This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Pieter Muysken, Raquel Serrano, C. Sancho, Padraig O. Riagain, Anna Szuber, Carmel Mary Coonan, E. Dafouz, Yulia Anikina, Mary O'Malley-Madec, and Sung-Lan Wang.
(2007). Assessing CLIL at Primary School: A Longitudinal Study, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper presents aspects of a longitudinal study assessing integrative bilingual learning based on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), implemented in three Swiss primary schools. From Grades 1 to 6, three classes of German-speaking pupils were taught 50% of the curriculum, notably mathematics, in Italian or in Romansh as a second language (L2). The longitudinal study concerns the assessment of L2 oral production, oral and written comprehension, as well as mathematics. After a presentation of the bilingual teaching concept we discuss the role of interaction for L2 acquisition, notably the importance of L1/L2 repair sequences to achieve focus on form (Doughty & Williams, 1998). Through the longitudinal analysis of the repair sequences in oral narrative tests, we observe the decreasing use of L1 as a strategy to fill in L2 missing words. We then draw the developmental profile of clause linkage (Berman & Slobin, 1994), giving insight on the development of verbs and of morphological elements in L2. Finally, the paper presents an analysis of the pupils' results in standardised mathematics tests and their qualitative link to oral and written comprehension tests. [More] Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Education, Bilingualism, Students
(2007). Insider Views of the CLIL Class through Teacher Self-Observation-Introspection, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper aims to highlight some of the issues that are appearing in full force now that the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) option is being ever more taken into consideration by schools and education authorities throughout Europe. The reasons for the interest in CLIL-based learning are various, including the support given to this learning environment by European institutions (the European Commission and the Council of Europe) and the numerous European projects that have been financed to explore the different issues involved. Just as the introduction of new information technologies into education has given rise to a reconsideration of the learning and teaching processes and procedures involved, so CLIL requires a similar re-appraisal. CLIL constitutes a new learning and teaching environment. There is a danger, however, that the full impact of CLIL be not realised or be underestimated, the question being merely seen as one of change of language medium. This is of course one issue, but the choice of language medium has profound repercussions at all levels–political included. Indeed, this is how it should be if CLIL is to be fully part of the educational system, invested with a specific role as part of the language policy of the country, the local education authority, the school and also of the general school curriculum. [More] Descriptors: Language Planning, Language of Instruction, Foreign Countries, Language Role
(2007). Analysing Stance in a CLIL University Context: Non-Native Speaker Use of Personal Pronouns and Modal Verbs, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. In recent years, many European countries have witnessed a rapid implementation of the CLIL approach at tertiary level. In Spain, although English has been introduced as the language of instruction in some master and doctoral courses, the application of the CLIL approach is still isolated. Similarly, little research has been done into CLIL discursive features and teacher-student positioning in the Spanish university context. Focusing on university lectures by non-native speakers, the present paper explores the use of two relevant areas of stance: (i) pronominal forms, and their discursive functions; and (ii) modal verbs occurring within verbal clusters that accompany pronouns. The study is based on a quantitative analysis of these two linguistic devices in terms of number of occurrences and frequency. The results show that inclusive we is by far the most frequent pronominal form, functioning as a solidarity mechanism and helping to establish common ground. Furthermore, the functions assigned to the two most recurrent modal verbs, can and have to, are found to minimise also the speaker's authority while inserted within a problem-solving framework and guiding the steps of scientific reasoning. [More] Descriptors: Verbs, Language of Instruction, Foreign Countries, Native Speakers
(2007). Minority-Language Education in a Situation of Conflict: Irish in English-Medium Schools in Northern Ireland, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. While Irish-medium education has developed strongly over the last 20 years, most Irish speakers in Northern Ireland learn the language in English-medium schools, which currently provide the majority of teachers in the bilingual Irish-medium sector. This paper discusses the background to Irish in Northern Ireland from the plantation of Ulster to the aftermath of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. The Linguistic Atlas of Ireland and census returns provide demographic data. The position of Irish in the education system must be evaluated in the context of languages provision in the curriculum in general, not only in Northern Ireland, but in the UK as a whole. The lower status that Irish had in the European Union until recently has relegated it to a disadvantaged curricular position, where schools can only offer the subject after provision is guaranteed for major mainland continental languages. Examination entries figures are analysed to trace trends in uptake. Curriculum reviews in Britain and Northern Ireland that make languages optional from age 14 in a more crowded curriculum are discussed. While Irish should remain a reasonably popular choice for pupils, the future of the language in English-medium schools in Northern Ireland is not assured. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Irish, English, Language of Instruction
(2007). Native Polish-Speaking Adolescent Immigrants' Exposure to and Use of English, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The age at which one begins learning a second language (L2) has been shown to influence the rate of acquisition and ultimate proficiency in various aspects of that language. Less is understood about L2 acquisition for adolescents, particularly immigrants, and ways in which age on arrival (AoA) influences the circumstances in which they learn their L2. This study explored language environments experienced by 59 native Polish-speaking adolescent immigrants who arrived in the USA between the ages of 11 and 19, and investigated the relationship between AoA and those environments. The adolescents used a mix of Polish and English, but predominantly used Polish across a variety of settings. They used the most English with their teachers and least with their parents. Students who immigrated at older ages were typically exposed to less English across various settings. Although AoA was a significant predictor of exposure to English, and therefore influenced the students' opportunities for encountering English, it did not seem to directly influence their use of English, which was predicted by exposure to English. The results suggest that providing opportunities for L2 exposure and use across various settings is essential in allowing these students to gain L2 skills and ultimately high L2 proficiency. [More] Descriptors: Native Speakers, Polish, Adolescents, Immigrants
(2007). An Approach to Developing Language Awareness in the Irish Language Classroom: A Case Study, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This case study deals with language awareness (LA) oriented instruction in the Irish language classroom, based on qualitative-type research conducted in a class of 21 English-medium secondary students studying Irish as a subject. Having outlined the general background to the teaching of Irish in secondary schools, the first section of the paper analyses the learners' language learning background and language learning styles, with a particular focus on the language learning strategies they deploy in learning Irish. The study then examines the outcome of a number of pedagogical techniques designed to raise learners' LA. These include the use of consciousness-raising and attention focusing devices in areas of phonology, dialect, syntax and lexis. The learning outcomes attributable to the LA pedagogical interventions are described and some conclusions for developing LA in the Irish language classroom are drawn. [More] Descriptors: Phonology, Metalinguistics, Syntax, Learning Strategies
(2007). Codeswitching in the Multilingual English First Language Classroom, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper focuses on the role of codeswitching (CS) by isiZulu (Zulu) native language (NL) junior secondary learners in English first language (EL1) multilingual classrooms in South Africa. In spite of the educational transformation in South Africa, and the recognition of CS (by education policy documents) as a means of fulfilling pedagogical objectives, the use of CS in the classroom, more particularly in the EL1 classroom, is mostly prohibited. Nevertheless, the research, from which this paper is drawn, reveals that learners resort to English-NL CS when interacting among themselves, both in and outside the classroom. Using a qualitative study, I explore the language(s) of learners during group-work in the language, literacy and communication: English (LLCE) classroom, and show how their use of CS contributes to the achievement of the specific outcomes of this learning area within the outcomes-based education curriculum. I argue that even though CS is mostly prohibited in the classroom, its strategic use by learners serves as a means of fulfilling both social and pedagogical functions. [More] Descriptors: Outcome Based Education, Multilingualism, Educational Change, Foreign Countries
(2007). How One Word Borrows Another: The Process of Language-Contact in Two Irish-Speaking Communities, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Quantitative and qualitative data from two Irish-speaking communities in Ireland (F, a core community within the heartland of Irish-speaking Galway and B, a peripheral community on the edge of Galway city) are examined in order to investigate the role of location in language contact. The analysis of the observed linguistic outcomes based on interviews conducted in these two communities showed that English nouns were more frequently borrowed in the F community furthest away from the community of English speakers and English discourse markers were very common and statistically significant in terms of differentiating F and B. In a sample of 20,400 words from F speakers only 559 words were English words. Almost 30% of the English words that appear in the data were nouns and over 66% were discourse markers. In the qualitative analysis, F speakers were shown to use English discourse markers in the construction of informal style. B speakers were shown to engage with the two languages in contact in a very different way by codeswitching for metalinguistic purposes. Overall the paper argues that sociolinguistic context as location determines the choices of bilingual speakers living in environments where both Irish and English are available for use. [More] Descriptors: Speech Communication, Linguistic Borrowing, Nouns, Foreign Countries
(2007). Cognitive Effects of Bilingualism: How Linguistic Experience Leads to Cognitive Change, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Bilinguals must have a mechanism for controlling attention to their two language systems in order to achieve fluent performance in each language without intrusions from the other. This paper examines the evidence that the experience of controlling attention to two languages boosts the development of executive control processes in childhood for bilinguals, sustains cognitive control advantages for bilinguals through adulthood and protects bilingual older adults from the decline of these processes with aging. Future research with bilingualism should explore these effects in a broader and more multidisciplinary context in order to provide a more detailed understanding of the functioning of the bilingual mind. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Cognitive Development, Language Fluency, Cognitive Processes
(2007). Learning through L2–Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English as Medium of Instruction (EMI), International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been promoted by the European Union as a means to achieve multilingualism. While in Germany and other European countries the trend to use the L2 as a medium of instruction is increasing, in Hong Kong, however, we see a converse development. Many schools switched from English as a medium of instruction (EMI) to mother tongue education. The German CLIL concept promotes a gradual and cautious switch to L2 for only a few content subjects in the curriculum. The Hong Kong EMI approach introduces L2 after a short bridging period to most content subjects. Although the CLIL and EMI programmes both share the features of a late immersion programme, their approach to language use in classroom discourse frames is different. The current study was designed to examine the processes and effects of language learning in L2-taught content subjects. Based on samples from two history lessons in the German CLIL and the Hong Kong EMI context, classroom interaction was analysed with special focus on teacher/student talk and codeswitching. First results support the claim that constructive processes during classroom interaction are vital elements of language acquisition. [More] Descriptors: Classroom Communication, Language of Instruction, Interaction, Foreign Countries
(2007). Structured Variation in Codeswitching: Towards an Empirically Based Typology of Bilingual Speech Patterns, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper aims to accomplish two things: first, to develop precise criteria to establish profiles for bilingual speech, following the typology of insertion, alternation and congruent lexicalisation developed in Muysken (2000); and second, to test these criteria on specific data sets. A first set involves Welsh-English bilingual data analysed by Deuchar, a second set comprises Tsou-Mandarin Chinese data collected and analysed by Sung-Lan Wang, and a third set involves Taiwanese-Mandarin Chinese data, also collected and analysed by Sung-Lan Wang. We conclude that it is indeed possible to establish more precise quantitative profiles which capture the intuition that different data sets show different codeswitching properties, but that there are a number of conceptual and methodological issues that require further investigation. [More] Descriptors: Profiles, Classification, Bilingualism, Research Methodology
(2007). Relationships between Attitudes to Irish, Social Class, Religion and National Identity in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Research on language attitudes in the Republic of Ireland has been greatly influenced by stratification theories. That is to say, differences in attitudes are seen to reflect the positions individuals occupy in the social structure. Research on language attitudes in Northern Ireland is less developed, but has tended to view such attitudes as cultural indicators within intergroup conflict perspectives that stress the importance of ethnoreligious rather than class variables. In the context of a large-scale all-Ireland survey, the findings of these two bodies of research are combined in a framework which reconsiders the connection, if any, between ethnic and religious differences, the pattern of class inequalities and language attitudes in both societies. Data for the paper come mostly from a survey that was conducted simultaneously in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. One thousand randomly selected adults over 18 years were interviewed face-to-face in each jurisdiction, giving a total sample of 2000 respondents. [More] Descriptors: Social Class, Nationalism, Language Attitudes, Social Structure
(2007). Second Language Writing Development in English and in Spanish in a Two-Way Immersion Programme, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Whereas most research on child second language acquisition has focused on the oral production of children, studies are needed to illuminate patterns of literacy development in a second language. This paper aims to shed some light on this process, focusing on the English writing development of a native Spanish speaker, and on the Spanish writing development of a native English speaker, both enrolled in a two-way immersion program in the USA. Data for this particular study come from a longitudinal, national study, involving 484 students in 11 programs across the country. In this paper, we will present a case study of two students in the project, from the beginning of third grade through the end of fifth grade. The students' writing samples will be discussed using an analytic rubric developed for the project. This rubric addresses three major aspects of writing–composition, grammar and mechanics–and provides a clear framework for investigating changes in writing ability over time. [More] Descriptors: Grade 5, Grade 4, Grade 3, Writing (Composition)
(2007). A Dual Immersion Strand Programme in California: Carrying Out the Promise of Dual Language Education in an English-Dominant Context, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper uses ethnographic observation and in-depth interview to look at the ways in which an English-dominant school in California, USA inhibits the fulfilment of the goals of its dual immersion "strand" programme. Taking a Bakhtinian perspective on discourses, and leaning on Bourdieu's concept of "linguistic capital", the paper examines discourses around language, race and power, and discusses the implications of these discourses for the construction of a biliterate, bilingual, equitable academic programme for Latino language minority students in an American context. The dominance of English, the prevalence of mainstream dominant discourses of race and power, and the English-speaking staff's deficit framing of the Latino and African American communities at the school all manifest as obstacles to the dual language programme's ability to fulfill its mission. The paper raises questions about the subtle forms of "benevolent" racism that can invade schools, undermining the ability of students of colour to construct positive identities as learners and find routes to school success. [More] Descriptors: Language Minorities, Minority Groups, English (Second Language), Interviews
(2007). An Observation Tool for Effective L2 Pedagogy in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. In Europe, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is becoming a popular and widespread practice of immersion education. In the Netherlands, for example, over 90 secondary schools offer a CLIL strand. Most CLIL teachers, however, are nonnative speakers of the target language, and do not have a professional background in language pedagogy. How, then, can these teachers effectively contribute to the target language development and proficiency of their students? In this paper we will discuss the findings of a study carried out in three secondary schools offering CLIL. The purpose of the study was to observe and analyse effective CLIL teaching performance facilitating language development and proficiency. The analysis was carried out by means of an observation tool for effective CLIL teaching, based on the following principles from second language pedagogy: (1) exposure to input; (2) content-oriented processing; (3) form-oriented processing; (4) (pushed) output; and (5) strategic language use. We will discuss how the CLIL pedagogy observed is related to content-based teaching and task-based language teaching, and provide recommendations for effective language pedagogy in CLIL. We will argue that not only CLIL teachers can profit from effective language-pedagogical approaches, but that language teachers can profit from effective CLIL approaches and experiences as well. [More] Descriptors: Secondary Schools, Observation, Foreign Countries, Language Teachers