Discusses a nationwide study of language shift among language-minority children in the United States. Immigrant and American Indian families were surveyed to determine the effects of children's learning of English in preschool on their family language patterns. Findings suggest that primary language loss can be very costly to the children, their…

Among 187 Arizona Mexican-American children with limited proficiency in both Spanish and English, participation in a maintenance bilingual education program during grades K-2 produced significant gains in oral language acquisition for both languages. Students with the lowest proficiency scores in kindergarten showed the greatest gains. (SV)

Experiences of a bilingual multicultural elementary school in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) illustrate how concepts of social justice, equality, and respect for ethnic differences can be introduced. The school is distinguished by its two-way bilingual program that gives every child a chance to master English and Spanish. (SLD)

Six experiments with 42 kindergartners, 190 first graders, and 15 second graders in Germany investigated why arithmetic word problems with an unknown reference set are more difficult for children than are problems with an unknown compare set. Lack of access to flexible language use makes these problems so difficult. (SLD)

Focuses on English-language education in the Swedish compulsory school, where the framework and foundation for the achievement of English fluency is established. Oral skills and practical aspects of English learning are emphasized in the compulsory school curriculum. (Author/VWL)

Presents eight language learning principles that suggest ways instructors can integrate language in their classrooms to reinforce anything from vocabulary to thinking and social skills in the form of group and pair work. The principles were developed to improve an imbalance between students' skills and teachers' expectations at Peninsula Technikon…

Sought to identify reading grade-level-equivalency ranges associated with TOEFL (Test of English-as-a-Foreign-Language) ranges. Results of the study indicated that actual reading ranges were from 2 to five grade levels below expected reading ranges with the majority of subjects (80%) reading below a seventh-grade level and half reading below a…

In this special section, various authors (in separate articles) discuss the new face of school segregation; socioeconomic integration--a plan to mix poor and middle-class students; and ways to bridge the minority achievement gap, teach linguistically diverse students, and identify and nurture the gifted poor. (MLH)

Highlights an instructional model that provides a framework for the incorporation of technical content in a multilevel workplace English course, and a strategy for ensuring the relevance and accuracy of such information through instructor-employer collaboration. The materials and techniques described can be adapted for any workplace English course…

Reports a study undertaken in Bahrain secondary schools to assess the contribution of tape recorders to learning outcomes in English as a Second Language (ESL). Findings revealed that students' proficiency correlated significantly with their perception of the frequency and skill with which their teacher use a tape recorder. (20 references)…

A study measured the economic utility of language study for 84 graduate students in international management by comparing their reasons for language study with several major economic indicators, including corporate job opportunities. The study, though limited in scope, yields insights into the real and perceived costs and benefits of language…

Discusses why the right of access to the socioeconomically dominant symbolic resource, English, is a fundamental language right of Hong Kong children. Discusses why current English curricula design and practices do not provide such access and how they can be changed to provide Hong Kong with access to an English education that is compatible with…

This paper presents ongoing research at the University of Hertfordshire on the use of computer-adaptive tests (CATs) in Higher Education. A software prototype based on Item Response Theory has been developed and is described here. This application was designed to estimate the level of proficiency in English for those students whose first language…

There are many factors associated with academic success at school. In addition to having the requisite cognitive abilities and scholastic skills, students need to feel that school is a place in which they belong. This study examines factors related to perceptions of school belonging for a sample of Latino elementary school students. Participants…

A fair and valid assessment for every child, as mandated by legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 and the Improving America's School Act of 1994, must consider the complexity inherent in assessments for subgroups of students. Due to the rapid growth of the population of English language learners (ELLs) in the United…