This workbook and videotape kit invites teachers to explore the fundamental concepts of language and culture in universal terms and in relation to their teaching of languages and cultures in their classrooms. Comparing and contrasting cultural phenomena and their associated linguistic meanings across cultures offers teachers the opportunity to…

This book contains the following articles on research in the field of general linguistics and sociolinguistics: "Papago Plurals" (Jane H. Hill, Ofella Zepeda); "Typological Characteristics of the Yumanas Languages" (Mauricio J. Mixco); "Observations on Accent in Yutoaztec" (Leopoldo Valinas); "Development of…

This brochure, entirely in Spanish, provides information on federal policy concerning equal educational opportunity for limited-English-proficient (LEP) individuals. It first summarizes the provisions of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the subsequent major Civil Rights Office directives concerning that legislation. It then outlines…

Previous research by The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) has demonstrated that extensive college financial aid opportunities are available in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans; yet many Latino students and their parents are not aware that numerous grants and scholarships are earmarked especially for them. This report provides…

A study investigated how non-native speakers of English used linguistic and non-linguistic skills to manage interaction in an interview-style verbal test of English proficiency. Subjects were eight international teaching assistants, four native speakers of Spanish and four native speakers of Chinese, who took a standardized oral interview…

The learning activities contained in this booklet are designed to help students of Spanish learn to use Spanish personal names approximately in a variety of situations. The first section outlines common titles of address for men and women, lists popular feminine and masculine first names, discusses compound names, lists common Spanish family…

This unit examines why the numbers of Mexican immigrants in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are increasing. In addition, the unit seeks to use cultural information gathered from the Fulbright experience to enrich ESL U.S. history classes with units on Mexico. As students learn about U.S. history, they also gain a basis for comparing the…

This qualitative study explored the presence of community voice in a newly structured inner-city elementary school in Santa Ana (California). Nearly every family at Pio Pico Elementary School lives below the poverty level, and Spanish is the primary language of 90% of the residents, with most families being of Mexican or Central American origin.…

It is proposed that a process of "chiquitafication" has diminished the complexity of the languages and cultures of over 22 million Latinos living in the United States, and that this process has repercussions for their linguistic security, language maintenance, and ultimately, their hopes for a good life. Focus is on three aspects of this…

This report is designed for use by policymakers and practitioners involved in issues of adult education, welfare reform, and employment training programs. The driving concerns of this report are issues associated with Spanish-speaking adults who are at risk for having learning disabilities. The focus on adults is critical, because such issues as…

This study investigated over a 3-year period the learning strategies high school students reported using for learning a second language. The learning strategies used across languages and modalities are described. The report is organized by instrument--questionnaires, small group interviews, individual think-aloud interviews--and presents the data…

Phonological awareness is one of the strongest predictors of success in learning to read. Recent research findings indicate that the development of proficiency in the first language (L1) reading structures may significantly influence reading acquisition in a second language (L2). However, little is yet known of the predictive relationship of…

This study examined the collaboration of four adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners as they participated in a small groups to construct meaning in response to English short stories. The study investigated learners' oral responses and utterances and noted how group discussion influenced the content of their responses to short stories…

This chapter is part of a book that recounts the year's work at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi. Rather than an "elitist" laboratory school for the children of university faculty, the dual-language ECDC is a collaboration between the Corpus Christi Independent School District and…

Elementary two-way immersion (TWI) programs continue to proliferate throughout the United States, but the number of successfully implemented secondary TWI programs remains small. Many districts with TWI cohorts that are reaching the upper elementary grades must now make complex decisions about whether and how to extend their programs into middle…