This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Judith Chun, Alison D'Anglejan, Maggie Bruck, Raymond Mougeon, Robert Leonetti, Jill Kamin, Washington Georgetown Univ., G. Richard Tucker, Merrill Swain, and Andrew Cohen.
(1975). The Effects of French Immersion Programs on Children with Language Disabilities. A Preliminary REport. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 5. This preliminary report describes an ongoing investigation begun in September 1970 of how Anglophone children with language-learning disabilities fare in French immersion programs. Their progress has been followed from Kindergarten to Grade 3, with positive preliminary results. The children have learned to read in both English and French; their school achievement is adequate; and they can understand as well as communicate in their second language with some facility. Furthermore, their first language acquisition does not appear to have been retarded by this educational experience. This report is considered preliminary due to the small number of children studied. But it is hoped that in several years the size of the experimental group will have increased enough to warrant drawing more general conclusions than is presently possible. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Child Language
(1979). Solving Problems in Deductive Reasoning: Three Experimental Studies of Adult Second Language Learners. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 17. Three experimental studies were carried out to examine the ability of groups of learners of English as a second language to solve problems of deductive reasoning (three term linear syllogisms) in their native and second languages. In the first study involving Canadian francophones studying English, subjects solved problems more effectively in their native than in their second language. Their skill in carrying out the experimental task in English was not a function of their competence in that language. In a second study with Canadian francophone subjects the methodology was refined and multivariate statistical techniques were used to analyse the data. The findings confirmed the general pattern of results in the first study and made it possible to locate an information processing difficulty in the second language at the second stage of the problems. Study three was carried out with Arabic-speaking learners of ESL. Once again a similar pattern of results was found. Data from the three studies suggest that second language proficiency scores may not be a very sound predictor of an individual's ability to be educated or to perform certain other tasks in a second language. Descriptors: Abstract Reasoning, Adult Learning, Adults, Bilingual Education
(1977). An Analysis of Verb Form and Function in the Speech of French Immersion Pupils. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 14. This pilot study investigates the performance in French of five English-speaking children, who are enrolled in their sixth year of a primary French immersion program in a Toronto elementary school. From speech data obtained in individual interviews, an analysis is made of the students' control of the French verb system. The subjects are found to use verbs with almost as much frequency as native French speakers, but they produce a smaller variety of verb forms. One verb form that they appear in general unable to produce is the conditional. An analysis of how the immersion children endeavor to communicate the hypothetical function, commonly realized by the conditional form in French, reveals that they substitute a variety of formal simplifications, which have the effect of weakening, but not completely eliminating, the notion of the hypothetical. Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingual Students, Bilingualism, Elementary Education
(1979). The Importance of the Language Learning Situation: Is "Immersion" the Same as the "Sink or Swim" Method? Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 18, Working Papers on Bilingualism. This study explores the role of the language learning situation by comparing the speech of children in an immersion program, children learning a second language in a natural setting, and native French children. Three groups of children participated in the study: (1) 39 children (Grades K, 1, 3, 5) in a French immersion program in the U.S.; (2) 13 English-speaking children attending French schools in France; and (3) 10 French children attending French schools in France. Results of a storytelling test indicate that children in the non-native groups performed more like each other than like the native speakers, who generally performed best on most measures. Further, the naturalistic group performed extremely well after only one year's contact with the second language, outperforming the other non-native groups on pronunciation and vocabulary ratings. They excelled in aspects of language learning that were different from the immersion students. Grade 5 performed best of the non-native groups on a number of measures. These findings suggest that different language learning situations may hold different advantages for the learner. Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Communicative Competence (Languages), Educational Environment, Error Analysis (Language)
(1978). Problemes poses par la mesure du rendement en francais des eleves franco-ontariens (Problems Posed by the Measurement of Proficiency in French Among Franco-Ontarian Students). Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 16. This study examines the hypothesis that the French used by a large number of Franco-Ontarians represents a linguistic system (or several systems) that differs from Standard French. In addition, a review of previous research leads to the inverse hypothesis, that Ontarian French represents a body of different systems or sub-systems that are more or less related to Standard French. It is proposed that Ontarian French is as valuable and efficient a communicative tool as is Standard French, when used among Franco-Ontarians in informal, everyday communication. The implications of this hypothesis are also examined with respect to: (1) interpretation of results on proficiency tests of Standard French, (2) development of further instruments to measure the proficiency of Franco-Ontarian students in French, and (3) development of classroom materials that focus on the particular needs of these students. Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Dialect Studies, Educational Policy
(1977). The Validity of Various Techniques Measuring Children's Bilingualism. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 13. Data on language competence and language use were obtained for 99 Spanish/English bilingual elementary school children (kindergarten through fourth grade) from Albuquerque. The children's language skills were assessed by teachers, interviewers, and the children themselves. The teachers and the children also estimated the extent to which the children used Spanish and English in various settings of the home, the neighborhood and the school. As more objective measures of the children's language skills, they performed three tasks–word naming, sentence repetition, and free speech. The relationships among the various measurement techniques were analyzed. The three tasks were well interrelated and were thought to measure the same skills. The relationship between language use and language skill ratings was generally not very strong, both in the case of the children and the teachers. Only a few of the language use variables were found useful in the prediction of the children's performance on the tasks. Of the language skill ratings, the interviewer judgments were the best predictors of the tasks. The teacher ratings were moderately well correlated with the performance measures, and the children's self-ratings least so. Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingual Students, Bilingualism, Elementary Education
(1979). Strategies of Communication Used by Native and Non-Native Speakers of French. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 17. This study describes certain communication strategies used by Anglophone children learning French as a second language as well as by children whose mother tongue is French. Three groups of children in the third and fifth grades participated in the study: French native speakers, Anglophone children learning French in an immersion setting, and Anglophone children in a French school (submersion). Each child listened to a story read to him or her by the examiner. On the second reading, at the end of each paragraph, the child was given three (3) pictures corresponding to that paragraph and was asked to retell the story. The extent to which five syntactic structures were avoided was analyzed. Results indicated that the extent to which avoidance occurred differed according to structure, grade level and group. In addition, common strategies of avoidance, such as paraphrasing, could be identified for all children. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Communication Skills, Communicative Competence (Languages), Elementary Secondary Education
(1977). A Survey of French Immersion Materials (K-6). This annotated inventory of materials is a result of a survey conducted in response to a number of requests for information about curriculum materials appropriate for use in French immersion programs at the early grade levels. In addition to making available to teachers, consultants, and educators an annotated list of materials used at each grade level, it makes possible the identification of areas in which there is a need for the development of additional curriculum materials for immersion and other bilingual programs. The information included in the survey was gathered through interviews with teachers and French consultants. Generally, materials for French language arts, mathematics, science, social sciences, physical education, art, and music are included, while resource materials available in a school library or in classrooms are not necessarily included. The survey is composed of charts for each of the materials arranged by grade level within 8 subject categories. Each chart provides the following information: (1) bibliographical information; (2) description of overall format; (3) contents and related information; (4) stated purpose as expressed by the authors; (5) evaluative comments by those interviewed; and (6) evaluator qualifications, including years of experience and position held. Descriptors: Annotated Bibliographies, Art Education, Bibliographies, Bilingual Education
(1975). Writing Skills of Grade Three French Immersion Pupils. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 7. This paper analyzes short stories written in English and French by French immersion pupils at the Grade 3 level. Their English writing skills are compared to those of Grade 3 pupils in a regular English program. Aspects of their writing skills which are examined include vocabulary skills, technical skills (punctuation, capitalization and spelling), grammatical skills and creativity. The errors made by the pupils are discussed in detail. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingual Students, Bilingualism, Capitalization (Alphabetic)
(). Primary Self-Concept Scale: Test Manual. It is the purpose of the test described in this document to provide a procedure for economically evaluating several aspects of self concept relevant to school success. The test was constructed specifically for use with the child of Spanish or Mexican descent in the Southwest, but it is also appropriate for use with children from the Anglo culture. The test consists of 24 items; in each item, the examinee is told a descriptive story about an illustration and is instructed to draw a circle around the person in the illustration that is most like himself. This document includes directions for administering the test, the descriptive stories accompanying each test item, and details on scoring, interpretation, test construction, reliability, and validity. Statistical data and results are also included. For the illustrations used in the test, see FL 003 115 for the boys' version and FL 003 114 for the girls' version. [More] Descriptors: Behavior, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Identification (Psychology)
(1986). A Review of Resources in Service Area 3, 1986-1987. This report lists resources and resource agencies in Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia that offer services, materials, and assistance to those involved or interested in the education of linguistic minority students. The focus of the listing is on Title VII funded projects and other federally funded agencies whose services may impact on linguistic minority students, as well as on non-profit professional and/or community organizations which may provide information, training, or materials to educators working with linguistic minority students. The following information is given for each listing: (1) name; (2) address; (3) telephone number; (4) contact persons; (5) clientele; (6) geographic area served; (7) services provided; and (8) materials available. Information on other state and special programs for limited English speaking students is included as well as a glossary of Title VII program types. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Cultural Education, Elementary Secondary Education, English (Second Language)
(1978). Learning Achievement Packages: Calexico Intercultural Design. Two social studies units highlight the origins and structure of government and the legislative activities of the United States government in particular. The units are part of a program designed to help 12th grade and adult education social studies teachers develop bilingual curriculum materials (English and Spanish languages) related to systems of government. The first unit, "An Idea Becomes a Law," describes how laws are passed in a democracy, contrasts this process with the creation of laws in a dictatorship, and cites the variety of individuals involved in a bill's passage. The second unit, "The State, Forms of Government, and Political Systems," explores the origins of government and provides examples of different types of government. For each unit, information is presented on background, primary idea, behavioral objectives, entry skills, and notes to the students about what they can expect to do and learn from working on the unit. Also presented for each unit are glossaries of political terms, tests, and answer keys. Students are involved in reading background material, answering essay and brief-answer questions in writing, filling in worksheets, taking true and false tests, and completing matching exercises. All materials are presented in both English and Spanish. Descriptors: Adult Education, Bilingual Education, Civics, Curriculum Development
(1974). Second Language Learning — Universals? Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 3. Classic studies in second language (L2) learning offer little evidence for the validity of the notion of universals in L2 learning. The present study investigates this notion in data collected from 15 observational studies of 40 L2 learners who acquired the L2 naturally, that is, they were not taught the language in any formal ways. Interpretation of both input data and production data (e.g., L2 auxiliary development, auxiliary development with negation, auxiliary inversion in question formation, and input frequency and question production) suggests that communication is the principal goal of such learners, and that consequently those parts of the language system which are not important to communication are learned slowly. However, if a structure is extremely frequent in the input data, the learner will produce it. Effects of frequency are modified in a number of ways. If a form has low semantic power, or if it requires changes in word order, it will be learned late, as will structures having a variety of forms. Variations in strategies and speed of L2 acquisition reflect psychological differences, and must be understood before a definitive model of universals in L2 learning can be developed. Descriptors: Applied Linguistics, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Child Language
(1975). Successful Immersion Education in North America. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 5. The success of various French immersion programs in Canada and of one Spanish immersion program for English speakers in Culver City, California, has prompted the author to define "successful" and to attempt to identify ingredients desirable in an immersion program. A tentative 14-point checklist for a successful immersion program is provided, both for English speakers learning through immersion in another language and for non-English speakers learning through English immersion. Nine ingredients which have not been present in the so-called English "immersion" of, for example, Mexican Americans in the U.S. Southwest are identified. Other factors which may mitigate against the success of an immersion education are noted. In conclusion, it is noted that immersion education for non-English speakers is still a research question and needs to draw as much as possible on those ingredients that have made immersion work for the English-speaking child. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Educational Policy, English (Second Language)
(1973). CARTEL: Annotated Bibliography of Bilingual Bicultural Materials No. 12. Cumulative Issue–1973. Approximately 400 books, curriculum guides, journals, and educational resource materials published between 1967 and 1973 are listed in this annotated bibliography of bilingual bicultural materials on the Spanish-speaking, American Indians, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Russians. This listing shares with bilingual bicultural project personnel the information needed for the acquisition of relevant materials for their programs. All materials listed must be available in the United States or its territories and must relate to Title VII Elementary and Secondary Education Act or other bilingual bicultural programs. A typical annotation includes the following, in order: title, author or developing agency, name and address of the publisher, publication date, number of pages, language(s) used, intended audience or level, and descriptive statement. Title, author, and subject indexes are given for the reader's use. Publishers and distributors are listed alphabetically at the end of the document. [More] Descriptors: American Indians, Annotated Bibliographies, Bilingual Education, Chinese