Gaelic is a minority language in Scotland. Gaelic speakers tend to be older and concentrated in the Western Highlands and Islands and some urban centers. Gaelic is used mainly in craft work and with friends and community members at prayer meetings, stores, post offices, and social events. Gaelic has no official status and limited legal protection.…

This report describes a districtwide evaluation of the instructional services provided to English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in Structured English Immersion classrooms in grades 1-3. The program uses two models (teaching in English, with the primary language for clarification, and teaching primarily in English, with other instruction in the…

The notion of national unity through a single official language is defended by policy makers, who point out the practical and financial drawbacks involved in teaching in the vernacular in multilingual nations. Findings from grassroots-level case studies in Senegal, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka attest to the…

This briefing paper focuses on the choices of instructional language in Pacific classrooms, as mandated by national or state policies, and discusses consequences of such choices on students' academic achievement and career preparation in the changing Pacific region. The paper first notes that in most South Pacific secondary schools, English is the…

This study compared the impact of experimental bilingual schools to the impact of regular schools in Guinea-Bissau and Niger. The Guinea-Bissau school used Creole for instruction in the first two grades, then transitioned abruptly to Portuguese in third grade. Nigerian children were taught in one of the five main languages (Hausa, Zarma, Peul,…

Provides a brief depiction of cultural background of immigrant minorities and their location in Swedish society and describes major components of policy making within the educational system. Additionally, it provides a selective description of multicultural and multilingual instruction. (AH)

Presents results of research on the second-language proficiency of children participating in an experimental bilingual school, where children used mother tongue 75 percent the first year, 40 percent the second. Children attended neighborhood schools from the third year on. Supports the claim that mother tongue teaching does not harm…

Summarizes Quebec's White Paper reforms, i.e., schools rather than school boards are to become the pivot, parents are to become involved in management and control, confessionality to be abolished, universal sufferage to be abolished, school boards no longer intermediary with Ministry, schools to become more pluralist, schools quaranteed 5-year…

Investigated the effect of the medium of instruction and medium of examination on the achievement of Nigerian primary school pupils (N=599). Pupils were given differential treatments using either the Yoruba language or English. Results indicated that groups instructed in their mother tongue (Yoruba) performed better than the remaining groups.…

A drastic restructuring of the governance and administration of education in Quebec is likely to fuel the debate on the role of parents in controlling the school system. However, the concurrent drive toward centralization and standardization will probably allow parent committees to exercise only token power. (Author/WD)

Discusses problems experienced by non-Anglo-Saxon university students in assimilating scientific and technical materials written in English. Argues that instruction imparted in a foreign language impoverishes the learner's language, affecting negatively his ability to function in the native environment. Supports the use of translations against…

Analyzes the problems of multilingual societies, arguing that multilingualism will not hinder economic development and communication, provided that the requirements of the various regional sections and social strata are respected. Denounces foreign language dominance as an instrument of colonialism and advocates enrichment of local languages…

The aim of this paper is to attempt a comparative analysis, in a historical context, of attempts to move education policy for Maoris in New Zealand and Indians in the United States away from an assimilationist model and to demonstrate the relevance of this comparison to contemporary developments. (Author)

A study conducted in Hong Kong investigated whether the native or a second language is a more effective medium of instruction. Students' performance and a survey of teacher opinions were used to compare Chinese middle schools and Anglo-Chinese schools. (MKM)

This paper examines the evidence on negative effects associated with Irish immersion programs and concludes that even in earlier immersion schools, which frequently lacked parental support, there is little evidence of detrimental academic effects. Many Irish immersion teachers emphasized the importance of parental commitment to immersion…