Examples of culturally relevant education for Navajo adults are described: (1) Arizona State Prison Literacy Program; (2) Dine College Teacher Preservice Program; (3) Salt Lake City East Community School; and (4) Family and Child Education Program. The examples attest to the power of native language literacy. (SK)

Derisive attitudes towards Spanish in the United States threaten its survival. Four issues vital to the preservation of Spanish in the United States are examined: the arbitrary nature of linguistic prejudice, the linguistic validity of all dialects, the overwhelming linguistic overlap between nonstandard and standard dialects of Spanish, and the…

Across Indian Country, people can hear voices speaking ancient words, in a Cochiti extended family in New Mexico, a Navajo community school on the Arizona desert, a Native Hawaiian kindergarten, a Salish/Kootenai summertime ceremony, on the North Dakota plains, and in a Blackfeet math classroom in Montana. Unlike other language instruction…

In their target article, Clahsen and Felser (CF) review studies that they and others have conducted in recent years to confirm the dual mechanism hypothesis and to extend its application to first and second language (L1 and L2) learners. They interpret the findings as supporting both the dual mechanism hypothesis and the claim that the…

This study highlights the complexities associated with learning a heritage language (HL) abroad, specifically with regard to identity, expectations, and beliefs about language and language learning, by examining the ways that HL learners talk about themselves. These are important topics to study because perceptions of language learning have been…

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) freshman students at the College of Languages and Translation received direct instruction in adjective-forming suffixes, then they took an immediate and a delayed test. Error analysis showed that 36% of the responses were left blank or the subjects duplicated the stimulus word. In 32% they mismatched the word…

Course designs for Basic English Writing classes vary from one course to another. The objective of this study was to investigate the semantic misinterpretation of English words found in the English compositions written by native-Chinese-speaking undergraduate students and to overcome if such a barrier occurred in the process of writing. First,…

In Taiwan, lectures are commonly used for younger students to learn their own language, which is traditional Chinese. Passively listening to lectures has led to this group of students making such mistakes as forgetting strokes and word meanings, combining phrases to create incomprehensible blurs of information, and switching radicals with phonetic…

The first stage of the HyTuS (Hypermedia Tutoring System) project, developed by the Alliance Francaise (a training institute supplying French courses for foreigners in France and abroad), and professional partners, is presented. The aim of the project is to provide a hypermedia CD-ROM-based environment for learning French according to the Alliance…

The report on areas needing further development in provision of quality literacy services for Ontario's (Canada) native populations, based on site visits to native literacy programs, identifies seven key areas for change: (1) strategic planning for program development and implementation and advocacy; (2) program growth and administration; (3)…

It is proposed that explicit explanations of grammar concepts in the first language can be useful in teaching the related structures in a second language. The example used is that of the subjunctive mood, taught first in English and then in Spanish. Specific procedures for presenting the concept in English are outlined, including a set of…

A bibliography of materials recommended for inclusion in a literacy library includes over 160 citations of books, textbooks, curriculum guides, and other resources on several areas related to literacy education. In each citation, basic bibliographic information is given and the item's classification as to skill level, language skill, and topic…

The main themes of a broad interpretation of literacy are discussed in this digest, and examples of approaches to literacy education in use and resources are cited. The information presented is focused on native language literacy, but the themes, recommendations, and materials are relevant for adults of English as a Second Language. Specific…

This document, one of a series of British occasional papers on basic education, investigates adult literacy practices in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The texts and their authors are "Building a National Movement: The Caribbean Experience" (Didacus Jules); "Literacy and Empowerment: A Definition for Literacy"…

Using animals as a means of learning the Arapaho language, the fourth student workbook presents 15 lessons. Lessons include spelling; matching words and pictures, word search puzzles; substituting Arapaho words of animals in place of the picture; cross-word puzzles; fill-in-the-blank statements; transcribing English words into Arapaho and Arapaho…