The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 established foreign languages as a core curricular content area; however, instructional emphasis continues to be placed on curricular areas that factor into state educational accountability programs. The present study explored whether foreign language study of first-year Grade 3 foreign language students who…

This article reports the results of 2 studies conducted over a 10-year period that researched student attitudes toward early foreign language learning. These studies are unique because of the long time frame in which the students were followed, and the large data sets collected at the elementary school level. Surveys of students in the Foreign…

Hypothesizes that second language learning at the elementary level results in an increased development of potential creativity in children. (DS)

Presents findings of an evaluation of an English-French bilingual education program using partial instruction in the second language in St. Thomas, Ontario. The evaluation covers grades 1-3. The program operates in unilingual English environment. (RM)

Examines the efficacy of foreign language programs at the elementary school level by looking at three programs--immersion, partial immersion, and foreign language in the elementary school--currently found in 15 schools in the United States. Comparisons are made by measuring achievement in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. (SED)

Presents case promoting foreign languages in elementary schools using study conducted to explore relationships between bilingual and cognitive abilities of Mexican American children. Favors additive over subtractive bilingualism. (BK)

A report is given of the Fifty-Sixth Annual Meeting of the AATSP held at Denver, Colorado, November 25-26 and 29-30, 1974, at which time the AATSP, AATF and ACTFL met together for the first time. (RM)

A survey, sponsored by the Joint National Committee for Languages, attempts to document the extent of the foreign language teacher shortage in the United States, avenues for curtailing shortages where they exist, and opportunities and incentives available for attracting new teachers or allowing teachers currently working to maintain or improve…

Criticizes the interpretations of the National Foundation for Educational Research report on French instruction in Britain's elementary schools; and discusses reasons why the report is not a basis for planning foreign language teaching at the primary level. (AM)

This study examined the validity of Korean students' self-assessments of their oral performance in English in a Foreign Language at the Elementary School (FLES) level. We examined the validity of 2 types of assessments: an off-task self-assessment and an on-task self-assessment. The off-task assessment asked students to evaluate their overall…

Reports the results of a comparative evaluation of an early total immersion program, a delayed immersion program, and an all French program for English-speaking language majority students in Montreal, Canada. (33 references) (Author/OD)

Compares the effects of two visual advance organizers on comprehension and retention of a written passage in a FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School) Program: (1) "Video" and (2) "Pictures + Teacher Narrative". Investigators randomly assigned 62 students to 1 one of 2 conditions. "Video" was the more effective organizer of the two. (23…

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)

A review of the research on Canadian immersion programs supports two notions regarding second language learning: (1) older learners may have as much learning success as younger learners, and in a shorter time period; and (2) integration of content teaching and language teaching is paramount in effective second language instruction. (29 references)…