This contrastive study is concerned with relations between rhetoric and ethnicity in second language (L2) writing. It investigates the influence of Chinese rhetoric on expository writing in English by three groups: the majority Chinese Han group, and two ethnic minorities, Tibetan and Mongolian. Relying on a contrastive text analysis of 30…

The present study investigates the relationships among motivational factors, cultural correlates and second language proficiency. The participants, from both Western and Asian backgrounds, were learning Chinese at university level in the People's Republic of China. 115 students (35 Western students and 80 Asian students) ranging from beginning to…

This pilot study examined the psychological and emotional stresses faced by new Chinese immigrant teenagers upon entering a new cultural environment. Interviews with teenagers (n=22) from three different political and economic areas of China and some of their parents (n=10) and school guidance counselors (n=2) indicate that these youth, because of…

Singing can be an enjoyable and effective way to motivate children to learn a second language. This booklet consists of contemporary and folk songs that are related to Chinese festivals, transportation, the family, seasons, Christmas and other topics. Each page gives the music to a song with the words in Chinese and in English. The songs are…

This document reviews the arguments and the ruling in the Lau v. Nichols case, and the general legal foundation for bilingual education. On March 25, 1970, a suit was filed by 13 non-English-speaking Chinese students in the District Court in San Francisco, on behalf of nearly 3,000 Chinese-speaking students, against the San Francisco Unified…

This publication is intended to help secondary and college level teachers locate textbooks, curriculum units, audiovisuals, and other resources on China. The guide's contents include the following: (1) Teaching Materials on Contemporary China: A Critical Evaluation; (2) Adapting Scholarly Work to the Needs of Educators; (3) Teaching about China in…

This is a selected bibliography of some good and some outstanding audio-visual educational materials in the library of the Educational Materials Bureau, Audio-Visual Education Section, that may be considered of particular interest in the study of Asians and Asian-Americans. The bibliography is arranged alphabetically within the following subject…

This first volume of a 3-year course in Chinese includes a textbook, vocabulary, and character lists. A workbook has been designed for the text (see FL 002 773). Each lesson is divided into sections involving such learning devices as pronunciation drills, pantomime, questions and answers, pattern practice, stories vocabulary, dictation, dialogues,…

In this approach to an understanding of America's ethnic minorities, the most important concern is with the interaction between these various culture groups and the dominant, white society. Six of America's principal ethnic minorities have been considered: blacks, Mexicans, Indians, Chinese, Japanese, and Puerto Ricans. In each case the same…

Draws on official documents and teaching materials to trace the growth of Putonghua (the official language of China) in school curricula in Hong Kong (where Hong Kong Cantonese and English predominate). Although promoting Putonghua is logical, tensions arise from the already heavy bias toward language subjects in school curricula and shortage of…

Chinese characters are used in both Chinese and Japanese writing systems. When literate speakers of either language experience problems in finding or understanding words, they often resort to using Chinese characters or "kanji" (i.e., Chinese characters used in Japanese writing) in their talk, a practice known as "brush talk" ("bitan" in Chinese,…

"Talk-in-interaction: Multilingual perspectives" offers original studies of interaction in a range of languages and language varieties, including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Swahili, Thai, and Vietnamese; monolingual and bilingual interactions; and activities designed for second or foreign language learning. Conducted…

Purpose: To examine older adults' perceptions of the link between physical activity (PA) and nutrition to the maintenance of cognitive health. Design and Methods: Forty-two focus groups (FGs) were conducted with 396 ethnically diverse (White, African American, American Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hispanic) community-dwelling older adults. FGs…

This study examines infants' joint attention behavior and language development in a rural village in Nigeria. Participants included eight younger (1;0 to 1;5, M age=1;2) and eight older toddlers (1;7 to 2;7, M age=2;1). Joint attention behaviors in social interaction contexts were recorded and coded at two time points six months apart. Analyses…

The language of instruction is the medium through which knowledge is transmitted during the educational process. Because of this, the issue of what language the teachers use when giving lectures and what language is used to compile the text materials they adopt becomes a core issue in educational development for any multiethnic, multilingual…