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…

This study explored the roles that two parents played in their daughter's English education during the initial period after moving to the United States. For English language learners (ELLS) with limited first language schooling in the home country, it usually takes several years to demonstrate cognitive academic language proficiency. For ELL…

Since 1984 the Navajo Nation has mandated instruction in Navajo language and culture in K-12 schools within its boundaries. In 1998-99, a survey and follow-up interviews with 48 individuals in 20 Navajo communities examined community attitudes and beliefs about the value of Navajo language and culture studies and the extent to which the schools…

This paper describes efforts to devise a more effective method of assessing oral proficiency in English using a computer-based testing and computer-based test result management system. This new test would be designed to directly operationalize the second language constructs it measured, and would be developed with reference to the best practices…

This paper provides a literature review, staff development information, and a guidebook for elementary administrators and educators that explains the academic benefits of Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) for prekindergarten through fifth grade students. TBE allows limited English speaking students to learn a second language while being…

This program was developed and implemented to increase adult ESOL students' chances to participate in conversations with each other, thereby increasing both their fluency and their confidence. Additionally, a target group with both low language levels and low confidence was separated from the higher achievers in order to decrease their…

Similarities and differences in education and English language proficiency on the labor force participation of Hispanic females of different nativity and national origin groups were examined. Integration into the work force was influenced more by nativity status than by national origin, with native-born women showing greater participation. (IS)

A study of psychosocial adjustment among Indochinese refugees in the United States found that alienation was (1) negatively related to socioeconomic status, English proficiency, number of American friends, and self-perception; and (2) positively correlated with degree of perceived difference between refugees and Americans. Laotians and Vietnamese…

Three oral testing methods (imitation, completion, and interview) were compared for reliability and validity with 143 adult Egyptian learners of English. Five components (raw score, fluency, pronunciation, grammar, and combined fluency-pronunciation-grammar) were analyzed for each method. Imitation showed the highest validity, with interview and…

Explains the colonial school's role in terms of the distribution of education by vertical (social strata) and horizontal (regional) integration, the type of education offered, and the political and social context of interwar Vietnam. Indicates the schools played a divisive role, an effect not due solely to foreign domination. (LC)