This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Anne Holmen, Susan C. McRae, Janus Spindler Møller, Marina Kalashnikova, Marianne Cormier, Ray Ver Velde, Scientific United Nations Educational, Fiona Sally Baker, Shaila Sultana, and Jimmy Bourque.
(2014). Young Adults' Linguistic Manipulation of English in Bangla in Bangladesh, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. It is commonly assumed in the print media that bilingual young adults in Bangladesh are subjugated by the colonial legacy of English and they are "polluting" Bangla, the national language of Bangladesh, by their indiscriminate insertion of English in it. However, this ethnographic study on a group of young adults in a university in Bangladesh shows that this assumption is simplistic and inadequate. A close linguistic analysis of extracts from their face-to-face and virtual conversations on Facebook illustrates that they (1) use linguistic and semantic forms of both English and Bangla very creatively, strategically and pragmatically, (2) bring in diversity to Bangla not only from English but also from different genre of discourses, and eventually (3) transgress the boundary of the Bangla language. English in fact provides them with newer metalinguistic and indexical opportunities. The study also identifies that the nationalist stance in favour of Bangla may not allow a fuller appreciation of the complex linguistic scenario in Bangladesh. At the end, the study suggests a prospect of a future research that may provide important insights into the socio-cultural dynamics of bilingualism in English and Bangla in the social landscape of Bangladesh as well as in other multilingual contexts. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Indo European Languages, Ethnography, Semantics
(2014). Swedish Immersion in the Early Years in Finland, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Immersion education in Finland is a one-way (monolingual) early total Swedish programme for Finnish-speaking students. This immersion provision is offered at kindergarten level (ages 3-5), at preschool (age 6) and at primary levels (grades 1-9). Here, a brief synthesis of Finnish research studies on the early years in Swedish immersion is first provided, reviewing results from a number of quantitative and qualitative research studies. In order to present a comprehensive view of the Finnish context, both the kindergarten and preschool environments are analysed as contexts for early second-language learning and teaching. The second part of this article presents results from a recent Finnish study of immersion in kindergarten, where analyses of dialogue sequences make it possible to examine in depth how immersion children in Finland learn their new language in everyday situations within immersion settings. Examples illustrate the importance of the educator's explicit verbalisations of every joint activity and shared context. When the educator continuously puts into words the actions jointly focused upon by child and adult, she provides meaningful L2 input and, at the same time, promotes children's understanding of daily activities. The excerpts also show developments in children's emerging L2 utterances, from recycled Swedish language items to spontaneous L2 use. [More] Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Foreign Countries, Swedish, Immersion Programs
(2014). Awareness of Derivation and Compounding in Chinese-English Biliteracy Acquisition, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This study examines the intra-and inter-lingual relationships between first and second language morphological awareness and reading comprehension among grade 6 Chinese learners of English as a foreign language in China. Morphological awareness measures covered compounding as well as derivation. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that within both Chinese and English, compound and derivational awareness independently and significantly predicted reading comprehension. Cross-linguistically, Chinese compound awareness explained a unique proportion of variance in English reading comprehension, over and above English vocabulary knowledge, English compound awareness, and other related variables. Such a cross-linguistic effect, however, was not found of English compound awareness on Chinese reading comprehension. Derivational awareness in one language did not show a significant cross-linguistic relationship with reading comprehension in the other language, when other variables were considered. These results are discussed in light of the importance of morphological awareness to reading comprehension, cross-linguistic transfer of morphological awareness and a possible linguistic distance effect on such transfer, and the context of Chinese-English biliteracy acquisition. [More] Descriptors: Literacy, Bilingualism, Second Language Learning, Native Language
(1978). Introduction to Methods and Materials in Bilingual Education. The syllabus for an introductory course in bilingual teaching methods and instructional materials focuses on the academic areas of reading, social studies, mathematics, science, art, music, and health, as well as lesson planning and scheduling techniques. Course objectives are for students to develop an awareness of the methods and goals of bilingual/bicultural (or multilingual/multicultural) education. Students are to prepare and demonstrate lessons in both the appropriate native language and English. The course is intended as the first in a series on aspects of implementing bilingual and bicultural education programs. Student evaluation is by a series of questions included with each unit, assessment of student preparation of activities, and a final project summarizing the course's content. A 24-item reading list is provided. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingual Instructional Materials, Class Activities, Course Descriptions
(2014). The Relation between Language Experience and Receptive-Expressive Semantic Gaps in Bilingual Children, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The purpose of the current study was to explore the influence of language experience on the presence of the receptive-expressive gap. Each of 778 Spanish-English bilingual children screened pre-kindergarten in Utah and Texas were assigned to one of five language experience groups, ranging from functionally monolingual to balanced bilingual. Children's scores from the language screener semantics subtest administered in both Spanish and English were standardized, and receptive and expressive semantic scores were compared. Children presented with a meaningful gap between receptive and expressive semantic knowledge in English but not Spanish. This gap increased as target-language exposure decreased. Results indicate that current language experience plays a dominant role in influencing the appearance and magnitude of the receptive-expressive gap. [More] Descriptors: Correlation, Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Semantics
(2014). Polylingual Development among Turkish Speakers in a Danish Primary School–A Critical View on the Fourth Grade Slump, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. In this paper we report on a longitudinal study of the linguistic development among Turkish-speaking children in Denmark. A series of data were collected from a group of children attending a public school in Køge during the period 1989-1998 and from the same group–now in their 20s–in 2006-2007. The data set has been analyzed from a number of linguistic and educational perspectives (e.g. second language acquisition, code choice in interaction, language attitudes among teachers and students). In this paper we combine the main lines of the different analyses into a discussion of which terms to use when studying linguistic development in an increasingly diverse world. In particular, we focus on the theoretical distinction between deficit and resource-oriented views on minority children's language development, and we discuss the empirical underpinning of the so-called 4th grade slump which places school underachievement solidly within the children's mastery of specific features of academic majority language. In general, we argue that terms such as "bilingualism" or "multilingualism" are insufficient as descriptive tools. Instead we propose the term polylanguaging to account for our informants' language use in post-modern, superdiverse Danish society. [More] Descriptors: Multilingualism, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students, Turkish
(1999). Cultural Citizenship in the 21st Century: Adult Learning and Indigenous Peoples. Adult Learning and the Challenges of the 21st Century. A Series of 29 Booklets Documenting Workshops Held at the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education. (Hamburg, Germany, July 14-18, 1997). This booklet, which was produced as a follow-up to the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education, examines cultural citizenship in the 21st century: adult learning, and indigenous peoples. The booklet begins with an introduction and overview of the current situation of indigenous peoples throughout the world, including recent changes in thinking with regard to indigenous peoples. Three approaches to human rights for indigenous peoples are considered: the concept of universal human rights; the system of protection of minorities within existing states; and peoples' rights to self-determination. The following four pillars of learning with regard to indigenous peoples are explored: (1) learning to be (the right to self-identification and self-definition); (2) learning to know (the right to self-knowledge); (3) learning to do (the right to self-development); and (4) learning to live together (the right to self-determination). The six recommendations for follow-up that conclude the booklet include calls for the following: (1) making basic educational competencies in indigenous languages and in the national and global languages of communication a fundamental entitlement; (2) including bilingual intercultural education in national adult learning systems; (3) having indigenous peoples participate in the design of adult learning opportunities and materials; and (4) addressing indigenous peoples' cultural heritage and histories in curricula. [More] Descriptors: Adult Education, Adult Learning, Bilingual Education, Change Strategies
(1999). School-Based Teacher Education "en la Frontera": Preparing Special Education Teachers on the Arizona-Mexico Border. Northern Arizona University (NAU) and Nogales Unified School District established a school-university partnership in 1998 to prepare special education teachers to work in the rural Mexican border area of southern Santa Cruz County, Arizona. All 25 students in the program's first cohort were working adults from the local area, bilingual and already employed as teacher assistants or serving as volunteer teacher interns. The shortage of qualified elementary and special education teachers in the area was one factor leading to federal grant funding. The nontraditional program integrates individual courses into a 15-hour block of coursework per semester. Courses are taught in late afternoons by NAU faculty at a Nogales school and are enriched by resource specialists and guest speakers. A required supervised internship in an inclusive elementary classroom or a special education setting provides a valuable experiential component. Training sessions hosted by NAU faculty for mentors in the internship component foster a close working relationship among the parties. Although the program provides many opportunities for research, the demands of such a comprehensive program preclude efforts beyond the on-going evaluation. Because of the dedication of NAU facility and the continuing need for bilingual, special education teachers in the region, there is a positive outlook for institutionalization of the program. Steps in the program's implementation plan are listed. [More] Descriptors: Adult Students, Bilingual Teachers, College School Cooperation, Elementary Secondary Education
(1975). Bilingual Education: Oral Language Assessment as a Prerequisite. This is an interim report on the first year of a five-year Spanish/English, bilingual/bicultural education program in Pueblo, Colorado, for grades K-4. The program is based on the premise that realistic language instruction begins with an assessment of each student's oral proficiency in both languages. The teacher should then develop this proficiency, before reading instruction begins, to bridge the gap between the informal spoken language of the child's home and the formal language of school. To do this, teachers must understand the process of language learning, the differences between oral and written language, and language varieties and functions. The "Gloria and David Oral Language Assessment: Spanish/English Version" was administered to determine oral language dominance and to profile each student's language skills for use as a basis for individualized instruction. The report includes statistics on program enrollment; language assessment materials and data; outlines of inservice workshops; an evaluation of the program to date; and recommendations for instruction, development of objectives, relative emphasis on the first and second languages, community involvement, program coordination, and staff needs. [More] Descriptors: Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Diagnostic Teaching
(2014). How Deep Is Your Immersion? Policy and Practice in Welsh-Medium Preschools with Children from Different Language Backgrounds, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. A challenge noted in a number of endangered language contexts is the need to mix second-language (L2) learners of the target language with first-language (L1) speakers of that language in a less planned way than is found in the two-way immersion approach. Such mixing of L1 speakers of the target language with L2 learners arises from the difficulty of making separate provision for the dwindling L1 minority. The issue of how to manage the range of language proficiency in such mixed groups is relevant to a number of language contexts. This paper explores data gathered in Wales from educators in Welsh-medium preschool nursery groups ("cylchoedd meithrin"). Particular attention is given to issues relating to the grouping of Welsh L1 and L2 children and to policies and practices pertaining to the teaching and learning of Welsh in these groups. Survey data were collected from 162 "cylchoedd" Leaders in areas where such mixing of L1 speakers and L2 learners regularly occurs. The Leaders' skills, attitudes and approaches to developing the language of the children in such mixed groups are examined, as well as the issues of differentiated input and pedagogical adaptation to address those needs, in an exploration of how policy and practice can diverge in dealing with this challenge. The study aims to develop a fuller understanding of the needs of these early immersion Leaders, in order to support them and maximise their effectiveness, by recognising that they are striving, not only to promote language maintenance/enrichment in L1 minority language speakers and L2 acquisition among L2 learners, but also to provide high-quality early years' education. [More] Descriptors: Welsh, Language Maintenance, Language Skill Attrition, Foreign Countries
(2014). From Opposition to Transcendence: The Language Practices and Ideologies of Students in a Multilingual University, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This article explores language ideologies and language uses in a multilingual university in Hong Kong by exploring the voices and experiences of both mainland Chinese and Hong Kong students. Drawing on the notions of language ideologies, separate multilingualism, and translanguaging, the research illustrates how students' linguistic ideologies are shaped by multilingual encounters in the educational setting and index broader institutional and ideological frameworks and examines the identity positions they construct and present and the social spaces they jointly establish. It also demonstrates that the multilingual university context provides students a site to establish a translanguaging space with hybrid language use in which linguistic resources are employed to perform a range of subject positions and to play a number of roles. [More] Descriptors: Language Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Multilingualism, Universities
(2014). Learning French as a Second Official Language in Canada: Comparing Monolingual and Bilingual Students at Grade 6, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper presents the results of a study that compared the French as a second official achievement of three groups of students: (1) Canadian-born English speaking (CBE), (2) Canadian-born multilingual (CBM), and (3) immigrant multilinguals (IMM) as determined by multiskills test results. ANOVAs and subsequent post hoc tests revealed that the immigrant group outperformed the other two groups on some test components. In order to identify statistically significant predictors of the French as a second official language (FSOL) results, multiple linear regression analyses were conducted considering groupings, attitudes and experiences as revealed through a questionnaire. The results indicate that the immigrant group's advantages are beyond language(s) proficiency, motivation, attitude, metalinguistic awareness, or strategy use. The author suggests the immigrant group's status of immigrant has a positive impact on the results. [More] Descriptors: French, Second Language Learning, Official Languages, Foreign Countries
(2014). Maturation of Executive Functioning Skills in Early Sequential Bilingualism, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Previous research has demonstrated that being bilingual from birth is advantageous for the development of skills of social cognition, executive functioning, and metalinguistic awareness due to bilingual children's extensive experience of processing and manipulating two linguistic systems. The present study investigated whether these cognitive advantages are also evident in sequential bilinguals, i.e., children who began the acquisition of their second language later in childhood. Monolingual English-and English-speaking children acquiring Welsh as a second language matched in age (M age = 4.6), and English receptive vocabulary completed three tasks of attentional control, metalinguistic awareness, and metarepresentation. Sequential bilinguals outperformed monolinguals in the task of attentional control, while no differences were found in the metalinguistic awareness and metarepresentation tasks. These findings suggest that attentional control is the first cognitive component advantaged by early sequential bilingualism and further highlight the benefits of second language exposure in the context of early formal education. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Executive Function, Receptive Language, English
(2014). The Role of the Bilingual Teaching Assistant: Alternative Visions for Bilingual Support in the Primary Years, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This article, a narrative inquiry, documents my professional learning as an educator through sustained research into the role of the bilingual teaching assistant over a period of 30 years from the late 1970s to the year 2000 in England as a teacher and today as a teacher educator in the UAE. It also represents a data-based analysis of the role of the bilingual teaching assistant and draws on three data sets collected through observational analysis, open-ended interviews, and focus groups. It uses the developing nature of the role of the bilingual assistant to reflect on how beliefs affect practice supported by the theoretical and research literature. Learning from the experience in England, this inquiry uncovers the need to explore notions of the role of the bilingual teaching assistant through teacher education in the UAE and to develop alternative visions for bilingual support through practice. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Teacher Aides, Elementary School Students, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning
(2014). (Re)-Introduction to French: Four Education Models to Revitalise an Endangered Group in Eastern Canada, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This study explores early francization models for a linguistic minority currently struggling to preserve its language. The French Acadians of New Brunswick, Canada, represent 30% of the province's total population, yet their numbers and their linguistic vitality are decreasing. New Brunswick has two public school systems: the English language schools cater for the majority while the French language schools have been created for the minority, with the goal of this separate, homogeneous school system being to preserve the French language. However, for some children who are members of this linguistic minority, the language is no longer spoken at home, and thus, when parents in such situations opt for the French school, their children are immersed. Data were collected from nine schools in order to examine the particular Early Francization Model they operate, and how they manage their mixed intake. Four different models of early francization (sheltered class, mainstream class with pull-out, mainstream class with pull-out plus in-class support and integrated model) for this revitalization effort are described and group interviews were carried out to assess how the schools organise their francization programme. In addition, French language outcomes were measured for students enrolled in the programme in the kindergarten year (five years old). The quantitative data indicate that children who participated in the integrated model fared better in terms of French vocabulary outcomes. [More] Descriptors: French, Language Minorities, Language Maintenance, Foreign Countries