Describes immersion programs currently in operation in Finland and Spain. Both are based on the Canadian model and are perhaps the start of an overall trend in Europe toward multiculturalism and multilingualism. (LET)

The evaluation of bilingual education programs is complicated by such factors as the diversity of evaluation methodologies and program goals and the reliability of instruments for minority language students. Three bilingual program evaluations in foreign countries are described in terms of their different contexts and approaches in order to raise…

An exploration of the reasons for the failure of former elementary school foreign language programs precedes the identification of issues that should be addressed to ensure the effectiveness of current and future programs. The three basic FLES program models, Foreign Language Experience (FLEX), sequential FLES, and immersion, are described. (CB)

Critiques two theories dominating bilingual education. The facilitation hypothesis predicts long-term advantage for bilingual education over all-English instruction. The time-on-task hypothesis predicts that all-English instruction is superior to bilingual education in teaching English. Argues that bilingual programs may facilitate English…

A study of classroom interaction in Ontario's French immersion programs is summarized. Transcripts of classroom interactions were analyzed for teaching practices that tend to decrease or encourage student speech. Results suggest that the use of language in immersion classrooms is not significantly different from language use in regular classes. It…

A discussion of the immersion approach to second language instruction contains: a description of the approach and its goals; a brief history of its introduction into public schools; a description of the most common immersion program designs (early total, early partial, middle or delayed, and late); a review of available information on program…

Reviews research findings as they relate to the acquisition of reading skills (in the first and second language) by majority-group school children participating in early immersion programs. (Author)

Based on a literacy interdependence theory, uses findings from the Ramirez et al. study on programs for Spanish-speaking, limited-English-proficient students to refute theories opposing bilingual education. Expresses concern that all three program types in the Ramirez study reflect transmission models of pedagogy in which students have little…

Reviews the reported findings and implications of the Ramirez et al. study. Examines the validity of the operational definitions of the program types and the degree of implementation of the models. Discusses the seven major findings of the study, and some possibly misleading conclusions. (KS)

Two numbers of the CLEAR Materials Resource Series that both deal with teaching languages to children have been combined. Number two summarizes the status of foreign language immersion programs in elementary schools in the United States. For each of the 20 states with total or partial immersion programs, the following information is provided: (1)…

This paper describes the design of a new Maori, early childhood, immersion teaching diploma program at the University of Waikato (New Zealand). The program incorporates a strong focus on developing both the adult students' fluency in Maori, as a second language, and their skills for facilitating fluency in young children, many of whom will also be…

Two-way, or bilingual, immersion education, a major innovation in the integration of language and content instruction, is intended to improve the quality of language education for language minority and language majority students in the United States. The emerging educational practice responds to the increasing proportions of language minority…

This paper cites observational and interview evidence indicating that language immersion students in the United States and Canada increasingly avoid using their second language in peer interactions as they move into higher primary grade levels. Implications for immersion programs and teachers are discussed. (32 references) (MDM)

This literature review looked at core French (programs of French as a second language taught as a subject) as opposed to immersion French in terms of starting grade, instructional time, instructional materials, children could bring bilingual experience to learning French, starting age is less important than sometimes argued. Neither starting age…

This paper provides a literature review, staff development information, and a guidebook for elementary administrators and educators that explains the academic benefits of Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) for prekindergarten through fifth grade students. TBE allows limited English speaking students to learn a second language while being…