in the United States in the departments of Spanish in B.A.-granting institutions. (Author/VWL)

A course at Hampshire College is described that was designed to familiarize students with the progression, key junctures, and general drift of forces and events that are the political and economic history of Spanish America. (MLW)

Describes a teacher exchange program between the University of Cincinnati and a high school where the high school Spanish teacher observed the university foreign-language-methods instructor teaching the Spanish class. Idea sharing was encouraged between the two teachers. (CB)

Examines debates involving three speech communities in the United States: standard English, Black English, and Spanish. The analysis focuses on languages in which electoral activities take place and in which public school instruction is conducted. The major American ideologies of language are similar in their denial of linguistic inequality.…

The relationship of Spanish-language background to achievement among first-, second-, and third-generation Mexican American high school seniors was examined. Data from the national High School and Beyond study were used. Spanish-language variables were only intermittently related to achievement, with personal aspirations far more influential. (TJH)

Briefly describes a four-semester Spanish language program focused on developing listening skills, and explains, in detail, the design of the final listening examination. The listening comprehension levels developed by 196 students in this program are evaluated. A sample student test and sample of level and complexity of language heard are…

Suggestions for increasing the involvement of Hispanic parents in their children's education are offered, including 10 specific reading and writing activities identified by Hispanic parents as easy to implement. These include visiting the library, providing reading materials, listening to the child read, displaying the child's writing, reading and…

This study compared the relative effects of traditional and processing instruction on the acquisition of Spanish past tense verb morphology among 61 college-level learners of Spanish. Results revealed significant gains in both comprehension and production for subjects in processing instruction, while subjects in traditional instruction had…

The information gained from analysis of bilingual students' writing can be used to inform instruction that helps students improve their writing in Spanish and English. The writing of one native Spanish-speaking third grader is analyzed, and instructional strategies are given for helping the writer improve content and mechanics. (Author/TD)