The phenomenon of limited bilingual language proficiency is reported to have negative academic and/or cognitive consequences, especially among Mexican-American minority language students. Where such students have been diagnosed, fears of concomitant congitive retardation are also expressed. Research was undertaken to understand the phenomenon…

The College Bound Program was designed to help educationally disadvantaged and linguistically isolated 9th to 12th grade pupils improve their skills in reading and mathematics. Students were exposed to 40 minutes of daily instruction, five days per week, for a full year in both subject areas. Each day's exposure was remedial in orientation and…

This analysis reveals critical weaknesses surrounding the theoretical basis for the AIR (American Institutes for Research) evaluation design. It poses questions concerning the evaluation methodology. Specifically, it identifies major discrepancies in the identification of the target population, the selection of comparable control groups, test…

A study is reported in which 14 bilingually schooled and 16 conventionally schooled Mexican-American children and their parents were subjects of research over a two-year period. The bilingual program students were found to be using Spanish more after several years and continued this pattern over time. (Author/RM)

Discusses the notion of bilingualism, the role of interference in language instruction to bilingual students, training for language teachers, and socio-cultural factors in second language learning. (Text is in French.) (AM)

The role of linguistic relativity was examined through the use of multidimensional scaling (MDS). Direct pair comparisons of the similarity among a set of translated equivalent lexical items dealing with the mass media were made by subjects monolingual in English or French or bilingual using either of the languages. Using MDS as a measure of…

Studies of bilingual infants are in disagreement as to the point at which the child distinguishes two languages in his linguistic environment. In this paper, data from two classic works by linguist-parents on bilingual infants are compared with data collected from the author's own bilingual daughter. Five types of behavior are described which…

This paper argues that Mexican-American bilinguals are in danger of becoming victims of a double-deficit theory, i.e., they are erroneously considered by some to be deficient in both their languages. An article by Joseph H. Matluck and Betty J. Mace that takes the double-deficit viewpoint is refuted as being damaging to Mexican-American children.…

This background article provides a general discussion of the possibilities of teaching preschool children to read in one or more languages. If external stimulation can match the rapid inner development of young children, rapid and extensive learning can occur. (CHK)

Noting that some educators are calling for a whole language approach to teaching Spanish reading to replace the traditional word approach, reviews various methods of teaching Spanish reading and summarizes research that supports a psycholinguistic view of reading. Suggests specific guidelines and materials to help teachers move toward a whole…

This paper examines the language dominance and oral bilingual proficiency of Tarahumara-Spanish speaking students from Chihuahua, Mexico, within the framework of Cummins' model of bilingual proficiency development. Cummins' model distinguishes between basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency…

This article emphasizes the value of immersion programs and describes some immersion programs in the United States and Canada. (CFM)

Explores the issue of English-only versus bilingual education by focusing on whether complete language assimilation is desirable for immigrant children and their families. Discusses the benefits of bilingualism, such as students exhibiting greater self-esteem, the benefits for immigrant families, and advantages for the labor market. Highlights the…