Introduces the articles in this issue of "Educational Researcher," and discusses their collective focus on the need to enrich the research perspective on bilingual education. Argues for the importance of basic research, case studies, and taking the reality of practice and ideology into account. (JB)

Examines the linguistic isolation of 11 million Magyar-speaking Hungarians in a context of political, economic, and educational change. Changes in foreign language learning since 1989 are outlined, and the declining popularity of Russian and increasing interest in studying the languages of Western Europe are discussed. (Contains 13 references.)…

This study investigated whether 199 advanced nonnative speakers of English attending Ohio State University judged the appropriateness of speech acts of giving thanks in ways similar to those of native speakers. The results showed that speakers of Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Arabic ranked expressions of thanks differently…

This study examined the language use practices of three bilingual students enrolled in a fourth-grade class and of the class as a whole. The study found that most children reported using greater amounts of English as they progressed through the grades, and that children consistently held very positive attitudes toward Spanish and bilingualism.…

Explores the development of a multicultural literacy project designed to develop literacy both in English and the students' individual native languages. The intervention fostered collaborative relationships among researchers, teachers, parents, and students. (37 references) (Author/CK)

Saskatchewan French immersion high school graduates were asked what influence that experience had on career/college choice, maintenance and/or improvement of French skills, self-assessment of French capabilities, assessment of and suggestions for the program, leisure time use of French, and placement of their own children in the program. Results…

Reviews the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in second-language education and asserts that CALL is an instructional tool rather than a teaching method. More active involvement by educators in planning and developing CALL technologies and software for the second-language classroom is advocated. (83 references) (JL)

A study used classroom observation in a two-way Spanish immersion kindergarten to identify aspects of the classroom environment that permitted and promoted participation by the English-speaking children despite their limited Spanish proficiency. Two participation structures were analyzed: teacher-directed lessons and child-centered activities.…

Discusses a nationwide study of language shift among language-minority children in the United States. Immigrant and American Indian families were surveyed to determine the effects of children's learning of English in preschool on their family language patterns. Findings suggest that primary language loss can be very costly to the children, their…

Summaries of eight language-related research projects are presented from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Topics include children's reading, nonstandard spoken Indonesian, English speech act performance, classroom verbal interaction, journal writing, and listening comprehension. (LB)

Among 187 Arizona Mexican-American children with limited proficiency in both Spanish and English, participation in a maintenance bilingual education program during grades K-2 produced significant gains in oral language acquisition for both languages. Students with the lowest proficiency scores in kindergarten showed the greatest gains. (SV)

Provides an overview of the social context of workplace programs, the variety of program types and goals, the nature of the population served, and issues of program design and evaluation related to language instruction in the workplace. Contains annotated bibliography. (57 references) (LET)

Among the topics examined in this research review of issues in bilingual and bicultural education are (1) demographic and educational trends that point to growing numbers of bilingual and bicultural children; (2) continuing misconceptions about how young children learn a second language; (3) successful approaches in early childhood bilingual…

Suggests that students with limited English proficiency (LEP) can learn intellectually demanding material and acquire English skills simultaneously. Provides suggestions for structuring a course in U.S. history for this purpose. Includes instructional activities, materials, and references. Activities focus on textbook reading, text visuals, music…

Discusses the benefits of incorporating African-Caribbean contributions to U.S. history and culture at the level of higher education, such as promoting global interconnectedness, correcting misinformation about African Americans, recognizing and profiting from knowledge acquired by ancient civilizations, and strengthening economic competitiveness.…