Four teachers from diverse early childhood environments formed a teacher research group to learn more about children's language and literacy development. This article discusses the formation of the group, the value of teacher research for understanding children's language, and the lessons learned by the participating teachers that enhanced their…

In a classroom setting with young bilingual children and their parents, oral and written code switching allowed for effective communication among parents, children, and instructor in a way that was natural and comfortable for all involved. Proposes that code switching be viewed as part of a whole language approach in bilingual contexts. (Author/TD)

This paper describes the home and school experiences of 12 children from bilingual (mostly Chinese/English) homes who, before beginning first grade, demonstrated advanced ability to comprehend written English. Results demonstrate that lack of fluency in oral English should not exclude children from advanced instruction in reading. (Author/JDD)

The increased number of Spanish-speaking migrant workers utilized in New Jersey agriculture has made it necessary for the public schools to provide educational programs for bilingual students. This document presents activities and rationale designed to help such children in becoming bilingual and bi-cultural. Included are English-to-Spanish word…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a motivational/attitudinal questionnaire developed for use with francophone students, and to assess the relation of attitudes and motivation to achievement in English. A secondary aim was to evaluate the relation of the context of second language acquisition to attitudes and achievement.…

An Austin, Texas, program regarding the identification and placement of Hispanic, limited-English-proficient (LEP) elementary school students is reported. They were assigned to one of three programs: bilingual education; English as a Second Language (ESL); or Language Arts Mastery Process (LAMP). The Austin Independent School District evaluated…

This report discusses the views of students now in the eleventh grade who participated in the original pilot class of the St. Lambert early immersion program in Montreal. They were asked to look back on their schooling and to appraise its effects on their lives. Their parents were asked to do the same. Questionnaires designed to elicit information…

The purpose of this study is to compare the English syntactic structures produced in spontaneous oral language and the receptive English syntactic and vocabulary skills of bilingual Spanish and Indian children and monolingual Anglo-Americans, all of whom qualify for Title I elementary schools (Grades 1-6). People in Action, the Northwestern Syntax…

Results of a comparison of Papua New Guinea bilingual and monolingual students' (n=232) mathematics achievement indicated that bilingual students competent in both languages scored significantly higher on two different types of mathematical tests than both low-competent bilingual students and monolingual students. (32 references)

Evaluation of the 1974-77 INREAL (INclass REActive Language) demonstration model project, initially serving 518 children (aged 3-5 years), focused on the Colorado program's objectives of increasing language handicapped and bilingual (Spanish) children's language development significantly and preventing later language-related learning problems in…

English monolingual and Spanish/English bilingual children in kindergarten and first grade in 11 states were administered two tests from the EL CIRCO (CIRCUS) battery. The purpose of the study was to determine comparative acquisition of English grammar for kindergarteners and first graders and for bilingual and English monolingual children. Data…

This booklet is designed for those interested in an overview of the past five years of progress in bilingual education in Massachusetts. Topics discussed include the need for bilingual education; reasons for the development of bilingual education programs specifically in Massachusetts; the contribution of individuals in the writing of the…

During the past decade, it has become fashionable to include an evaluation component with each new bilingual education program. The proliferation of empirical evaluation studies seems, however, not yet to have shed much light on very basic issues, such as the relationship between language of instruction and cognitive growth, academic achievement…

Comparison of free written compositions of 86 bilingual (Finnish-Swedish) and 86 monolingual (Swedish) third-, sixth-, and ninth-graders in a Finland Swedish comprehensive school revealed that bilinguals produced significantly more syntactic, vocabulary, and phraseology errors. Background variables correlating with errors included the student's…

The general purpose of the Title IV-C Pilot Program (An Educational Needs Projection Model) is to develop procedures for forecasting the personnel needed by the Houston Independent School District (HISD) for a five-year period in response to current and expected legislation and changing student population. The present report reviews: (1) the…