This occasional paper gives attention to teaching and learning in schools where multiple languages are spoken by students. Recognition of the growing numbers of language minority English learners (LMELs) in schools where English is the sole language of instruction underscores the importance of gaining control over our understanding of how to…

In multilingual nations, young children learn early about the social and educational importance that adults attribute to different languages. In Malaysia, parents express their values about languages by choosing specific kindergartens. Preschools' language values are reflected in the amount of time devoted and the seriousness of approach to each…

The proceedings of a 1996 symposium organized in conjunction with the 81st World Esperanto Congress include papers and summaries of discussions concerning the relevance of Esperanto to contemporary international life. The papers and discussion transcripts are presented in their entirety in the language (Esperanto, English, or French) in which they…

The key role that language and language policy play in relation to education, culture, and multiculturalism was emphasized throughout the plenary and workshop discussions of the 43rd Session of the International Conference on Education, convened by UNESCO in September, 1992. This paper reports the roundtable discussions of this meeting. The…

This paper examines some of the problems that are faced by teachers and students in the teaching and learning of English for special purposes (ESP) in multilingual nations such as Papua New Guinea. A survey of 125 students recently admitted to the University of Technology in Papua New Guinea found that although 98 percent knew that English was the…

Nigeria's new National Policy on Education embodies a specific approach to the Nigerian people's need and and preference for reading in native languages, English, and other languages. This article examines that approach from three perspectives: (1) multilingual, in which the basic education is bilingual (native language and English, with English…

The first journal publication of the Midwest History of Education Society contains papers presented at its 1972 annual meeting and three papers on Canadian education. "University Extension in the United States, 1885-1915" (G. M. Woytanowitz) defines the U.S. origins of the university extension as an adult education agency. "She…

This study was conducted to identify problems teachers face in using English as the language of instruction in the early grades of Zambian primary school, and to investigate the difficulties young pupils meet because of learning through English rather than through their mother tongue. The first chapter sets forth the historical background of the…

A case study investigated the linguistic and social contexts of an adult Indonesian learner of English as a second language (ESL) in Australia, and how these factors affected his language learning progress. The learner, raised in Indonesia, was a young adult of Chinese descent. The discrepancy between the learner's perceptions of his own language…

A special journal issue on French language immersion programs in Canada consists of these articles: "The Immersion Phenomenon" (H. H. Stern); "For My Kids, It's French without Tears" (Judy Gibson); "A 'First' for a Toronto High School" (Claire Mian); "The Teachers, Key to the Success Story" (Andre Obadia);…

Following a brief review of the history of interest in foreign languages in America, facts to be considered when interpreting falling enrollment statistics, such as a drop in the birth rate, are discussed. It is stressed that foreign language teaching cannot be neglected in a world having improved and extensive communication between people…

The educational policies of Yugoslavia are presented in this report by examiners from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A comprehensive report on all aspects of education in Yugoslavia was used as their frame of reference; data were collected by them from a two-week tour of the country. The volume is divided into…

This paper investigates the influence childhood bilingualism has on adult foreign language learning ability. Early research exploring the influence of bilingualism on general intelligence is mentioned as well as recent studies that present more favorable results. It is hypothesized that childhood bilingualism will have a positive effect on adult…

This two-part study is an outgrowth of the explosive expansion in English-medium instruction which has taken place in the primary schools of Kenya since 1957. "Part I: The Prator Statement," which concentrates on the linguistic, methodological, and teacher-training aspects of the overall problem, presents first a description of the…

Yugoslavia, a country with a population of about 20,000,000, has as official languages Macedonian, Slovenian, and Serbo-Croatian. The latter is the cause of much controversy, for while Croatian and Serbian indisputably have a common linguistic base, the political and economic tensions between the two "nationalities" augment disagreement…