Instruction in English as a foreign language at an early age is becoming more common worldwide even though the effects of this early instruction are not yet known. This study investigated the English and Chinese language performance of students enrolled in early English immersion in a Chinese primary school. In addition, factors that could predict…

Investigated spatial memory for written words as a behavioral consequence of verbal processing differences. Across three experiments with Chinese and U.S. college students, spatial memory for real and nonsense words was greater for Chinese logographs than for alphabetic English words. This spatial memory advantage was absent for pictures and…

Investigated construct validity of the Spanish translation of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) in Latino children (n=293) including monolingual Spanish-speaking children from Puerto Rico and Venezuela and Spanish-dominant bilingual Latino children from Texas. Results provided support for construct validity of the Spanish version of the…

This study investigates the relationship between first language (Arabic) proficiency and second language (English) performance in the writing skills of Jordanian bilingual second secondary school students. Despite the linguistic distance between English and Arabic, it is postulated that Arabic writing skills can be transferred positively to the…

Describes the value of bilingual students' talk, presenting examples from British elementary classrooms. Diverse students' talk about their language and cultural experiences can influence policy by highlighting the centrality of talk in supporting children's thinking and learning, the positive cognitive effects of bilingualism in different…

Analyzed how bilingual elementary students responded to monolingual classrooms which assumed that those who did not fit in were problematic and required learning support. Discusses bilingualism and creative thinking, creative learning, and evidence of bilingual students' creativity. While bilingual students within monolingual environments often…

Reflecting on her experiences as an educator over the past four years, the author realizes that the Center for the Study of Border Pedagogy (Bord Pedagogy) has profoundly shaped her vision for education, significantly changed her instructional practice, and effectively focused her efforts for social justice and equity in multicultural schools.…

This study used a copying task to examine spelling acquisition in French and Spanish from a perception and action perspective. Experiment 1 compared French and Spanish-speaking monolingual children's performance. Experiment 2 analysed the behaviour of bilingual children when copying words in French and Spanish. Gaze lift analysis showed that in…

Language transmission occurs both in the domestic and in the public domain. These domains are typically represented by the home and the school. Viewed from the perspectives of majority-language versus minority-language speakers, language transmission becomes a very different issue. In the case of majority language speakers, language transmission…

Examines reading proficiency and phonological skill using a comprehensive battery of group measures in a Swedish classroom. Suggests that, given sufficient exposure to the majority language, it is possible to assess a range of phonological skills among speakers of minority languages using the same battery of tasks as for native speakers. (SG)

The author addresses mathematics instruction in students' second language. Theories on the interaction of language and cognitive development, and language and mathematical thinking, as well as studies conducted with bilingual students, are presented along with their implications for teaching, texts, and curriculum development. These ideas are…

Survey data are analyzed in order to provide an overview of primary education in an area of China which is quite representative of minority nationality concentrations. Uses this information to formulate proposals for educational reform. Suggests that measures should take local realities into consideration if effective education is to be provided.…

Studied teacher-student verbal interactions and questioning and students' curriculum-related performance for bilingual students in Norway in small and large mainstream civics classes. Findings for 77 fourth graders show that bilingual minority students in general, and bilingual minority girls in particular, benefit from civics lessons in small…

This article features Lourdes Catholic School, a small Catholic school where students grapple with life and learning in the shadow of two nations. The school, which is governed by the Minim Daughters of Mary Immaculate, is located in Nogales, a desert mountain town straddling the line that separates Arizona from the Mexican state of Sonora. Though…

The analysis of compliment responses in a number of languages has attracted a growing research interest and information is already available on how native speakers of English and Arabic respond. This allows for the prediction of certain cross-linguistic pragmatic differences that might characterise compliment responses in the case of…