This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Virginia C. Mueller Gathercole, Jin Sook Lee, Ella Kube Nomland, Enlli Mon Thomas, Kingsville. Texas A and I Univ., Mari Haneda, Adele W. Miccio, Jesse Gillispie, Matthew Ciscel, and Gabrielle Hogan-Brun.
(2008). Assessment of Bilingual Children for Identification of Language Impairment: Current Findings and Implications for Practice, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Children from bilingual backgrounds are sometimes overidentified with language impairment (LI) because educators do not have appropriate developmental expectations. At other times bilingual children are underidentified because educators wait to identify difficulties while children learn the second language. In this review we discuss data on language acquisition from several sources including cross-linguistic studies of typical first language acquisition and LI in monolingual and bilingual children. Based on this literature we discuss problems with current assessment approaches. We then propose a decision-making framework for identification of bilingual children who are at risk for LI. A key feature of this proposal is the importance of clinical markers for identification of LI. [More] Descriptors: Language Impairments, Monolingualism, Language Acquisition, Bilingualism
(2008). Language and Education Orientations in Lithuania: A Cross-Baltic Perspective Post-EU Accession, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper presents an up-to-date overview of language policies and practices in Lithuania, paying particular attention to the latest developments that have taken place in national educational contexts. Against the background of recent sociodemographic changes in the three Baltic republics, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, it analyzes issues pertaining to educational measures chosen in support of both Lithuanian and other locally used languages. In tracing re-evolving individual multilingualisms amongst majority and minority populations around EU accession, it will be shown that these are symbolic of changing orientations, which are socially, politically and economically motivated. [More] Descriptors: Educational Change, Foreign Countries, Language Planning, Socioeconomic Influences
(2008). Individual Differences in the Lexical Development of French-English Bilingual Children, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The large and rapidly expanding body of literature on bilingual acquisition is mostly comprised of either single-case or cross-sectional studies. While these studies have made major contributions to our understanding of bilingual children's language development, they do not allow researchers to compare and contrast results with regard to individual differences over time. This paper aims to investigate the issue of individual differences with a longitudinal group study of 13 French-English bilingual children. The main focus is lexical development. We will examine how extralinguistic factors such as gender, parental input and birth order impact on the lexical development of the children. Using quantitative (parental checklists, questionnaires) and qualitative measures (interactions with parents), we demonstrate that language exposure and parental input are closely linked to vocabulary size, amount of language mixing and cross-linguistic synonyms. The findings call for more longitudinal group studies of bilingual acquisition in order to obtain comparable results on larger populations. [More] Descriptors: Birth Order, French, Language Acquisition, Bilingualism
(2008). Learning in Two Languages: Interactional Spaces for Becoming Bilingual Speakers, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Through a sociolinguistic analysis of interactional spaces created by the teachers and students at one 50/50 dual immersion school, this study examines how teachers present and implement this school's language policy and how these practices are reproduced and transformed through the language choices of the students in their daily interactions. The analysis shows that strict enforcement of the instructional separation of the two languages may emphasise a division of interactional spaces and language groups where only Spanish or English is used. The findings illustrate how the teachers and certain children are becoming marked as speakers of either Spanish or English and how their thickening identities may consequently limit the opportunities to socially interact in and practice the second language at this school site. Unless focused efforts are assigned to the creation of interactional spaces where both English and Spanish are used interchangeably by the same speaker for various purposes, we argue that simply "learning in two languages" may not necessarily lead to interactional spaces that foster the development of bilingual speakers. [More] Descriptors: Kindergarten, Sociolinguistics, Bilingualism, Spanish
(1978). Texas A & I University Child Development Associate Training Materials: Book F. Competency F: Carrying Out Supplementary Responsibilities Related to the Children's Program. This volume, the last in a series of seven, contains the learning module on staff, which focuses on the last Child Development Associate (CDA) competency, in the performance based curriculum of the Texas A & I Bilingual Bicultural Child Development Associate Training Program. The curriculum was designed for training preschool teachers working with Spanish dominant migrant children, from age 3 to school entrance age, in South Texas. The module in this volume focuses on the functional area of staff, which includes center support activities such as attending conferences, using community resources, and promoting bilingual/bicultural preschool education in the community. The module includes (1) an explanation of how it is to be completed; (2) a description of the performance objectives; (3) a pre-assessment instrument; (4) three alternative cycles of learning activities, each cycle divided into four skill areas (diagnostic, prescriptive, implementation, assessment); (5) a narrative of information about the functional area; (6) the script for a filmstrip to be used with the module; and (7) a post-assessment instrument. Descriptors: Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Bilingual Teachers, Child Caregivers
(2008). Exposure to English before and after Entry into Head Start: Bilingual Children's Receptive Language Growth in Spanish and English, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This investigation examined the Spanish and English receptive vocabulary and language comprehension abilities of bilingual preschoolers who attended Head Start over a two-year period. It was hypothesised that bilingual children's development would follow linear trajectories and that the development of children who were only exposed to Spanish in the home prior to school entry would differ from children with exposure to Spanish and English from birth. Results revealed that the two groups' language abilities in Spanish and English differed at the beginning of the study as measured by raw and standard scores and that these differences were maintained over the two years. The exceptions to this were found in the children's vocabulary abilities, with the difference between the two groups' English standard scores narrowing over time and the difference between their Spanish standard scores increasing during the two-year period. Similar to research on monolingual and bilingual children with low socioeconomic status (SES), children's development in both languages essentially followed linear trajectories. Children's raw scores on the English receptive vocabulary test accelerated, similar to research findings on monolingual children of middle SES. Also, children's standard scores on the Spanish language comprehension measure decelerated after an initial period of linear growth. Future directions for research are discussed. [More] Descriptors: Comprehension, Receptive Language, Raw Scores, Spanish Speaking
(2008). The Latent Speaker: Attaining Adult Fluency in an Endangered Language, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper focuses on how latent knowledge of an ancestral or heritage language affects subsequent acquisition by adults. The "latent speaker" is defined as an individual raised in an environment where the ancestral language was spoken but who did not become a speaker of that language. The study examines how attitudes, latent knowledge and learning settings affect the subsequent acquisition process of latent speakers of Alaskan Athabascan languages. The first phase of the study focuses on two successful adult learners and their progress towards developing fluency. The second phase includes an analysis of the backgrounds, attitudes and language proficiency of 15 beginning adult heritage language learners. The results suggest that latent speakers have a number of characteristics distinguishing them from other language learners which may both aid and inhibit language learning. Their receptive skills surpass productive skills, they remember common expressions and emotion-laden vocabulary and their productive phonology is advanced. However, these learners tend to have a low estimate of their language abilities and report being hesitant to speak. These results provide information on factors affecting heritage language acquisition and have implications for adult language programmes. [More] Descriptors: Phonology, Adult Learning, Adult Students, Ukrainian
(2008). Uneasy Compromise: Language and Education in Moldova, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This study reports on the uneasy compromise in language and education policies in the post-Soviet Republic of Moldova since its first moves toward independence in 1989. Taking an approach that posits language policies as needing to be anchored in both international norms and the idiosyncrasies of local conditions, the discussion explores the potential for adjustments in the balance of language rights and status between minority language groups (Russian, Ukrainian, and others) and the long-oppressed majority language group (Moldovan or Romanian). Following a brief elaboration of the relevant languages and recent policies in the country, three key policy challenges are discussed in greater detail. The first involves political attempts to elevate minority Russian to official status alongside majority Moldovan/ Romanian. Second, the relationship of debates about the state history curriculum to language status further illustrates the challenges to reaching compromises on cultural policy. Finally, confrontation in the breakaway region of Transnistria is discussed to demonstrate the continued vulnerability of even majority language groups in the post-Soviet context. In conclusion, it is argued that, despite the challenges to language diversity and bilingualism in Moldova, there remain opportunities for policy compromise and for greater national and regional stability. [More] Descriptors: Language Minorities, History, Foreign Countries, Russian
(1979). Multicultural Education and the American Indian. Contemporary American Indian Issues Series, No. 2. The book of readings on multicultural education and the American Indian contains 14 articles presented in 6 sections: introduction to multicultural education; multicultural education policies on the national and local levels; cross cultural education and Indian student performance; leader and teacher training; and curriculum development. Specifically the articles address: traditional Indian philosophy as it applies to multicultural education; federal policy and racial stereotypes between 1879 and 1920; 19th century Choctaw bilingual and bicultural education; the renaissance of Native American culture as a result of multicultural education; patterns of success and failure in Indian studies programs; the implications of multicultural education for American Indians; school and societal pressures affecting multicultural education program implementation; the distorted view of Indians presented in most teaching materials; the controversy over the "cross over effect" seen in Indian academic achievement; the socialization processes affecting educated Indian administrators; factors affecting the education of teachers of American Indians; a model for cultural awareness inservice training; recommendations for the development of a social studies curriculum; and Indian content in a community based curriculum model for social work education. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, American Indian Education, American Indian Studies, Bilingual Education
(2008). Language Management and Language Problems in Belarus: Education and Beyond, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This article provides an overview of the sociolinguistic situation in Belarus, the most russified of the post-Soviet countries. It summarizes language policy and legislation, and deals in more detail with language management and selected language problems in Belarusian education. It also contributes to the work on language planning by applying Jernudd's and Neustupny's Language Management Theory, particularly the concept of the language management cycle, to analysis of sociolinguistic issues in Belarus. [More] Descriptors: Language Planning, Foreign Countries, Sociolinguistics, Policy
(2008). Designing a Normed Receptive Vocabulary Test for Bilingual Populations: A Model from Welsh, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The purpose of this paper is to propose an applied model for the assessment of bilingual children's language abilities with standardised tests. We discuss the purposes of such tests, especially in relation to vocabulary knowledge, and potential applications of test results for each of those purposes. The specific case to be examined here is that of Welsh vocabulary, but the principles are relevant to any other bilingual population and any other aspect of language. Our proposal is that all standardised language tests for bilinguals should take into account children's exposure to the language in question and should report both a general score comparing a given child to all children–bilingual or monolingual–and a score that indicates the child's placement relative to (bilingual) children who have similar language exposure profiles. [More] Descriptors: Test Results, Language Tests, Monolingualism, Vocabulary Development
(1973). Evaluating Ourselves in Head Start. This Head Start evaluation system was developed at the request of the California Head Start Directors Association. There was a broad-based input in all phases of its development, from Head Start directors, Head Start staff from all components, and Head Start parents. It was extensively field tested in one of the major California Head Start programs. In all, more than 200 people were involved in formulating items, in the pilot study, and in post evaluation sessions. The system includes evaluation schedules for the following twelve components: Education (bilingual, bicultural, handicapped children, facilities), Health, Social Services, Mental Health, Parent Involvement, Training and Career Development, Nutrition, Volunteers (other than parents), and administration. The format is a 4-point rating scale on which the evaluator reacts to a performance standard indicating: performance exceeds the standard; performance meets the standard; performance is somewhat below the standard and needs improvement; and performance is substantially below the standard and needs immediate improvement. Space is provided for comments and recommendations. [More] Descriptors: Administration, Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Career Development
(2008). Tense and Shifting Balance: Bilingualism and Education in Ukraine, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Language policy is a divisive issue in Ukraine, where the Ukrainian and Russian languages coexist in a tenuous balance. Many people see the choice between Russian and Ukrainian as symbolic of two polar political and cultural allegiances: with Russia, or with Europe and the West. Promotion of Ukrainian is meant to counteract its historical subjugation to Russian. At the same time, there is state support for minority languages and cultures, including Russian, to help develop a Ukrainian civic identity not restricted to Ukrainian ethnicity. Legislation designates Ukrainian as the sole state language while also supporting education in Russian and other languages, including Romanian, Hungarian, and Crimean Tatar. The previously low status of Ukrainian has risen greatly since the disintegration of the USSR, and this language is much more widely used than before in education, government, and public life in general. However, Russian continues to dominate in many spheres as it did during the Soviet era. Many people feel that the survival of Ukrainian is still threatened by Russian, and that the recent gains of Ukrainian in status and spheres of use are tenuous. In 2008, struggles over language policies persist and the implementation of existing policies continues to be uneven. [More] Descriptors: Language Usage, Language Planning, Democracy, State Aid
(2008). Contexts for Learning: English Language Learners in a US Middle School, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Within the sociocultural theoretical framework that this paper adopts, learning, including second-language learning, is conceptualised as increasing participation in a community of practice. Thus it becomes of central importance to examine the nature of the community itself and the kinds of participatory opportunities that it supports or discourages. For it is through their engagement in the specific practices of their communities that students appropriate the knowledgeable skills that these practices involve. In this paper, based on the findings of an exploratory ethnographic study conducted in a US middle school, I examine the learning opportunities created for adolescent English language learners in three different classrooms and the ways in which these students took up these opportunities. I argue that, in addition to the particular subject matter to be taught, what appears to shape the kinds of learning opportunities afforded to English language learners is: (a) teachers' conceptualisation of the needs of second-language students; (b) the ways in which they perceive their own role in responding to these needs; and (c) the larger context of institutional practices. [More] Descriptors: Ethnography, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language), Middle Schools
(2008). Estonianization Efforts Post-Independence, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the sociolinguistic situation in Estonia. The paper opens with a historic overview, followed by an overview of the current demographic situation and of post-Soviet language and education policies and practices. It is argued that Estonia represents a success story in terms of language policy, in that it managed to shift Estonian from a minoritized position of the Soviet time to the national and official language that has gained a competitive edge over Russian, the former language of prestige. Nevertheless, some tensions persist in the republic. The Russian-speaking population in Estonia is not homogeneous, and while some members of this community adopted an integrative attitude, those whose language skills constrain their upward mobility continue to display a negative attitude toward Estonia and Estonian language. [More] Descriptors: Language Planning, Negative Attitudes, Official Languages, Foreign Countries