Investigates the revision strategies of Spanish native-speaker undergraduates writing in two different discourse types and in two time conditions by analyzing postwriting interview protocols. Results suggest that revision strategies may be initiated by past learning experiences and respond to the perceived nature of the task and the current…

Discusses politeness strategies used by native and Dutch speakers of Spanish, contrasting the act of making requests by these two groups of speakers. One of the article's conclusions states that native speakers of Spanish are more direct in their requests, and that nonnative speakers attempt to sound less face-threatening and less offensive. (23…

Discusses the design of oral assessment measures to test the language proficiency of incoming Hispanic students into community colleges. The article emphasizes that focusing on oral skills has helped nontraditional English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students realize that they can master English. (nine references) (Author/CK)

Phenomenological study focused on a Spanish-speaking immigrant mother's interactions with primarily English-speaking educators in schools attended by her son. Interactions around four disciplinary actions reveal language and culture as barriers to the mother acting on her son's behalf. She didn't understand school practices and culture and felt…

Five learning-disabled Latino elementary students read stories and participated in alternating lessons using traditional instruction (basal approach) or interactive instructional conversation (IC). Analysis of videotapes and of postlesson narratives constructed by each child found that IC resulted in more complex academic discourse, greater…

Investigates the ways that backlash pedagogy, a centerpiece of educational reform, accepts substantial inequality as a neutral baseline for educational practice and reform and, simultaneously, enshrines the status quo. The analysis draws on several theoretical lenses (cultural-historical activity theory, critical race theory, and ethnographic…

Describes the development and implementation of EL Paso Community College's model Intergenerational Literacy Project, which brings Spanish-speaking parents and their children together in the classroom in an effort to improve the two groups' literacy skills in English and Spanish. (BB)

Describes a study of 80 undergraduate foreign language learners that compared the use of a hyper-reference source incorporating an electronic dictionary and a conventional paper dictionary. Measures of consultation frequency, study time, efficiency, and comprehension are examined; bilingual and monolingual dictionary use is compared; and further…

Recent research has recommended increased use of the target language; the use of cognitive, metacognitive, and prosocial strategies; and cooperative learning to help achieve oral proficiency and communication within the classroom. This paper describes a 21-day research action project involving 2 Spanish 2 honors classes and several cooperative…

Focuses on a telecourse funded by the Florida Department of Education to assist the State's 67 school districts in training teachers in effective English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teaching strategies to fulfill a requirement established by a consent decree in 1990. Showing videotapes of teachers applying learned strategies in the classroom…

Discusses strategies for teaching Spanish to students with learning disabilities. These strategies include using flexible materials and alternative assessment methods, accepting individual students and ascertaining their disabilities, adapting to student needs, using a multisensory approach, and teaching students study skills particular to…

The acquisition of English and Spanish was examined among 298 Mexican-American students who were limited-English-proficient at the start of kindergarten and who participated in maintenance bilingual programs in grades K-3. Oral proficiency in both languages increased for both boys and girls and across groups that had differed in early Spanish…

Reports on a survey conducted by the Association for Language Learning (ALL) of 199 foreign language teachers in England and Wales concerning the implementation of the National Curriculum in Modern Foreign Languages. Teachers felt that the major strengths of the curriculum included emphasis on the target language and enhanced status for foreign…

Potential barriers related to the participation of Latino families in programs addressing the needs of individuals with severe handicaps are discussed. A successful education and training activity for Latino families with children with developmental disabilities, which provides a family focus in the family's own language and integrates relevant…

This annotated bibliography for school library media specialists and teachers lists 34 recent books that encourage reading by Spanish-speaking students or others who wish to learn Spanish. Grade levels are indicated for each title, and a list of U.S. dealers for books in Spanish for children and adolescents is included. (LRW)