This qualitative study in an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) elementary classroom examined teacher and student functional uses of language, particularly code-switching and code-mixing use. Results found that, of the instances of code-switching and code-mixing observed, none were grammatically inappropriate for either English, Spanish, or the…

Presents population projections for different linguistic components of the Spanish language group, i.e., for English dominant bilinguals, Spanish dominant bilinguals, and Spanish monolinguals. Although regular speakers of Spanish will number about 16.6 million by the year 2000, this language minority will decline increasingly rapidly in the…

Word lists spoken in Castillian, Caribbean, and Mexican dialects were compared to identify speech reception thresholds in 12 Spanish-speaking, Puerto Rican children (ages 6-7). No statistically significant differences were found among the dialects. (Author/DB)

The study found differential learning rates in a group of bilingual children (ages four to six) with limited English proficiency (LEP) when they all were taught an invented morpheme. The language-impaired children in the group learned the morpheme at a slower rate than the nonimpaired children. Results have implications for identifying language…

Comparison of the pragmatic performance of 40 Latino bilingual adolescents receiving English-as-a-Second-Language instruction or speech-language therapy found that students receiving speech-language therapy scored more poorly in expressing themselves, establishing greetings, initiating and maintaining conversations, and other topics. The group…

This study examined developmental changes in lexical comprehension in 100 bilingual individuals at five age levels, all of whom had learned Spanish as a first language and English beginning at age 5. Although skills improved in both languages over time, by middle childhood performance was better in English, with this transition occurring earlier…

A research project investigated communicative language skills and the academic proficiency of native English speakers and limited-English-speaking (LEP) elementary school students. The subjects were 304 native English speakers and bilingual program participants, speakers of Lao and Spanish. The data are derived from a locally developed assessment…

This book can be used as a comprehensive introduction for instructors, researchers, and students, and as an interactive text for students. In designing the text the authors have been particularly attentive to the needs in teacher education, especially in the preparation of bilingual teachers. Thus, each of the readings is followed by questions and…

An exploratory study was conducted to identify the degree of language performance in native and bilingual English- and Spanish-speaking children under circumstances of native and bilingual language instruction. The study is a first step in testing the hypothesis that the underachievement of children in English-as-a-second-language programs and…

This monograph examines effective schooling for language minority students through a review of current practices, an analysis of current thinking on related issues, and a look at actual exemplary schools and programs. The first section briefly reviews effective schools research as an introduction to the text. The second section looks in detail at…

The objective of this study is to assess whether arts-based curriculum facilitates the acquisition of English as a Second Language without sacrificing proficiency in the first language (in this case, Spanish). The paper has two chief parts, one theoretical, the other empirical. In the first part, similarities between authentic arts-based…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 14 titles deal with the following topics: (1) identifying gifted limited Engish speaking Indochinese third, fourth, and fifth grade students; (2) a successful inner city classroom; (3) interactional factors affecting access of…

Begun in 1980 with 358 students, the Yakima (Washington) Public Schools' Basic Education for Limited English Proficient Students (BELEPS) Program served 1,250 grade K-12 students (94% Hispanic) in 1985. Its four programs were based on the degree of the students' English proficiency, and taught (1) reading only in Spanish, (2) reading in Spanish…