A study investigated the patterns of question use in Mandarin Chinese-speaking parents' and caregivers' interactions with children, and how they characterize social class differences. Subjects were 10 children, aged 21-23 months, and their families, selected from immunization records in Beijing, China. Parents were all native speakers of Mandarin…

This packet contains student materials and a teacher's resource book. The materials present students with many of the same questions vexing U.S. policy makers in their dealings with China. Students explore background materials and debate policy options as to what relations with China should be. The student booklet contains background essays for…

This study compared the performance of 300 Chinese children on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts-Revised (BTBC-R) with that of American children from the standardization sample of the BTBC-R. Subjects were in kindergarten, first, and second grade, and completed the test at the end of the 1996-97 school year. The focus of the comparison was to…

A comparative, protocol-based study is reported of the first (Chinese) and foreign (English) language writing processes of six postgraduate English-as-a-Foreign-Language students. The study revealed the approaches of the six writers to the task of producing academic written discourse to be very different, and suggested that if composing strategies…

This paper analyses elementary school Chinese language textbooks for teaching reading and writing in primary grades in the People's Republic of China. The paper begins by examining the characteristics of the Chinese written language, particularly how the reforms of written Chinese in China since the 1950s have affected instructional materials.…

This unit, designed for use with high school and community college students, features a collection of literature about youths and young adults in contemporary China. Consisting of eight lessons, lessons 1 to 3 are introductory activities relating to Chinese youths and values. Lesson 4 presents excerpts from a Chinese collection of 100 life…

This unit encourages students to explore the history and current situation of Chinese Americans. Organized around five lesson plans, the unit's first lesson begins with the students' own perceptions of Chinese Americans, followed by a quiz that provides relevant background information. The second lesson examines the general history of Chinese…

For Asian Americans, learning only the skills of verbal communication is not sufficient--they need to develop a sense of appreciation for eloquence, to understand the urgency of freedom of expression in a democratic society, and to internalize the value of speech as an instrument for self-enhancement. The remarkable differences between the East…

A "dynamic priority" theory of Chinese second language instruction is outlined and discussed. The theory focuses on five aspects of language instruction: spoken vs. written language; universality vs. particularity; cultural vs. linguistic tasks; performance vs. competence; and proficiency vs. achievement. A dynamic relationship is seen between the…

One of a series of quarterly reports, this publication contains 11 articles which report the status and progress of studies on the nature of speech, instruments for its investigation, and practical applications. Articles in the publication are: "Evidence of Flexible Coding in Visual Word Recognition" (Kenneth R. Pugh and others);…

Based on the idea that there are universal beliefs that unite people from every part of the world, this collection illustrates common sayings, stories, proverbs, and quotations from students in English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms. During the classes, students talk about their families, countries, and customs, including traditional foods and…

The journal IDEAL is intended as a forum for research into the acquisiton and teaching of English as a Second Language. Volume 4 contains the following articles: "Pragmatics and Reading in a Second Language" (Patricia L. Carrell); "English Across Cultures: Native English Speaker in the Third World" (P.B. Nayar); "Pragmatic…

A study investigated cultural variations in the ways groups of speakers reach consensus in the face of disagreement or suggestion. Subjects were six graduate students in each of five groups: one composed of native speakers of American English, two of Taiwanese Chinese, and two of mainland Chinese. Each group performed a desert survival exercise,…

A test to be used for placement of students at the University of Texas (UT), Austin, in lower-level courses in Chinese and to award credit-by-examination in some courses was developed, and its validity was tested. Faculty members from the Department of Oriental and African Studies and the Measurement and Evaluation Center of the UT constructed a…

In June 2001, Asia Society's National Commission on Asia in the Schools released its report which concluded that "young Americans are dangerously uninformed about international matters" (National Commission on Asia in the Schools, 2001 p. 6). Since then, Asia Society has been leading a major national initiative to stimulate teaching and…