Focuses on how learners perceive the experience of their linguistic development, and particularly how contextual factors in the learning environment and individual issues such as linguistic goals, self confidence, and friendship patterns interact with their perceptions of progress and performance in Spanish. Data consists of reports from advanced…

96 Spanish and Latin American children from 3 grades in Madrid reported their knowledge of positive and negative stereotypes regarding Spaniards, Gypsies, Latin American and Chinese people. Their personal beliefs about these four ethnic groups were also assessed. Stereotypes about Spaniards were perceived as overwhelmingly positive and least…

Although the "homestay" has long been considered a key factor in the study abroad experience, it is one of the least examined components of foreign study. In an effort to explore this issue from various perspectives, this study targeted several programs in Spain and Mexico with interviews of host families, students, and housing directors. Each…

In the bilingual contexts of two regions of Spain, Asturias (Asturian/Spanish) and Eastern Aragon (Catalan/Spanish), and given the relationship between language attitudes and linguistic proficiency, our study has two objectives. Firstly, the attitudes to the two contact languages are described. Secondly, the variables that can explain such…

Various sets of actors in an urban desegregated high school are found to use a rhetoric of concern to discuss school operation and events. This rhetoric is based upon the accepted understanding that schools do "what's best" for students. Since the rhetoric appeals to diverse segments of the community in which the school is located, it enables…

Whether performance assessments can be claimed to be more inclusive than traditional assessments was studied in an investigation of whether a student's perceptions of control can be detected in a performance assessment score. It was hypothesized that students' perceptions of control would show no effect on their scores on an objective test of…

Safety posters printed in Spanish welcome bi-lingual students to shop; translating, printing, and proofreading recipes and menus for home economics, songs, poems, metric conversion tables, and instruction or project sheets encourage communication with English-speaking students, confer prestige, provide language experience, and draw new students…

This study looked at current reading strategies used by Spanish learners in fourth- and fifth-semester college Spanish. Students ranked strategies they found most useful. No single strategy was chosen by an overwhelming majority of students; however, a mean ranking revealed that instruction in skimming and word guessing proved most useful to…

The mindset of children regarding the development of two languages, specifically Spanish and English in bilingual programs, is examined. It is concluded that students' attitudes and understanding of dual language development should be added to biliteracy programs. (Contains 26 references.) (LB)

"Infinity Factory" is a television series which presents mathematics in a common-sense way to help children understand the usefulness of mathematics in their own lives. The 52-programs in the series are for children ages 8 through 11, especially black and Latino children. While covering decimal systems, measurement, estimation, mapping…

The "Infinity Factory" television series was developed to help children ages 8 through 11 to understand the usefulness of some basic mathematics skills for everyday life. Aimed primarily at black and Latino children, the series concentrates on: the decimal number system; measurement, especially the metric system; estimation; mapping and…

"Infinity Factory" is a television series which presents mathematics in a common-sense way to help children to understand the usefulness of mathematics in their own lives. The programs are for children ages 8 through 11, especially black and Latino children. Along with mathematics, the programs present a positive approach to the cultural…

A study investigated second language learners' cognitive and affective responses to one authentic and three edited texts. Forty-nine college students at four levels of language learning read the same Spanish authentic passage and an edited passage written for their course level. After silent reading, they performed think-aloud tasks in their…

This paper describes learner response, as indicated by questionnaires, to a package of tape-based listening materials in French, Spanish and Italian. The learners were in "community classes" (2 hours per week) at a wide variety of levels. Their response was, in general, cautiously favorable, and indicates the general acceptability of such…

A SUMMER WORKSHOP CONCERNED WITH THE EDUCATION OF THE SPANISH- AND INDIAN-SPEAKING STUDENTS OF NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA MET IN TUCSON, ARIZONA, TO ESTABLISH OBJECTIVES REGARDING THESE CHILDREN AND THEIR SPEAKING PROBLEMS. THE STUDENTS WERE DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL AS A RESULT OF ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL FAILURE AND FRUSTRATION. BICULTURAL GUIDANCE, AN…