Provides a brief overview of the sociolinguistic situation in which the Catalan immersion program is being implemented and discusses the issues related to the main feature that distinguishes the program--the low socioeconomic background of the students. Also discussed are current theories about the discontinuity between the language used at home…

This study attempts to do the following things: (1) to identify values and assumptions as they influence research on bilingual education; (2) to identify and delineate the major theories employed in explaining and predicting phenomena in bilingual education; and (3) to explore alternative explanations of identical phenomena, and to show that…

Reviews current trends in French language teaching methodology, and demonstrates how psychology and sociology have influenced the trend away from methods based on linguistic theory. (AM)

This paper cites observational and interview evidence indicating that language immersion students in the United States and Canada increasingly avoid using their second language in peer interactions as they move into higher primary grade levels. Implications for immersion programs and teachers are discussed. (32 references) (MDM)

Describes and analyzes more than 75 years of research on the relationship between bilingualism and scholastic performance. Emphasizes studies of particular interest to educators, explains apparent contradictions in the research, and makes recommendations for policies with regard to bilingual and foreign language programs. (JHZ)