Describes how beginning language learners generated electronic mail in a foreign language, Spanish, and what the resulting texts looked like. The study uncovered different, contrastive writing behaviors and a diversity of texts and suggests that communicative activities in the language classroom pose dilemmas for students. (39 references)…

Presents issues related to technology and multicultural education. Examines problems with multicultural education and current uses of technology, including telecommunications, applications for ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) students, and multimedia. Discusses technology's cultural bias; problems of access and equity; biases in selection and…

Argues that the current approach to needs analysis research in English for academic purposes (EAP) needs to be replaced with critical needs analysis that views the target situation as an opportunity for curriculum development. The article concludes that EAP classes can be agents for social change. (26 references) (Author/CK)

Outlines the most important 20th century developments in reading instruction for young children, analyzing why an approach was tried, and presenting results of these instructional efforts. It is concluded that the current perspective that seems to meet the needs of most children is that of emergent literacy. (SLD)

This article examines research evidence on the effects of preschool reading practices on young children, emphasizing the role of school-based programs for young disadvantaged children. The analysis notes positive effects from story reading programs and presents practical guidelines related to group size, rereadings, vocabulary instruction, and…

Provides suggestions for creating learning environments that affirm and value linguistic varieties, including adapting the school/classroom environment, promoting positive group and individual identities, creating school-family-community connections, diversifying the curriculum, providing students with sociolinguistic education, and teaching…

This article describes an application of a general outcome measurement system, Individual Growth and Development Indicators, with 68 preschoolers (ages 3-6). Results indicate the measures were easy to use; efficient in administration, scoring, and data interpretation; and provided valuable information for making early childhood education and…

A fourth-grade Nova Scotia class produced a weekly 1-hour radio show. Students decided the program format, show themes, topics, and group members. Each show was co-hosted by four students. All students got a chance to host, and all were successful. The project addressed most of the language arts standards and gave students experience in technology…

A study evaluated the use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to provide training in phonological sensitivity skills to 45 preschool children at-risk for reading problems. Children exposed to CAI made significantly greater gains on rhyming and elision skills compared to controls. Expressive vocabulary scores were predictive of pre- to posttest…

Discusses making public library collections accessible to Spanish-speaking users and describes the consequences that can result from inattention to linguistic and cultural accessibility. Topics include cataloging issues and solutions; labeling; shelving; signage; electronic access; Spanish language training for staff; intercultural communication;…

Evaluated hypothesis that cognitive antecedents of word recognition are domain-specific and unrelated to higher-order domain-general cognitive abilities in a longitudinal study of Hebrew-speaking children. Found that kindergarten domain-specific measures accounted for 33 percent of variance in Grade 1 word recognition, even after controlling for…

Identifies and analyzes Korean parents' involvement in early oral language development as a major factor contributing to Korean children's early literacy development. Claims that Korean culture and parents' view support the emergent literacy theory advanced by Marie Clay and also contribute to children's reading and language abilities. Asserts…

The "6+1" model of writing assessment, which identifies six traits of good writing, is applicable to any language. In an Anchorage (Alaska) elementary school with a high proportion of English language learners, homeless children, and other disadvantaged youth, the model helps students write about their own ideas and experiences, thereby…

This book assembles a wide range of research on children's language development, interprets it with analyses of how bilingualism affects that development, and, above all, breaks the myths surrounding bilingualism and bilingual education. The urgency about introducing language minority children to English immediately in schools, and about…

Describes the education of hearing-impaired infants and young children between 0-5 years of age at the Japan Oral School for the Deaf. Summarizes the school's three educational principles: utilization of residual hearing through hearing aids, early identification of hearing loss and early intervention, and auditory-oral interaction for…