This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Smagulova, Abdykadyr Orusbaev, Peter Martin, Ekaterina Protassova, Paul Bruthiaux, F. Tupas, Jonathan O. Muircheartaigh, Kimmo Kosonen, Juldyz, and Marilyn Martin-Jones.
(2008). Writing the Resistance: Literacy in East Timor 1975-1999, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper provides an account of the ways in which literacy, in different languages, was embedded in the East Timorese struggle against the Indonesian invasion and subsequent occupation, from 1975 to 1999. Our account is primarily historiographical in nature and is based on a corpus of written texts gathered during four phases of the struggle, on photographs of people "writing the Resistance", on published resources, on Estevao Cabral's own historical account of the Resistance and on his direct observation of literacy practices on three broad fronts: the armed, the clandestine and the diplomatic front. We describe the ways in which literacy mediated the struggle on each of these fronts. We also document the diverse and multilingual nature of the literacies associated with the political work of the Resistance and the values generated through the use of different languages for the production of particular kind of texts. We take account of texts produced and circulated within the Resistance and those produced for a wider audience. In addition, we chart the changes in literacy practices ushered in by the advent of new technologies and, at the same time, by the changing political, economic and cultural conditions of the struggle. [More] Descriptors: Multilingualism, Foreign Countries, Literacy, Computational Linguistics
(2008). Language Education, Economic Development and Participation in the Greater Mekong Subregion, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The Mekong has long attracted interest although it remains economically insignificant. A group of riparian states known as the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)–Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Yunnan Province (China)–now manage aspects of regional development including trade, water management and education. Standard GMS discourse holds that English should be the lingua franca of the region and promotes the language widely through education. In GMS countries, that language is not English. Using economic and demographic data, I argue that many GMS citizens are for now unlikely to experience life through English and that the region is already equipped with languages of cross-border communication because neighbours often share dialects and because Chinese dialects have long linked ethnic Chinese interests across borders. In response, instruction in English as an additional language should be offered less with communicative fluency in mind than as a basis for future learning as required by unforeseeable events. Moreover, the link between English and modernity need not be feared because the EFL nature of English in the region complements other, overlapping identities in ways best left to individuals and groups to deal with based on factors policymakers cannot anticipate. [More] Descriptors: Economic Development, Foreign Countries, Chinese, Water
(2008). Literacy in English and the Transformation of Self and Society in Post-Soeharto Indonesia, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Among several hundred indigenous languages, Bahasa Indonesia gained pre-eminence as the national language of Indonesia during the country's first 50 years of independence. The fall of Soeharto in 1998 and the subsequent devolution of power to the regions might have been expected to lead to a resurgence in use of local languages but instead it appears to be English which is filling the ecological spaces. Propagated by government, demanded by employers, broadcast by the media, imposed by schools and encouraged by parents, the language not surprisingly occupies an important space in the developing mindset of many young Indonesians, going far beyond its actual practical value in daily life. Drawing on two empirical studies in Sumatra, one a large-scale evaluation of educational provision, the other a case study of English learning at school, the paper shows how the degree of investment which young Indonesians make in the language is not solely a matter of personal agency but is constrained by inequalities in the distribution of cultural, social and economic capital. Unless radical curriculum changes are introduced, the spread of English may in the long-term only serve to deepen these inequalities. [More] Descriptors: Curriculum Development, Official Languages, Foreign Countries, Indonesian
(2008). Academic Outcome, Anxiety and Attitudes in Early and Late Immersion in Ireland, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Differences between early and late Irish-immersion secondary school students are examined, not only in terms of academic outcome and target language ability, but also in terms of attitudes to learning the target language. Participants included a gender-balanced group of 97 students in Irish-immersion in fourth year of secondary school (mean age 15.5 years). The students were categorised as either early immersion (had attended an Irish-medium primary school) or late immersion students (Irish as core subject only until secondary). Participants completed a C-test and a Student Questionnaire based on Gardner's (1985) Attitude and Motivational Test Battery (AMTB), which looked in particular at their class anxiety, motivation and parental support for learning Irish. State examination results (Junior Certificate) were also collected and compared for the early and late immersion students. No difference was found between the groups in terms of overall academic attainment in Mathematics and Irish scores in Junior Certificate results. However the late immersion students performed significantly less well than early immersion student on more subtle tests of Irish ability and scored significantly higher on classroom anxiety. The discussion considers these outcomes and suggestions are made for provision of a transitional programme for late immersion students to address differences in their language proficiency and anxiety levels. [More] Descriptors: Immersion Programs, Foreign Countries, Irish, Language Proficiency
(1975). Federal Programs Supporting Educational Change, Vol. 5: Executive Summary. Under the sponsorship of the U. S. Office of Education, Rand is conducting a several-year study of federally funded programs designed to introduce and spread innovative practices in public schools. These change agent programs normally offer temporary federal funding to school districts as "seed money" or "risk capital." If an innovation is successful, it is assumed that the district will continue part or all of the project using other sources of funds, and also disseminate it to other schools in the district, as well as to other districts that may be seeking change. The Rand study examines four such federal programs–Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title III, Innovative Projects; Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII, Bilingual Projects; Vocational Education Act, 1968 Amendments, Part D, Exemplary Programs; and the Right-To-Read Program. The study identifies what tends to promote various kinds of changes in the schools and what doesn't. In particular, the Rand study will identify for federal, state, and local policy makers the nature, permanence, and extent of dissemination of innovations that are associated with the various federal programs and with various federal, state, and local practices. This part tries to distill the study's methods and results for a general audience. [More] Descriptors: Adoption (Ideas), Bilingual Education, Career Education, Case Studies
(1982). Title I Children's Program: Learning to Read Through the Arts. Final Evaluation Report, 1981-82. Learning to Read Through the Arts (LTRTA), a Title I program, offers intensive reading instruction to New York City elementary school students, through the integration of a total arts program with a total reading program. This report presents a brief program description and results of an evaluation of student achievement and teacher participation in 1981-82. During this school year, LTRTA served 677 regular students and 107 special education students in all five boroughs. Students participated in reading-oriented workshops which used theater arts, fine arts, and/or music to emphasize listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. They also attended a diagnostic/prescriptive reading workshop. In addition, program students attended various exhibitions and performances that culminated in a special festival. Results of the California Achievement Test, used to measure changes in reading levels of the regular students, indicated that all grades surpassed the program objective of five normal curve equivalents. Bilingual and Special Education students also surpassed program objectives, as measured with the Wisconsin Design Skill Development Test. Observations and interviews of classroom teachers indicated that they were actively engaged in hands-on participation in the workshops. Classroom teachers' responses to a questionnaire, designed to assess ways in which LTRTA practices have been carried into the home classroom, were also positive. A number of program recommendations are included in this report. Sample observation forms, teacher interview forms, and teacher questionnaires are also appended. [More] Descriptors: Achievement Gains, Art Activities, Bilingual Education, Compensatory Education
(2008). Language and Education Policies in Tajikistan, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The paper provides an overview of the language and education policies currently functioning in the Republic of Tajikistan, the demographic and sociolinguistic situation in the country, and language use in education and the media. Particular attention is paid to the decrease in Russian-language competence and the measures undertaken to address this issue. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Public Policy, Language Planning, Educational Policy
(2008). Multilingualism in Post-Soviet Countries: Language Revival, Language Removal, and Sociolinguistic Theory, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Since the post-Soviet context is not particularly well known to the majority of readers, the author uses this introduction to provide a general background against which developments in particular post-Soviet countries can be better understood. The author begins by placing these developments in the sociohistoric context of language policies of the Russian empire and the USSR. Then, she offers a comparative overview of the outcomes of language shift in 14 post-Soviet countries, separated into three geographic groups: Eastern European countries, Transcaucasus and Central Asia. Throughout, the author highlights historic, demographic, linguistic and sociopolitical factors that shaped distinct language shift outcomes in geographically close countries. The author also outlines the contributions and challenges to contemporary sociolinguistic theory that emerge from this work and point to productive directions for future research. [More] Descriptors: Language Planning, Foreign Countries, Language Maintenance, Multilingualism
(2008). Kalayagan, Tawid-Buhay and Other Uses of Language in a Marginal Philippine Community: The Place of Language in Literacy and Social Development, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper discusses particular uses of language in a specific social location in the Philippines drawn from the 15-volume ethnographic study of functional literacy in 14 marginal communities in the Philippines by Doronila (e.g. 1996). These are uses of language by people whose internal capacity to generate change is strong yet many of whom are officially "illiterate", and the sort of participatory democracy that they advocate is challenged by extreme poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, economic exploitation, and so on. Therefore, my interest in these uses of language–(1) the use of a local language, (2) the use of metaphors and symbols, and (3) the construction of "new" knowledge through novel word coinages is borne by the fact that they do not really constitute a central rallying point for the community's organised struggles, yet they are nevertheless ubiquitous elements in such struggles: they "are "invisible" factors in the development process" (Aikman, 2001: 113). Unlike debates on language policies and educational access which happen on the policy and national levels, these uses of language appear to be the "natural" choice of the people in active search of a better future. [More] Descriptors: Democracy, Drug Abuse, Ethnography, Geographic Location
(2008). Multilingualism, Russian Language and Education in Kyrgyzstan, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The study provides an overview of the sociolinguistic situation in Kyrgyzstan and the current role of Russian and Kyrgyz in the republic. We present initial results of a mass survey of language use that show that the efforts to introduce the Kyrgyz language on all levels of societal use had some effect. At the same time, Kyrgyzstan is a multinational multilingual state with a high degree of mixed marriages and ethnic tolerance. To know the national language is prestigious and important, yet many Kyrgyz and representatives of other ethnicities prefer to have their children instructed mainly in Russian because Russian provides access to better education, employment, information, and economic advancement. Among the Kyrgyz, mastery of their own language is widespread, whereas for other peoples of Kyrgyzstan, understanding of the specific characteristics of the national ethnolinguistic identity is in the process of development. [More] Descriptors: Language Attitudes, Official Languages, Multilingualism, Foreign Countries
(1973). Essays on Teaching English as a Second Language and as a Second Dialect. This collection of papers directed toward the teacher of English as a second language (ESL) and the teacher of standard English as a second dialect (ESD) is divided into three sections. The first focuses on the nature of language and second language learning with such essays as "Teaching English as a Foreign Language: An Overview,""Language and Acculturation," and "The Nature of Language and Language Learning." The second section on critical issues in teaching ESL and ESD contains "Bilingualism and Bidialectalism,""Teaching Standard English as a Second Language or Dialect: The Unanswered Questions, the Successes, and the Promise,""On the Conditions of Bilingualism," and "The Future of ESOL: Continuity or Generation Gap?" The final section on principles and strategies for teaching ESL and ESD contains "Attitudes of the ESL and the SESD Teacher,""Some Strategies for Teaching Standard English as a Second Dialect,""TESOL: Methods and Materials in Early Childhood Education," and "Some Principles of Bilingual and Bidialectal Education." Contributing authors include Robert M. Willis, William Mackey, Albert H. Marckwardt, Robert DiPietro, James Alatis, Robert Kaplan, David Harris, Harold B. Allen, Virginia Allen, Muriel Saville-Troike, and Beryl Loftman Bailey. [More] Descriptors: Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Early Childhood Education
(2008). Literacy in Local Languages in Thailand: Language Maintenance in a Globalised World, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. In a globalised world, literacy in local languages is affected by at least three significant trends: globalisation, regionalisation and nationalism. Literacy in local languages plays a major role in language maintenance and the management of identity. Local literacies in local languages can also be a source of resistance to the rapid sociocultural change and the emerging multilingual markets. Literacy in the national or an international language may be an assimilating force, as literacy is increasingly seen as a capital investment for future. This paper discusses local language literacy in the maintenance of ethnolinguistic minority languages in Thailand. Until recently, most activities have been implemented by the civil society, but State involvement is increasing. The increasing government attention to minority languages is revolutionary when compared to the situation in Thailand before the 1990s. [More] Descriptors: Language Maintenance, Language Minorities, Multilingualism, Foreign Countries
(2008). Educational Discourses and Literacy in Brunei Darussalam, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Over the last century, the small Malay Islamic Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, on the northern coast of Borneo, has moved away from an oral tradition, to a print culture and towards mass literacy. Discovery of oil in the early part of the 20th century transformed the economic situation in the country, and led to major changes and developments in the country. This paper explores one of the major transformations in Brunei, the development of education and the rise of literacy. The introduction to the paper briefly describes the multilingual ecology of Brunei, an ecology which is much more complex than official discourses would suggest. The paper then provides an historical contextualisation of language and education discourses in Brunei, specifically the discourses around the promotion of dwibahasa ("two languages") in the education system, following independence in 1984, as well as literacy in two languages, Malay and English. The final part of the paper focuses on microethnographic analyses of classroom literacy practices, and these practices are linked to the broader sociopolitical and educational transformations in Brunei. [More] Descriptors: Oral Tradition, Multilingualism, Foreign Countries, Indonesian Languages
(2008). Language Policies of Kazakhization and their Influence on Language Attitudes and Use, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of language policy in Kazakhstan in the context of the current sociolinguistic situation and historic, demographic, sociopolitical, and economic factors. Highlighting some of the challenges facing the official policy of kazakhization, this review allows for better understanding of the functioning of the two main languages of Kazakhstan, Kazakh and Russian. To assess the impact of kazakhization policies on language attitudes and use, the paper examines the results of a large-scale self-report survey conducted in Kazakhstan in 2005-2007. [More] Descriptors: Language Planning, Language Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Economic Factors
(2008). The Changing Social Context of Welsh: A Review of Statistical Trends, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper provides a review of the statistical evidence base pertaining to the future demographic prospects for the Welsh language. Census statistics show some encouraging features from the point of view of those concerned with reversing language shift but these are not entirely supported by statistics from other sources, education statistics in particular. The continuum of Welsh-speaking ability is identified as an important consideration for the interpretation of Census and other statistics, particularly those relating to family formation and intergenerational transmission. Those and other demographic factors indicate that Welsh is increasingly a second rather than a first language. A different aspect of linguistic vitality, that of usage, is examined by reference to the results of the 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey, and by means of a logistic regression analysis of that survey. The analysis demonstrates the relationships between background variables, such as family background and personal fluency, and daily usage of Welsh by an individual. [More] Descriptors: Language Maintenance, Family Characteristics, Social Environment, Statistics