Although to many educators Asian Pacific American students seem to look and be alike and are perceived as model minority students, they actually represent many diverse cultural groups and complex communities, both recently arrived and of long standing in the United States. Difficulties that may arise between the new immigrant and U.S.-born…

This article aims to provide an overview of the various uses for e-mail in foreign language learning. It describes the advantages that have been referred to in the literature about the use of e-mail in foreign language learning contexts and provides an overview of the different types of contexts and possibilities for communicative interaction…

This study investigated over a 3-year period the learning strategies high school students reported using for learning a second language. The learning strategies used across languages and modalities are described. The report is organized by instrument--questionnaires, small group interviews, individual think-aloud interviews--and presents the data…

This paper illustrates how the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is exploring a new paradigm of evaluation that is responsive to the claims, concerns, and issues of stakeholders involved. Known as culturally responsive evaluation, this alternative conceived by the Initiative for Culturally Responsive Evaluation (ICRE) is considered more appropriate than…

A significant number of Hispanic children's books and juvenile short stories and novels produced in the last two decades reveal the social and cultural elements that affect the lives, traditions, and beliefs of young adults from Spanish-speaking countries. These books contain sociocultural realism, yet with a touch of the innocence and freshness…

This paper discusses the development of a syllabus for elementary-level college courses in the Japanese language, with a focus on course purpose, objectives, learning materials and resources, setting, learning activities, testing, and other considerations. It examines the characteristics of students who take elementary Japanese courses and reviews…

This book is intended to be an introduction to the sound system of the Spanish language. The book is descriptive in nature and presents a true picture of the language as it is spoken by native speakers from a wide variety of dialect zones. The book is divided into five parts and 25 chapters. Part one, Phonetics and Phonology," includes the…

This paper focuses on the difficulties of learners of Japanese as a second language from non-kanji backgrounds and the special difficulties they encounter in trying to learn the kanji writing system. It is asserted that most teachers of Japanese as a second language do not spend enough time on kanji teaching, with the students typically forced to…

Broad agreement exists in the society about the desirability of U.S. residents speaking English. Policymakers, community and civic leaders, and social scientists--and especially non-English speakers themselves--agree that knowledge of English is the gateway to full participation in U.S. society and its many rewards. Yet learning a language is…

At the request of the Board of Education of the City of Passaic, New Jersey, the Bureau of Education recently made a comprehensive study of the problem of adult education in that city. The findings of this study are discussed in this bulletin. Since Passaic has a very large foreign population and a very large percentage of illiteracy, third among…

Provides an evaluation of a 30-year experience in teaching Italian to German-speaking elementary school children in an upper northeast region of Italy. Analyzes degrees of bilingualism and sociocultural contact, emphasizing the need for culturally oriented, carefully structured materials and instruction by specially trained teachers. (MES)

The status of bilingual education in the United States is discussed with emphasis on science teaching. The impetus for the article comes from a final report of the office of Bilingual Education which states that one-half of the children with limited English proficiency are of Spanish-language background. (SA)

Overviews the use of the Internet in second-language instruction with special attention given to learning, teaching, research, and assessing and using the Net. (77 references) (CK)

Examines a computer-assisted approach to writing in the English-for-academic-purposes classroom that incorporates and integrates information from written texts, electronic and video sources, and a live lecture. The article argues that such an approach introduces the student to the academic culture of an Australian university. (eight references)…

Presents concerns over the "Early Years Study" (McCain & Mustard). Focuses on diversity issues related to the readiness measure used, parenting styles, and the importance of first language development. Questions the report's definition of "developmentally-attuned." Concludes by expressing hope that the Early Years Study…