Two courses in the La Salle University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) M.A. Program in Bilingual-Bicultural (Spanish) Studies are described: Urban Spanish and Caribbean Literature. The urban Spanish component consists of five courses, one of which is intensive, to provide broad exposure to the technical or practical Spanish encountered in the…

A functional approach to language teaching begins with knowing how students intend to use the foreign language for specific purposes and in specific situations. Instructors of medical Spanish can begin by determining the specific language functions that their students must be able to express when communicating with Hispanic patients, by means of a…

Rural Chicanas share values and problems with other rural women (conservative orientation toward sex roles and life styles, conflict between traditional demands of rural culture and pressure to enter the labor force), but with additional socio-linguistic barriers (limited English-speaking ability, few marketable job skills). Many Chicanas do not…

This research report reflects the use of precision teaching techniques incorporated into a microcomputerized observational system to assess bilingual instructional practices and student outcomes. Three local educational agencies were monitored to assess the relationship between the demographic background of the student and the interactive profile…

The Masters Degree in International Business Program at the University of South Carolina, begun in June 1974, has as its unique feature the emphasis on "lifelong experience." This emphasis affects both the student and the department. From the first year of the program (the basic features of which are intensive training in language,…

This paper examines the relationship between bilingual and English monolingual populations in a setting where English monolingualism is the norm for most students and teachers. The power dynamics underlying this relationship influence local meanings and practices related to bilingualism and the instruction of second language learners. Student…

The accomplishments of Theodore "Tug" Andersson (1903-1994) cover four major areas: (1) the teaching of modern languages in general; (2) the foreign languages in the elementary school (FLES) in particular; (3) bilingual education in the United States; and (4) preschool biliteracy. The 11 articles of Andersson's work are as follows: (1)…

This paper describes West Texas State University's efforts to recruit Hispanic students and compares enrollment trends there with national statistics. West Texas State University (WTSU) is a small four-year college, located 12 miles south of Amarillo in Canyon (Texas). A review of enrollment trends in higher education notes that although minority…

This paper provides an assessment of the Inter-American Science and Humanities Program, a program of the University of Texas, El Paso, which allowed students from northern Mexico to take their freshman level courses in Spanish while receiving instruction designed to rapidly enhance English language skills. The paper assesses the effectiveness of…

A discussion of language in preschool education reviews research findings on children's language acquisition and its relationship to their general development and examines issues to be considered in making decisions for each community and program. The first section summarizes basic knowledge about preschool language development, facilitating…

A review of over 500 research studies identified 3 factors influencing the ability of Mexican American students to profit from the instruction currently available in United States colleges and universities: (1) a different language; (2) a different economic situation; and (3) a different response to social and personal interactions. Based on these…

La Salle University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) developed a three-track M.A. program in Spanish and bilingual studies which offers intensive training in Spanish and English and cross-cultural, interdisciplinary courses dealing with facets of Hispanic culture and Hispanics' adjustment problems in the United States. Track I is for bilingual…

Georgia State University has developed undergraduate applied language programs in commercial French, German, and Spanish combining practical with theoretical studies. The curricula stress the communicative aspect of language, and are based on the content of certification examinations given in France, Germany, and Spain. Two upper-level courses in…

An impressionistic, interpretative analysis of information from direct observation, known informants, and interviews provides a picture of the life situation of Spanish American youth living in rural Taos County, New Mexico. Northern Taos County has experienced dramatic social change over the last several decades, altering the traditional,…

This paper focuses on the current developments in regard to the assessment of language proficiency in children who are from non-English speaking backgrounds. Instruments currently used to assess language proficiency for placement in English programs usually fail validity and reliability tests. These tests usually measure formal aspects of language…