This study investigated the degree of communicative competence of 8-year-old (n=45) students in five Welsh language immersion programs or Welsh-medium schools, comparing the children's skills with those of 10 native Welsh-speaking children. All were asked to retell a story show previously on video, and to participate in a group discussion task. In…

A study investigated the use of content-based tasks as central and peripheral in second language instruction. Specifically, it examined the relative effects of such tasks that were either central to the syllabus, as sources of knowledge or skills in their own right, or peripheral, as occasional source of language practice. The study was conducted…

This is the fourth report of the evaluation of the French-Hebrew immersion programs at the Hebrew Foundation School and the Solomon Schecter Academy in Montreal. Students in the study were those who had started in the project in kindergarten and grade 1, and, at the time of the fourth evaluation, were in grades 3 and 5 respectively. Two pilot…

This report describes an evaluation of the effects of the early and grade 7 immersion programs on the English and French language skills of students at the end of grade 7 in Montreal. Tests of English language skills were administered to early immersion, grade 7 immersion, and English control students. Tests of French language skills were…

An investigation was undertaken to assess student attitudes toward learning and using French and their reasons for studying it. It was felt that a more thorough investigation of these issues might help to broaden knowledge of some of the non-educational, social consequences of immersion programs. English-speaking students in sixth and eleventh…

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…

The implications of Canada's national study of core French instruction for second language (L2) teacher education in that country are examined. Literature on the study's impact on language teaching philosophy and policy and on French immersion instruction is reviewed, and a survey of 36 Canadian schools of education is reported. The questionnaire…

This study investigated results of a study that focused on the choice made by three anglophone Canadian graduates of a French immersion program in elementary and junior high school to take high school core courses in French. Specifically, the study examined the students' decisions regarding postsecondary education, career choices, language-related…

This is the tenth annual issue of the UCLA TESL (teaching English as a second language) workpapers. It includes the following papers: (1) "An Attempt to Model the Role of Cognitions in Language Learning," by R.L. Allwright; (2) "A Comparison of Language Proficiency Tests," by J. Donald Bowen; (3) "Language Study Through…

This paper presents the results of the evaluation of the North York French immersion program at kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2. The evaluation included the pupils enrolled in the first class established at each grade level, and focussed on the following four questions: (1) Are pupils developing competence in the French language; (2) Is the…

This paper discusses some major theories of social and educational change (e.g., evolutionary theory, structural functional theory, systems theory, group conflict theory, and cultural revival and social movement theory), and delineates the identification and interpretation of variables relevant to an understanding of bilingual education within the…

Dual language education is a programme that combines language minority and language majority students for instruction through two languages. This book provides the conceptual background for the programme and discusses major implementation issues. Research findings summarize language proficiency and achievement outcomes from 8000 students at 20…

A study addressed educational and psychological issues raised by the phenomenal growth of Irish-medium pre-schools ("naionrai"). Data were gathered in surveys of almost 2,000 parents, over 170 teachers and advisors, and 225 children in 25 Irish-medium pre-schools in both "Gaeltacht" (Irish-speaking districts) and…

In spite of political pressure, bilingualism is emerging as a strategy for improving the academic achievement of all students. Two-way bilingual or dual-language programs integrate language-minority and language-majority students for instruction in two languages. Site-based decision making has enabled schools in cities that border with Mexico to…

The Hawaiian Language Immersion program (HLI) is described and evaluated. HLI began in 1987 with two small classes on two islands and within 6 years had grown, in response to parent interest, to serve 621 students in grades K-7 in 6 schools on 5 islands. Participating students are taught entirely in Hawaiian until grade 5; in grades 5 and 6 one…