The process of developing, piloting, and refining an oral proficiency test as part of the Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR) test battery is described. The test was designed to fill a need for an oral interview-type measure adapted for fifth to seventh grade students. The test was produced first for Spanish immersion students, then…

The Ainsworth School Spanish Partial Immersion Program (Portland, Oregon) was established in 1987 to provide an elementary foreign language magnet program to children in the district. The program's major goals are bilingual proficiency and increased understanding of the second language culture. During 1989-1990, the program enrolled 205 students…

A survey of the opinions of parents of 85 elementary school children in the San Diego area regarding elementary school foreign language instruction is reported. A questionnaire was used to gather data, which was processed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to provide results and correlations in the form of frequencies. Results…

Short stays, such as a summer course, in the country where the target language is spoken have been recognized as advantageous to the second language learner. However, they have not been the object of much research. Therefore, a study was carried out to describe changes of attitudes towards country, culture, and language learning which occurred…

The evaluation of bilingual education programs is complicated by such factors as the diversity of evaluation methodologies and program goals and the reliability of instruments for minority language students. Three bilingual program evaluations in foreign countries are described in terms of their different contexts and approaches in order to raise…

Instructional materials from the Milwaukee Public School System's elementary school French immersion program are presented. The materials for the Multi-Language School-German/French, are as follows: (1) Summer Reading Booklet, First Grade French Immersion; (2) L'automne: Livret de la premiere annee; (3) L'Halloween: Livret de la premiere annee;…

A collection of selected papers from the March 1981 Language Proficiency Assessment Symposium, a component of the National Institute of Education's Assessment of Language Proficiency of Bilingual Persons project, are presented. Papers include: "An Overview of Communicative Competence" (Cynthia Wallat); "Some Comments on the Terminology of Language…

This investigation arose from concern about the linguistic and educational development of several dozen students aged 12-14 from the English comprehensive secondary schools in Gibraltar. These students, whose dominant language was Yanito-Spanish (the local vernacular), were administered a series of assessment measures. These included: (1) a word…

This volume of bilingual program curriculum guides enunciates the basic framework of the program, dealing with the rationale, philosophy, and general goals and objectives. Recommendations for implementation, integration, and evaluation are also included. The rationale concentrates on the educational options offered through study of foreign…

The references in this unannotated bibliography were compiled from material available in the library of the Institiuid Teangeolaiochta Eireann (Linguistics Institute of Ireland). Most of the references were published during the seventies. They include books, journals, and microfiche. Arrangement is by subject, with an author index. Subjects…

French immersion, a relatively new concept in second language teaching in the sixties, is well known in Canada today. Generally developed for Anglophones wanting to become bilingual, the program has tended to serve the needs of the English-speaking middle class. The question then is posed as to what must be done in order to offer the same kind of…

This article discusses the two main types of trilingualism, individual trilingualism and societal trilingualism, or multilingualism. Research directions in third language learning are also noted. (CLK)

A description of an immersion program for 6-year-old anglophone children modeled on "les classes d'accueil" for immigrant children. The program of intensive instruction in oral and written French is outlined. This school district has found this type of immersion superior to the usual kind. (The text is in French.) (AMH)

Describes and assesses the general direction of French immersion research and establishes the need for more qualitative and theoretical approaches to research in this field. The areas of particular interest include (1)language learning environment; (2) children's language learning strategies; (3) classroom communication; (4) effective teaching…

Argues that the research on language immersion and subject-matter teaching indicates that the immersion approach is a feasible and desirable alternative to traditional skills-based instruction for college-level foreign-language programs. (Author/CB)