In discussing the significance of concrete and contextual support in bilingual education, this paper refers to psychological findings regarding the bilingual mind, effective strategies employed by teachers in a number of bilingual programs, and the impact emotional and/or cultural factors have on language. (EB)

Reviews language attrition research as well as analyzes characteristics of acquisition and attrition of first- and second-language skills. The relationship between language and memory is also discussed. Research results are summarized in appendix. (Author/LMO)

This booklet presents a clear and succinct description of the educational needs of francophone students, families, and communities, and how this all fits into the constitutional requirements of Canada as directed by the 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and all subsequent amendments and Canadian Supreme Court rulings. It identifies the…

Studies the case of a religious group of German immigrants, whose German-American descendants attended German-language parochial schools but received secular instruction in English. Although the situation resulted in English-dominant children rather than the intended German-dominant bilinguals, recent sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and…

Summarizes a report of a study that explored what the United States could learn about foreign language teaching from other countries. The project reviewed comparative language education studies and conducted interviews with language education professionals in countries where policies and practices could inform the United States. (Author/VWL)

Reports on a 9-month ethnographic assessment of the Mexican "Rincones de lectura" literacy program as it was implemented in one rural elementary school. Findings are examined to determine the impact of Spanish language literacy materials on the indigenous language, Nahuatl. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on mothers of school children living in small isolated communities in arctic Quebec. Patterns of perceived language ability and use in three languages, Inuttitut, English, and French, for both themselves and their children were examined. The pattern of perceived language ability was similar across the three languages. Results are discussed…

Discusses why, where, and when two-way immersion programs were created; how they are being implemented (student population, program features, teachers, and instructional features); and what effects they are having, noting some of the issues that are emerging as this model gains popularity (e.g., minority languages other than Spanish, preserving…

Studied use of the Internet, Compact discs (CD), and email on the feasibility of conducting Russian language maintenance and development in a distance learning mode. Students from Air Force bases were guided by a native Russian moderator and interacted with each other in five-person teams. CD and email were found to be very reliable; Internet…

This paper reports on a study which investigated the language-related experiences of Afrikaans-speaking South African immigrants living in New Zealand. In-depth narrative interviews with 14 parents of children aged 18 and under were conducted in various geographical locations across New Zealand. The focus was on their perceptions of their…

A study is reported whose purpose was to investigate if a relationship existed between Spanish and English language development in young Spanish speaking Mexican-Americans. One half of the children involved in the study were in maintenance bilingual-bicultural programs. The other half were in pull-out ESL programs. Using the descriptive survey…

This paper examines the belief that as English rapidly infiltrates Native American cultures, school programs for teaching and maintaining native languages are not working. It suggests that Native American children who learn English first and their heritage languages second have difficulty learning the structures of their ancestral languages…

This book includes 25 papers in 5 parts. Part 1, "Dislocations," includes (1) "Puzzle" (Myrna Nieves); (2) "No Language To Die In" (Greta Hofmann Nemiroff); (3) "Here's Your Change 'N Enjoy the Show" (Verena Stefan); (4) "The Vagabond Years" (Elizabeth Dykman); (5) "From Bayamon to…

Language and culture programs for children speaking a minority language are discussed and outlined in terms of psycho-educational rationales, program options, and empirical and theoretical considerations of the appropriateness of such programs. (JMF)

Investigated the cultural identity of the second generation of a group of recent Hmong immigrants to the United States to determine the relationships among acculturation, ethnic identity, second-language acquisition, native language maintenance, self-esteem, and academic success. (JL)