As long as students with limited English language skills have attended California schools a debate has raged among educators and policy-makers regarding how best to educate these children. A major focal point of this debate is bilingual education. That is, the viability, advisability, and effectiveness of using students' primary language in…

It is argued that content-based teaching effectively teaches language skills while supporting development of critical thinking, intercultural communication, and student participation. The content provides cognitive and conceptual links needed for naturalistic language learning, and student participation in selection of content increases…

This collection of articles on second language learning includes: "Action, langage et discours. Les fondements d'une psychologie du langage" ("Action, Language, and Discourse. Foundations of a Psychology of Language") (Jean-Paul Bronckart); "Contextes socio-culturels et appropriation des languages secondes: l'apprentissage en milieu social et la…

This collection of articles on second language learning in a multilingual environment includes: "Franzosisch-Deutsch: Zweisprachiges Lernen au der Sekundarstufe 1" (French-German: Learning Two Languages at Secondary School, Level 1) (Otto Stern, Brigit Eriksson, Christine Le Pape, Hans Reutener, Cecilia Serra Oesch); "Das Projekt…

Using sources such as personal observation, personal communication, and published literature, this essay identifies issues that have accounted for Foreign Languages in Elementary Schools (FLES) programs' failure to survive. Seven essential elements of a successful foreign language program in the elementary school are identified and discussed: (1)…

A study investigated the attitudes of language program students, teachers, and administrators concerning the effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) instruction for adults, and specifically concerning EXITO courseware, a Spanish language program developed by the Central Intelligence Agency. Interviews with an adult language…

This study shows the relationship between English language proficiency and achievement. A consistent pattern is demonstrated that the English proficiency level of English as a second language (ESL) students can predict student performance on state measures --the high stakes Texas Educational Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). TAAS is a…

This book presents practical solutions for teaching foreign language learners self instruction, ranging from needs analysis to resourcing, strategy training and monitoring tools. Special emphasis is placed on different ways in which learners can be supported by learning how to analyze their own needs and set their own goals, how to choose the most…

This study presents a quantitative analysis of cohesion of the academic writing of Chinese English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) graduate students by applying Halliday and Hansen's (1976) model. Six Chinese graduate students from a Midwestern university were selected for the study, representing two proficiency levels in written English--advanced and…

This case study focuses on a team of middle school teachers in a two-way immersion bilingual education program. The report explores the following questions: How does the organizational structure of the middle school under study promote or impede professional networks among the teachers? What type of teaching-learning practices do these forces…

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the attitudes of teachers of Spanish as a foreign language toward teaching Spanish to Hispanic American students--students who often possess oral fluency in Spanish but lack reading and writing skills in Spanish. The research was guided by four questions about the teachers' attitudes toward the…

This guide provides specific strategies for improving language and culture learning prior to spending time abroad. It begins with three surveys to help people recognize how they currently learn languages and culture. Section 1, "Culture-Learning Strategies," offers a pre-departure unit: "You as a Culturally Diverse Person"; "Understanding the Ways…

This paper reports on the experiences and findings of five New York City public school teachers who, in the course of research for their master's degrees in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) designed and implemented individual action research projects investigating issues and concerns emanating from their classroom experiences. It is…

Multicultural education is an idea, a concept, and a reform movement that should be present at all levels of schooling. This project outlines two multicultural units taught in a high school French IV and V class. Focusing on the multicultural concepts of racism and immigration-migration, students were introduced to global historical and…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the use of connectives by learners of English as a foreign language and their length of study. Eighteen writing samples were collected, six from learners with 2 years of study of English and 12 from learners with 3 years of study. Results found that students' length of study was…