The current study examined the social and language development of 345 Spanish-speaking pre-kindergartners who attended pre-kindergarten programs that varied widely in how much Spanish was spoken in the classroom by the teacher. Previous studies on English language learners have focused on how the language of instruction impacts children's language…

Although second language (L2) research has explored connections between sociopsychological variables and L2 socialization processes, relatively few investigations have compared heritage language (HL) learners to traditional foreign language (FL) learners in the North American context. This descriptive study compares the learning and acculturation…

Global English is under contestation. Although some consider lingua franca English (LFE) as a neutral medium or code that does not belong to any specific culture or nationality, others see the deceptive nature of this linguistic globalization. Along with Spring (2007/this issue), they see global English as embodying partisan interests and values.…

In 2000, Estonia launched a voluntary Estonian language CLIL programme for seven year-olds in four Russian-medium schools. The programme has expanded rapidly to a total of 48 kindergartens and schools. This paper reports on research into stakeholder perspectives on programme management. In addition to surveying parents, teachers, vice-principals…

Increasingly, urban and rural centers in Canada are receiving immigrants and refugees from countries affected by war. While it is important not to pathologize the effects that war and other catastrophes may have on individuals, it is also vital not to underestimate their impact on the ability of individuals to adjust to life in a new society. The…

This article discusses literature circles and how to use them effectively with English Language Learners (ELLs) at the middle level. The focus of literature circles is to combine literacy skills and strategies in a supportive social atmosphere of a non-threatening peer group. All students need teacher modeling if literature circles are to work…

"Read Naturally" is designed to improve reading fluency using a combination of books, audio-tapes, and computer software. This program includes three main strategies: repeated reading of English text for oral reading fluency development, teacher modeling of story reading, and systematic monitoring of student progress by teachers.…

This book defines and reviews five central problems in the study of second language acquisition (SLA): (subconscious) transfer, staged development, cross-learner systematicity, incompleteness, and variability. The central thesis of the text is that linguistic knowledge is an autonomous component of SLA, distinct from the socially determined use of…

Although programs for teaching and testing of English as a second language (ESL) are often evaluated for their attention to communicative competence, there is no consensus on the nature of the communicative competence construct(s) and little empirical support for the various explanatory models. The theoretical literature related to communicative…

This study presents direct observation of a 7-year-old, native Spanish-speaking female learning English in a mainstreamed first and second split classroom. Subject is described in the school setting, and it is shown how she worked, what she did during the mornings, how she responded to commands and directions, and how and with whom she…

This digest provides useful information on starting an elementary school foreign language (FLES) program. Individual sections address the following: (1) cautions in planning a FLES program; (2) initiating the planning process; (3) designing the program, with special attention given to scheduling and language choice; (4) programs that lead to high…

This book is the story of four nonnative children's acculturation into an American elementary school, as seen by the author, the teachers, the parents, and the children themselves. The book states that some of the challenges stem from linguistic barriers, but that others are cultural issues so endemic that neither the teacher nor the student is…

This report describes a program for improving motivation in eighth grade, first-year Spanish classes in a growing middle and upper class, predominantly Caucasian suburban community of northern Illinois. Survey results confirmed that students' enthusiasm for foreign language study decreased dramatically once the novelty of learning Spanish had worn…

This paper addresses the effect of error correction on second language learning by focusing on feedback and it's effect on language acquisition. The paper deals specifically with the written form of the target language and looks at how the second language teacher can address errors that interfere with written communication in such a way that the…

This journal issue offers six articles all on the theme of French and English foreign language learning in German elementary Schools: "Foreign Language Learning in the Elementary School: A Beginning" (Hartmut Breitkreuz); "Thoughts on the Commencement of Foreign Language Learning in the Elementary School" (Gundi Gompf);…