This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include David Limon, Lizzi O. Milligan, Liliya A. Latipova, Haiwen Chu, Steven K. Lee, John Clegg, Sonja Novak Lukanovic, Ekaterina L. Koudrjavtseva, Stephen Krashen, and Leon Tikly.
(2016). Exploring the Potential for Language Supportive Learning in English Medium Instruction: A Rwandan Case Study, Comparative Education. This article puts forward the argument for language supportive learning for learners in English medium instruction (EMI) classrooms based on the findings from a mixed methods study in Rwanda. The article first reviews the relevant literature and research which looks at the concept of language support, focusing on textbooks and pedagogy in sub-Saharan African EMI countries. The scant literature which exists suggests that current teaching practice and textbook design are not targeted for learners learning in a second language which frequently results in the global language acting as a major barrier to effective learning across the curriculum. The potential of "language supportive textbooks and pedagogy" for addressing such a barrier is then considered through an analysis of a recent intervention in Primary 4 Rwandan classrooms. Findings suggest that language supportive learning can lead to significant improvements in learner outcomes and more effective engagement with subjects across the curriculum. Conclusions consider implications for bilingual education policies in Rwanda and further afield. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Case Studies, Language of Instruction, English (Second Language)
(2014). Attitudes to Bilingual Education in Slovenia, Current Issues in Language Planning. The two different models of bilingual/multilingual education that have been developed in Slovenia since the 1950s in the regions of Prekmurje (minority language Hungarian) and Slovene Istria (Italian) are the result of international agreements, education and language policies, social and demographic factors. The basic aim in both cases is to help ensure the equal rights of the minority community, their language and their culture. In this paper, we shall present the historical and social background to the development of these two models, and describe the way in which language and education policies are applied in these two mixed areas. Drawing upon empirical research, we shall also consider how successful the models have been in achieving their stated goals. Finally, we shall present the results of research into attitudes and perceptions among parents and children toward multilingual and multicultural education in these two Slovene regions, using the collected data to compare the relative success of the two different models in the eyes of the local communities. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Educational History, Educational Development, Educational Policy
(2009). In the Region of Babel: Public Bilingual Schooling in the Midwest, 1840s-1880s, History of Education Quarterly. Between the 1840s and 1880s–a heyday of public bilingual schooling–the American Midwest emerged as a modern Babel because of its linguistic diversity and strong tradition of local control. In such a favorable environment, a variety of patterns and aims of foreign-language instruction developed. In this article, the author examines the contexts that facilitated public bilingual education in the Midwest between the 1840s and 1880s. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Public Education, Educational History
(2016). Latino Trajectories in Barcelona: A Longitudinal Ethnographic Study of Latin American Adolescents in Catalonia, Language, Culture and Curriculum. The ethnographic research presented in this paper consists of two parts developed chronologically. The first part is based on a study (Corona, V., Nussbaum, L., & Unamuno, V. [2012]. The emergence of new linguistic repertoires among Barcelona's youth of Latin American origin. "International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism," 16(2), 182-194) conducted between the years 2005 and 2008 that shows how "lo Latino" in Barcelona is closely linked to an identity that is tied to certain linguistic varieties, with a particular fashion outfit, and a set of school attitudes and styles specific to youth such as hip-hop. The second part is based on data collected more recently (2013) by recording the discussion, six years later, with three adolescents who participated in the previous stage of the study. The analysis allows us to observe how their attitudes towards "lo Latino" have changed during this time after having lived different experiences outside the school. It is especially interesting to see how these young people construct their personal paths with a view towards what, in their opinion, means to be Latino in the context of Barcelona. In contrast to the previous study, "Latino" becomes important not only in the youth and school context, but it is also related to other social issues, such as the labour market and job insecurity. [More] Descriptors: Ethnography, Latin Americans, Language Variation, Spanish
(2006). The Latino Students' Attitudes, Perceptions, and Views on Bilingual Education, Bilingual Research Journal. In light of the continuing debate surrounding bilingual education, there has been a renewed interest to examine the perceptions and views on the subject from various constituents. The purpose of this study was to examine the group who is the target of and most affected by this controversy–English language learners. The study surveyed 280 Latino students, all of whom were enrolled in bilingual classes, including Spanish maintenance and sheltered classes, in seven urban middle schools in Southern California, in regard to their attitudes, perceptions, and views on bilingual education. The study found that an overwhelming majority (90%) of the students surveyed believed that bilingual education was helpful to their educational experience and 86% supported the offering of bilingual education programs in public schools. Interestingly, however, if given a choice, 53% of the students responded that they would prefer to be in non-bilingual classes. Nevertheless, almost three-quarters (71%) of the subjects reported that bilingual education supported their cognitive and emotional development, suggesting the psycho-affective benefits beyond language development for English language learners. [More] Descriptors: Middle School Students, Student Attitudes, Emotional Development, Educational Experience
(2005). We Are One, We Are Many: Portraits of Australian Bilingual Schools, Multicultural Education. This article describes a study that addresses the cultural, historical and political contexts of immigrant bilingual education in Australia and particularly, Victoria. Data was collected through participant observation, audiotaped interviews, and library research to build ethnographic portraits of three schools containing four bilingual programs, with target languages of Chinese, Greek, Macedonian and Indonesian. Through a process of interpretive interactionism (Denzin, 1994), these portraits are examined, and include comparisons and contrasts to bilingual education programs in the United States. Finally, implications for educators, policymakers and others are suggested, including ways that supporters of bilingual education in other nations can learn from these portraits of three school programs. [More] [More] Descriptors: Cultural Pluralism, Foreign Countries, Immigrants, English (Second Language)
(2010). Latino Immigrant Parents' Views of Bilingual Education as a Vehicle for Heritage Preservation, Journal of Latinos and Education. Latino immigrant parents were interviewed in an urban California school district post Proposition 227. Approximately half had placed their English-learner children into bilingual classes. The others had children in English-only classes. Guided by sociohistorical psychology, the study explores the parents' motivations for the goal of preserving the Spanish language and Latino cultural values for their children. The analysis examines how the social context of local communities and parents' experiences with bilingual education may have influenced their attitudes toward heritage preservation. Policy implications are suggested. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Values, Social Environment, Spanish
(2011). Implementing a Successful Bilingual Educational Program in Japan: Support for Minority Languages and the Present Climate of Bilingual Education, Online Submission. Although generally acknowledged as complex and multidimensional, bilingual education, when successful, plays an important role in maintaining and developing bilingualism, resulting in numerous benefits to those who undertake it. This essay will discuss the necessary components and principles of what is required to make a successful bilingual program by defining what bilingualism is as well as critically analysing the benefits and drawbacks of such a program, with pertinent examples relevant to the overall present education system in Japan and what support is offered to foreign students and migrants to assist them in maintaining their first language. This paper will also address the very need for effective bilingual programs and what a bilingual individual is defined as. A number of major theories such as L1-L2 interdependency, critical period hypothesis, and additive and subtractive bilingualism will be explored to substantiate weak and strong forms of bilingual education. Other relevant social, psycholinguistic and cultural factors will also be discussed as will their implications and how they relate to ensuring bilingual programs succeed for minority and majority language students in their aims and objectives. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Foreign Students, Bilingual Education, Bilingual Education Programs
(2010). Beyond Bilingual Education: Multilingual Language Education in Nepal, GIST Education and Learning Research Journal. The purpose of this paper is to describe the framework for implementing multilingual language education (MLE) countrywide in Nepal. I outline key tenets of MLE, explain the rationale for implementing it in the Nepali context, and describe the MLE framework that formed the basis of trainer workshops. The framework is divided into 7 topics: 4 of which are specific to MLE, and 3 of which are widely discussed in the literature on bilingual education and therefore not discussed in this paper. I argue that MLE should be implemented in other countries for both educational and socio-political reasons relating to the educational well-being of linguistic minority children. [More] Descriptors: Multilingualism, Second Language Learning, Guidelines, Language Minorities
(2016). Intercultural Bilingual Educational Policies for Transnational Indigenous Communities: School Experiences of the Wichí-Weenhayek People on the Argentinean-Bolivian Border, Bilingual Research Journal. Utilizing Ruiz's (1984, 1995) language orientation and language policy work, this ethnographic study compared two intercultural bilingual education (IBE) schools located in two Wichí-Weenhayek communities on both sides of the Argentinean-Bolivian border. We examined Wichí-Weenhayek and non-Indigenous teachers' profiles, teacher-student interactions, and school-community relations. Findings showed that Wichí-Weenhayek teachers in Argentina played only teacher-aid roles and were unable to promote the Wichí language as resource. Although the Wichí-Weenhayek teachers in Bolivia taught in both languages and were in charge of instruction, these teachers did not have enough pedagogical training or materials to meet the language-as-right and language-as-resource goals of their IBE program. Regarding teacher-students interactions, the non-Indigenous teachers in Argentina used a teacher-centered model of instruction, while in Bolivia, teachers commonly interacted with their students using Wichí and employed more student-centered strategies. Finally, the school-community relationship in Argentina only happened in school because the non-Indigenous principal and teachers did not live in the same town as their students. In Bolivia, on the other hand, children and families commonly interacted with their Wichí-Weenhayek teachers inside and outside the school because all of them lived in the same town. Implications for the development of IBE programs that serve transnational Indigenous communities are discussed here. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Geographic Regions, Educational Policy, Language Planning
(2011). How Does Size Matter? The Impact of the Rise of Small Schools on Latinos and Emergent Bilinguals in New York City, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Since the dawn of mayoral control in 2002, New York City high schools have undergone a major overhaul. Part of this reform effort has been the replacement of underperforming large high schools with new small high schools. This study more closely examines the effects of a transition to small high schools on students who are Latino and students who are emergent bilinguals (EBs). The data includes the demographic data from the New York State Department of Education Comprehensive Education Plan and the New York City Department of Education Progress Report for each school. This study finds that although a majority of Latinos and EBs continue to attend large schools of more than 1200 students, they are unevenly distributed across different school sizes. In addition, large high schools are far more likely to offer Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) programs. Findings also indicate that small schools of no more than 500 students have higher academic outcomes based on credit accumulation and higher four and six-year graduation rates for EBs than medium and large schools. These differences are most significant at schools with high EB and Latino student populations. The article concludes with a call for qualitative studies identifying successful practices for EBs across school sizes framed around more fluid notions of language support that move beyond the dichotomy of bilingual education vs. English as a second language (ESL). [More] Descriptors: High Schools, Small Schools, School Size, Graduation Rate
(2016). Research Project "Subject Developing Environment of Preschool Education" for Russian Preschool Bilinguals (By the Example of Textile Educational Materials), International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. The problem's relevance stated in the article is determined by the following: forming preschool bilinguals' subject developing environment is connected with their active education and development, as well as with flexible preparation for studying at school. The purpose of this article is to develop methodology of textile developing materials' use in training kindergarten teachers of preschool educational institutions to practice oriented activities. The leading method of this problem study is a method of simulation which allows generating and putting into practice a model-transformer, giving an opportunity to intensify the process of children-bilinguals' education and development in a multicultural environment. The structure of the presented model of preschool bilinguals' subject developing environment with textile developing materials use in the practice of a kindergarten teacher in the context of implementation GEF PE requirements includes polyfunctionality, ethnic component and polyvalent space. The model is directed to textile developing materials' use in the kindergarten teacher's activity with children bilinguals. Presented research project "Subject developing environment of preschool education" for children bilinguals may be used as a basis of improvement pedagogical activity with preschool children and in training bachelors of professional education. [More] Descriptors: Preschool Education, Bilingualism, Simulation, Material Development
(2015). Publishing for Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education in Ghana: Politics and Consequences, Language and Education. One often cited challenge to effective mother tongue-based bilingual education (MTBE) in multilingual countries like Ghana is the difficulty of developing curriculum and instructional materials in many languages. To explain this situation, factors such as shortage of writers and teachers in the local languages, lack of interest on the part of publishers in view of the wide availability of textbooks in multiple languages, as well as official support for dominant western languages, such as English, are cited. This paper discusses the veracity of these "challenges", by examining pre- and post-independent governments' efforts at material development to support MTBE in Ghana. The paper notes that, while most educational policies and reforms have emphasised the importance of MTBE, there has, in fact, been no concerted attempt to design and implement a language-in-education policy incorporating the urgent need to develop curriculum materials for MTBE. The paper attributes this to the lack of political will, economic reasons and the general misconceptions about MTBE. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Misconceptions, Educational Policy, Foreign Countries
(2013). Community-Based Research, Race, and the Public Work of Democracy: Lessons from Whitman College, Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. This practice story tells of one professor's discovery and conduct of community-based research (CBR) at a leading liberal arts college. Originating through collaborations with an immigrant meatpacking workers' union, Whitman College's program on The State of the State for Washington Latinos has earned national recognition since its founding in 2005. The program's story speaks to the vital role CBR projects in the academy can play in addressing deeply rooted forms of racial injustice and cultural exclusion, from political under-representation to gaps in bilingual education. This narrative further highlights the importance of durable community partnerships that allow mutual trust to grow and flourish; the challenges faculty members face when institutions provide sparse infrastructure for CBR program development; the transformative effects of these endeavors on students; and the unusual success of Whitman's State of the State program in matching rigorous research with an ambitious agenda of public outreach to enhance regional democracy. [More] Descriptors: College Faculty, Personal Narratives, Immigrants, Unions
(2005). Skyrocketing Scores: An Urban Legend, Educational Leadership. A new urban legend claims, "As a result of the state dropping bilingual education, test scores in California skyrocketed." Krashen disputes this theory, pointing out that other factors offer more logical explanations of California's recent improvements in SAT-9 scores. He discusses research on the effects of California's Proposition 227, which mandated that schools move from bilingual education programs to immersion programs, and concludes that this research offers no convincing evidence that the law had beneficial effects. Krashen also reviews research suggesting that bilingual education programs promote English language learners' acquisition of English literacy as well as their subject-matter knowledge. [More] Descriptors: Second Language Learning, State Legislation, Immersion Programs, Bilingualism