Research identifies the alphabetic principle as a vital step in literacy development and validates Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) measures as early predictors of reading success. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the NWF assessment process used to measure the alphabetic principle is culturally valid for early elementary Hmong…

In the United States, English is not the official language but the dominant one. But for many students, the dominance of English instruction has come at the expense of losing their first language. For much of our history of schooling in the United States, students have been forced to leave their heritage or home languages at the door when they…

This ethnographic case study of a male Hmong refugee, Vue Lang, is situated against a backdrop that is characterized by a burgeoning immigrant population in the United States and a growing need to provide them with English language instruction. The Bourdieusian concepts of "capital", "habitus", and "field" (Bourdieu, 1991) are used to explicate…

This study examined how providing either primary- or English-language storybooks for home reading followed by classroom storybook reading and vocabulary instruction in English influenced English vocabulary acquisition. Participants in the study were preschool children (N = 33), from low socioeconomic status families, whose primary language was…

Drawing on ethnographic research on Hmongs, the author illustrates how her assumptions about literacy have been challenged and presents a new view of literacy with emphasis shifted from cognitive consequences to social context: literacy as a means through which relationships are negotiated. Makes suggestions for creating…

Discusses the situation of Hmong refugees who entered the United States 25 tears ago and new generations of Hmong living in the United States. The focus is on culture and learning styles, language and identity crises bridging the academic gap, instructional strategies, and tradition and progress. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the the experiences of teachers gathered in the Bay Area Writing Project's Summer Invitational Institute to write, reflect on the process, and give workshops. Describes the presentation of one Hmong student, and highlights the importance of recognizing the home school connection for immigrant students. (Author/VWL)

A curriculum project is described that consists of a unit developed for a writing class in a secondary English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom. Although the unit is intended to present an idea of what can be accomplished in the ESL classroom with developing writers, it does not give any specific "recipes" for writing development. The setting…

A collection in English of selected readings is presented from "Phau Xyuaum Nyeem Zaj Lus," a publication used as a Hmong literacy primer. The purpose of the collection is threefold: (1) to provide intermediate limited English proficient Hmong refugees with reading passages in English that they could relate to; (2) to present Hmong world views in…

Demonstrates ways that a classroom teacher can get a distorted picture of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students and their resources and how viewing literacy in a social context illustrates the way relationships are negotiated. Suggestions are made for teachers to create ESL classrooms where the role of literacy in students' lives can be…

This article argues that the traditional classroom may provide little opportunity for English-as-a-Second-Language teachers to learn about the lives of their students. Drawing on ethnographic research in Philadelphia's Hmong community, an attempt is made to demonstrate how teachers can get a distorted picture of their students and how their…

Examines the emergence of English writing among 31 kindergartners. Concludes that stages of writing development are similar in native and nonnative speakers. Suggests that the relationship between oral and written language is transactional, and that language transactions benefit nonnative English speakers. Also suggests that personality influences…

This study was conducted to examine whether using a monolingual, simplified English dictionary as an accommodation on a reading test with limited-English-proficient (LEP) Hmong students improved test performance. Hmong students were chosen because they are often not literate in their first language. For these students, bilingual dictionaries are…

This book describes the unique educational program established in 1980 for United States-bound refugees in Southeast Asia. It analyzes the forces that led to the launching of the program and discusses some of its most innovative practices. Written by the program planners and educators, the book focuses on the following: providing instruction in…

Two models for teaching fluency and literacy in English as a Second Language (ESL) and native language literacy are described and the effectiveness of these models is demonstrated. Both models use cultural sharing and problem-posing as a basis for language learning. The objectives of these teaching models are to use language learning as a vehicle…