This study investigated whether certain broad cultural notions, such as "chiao shun" (training children in appropriate behavior or morals) and "guan" (a positive notion expressing parental concern, caring, or involvement) better distinguish the Chinese parent from the European-American than do the concepts of…

One of a series of quarterly reports, this publication contains 14 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: "Some Assumptions about Speech and How They Changed" (Alvin M. Liberman); "On the…

Problems in the testing of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) are examined, focusing on proficiency testing needs and test standardization. Particular attention is paid to listening and reading assessment. The first part of the discussion looks at specific problems with five existing proficiency tests, including such aspects as inadequacy of the…

This study examines the rules used by Chinese students to integrate information, and examines the perceived importance of academic ability, effort, and study skills to students and teachers. Information integration theory indicates that individuals use simple algebraic rules (averaging, adding, or multiplying) to integrate information. Cultural…

This bibliography includes both commercially published and locally produced textbooks and workbooks that are currently being used across the United States in foreign language programs for grades 1-6. The materials cited are used by 303 elementary schools that responded to a national survey of elementary school foreign language programs. The texts…

This study examines the comprehensibility of Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian English by listeners whose native languages are Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian English. The subjects, 30 college students, were grouped according to whether they listened to male or female speakers. Results show native speakers are better at…

From a group of 292 youth (269 male, 23 female) who scored 700-800 on the mathematical portion of the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) before age 13, the subscale of 68 students who were of Asian descent (55 males, 13 females) were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their parents' and grandparents' educational and…

Project JOBS (Job Opportunities for Bilingual Students) is a Title VII-funded project providing English as a second language (ESL) and content area and career-related instruction to students of limited English proficiency (LEP) at South Shore High School and James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York. In 1985-86, Project JOBS was in the third…

A project to develop and validate a tape-based alternative to the interview-based speaking proficiency test is described. The objective was to produce an economically more viable test for less commonly taught languages, closely modeled on and readily interpretable in terms of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/Interagency…

This paper reports results of an analysis of pronunciation problems and error patterns in the recorded speech of 38 immigrants to Sweden. The recordings, of both spontaneous and elicited speech in Swedish, were taken from an archival collection. The native-language groups studied include British English, Spanish, Polish, Finnish, Greek, Persian,…

To help resolve the language of instruction dilemma in Hong Kong schools, this paper examines the hypothetical effect of government, business, and university language policy and practice on individuals' choice of intructional medium. While government policy has always allowed schools and students to choose either Chinese or English, most have…

These three Information Alerts provide annotated bibliographies of documents covering the education of Asian and Pacific Americans. They cover the following topics, among others: (1) nondiscriminatory educational practices; (2) multilingual education; (3) special needs of the population; (4) parent participation; (5) injecting Asian culture into…

A bibliography of the collection of donated works relating to the education and resettlement of refugees held at the Dissemination Center of the U.S. Department of Education in Kansas City, MO, consists of textbooks for teaching English as a second language, other curricular materials, and supplementary materials from publishers and other sources.…

While there is a growing body of research on middle-class, white American work-family values, sex-role ideals, and attitudes toward women's employment, very little is known about the values and attitudes of other ethnic groups. This study compares the sex-role ideals and attitudes toward women's employment of Chinese, Japanese, and Caucasian…

The federally funded Piedmont International Business Program of Lynchburg College has begun offering conversational Mandarin Chinese for people whose business activities bring them into contact with Chinese speakers. The course has three phases: an 8-week fall session with an enrollment of 11 students; two 8-week sessions offered in winter and…