This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include David S. Knight, James Bartolotti, Marcia A. Invernizzi, G. Sue Kasun, Olena Barabash, Meagan Kozakewich, L. Quentin Dixon, Jordan Mifsud, Ruja Pholsward, and Corinne Haigh.
(2011). Bilingual Teaching Research and Practice of Complex Function Theory, International Education Studies. Mathematics bilingual teaching is assisted in Chinese with English teaching, and gradually enables students to independently use English to learn, study, reflect and exchange Mathematics. In order to better carry out mathematics teaching, department of mathematics in Dezhou University forms discussion groups and launches bilingual teaching practice of "complex function theory", which achieves good results. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Mathematics Instruction, Chinese, English (Second Language)
(2017). Language Choice for Science Education: Policy and Practice, Curriculum Journal. The Maltese National Minimum Curriculum published in 1999 sought to strengthen bilingualism by reinforcing the practice of teaching and assessing some subjects in English and others in Maltese. It also pointed out that code-switching should only be used in cases of severe pedagogical difficulties. As a new National Curriculum Framework was being prepared some educators suggested language as a possible barrier to student progress and argued that the traditional practice of teaching subjects such as science in English should be reconsidered. This study investigated language choices, function and code-switching in science lessons. Classroom observations, interviews and focus groups showed that in state schools 12-13 year old students were being taught science predominantly in Maltese while reading, writing and formal assessment were in English. Students who were more exposed to English, irrespective of class stream, used this language more frequently than those who were less exposed to the language. The findings seem to suggest that teachers may be overcautious. While code-switching may initially provide technical terms and serve as a bridge between the two languages, eventually it can give way to a more precise and formal use of English thus ensuring both learning of science and development of bilingualism. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Language of Instruction, Language Usage, Bilingual Education
(2017). Bilinguals' Existing Languages Benefit Vocabulary Learning in a Third Language, Language Learning. Learning a new language involves substantial vocabulary acquisition. Learners can accelerate this process by relying on words with native-language overlap, such as cognates. For bilingual third language learners, it is necessary to determine how their two existing languages interact during novel language learning. A scaffolding account predicts transfer from either language for individual words, whereas an accumulation account predicts cumulative transfer from both languages. To compare these accounts, 20 English-German bilingual adults were taught an artificial language containing 48 novel written words that varied orthogonally in English and German wordlikeness (neighborhood size and orthotactic probability). Wordlikeness in each language improved word production accuracy, and similarity to one language provided the same benefit as dual-language overlap. In addition, bilinguals' memory for novel words was affected by the statistical distributions of letters in the novel language. Results indicate that bilinguals utilize both languages during third language acquisition, supporting a scaffolding learning model. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Students, Bilingual Education, Adults, Vocabulary Development
(2015). Teacher Education Nepantlera Work: Connecting Cracks-between-Worlds with Mormon University Students, International Journal of Multicultural Education. Teacher educators work with students of various backgrounds, often distinct from their own. This paper explores how one teacher educator examines her positionality in relation to Mormon students and how, despite not sharing their faith, she is able to work the "cracks-between-worlds" of difference and commonality toward understanding and learning. Through Anzaldúa's concept of autohistoria-teoria, theorizing through one's biography, the author explores and theorizes her experiences. She encourages educators to consider how they engage students, learn from other nepantleras (bridge-builders), and create more opportunities toward shared understanding while also complicating and letting go of a dogged sense of teaching students what is "right." [More] Descriptors: Teacher Education, Religious Cultural Groups, Teacher Student Relationship, College Students
(2017). Implicit Theories of Creativity of Secondary School Students from Estonia and Russia: Effects of Collectivism, Individualism, and a Bilingual Educational Environment, Creativity Research Journal. Implicit theories of creativity provide an understanding of attitude towards among different populations, including students. Insights on how students see and define creativity might help to adjust educational settings and thus make it possible to provide students with better conditions to support their creativity. Although many studies have been conducted on creativity in different cultural settings, little is known on individualism or collectivism is connected to implicit theories of creativity. This study was carried out among secondary school students in Estonia and Russia to identify possible differences in how students from different cultural backgrounds (and varying in individualism and collectivism) define creativity. The results indicated that there were differences in how students from Estonia and Russia defined creativity: Although students from Russia tend to identify creativity more with novel ideas, students from Estonia defined creativity more in terms of self-expression (students from schools with Estonian as the language of instruction) and uniqueness (students from schools with Russian as the language of instruction). Implications and further research suggestions are discussed. [More] Descriptors: Creativity, Foreign Countries, Collectivism, Individualism
(2004). Schola Europea–The European School: The Fifteen-Nation School in Luxemburg. The Pedagogical Mini-Europe, European Education. Originally, European schools were established for children of European Union (EU) staff members to enable them while they were abroad to send their children to schools where they could be taught by teachers from their home country. Each country has its own language department with its own teaching staff. This ensures that the pupils will not feel adrift on resuming schooling in their home countries, when their parents return home after several years working in Luxemburg or Brussels. If the children complete their schooling in the European schools, their diploma with the harmonized examination ["Mittler Reife"] and the European Abitur is accepted in all EU countries. The objective of these schools is to provide a multilingual, multicultural, and multiconfessional schooling for all children at the kindergarten, primary, and secondary levels. In this article, the author describes his experiences in the 50-year-old European school in Luxemburg, where 15 nations are represented. [This report was translated by Stephen D. Naron.] [More] Descriptors: Multilingualism, Bilingual Education
(2015). Translanguaging in an Infant Classroom: Using Multiple Languages to Make Meaning, International Multilingual Research Journal. Numerous theories of development position infants as inherently driven to make sense of the world around them, and the acquisition of language is a fundamental developmental milestone of this period. The purpose of this study was to document the first year of implementation of a Spanish/English dual language program in an infant classroom, using a descriptive, phenomenological research design and qualitative methodology. Translanguaging emerged as a powerful construct that helped us make sense of our particular context, giving meaning to the data and providing a cogent framework to help us explicate our findings. As "social novices," the infants in our study were not bound by implicit or explicit rules about what language to use when, with whom, or in what context, and our data highlighted the reality of a "multilingual" infant classroom in which both children and teachers used language fluidly as they went about their daily lives. [More] Descriptors: Infants, Language Acquisition, Phenomenology, Bilingual Education
(2017). Predicting Writing Development in Dual Language Instructional Contexts: Exploring Cross-Linguistic Relationships, Developmental Science. This study examined whether decoding and linguistic comprehension abilities, broadly defined by the Simple View of Reading, in grade 1 each uniquely predicted the grade 6 writing performance of English-speaking children (n = 76) who were educated bilingually in both English their first language and French, a second language. Prediction was made from (1) English to English; (2) French to French; and (3) English to French. Results showed that both decoding and linguistic comprehension scores predicted writing accuracy but rarely predicted persuasive writing. Within the linguistic comprehension cluster of tests, Formulating Sentences was a strong consistent within- and between-language predictor of writing accuracy. In practical terms, the present results indicate that early screening for later writing ability using measures of sentence formulation early in students' schooling, in their L1 or L2, can provide greatest predictive power and allow teachers to differentiate instruction in the primary grades. Theoretically, the present results argue that there are correlations between reading-related abilities and writing abilities not only within the same language but also across languages, adding to the growing body of evidence for facilitative cross-linguistic relationships between bilinguals' developing languages. [More] Descriptors: Prediction, Writing Skills, Bilingualism, Bilingual Education
(2017). The Relationship between Vocabulary and Word Reading among Head Start Spanish-English Bilingual Children, Early Childhood Education Journal. In this study, we investigated the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between vocabulary and word reading across Spanish and English. One hundred and seventeen 4- to 5-year-old Spanish-English bilingual children attending Head Start programs in the United States were tested for their Spanish and English word reading twice, 5¬ months apart. We also tested the children's Spanish and English vocabulary and phonological awareness at Time 1. We used multiple regression models to examine the predictive value of vocabulary to word reading cross-linguistically and longitudinally. Results showed that within (Spanish or English) language and concurrent predictions were stronger than cross-language and longitudinal predictions; however, Spanish vocabulary was a significant and unique predictor of English word reading longitudinally. Spanish phonological awareness also played an important role in the relationship between vocabulary and word reading. Our results suggest that helping Spanish-speaking children build their Spanish vocabulary can also improve their English word reading ability. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Students, Bilingual Education, Vocabulary, Sight Method
(2015). English Vocabulary Acquisition of Bilingual Learners at the Primary and Secondary Levels, PASAA: Journal of Language Teaching and Learning in Thailand. This paper reports research findings of English vocabulary acquisition of bilingual learners at the levels of Primary 6 and Secondary 3 at Satit Bilingual School of Rangsit University. The purpose was to find out the extent to which learners at these levels have acquired English vocabulary to communicate their ideas about themselves and their school life. The subjects were 34 Primary 6 students and 18 Secondary 3 students. All subjects were individually interviewed by two bilingual researchers of Thai and English: one Thai and one American. A set of ten questions was used in a 15-minute interview in English to secure lexical data or words from each subject. Vocabulary acquisition was assessed via communication skills at five levels: 1) Full control, 2) Functional control, 3) Moderate control, 4) Sufficient control, and 5) Marginal control. All interviews were recorded with consent of the subjects. During each interview, two more bilingual researchers of Thai and English were present to collect spontaneous speech data on words used by each subject. The obtained data were analyzed in frequency and percentage. The major research findings indicate that those subjects at the level of Primary 6 performed at five levels with a majority at level 2. The subjects in secondary 3 performed at three levels (1-3) with a majority at levels 1 and 2; there was none at level 4 or 5. The subjects at the level of Primary 6 and Secondary 3 show similar lexical features at specific levels with some variation in each, depending on the meanings individual subjects would like to convey in responding to the interviewers. It was noted that the subjects with three years' exposure to language immersion performed dominantly at level 2 and those with less exposure in years performed at levels 3 and 4. [More] Descriptors: English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Secondary School Students, Vocabulary Development
(2015). The Tejano History Curriculum Project: Creating a Space for Authoring Tejanas/os into the Social Studies Curriculum, Bilingual Research Journal. Utilizing a figured worlds and critical historical inquiry framework, this qualitative study examined how the Tejano History Curriculum Project provided opportunities for prospective and practicing bilingual educators to challenge long-standing and problematic depictions of Tejana/o histories in Texas. This study examined how these teachers produced spaces for authoring new identities for inclusion in the social studies curriculum. The engagement of prospective teachers at Central University and practicing teachers of elementary students in activities and practices that centered on creating meaningful cultural artifacts is highlighted. These cultural artifacts drew on the lives and experiences of teachers and their students as Tejanas/os, centering their productions as valuable contributors to Texas history. [More] Descriptors: History, Social Studies, Elementary School Teachers, Educational Practices
(2015). Bilingual (German-English) Molecular Biology Courses in an Out-of-School Lab on a University Campus: Cognitive and Affective Evaluation, International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. Taking into account (German) students' deficiencies in scientific literacy as well as reading competence and the "mother tongue + 2" objective of the European commission, a bilingual course on molecular biology was developed. It combines CLIL fundamentals and practical experimentation in an out-of-school lab. Cognitive and affective evaluation of 490 students from upper secondary schools followed a quasi-experimental design, including two experimental (bilingual course and monolingual course) and one control group that did not take part in any of the courses. Cognitive achievement concerning molecular biology and self-concept were measured in a pre, post, follow-up test design. The study has shown that cognitive achievement concerning biological content knowledge of students having participated in a bilingual course (English and German) does not differ significantly from cognitive achievement of those that have participated in a monolingual course (German). Regarding biological self-concept, no significant differences between students having assessed themselves as being rather interested and talented in foreign languages and students having assessed themselves as being rather interested and talented in science could be observed. This indicates that bilingual courses in an out-of-school lab are equally beneficial for both of these groups. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Molecular Biology, Bilingual Education, German
(2015). The Analysis of Adult Immigrants' Learning System in Canada, Comparative Professional Pedagogy. In the article the problem of adult immigrants' learning in Canada has been studied. The main objectives of the article are defined as: analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature which highlights different aspects of the research problem; analysis of the adult immigrants' learning system in Canada; and the perspectives for creative implementation of Canadian experience in Ukraine. Adult education and learning throughout the world have been studied by foreign and domestic scientists: fundamentals of lifelong education (O. Martirosyan), theory and practice of adult education (V. Horshkova); peculiarities of adult learning (L. Mazurenko); andragogical (M. Knowles), structural and functional, systemic approaches (N. Alboim); personality-oriented (S. Lisova); axiological (T. Brazhe) approaches; psychological, pedagogical, andragogical, sociological researches of adult education (T. Kuchay, L. Tymchuk) etc. Adult education in Canada has been studied by M. Borysova, N. Mukan, O. Ohiyenko, but the learning system of adult immigrants has not been studied yet. Among research methods we have used comparative and logical methods, induction and deduction, content analysis, prognostic method etc. The following research results have been presented: the adult immigrants' learning has been described as a system which consists of such components as the aim and objectives, fields of study, functions, principles, legal framework, environment and stages of learning, content and operational components, monitoring and assessment. Among the perspectives of further research we can define the analysis of Canadian "Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition" system. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Adult Education, Adult Learning, Immigrants
(2017). Righting Past Wrongs: A Superintendent's Social Justice Leadership for Dual Language Education along the U.S.-Mexico Border, Education Policy Analysis Archives. The role of superintendents in adopting and developing dual language education and other equity-oriented reforms that support the unique needs of Latina/o emergent bilinguals is a relatively unexplored area in educational leadership and policy research. Drawing upon theories of social justice leadership, this article examines how one superintendent in the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) engaged in leadership to address injustices against Mexican and Mexican-American emergent bilinguals through the implementation of district-wide dual language education. EPISD provided a strategic site for this study because the previous superintendent and administration were part of a large-scale cheating scandal that "disappeared" hundreds of Mexican and Mexican- American students. This study highlights the important role of the superintendent in supporting equity-oriented school reforms such as dual language education, identifies specific actions and values pertinent to social justice leadership at the district level, and describes the ways leaders can take advantage of political opportunities, frame educational injustices in ways that mobilize key stakeholders, and utilize networks and grassroots movements for social justice means. The article concludes with implications for future research. [More] Descriptors: Superintendents, Administrator Role, Hispanic American Students, Bilingual Students
(2015). The Importance of Concept of Word in Text as a Predictor of Sight Word Development in Spanish, Grantee Submission. The goal of the current study was to determine whether Concept of Word in Text (COW-T) predicts later sight word reading achievement in Spanish, as it does in English. COW-T requires that children have beginning sound awareness, automatic recognition of letters and letter sounds, and the ability to coordinate these skills to finger point accurately to words in memorized text. Participants in the current study (n = 90) were students in bilingual or dual-language schools in Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington D.C. who were receiving literacy instruction in Spanish. Students were administered six early literacy tasks (i.e., alphabet and digraph recognition, letter sound knowledge, beginning sound awareness, rhyme awareness, spelling, and COW-T) in spring of kindergarten, followed by measures of automatic sight word reading in fall and spring of 1st grade. Multiple regression analyses revealed that of the six early literacy tasks administered in kindergarten, COW-T had the highest correlation with both fall and spring 1st grade sight word reading, even when controlling for fall sight word reading in predicting spring sight word reading. Descriptors: Predictor Variables, Word Recognition, Spanish, Emergent Literacy