Questioning the notion of a sensitive period for second language acquisition, this research examined students' interlanguage development in selected classes at two grades in early, middle, and late French immersion. These classes were administered the same verb tense tests: an oral elicited imitation test and written rational cloze test. Analysis…

The purpose of this manual, which accompanies a video program, is to provide general background information for foreign language teachers who are, or soon will be, teaching in total, partial, or two-way immersion classrooms. Part of a series of video programs, this manual highlights current theories, issues, and questions about second language…

The assessment reported in this paper represents the first attempt by British Columbia to use the Canadian Ministry of Education's assessment program model with special programs; in this case, the French immersion program was chosen. Objectives of the assessment were as follows: (1) examination of the extent to which students are achieving…

A study of a two-way bilingual program in the Port Chester, NY Public Schools examined the relationship between classroom environment, and the language proficiency levels and second language learning outcomes of bilingual and monolingual pupils participating in the program. Pupils were second- through fifth-graders, including…

This report discusses the views of students now in the eleventh grade who participated in the original pilot class of the St. Lambert early immersion program in Montreal. They were asked to look back on their schooling and to appraise its effects on their lives. Their parents were asked to do the same. Questionnaires designed to elicit information…

This paper reports on a study undertaken to investigate the relationship between elicited imitation data and comprehension data, as measured by a picture-identification task and a second language (L2) to first language (L1) translation task, and between elicited imitation data and production data, as measured by a spontaneous production task and…

Evaluates and compares English graphophonic and word knowledge of anglophone children in French immersion (FI) programs with those of children in regular English (ENG) classrooms. Reveals no differences between the FI and ENG children in kindergarten, but ENG students scored higher at the end of Grades 1 and 2 on most measures. (NKA)

This guide, provided by a partisan education policy public interest group, seeks to answer the most frequently asked questions about teaching, designing, and evaluating an English immersion classroom and the research underpinnings in favor of English immersion. This guide aims to help teachers and policymakers better understand what English…

Reports a cross-sectional study of second language communication among students in a junior high French late immersion program. Effects of language, sex, and grade on willingness to communicate (WTC), anxiety, perceived communication competence, and frequency of communication in French and on attitude/motivation variables are examined globally and…

Five articles on issues associated with French immersion approaches and bilingual education within the Canadian educational system are presented. Topics include attitudes, impacts, children's reading processes, early versus late immersion programs in British Columbia, and a study of writing ability of English-speaking students in French-speaking…

Each of the two issues of this Catalan-language journal offers book reviews and articles on general topics in education. Issues contain Spanish-, English- and French-language abstracts of included articles with keyword references. Number 13 (1st. semester 1995) examines environmental and multicultural education; number 14 (2nd. semester 1995)…

This report presents an evaluation of a two-way bilingual program in English and Spanish at the Cunningham Elementary School (Texas). The program was designed to extend and expand educational reform by shifting the instructional program at the school over the 5-year time span from a transitional bilingual program to a two-way bilingual, or dual…

A collection of papers on second language instruction includes: "The Immersion Approach: Principle and Practice" (Helena Anderson Curtain); "Authentic Camera-Produced Materials for Random-Access Video Delivery" (Francis Lide, Barbara Lide); "Listening: What's Really Going on in the Classroom?" (Donna Reseigh Long); "Listening and Learning:…

The El Paso (Texas) Independent School District's district-wide program in majority-language (English) immersion is examined to determine the source of its success. The program's similarities to and differences from the Canadian immersion model are explored. The program's superior results in comparison with the same district's transitional…

Three experimental studies were carried out to examine the ability of groups of learners of English as a second language to solve problems of deductive reasoning (three term linear syllogisms) in their native and second languages. In the first study involving Canadian francophones studying English, subjects solved problems more effectively in…