This examination of South Africa's policy toward educating its black majority outlines major problems in South Africa's educational historiography and suggests possible explanations for the problems. Following a brief discussion of the nature of South Africa's language policy, the paper briefly analyzes the literature and concludes that (1) much…

This profile of the English language teaching situation in Zimbabwe examines the role of English in society and in the educational system. It is noted that English is officially the second language of the African population and the medium of instruction in all schools. The status of English teaching is surveyed from primary school on up and in all…

The status of English as learned and used by Chinese students in South Africa was investigated to provide perspective on the language policy. Language planners in South Africa require that all secondary school students be taught and tested through the medium of either English or Afrikaans, regardless of their mother tongue. The students are…

Student achievement in grades kindergarten through four in the partial immersion program of the Ottawa Roman Catholic Separate School Board was investigated. Achievement in English and French language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science was assessed using instruments referenced to learning objectives. Student and teacher background…

A fundamental principle of second language acquisition is stated and applied to language teaching. The principle states that learners acquire a second language when they receive comprehensible input in situations where their affective filters are sufficiently low. The theoretical background of this principle consists of five hypotheses: the…

There are pros and cons to the use of a concurrent approach, that is using two or more languages in the same context. The new concurrent approach (NCA) advocated here resulted from a desire to bring together the child's two languages in a way that would further the child's language development and, at the same time, lead to satisfactory school…

This presentation addresses the question of what language experiences are most appropriate for the academic instruction of children who do not speak English as a native language. The question is explored through a reanalysis of data gathered in a previous 6-year study that varied English and Tagalog instruction across grades one through six in 18…

State education in Great Britain is monolingual. With increases in immigration and the proliferation of bilingual non-state schools, the desire of minority groups to be educated bilingually is growing apparent. The author of this article begins with a discussion of the relative merits of bilingualism by reviewing the research that has endorsed…

The educational policy of Greece today, particularly in secondary and higher education, may be considered an important landmark in the history of intellectual and social life of the country. The author describes the main topics of the current educational policy. (Author/RK)

This study identifies preferences regarding the medium of instruction (mother tongue/second language) in science in the secondary schools of Amman and Irbid in Jordan. It attempts to identify the preferred language of instruction in science for secondary students, secondary science teachers, and first-year university students. (Author/HP)

The achievement of Nigerian elementary students instructed in the native language, Yoruba was compared to achievement of students taught in Yoruba and then in English. When a new curriculum was developed, these additional variables influenced the research design. The roles of research and evaluation in educational innovation are also discussed.…

Study is made of five problem categories arising from use of national languages in training or education: linguistic, technical, educational, economic, and political. Conditions which appear necessary for the success of such changes involve planning, flexible rate of introduction, and synthesis of linguistic reform with other educational reforms.…

Discusses nonstandard forms of English and asks teachers not to emphasize the propriety of standardized English but to extend the student's range of language types. (RL)

Presents some points of divergence between current English and French rhetorical theory. Documents a few standard forms of composition in French that are not found in the English. Assesses pedagogies typical of the French tradition and concludes that the theory and pedagogy of the two languages are quite disparate. (AEW)

Discusses the relationship between English language proficiency and academic success of English as a second language (ESL) students in universities and colleges where English is the language of instruction. The study points out difficulties associated with determining this relationship and makes suggestions for establishing guidelines to determine…