Background: Over the past twenty years, many investigations have been carried out to identify factors influencing second language (L2) learning. Specifically, investigations of the relationship among first language (L1) reading skills, L2 reading skills, and L2 proficiency have been variously conducted, to contribute to the overall growth of L1-L2…

In recent years, the rate of Chinese immigrants to the United States has been increasing. Chinese parents desire that their Chinese-American children learn Chinese as a second language. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects on four American-born Chinese children when the researcher, as an instructor, employed whole language…

The demographics of U.S. elementary and secondary schools are changing rapidly as a result of record-high immigration. These demographic shifts are occurring alongside implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the landmark 2002 federal law that holds schools accountable for the academic performance of limited English speaking children…

This study examines whether Spanish-English bilingual children's phonological awareness (PA) performance reflects specific contrasts between English and Spanish by focusing on children's segmentation of vowels treated as single units in English but as two units in Spanish (/eI/ and /aI/). The role of oral language proficiency, specifically…

This report describes demographic characteristics and educational experiences of New York City's elementary and middle school students by English language proficiency and home language. It compares the characteristics and achievement of students who are limited English proficiency (LEP), most of whom: live in homes where a language other than…

This report provides information on the program for students with limited English proficiency (LEP) in school year 2000-2001 as well as historical information. Specifically, this report discusses the following topics: (1) staffing patterns and instruction to implement the program; (2) enrollment patterns of students who have participated in the…

During the summer months, most of the students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are at great risk of falling further behind in reading and mathematics due to lack of exposure to the spoken and written English language in their homes. The purpose of this study was to examine the short-term effects of a summer program on the literacy and…

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…

This paper discusses the use of a teacher-designed text of authentic reading materials (such as a university catalog, grocery store catalog, and tourist information brochures) in place of a commercially-produced textbook in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. It is argued that such materials provide ESL students with greater access…

Addressing the problem of the language-related barriers to successful postsecondary education for underprepared college students, an assessment of academic language proficiency and a curriculum to help students improve their academic language skills were developed. The nature of the language tasks required in the undergraduate curriculum was…

Background characteristics and future plans of average and above average Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General test takers are described for the various racial and ethnic groups. Characteristics included: (1) percentage of females; (2) undergraduate college major and grades; (3) intended field of graduate study; (4) graduate degree objective;…

Although to many educators Asian Pacific American students seem to look and be alike and are perceived as model minority students, they actually represent many diverse cultural groups and complex communities, both recently arrived and of long standing in the United States. Difficulties that may arise between the new immigrant and U.S.-born…

Because a child witness' account is often the only source of information about an alleged incidence of sexual abuse, it becomes imperative to obtain an accurate account from the child so that justice may be achieved. This book provides information on children's linguistic ability in relation to videotaped interviews conducted since the…

This article presents the results of a pilot longitudinal study that attempted to develop a method to take subjective, qualitative observations about the English language speaking skills of Japanese English language learners and transform them into objective, quantitative measures. The following considerations must be addressed in the course of…

This document provides indepth study and support of the "Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000" (CLB 2000). In order to make the CLB 2000 usable, the competencies and standards were considerably compressed and simplified, and much of the indepth discussion of language ability or proficiency was omitted, at publication. This document…