This study is a partial replication of a set of studies conducted to investigate the effects of unequal status on speech variation. It was found that, in some respects, first- and second-language variation may be quantitatively different. (52 references) (JL)

Analyzes discourse features of compositions written in Spanish by secondary school students in Mexico, draws comparisons with those written in English by Anglo-American students in the United States, and discusses the implications of the results for teaching and evaluating composition skills in Spanish language programs. (29 references) (GLR)

Describes a project where children follow the natural progression of becoming literate in their native language (Spanish) before developing literacy in the language of the school. Demonstrates the manner in which social interaction is part of literacy acquisition at the early stages. (MG)

This article presents the case study of a child who was classified as communication disabled but seemed to have suffered from language loss or arrested development of the primary language (Spanish) before attaining full competence in English. The child experienced a temporary delay of development in both languages but eventually mastered English.…

Answers questions about young people in Puerto Rico, drawing on governmental databases. Demographic characteristics and how young people fit into the social structure are described. A description of the physical and mental health of this population presents data on mortality, morbidity, adolescent pregnancy, and drug and alcohol use. (SLD)

Terrell's natural approach suggests that such interactive activities as music and art induce and improve student communication in language learning. Explanation of the method's steps uses the poem "Abenamar" as an example. The teacher first presents the work in historical context, then reads the work accompanied by visual aids, then…

A study examined early indicators of school adjustment and conduct problems, comparing the risk and resiliency characteristics of Latino elementary students who were typical (n=66), at-risk (n=77), had learning disabilities (n=18), and speech impairments (n=8). At-risk students showed lower grades, fewer study and social skills, and more problem…

Two studies explored bilingual language-development outcomes of low-income, Spanish-speaking, Mexican-American children who did or did not attend a bilingual preschool. Found that children who attended bilingual preschools, compared to those remaining at home, showed significant and parallel gains in Spanish-language development and in…

Presents a list of recently published science books in Spanish. Each entry in the annotated bibliography contains publication information, suggested grade level(s), and a brief description of the publication. Books are listed under the categories of Biology, Physical Science, General Science, and For the Very Young. Also includes references and…

Addresses a number of issues that have to do with nature of mental representation of an interlanguage grammar. Major focus is on necessity of positing some sort of hierarchical constituent structure to account for what second-language learners do in their phonology. The purpose is to show the utility of invoking a theory of abstract phonological…

An oral testing method used in an intensive high school Spanish program is based on a model of communicative competence positing four forms of competence: strategic; sociolinguistic; discourse; and linguistic. All oral domains but linguistic are tested in the first and second years. In the first year, benchmark testing occurs. The rubric used has…

Examination of effects on 27 secondary students' Spanish vocabulary quiz performance of 2 variables (group versus individual study and group versus individual contingencies) found that, overall, group study was superior to individual study and, within the group study condition, group contingencies were superior to individual contingencies.…

Focuses on the influence of language on economic, social, and political change in postrevolutionary Cuba. One of Cuba's primary postrevolutionary objectives was the eradication of illiteracy. Linguistic policies with respect to both Spanish and foreign languages were seen as a means to build human value and to establish a strong base for future…

Reports on a case study carried out in Mexico with two bilingual teachers, a native speaker of English and a native speaker of Spanish. The discussion explores teachers' beliefs about the dimension of culture in their teaching and the relationship of these beliefs to teacher instruction. Distinctive styles of interaction with students surface and…

A study analyzed the accuracy of Spanish second-language production across three tasks (narrative, multiple-choice cloze test, fill-in cloze test) on three discourse-determined grammatical items (subject pronouns, articles, past tense aspect) among 74 intermediate and advanced college-level learners. Results revealed different rates of accuracy…