Refutes earlier ideas that encouraging bilingualism at a young age retards learning and causes behavioral problems, confusion and anxiety. Considers as sources of learning problems, long overlooked factors such as socioeconomic status, minority affiliation, and society's attitude toward the language of instruction or the dominant language.…

Provisions for multicultural education in Australia include expanded ESL and foreign language offerings, various bilingual and bicultural curriculum projects for ethnic schools, and revamping of social studies programs to educate all students and teachers about Australia's ethnic minorities. While such programs should enhance mutual respect and…

The use of the Language Background Questionnaire is analyzed, and the following criticisms are offered: (1) the varying nature and range of questions used, (2) the inclusion of indirect language background questions, and (3) previous methods of categorization of individuals into groups using language background scores. (SL)

Until 1947, Australia was considered one of the most monolingual countries in the world. However, now there are more than a million bilingual Australians who regularly use a language other than English when talking with friends and families, or on religious or social occasions. (SL)