Two major, inter-related issues are analysed in this paper -- mother tongue (MT) and early childhood care and education (ECCE). Evidence tells us that learning first in one's MT leads to better outcomes in the future -- for individuals, cultures, and nations. But MT is used rarely in ECCE programmes and the early grades of primary school so that…

In countries where English is a second language, there has been a movement over the last 60 years from supporting indigenous languages over foreign language--English--to the present one where, with globalization and market demands, English is beginning to be seen as an indigenous language in itself. The teaching of English from Grade 1 about five…

Failures are better documented than successes in bilingual education programs. A theory is needed powerful enough to predict success while accounting for reported failures. Most important is the effect of bilingualism on cognitive development. Use of the first language should complement the second, particularly in problem solving and question…

Children should learn foreign languages during a window of opportunity that is widest until about age 10. After that, the window closes on the speech sounds of a new language, and it becomes more difficult to acquire native or near-native speech while learning a foreign language. (MLH)

Discusses Australian state and federal initiatives to place languages other than English within the primary schools' core curriculum. Presents a model structure for appropriate investigative action. Research findings reveal the need for a clearly articulated philosophy for a language program that would promote cultural awareness, global…

Japanese elementary school children were administered a series of trials in a paired-associate learning paradigm. It was shown that younger children learn foreign words faster than older children. (JB)

Proposes the use of an analysis of synonyms as a method for contributing to the development of cognitive skills in culturally deprived children. (AM)

Bloom's taxonomy suggests that the learning process moves hierarchically, from simple to complex, in both the cognitive and affective domains. Spanish curriculum typically emphasizes the cognitive over the affective domain. However, the two domains appear to be interrelated. Spanish FLES programs could be enhanced by emphasizing the learning…

The cognitive, linguistic, and academic skills of two groups of children were examined following an innovative bilingual education program. Results indicate that the Experimental children are similar to their English-speaking controls in terms of academic, linguistic and cognitive skills. They function well in French, although without native…

Discusses the use of literature to teach English as a Foreign Language. Suggests that a syllabus that is based or draws on authentic children's stories provides a motivating medium for language learning while fostering the development of the thinking skills that are needed for second language academic literacy. (Author/VWL)

A discussion of the biological and developmental issues in early second language learning first looks at psycholinguistic research on brain growth patterns and the relationship of first and second language learning. Focus is on three phenomena observed in the self-organization of living systems: selection of input data; organization of specialized…

The arguments for and against the teaching of foreign languages from primary school level onwards are discussed. Young children, if suitably taught, can make good progress with the learning of a foreign language, and whether they are better at language learning than older beginners is to some extent irrelevant. However, there is no convincing…

An attempt is made in the present paper to resolve inconsistencies between the results of recent studies which have reported that bilingualism is associated with positive cognitive consequences and earlier studies which suggested that bilingualism might adversely affect cognitive and scholastic progress. Because recent studies involved balanced…

Reports that readiness tests given to children in bilingual villages in Papua New Guinea showed that children learning to read in an unfamiliar language were more confused than were children who had never had literacy instruction. (FL)

The achievement of bilingualism appears to have positive consequences for the bilingual child, enhancing universal aspects of cognitive functioning available to all normal children. However, little is yet known about the interaction between educational treatment and the input factors the bilingual child brings to the situation. Focusing on the…