Usage of Mother Tongue in Learning English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tosuncuoglu, Irfan

2012-01-01

In Turkey, where English is a foreign language and where learners share the same native language, teachers are often reluctant to use small group speaking activities because the learners do the ranking, bridge the information gap, or find an answer activities using their first (native) language. This article studies the problem and suggests a…

Predicting Foreign Language Usage from English-Only Social Media Posts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volkova, Svitlana; Ranshous, Stephen M.; Phillips, Lawrence A.

Social media is known for its multicultural and multilingual interactions, a natural product of which is code-mixing. Multilingual speakers mix languages they tweet to address a different audience, express certain feelings, or attract attention. This paper presents a large-scale analysis of 6 million tweets produced by 23 thousand multilingual users speaking 11 other languages besides English. We rely on this multilingual corpus to build predictive models for a novel task – inferring non- English languages that users speak exclusively from their English tweets. We contrast the predictive power of different linguistic signals and report that lexical content and syntactic structuremore » of English tweets are the most predictive of non-English languages that users speak on Twitter. By analyzing cross-lingual transfer – the influence of non-English languages on various levels of linguistic performance in English, we present novel findings on stylistic and syntactic variations across speakers of 11 languages.« less

Flipping between Languages? An Exploratory Analysis of the Usage by Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner Tertiary Students of a Bilingual Probability Applet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesser, Lawrence M.; Wagler, Amy E.; Salazar, Berenice

2016-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are a rapidly growing part of the student population in many countries. Studies on resources for language learners--especially Spanish-speaking ELLs--have focused on areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics, but not introductory probability and statistics. Semi-structured qualitative interviews investigated…

A CURRICULUM FOR ENGLISH, GRADE 2, UNITS 13-22.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nebraska Univ., Lincoln. Curriculum Development Center.

IN THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM FOR GRADE TWO, DEVELOPMENT OF A SENSE OF LANGUAGE USAGE AND OF NARRATIVE FORM AND PLOT IS STRESSED. SUCH CLASSIC FOLK TALES AS "LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD" AND "THE THREE BEARS" POINT OUT THE REPETITION OF PLOT STRUCTURE AND LANGUAGE FOUND IN STORIES. FUN WITH LANGUAGE FORMS IS ENCOURAGED THROUGH…

[A study on English loan words in French plastic surgery].

PubMed

Hansson, E; Tegelberg, E

2014-10-01

The French language is less and less used as an international scientific language and many French researchers publish their work in English. Nowadays, Annales de Chirurgie Plastique Esthétique is the only international plastic surgical journal published completely in French. The use of English loan words in French plastic surgery has never been studied. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency and types of English loan words in French plastic surgery. A corpus consisting of all the articles in a number of Annales de Chirurgie Plastique Esthethique, chosen by default, was created. The frequency of English loan words was calculated and the types of words were analysed. The corpus contains 367 (0.8%) English loan words. Most of them are non-integrated loan words and calques. The majority of the plastic surgical loan words describe surgical techniques. The French plastic surgical language seems to be influenced by English. The usage of loan words does not always follow the recommendations and the usage is sometimes ambiguous. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Communicative Language Teaching in the Rural Areas: How Does One Make the Irrelevant Relevant?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Andrew

Although Filipinos learned English rapidly when it was first introduced widely in the early twentieth century, English as a second language instruction in rural areas today is irrelevant to the population's needs, and it is learned slowly. Both teachers and pupils have a restricted code of language usage. An inquiry is needed into the…

Scrutinizing the Factors Affecting Fluency of English among Arab Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Ghazali, Fawzi

2017-01-01

This research study investigates the cognitive, psychological and personal factors affecting the accuracy and fluency of English language usage among Arab learners. Early research led by Chomsky (1965) and Krashen (1981) suggested that an individual's Language Acquisition Device once triggered at the appropriate time and supported with adequate…

Observations of Real-Time Captioning in the Elementary English Language Learner Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingraham, Nissa

2014-01-01

This qualitative study reviews the effects of real-time captioning on vocabulary acquisition of a novice elementary English language learner (ELL). Triangulation of data was completed through review of teacher journaling, captioning transcripts, and student pretest and posttest assessments. Results illuminate improved retention and usage of…

The Role of English Language and International Media as Agents of Cultural Globalisation and Their Impact on Identity Formation in Kuwait

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hasanen, Mohammed M.; Al-Kandari, Ali A.; Al-Sharoufi, Hussain

2014-01-01

This study examines the influence of English language usage and international media on the strength of either national or global identity. The regression analysis of 354 responses reveals that individuals who studied at universities that use English as a medium of instruction show significant differences in the extent to which they embrace a…

Using Mother Tongues as Building Blocks in Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pandey, Anita

2014-01-01

All around the world, communities have been experiencing linguistic erosion in varying degrees, as English usage--and use of other ex-colonial languages, like French in francophone Africa, Spanish in the bulk of Latin America, and Portuguese in Angola, Brazil, Mozambique, and East Timur--steadily surpass local language usage in institutions of…

Constructing a Second Language: Analyses and Computational Simulations of the Emergence of Linguistic Constructions from Usage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Nick C.

2009-01-01

This article presents an analysis of interactions in the usage, structure, cognition, coadaptation of conversational partners, and emergence of linguistic constructions. It focuses on second language development of English verb-argument constructions (VACs: VL, verb locative; VOL, verb object locative; VOO, ditransitive) with particular reference…

What Counts as a Developmental Sequence? Exemplar-Based L2 Learning of English Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eskildsen, Søren W.

2015-01-01

Drawing on usage-based linguistics and its exemplar-based path of language learning, from recurring multiword expressions to increasingly abstract, schematized constructions, this article examines evidence for the exemplar-based developmental sequences for yes/no interrogatives and WH interrogatives in English as a second language (L2). The…

The Old English Language of Fear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Erik A.

2012-01-01

This dissertation examines the development of the Old English vocabulary for fear under the influence of the Latinate discourse of Christian doctrine. The first chapter arranges the Old English words for fear into etymologically organized families and describes their incidence and usage across attested corpus of Old English, using the Dictionary…

Thinking About Multiword Constructions: Usage-Based Approaches to Acquisition and Processing.

PubMed

Ellis, Nick C; Ogden, Dave C

2017-07-01

Usage-based approaches to language hold that we learn multiword expressions as patterns of language from language usage, and that knowledge of these patterns underlies fluent language processing. This paper explores these claims by focusing upon verb-argument constructions (VACs) such as "V(erb) about n(oun phrase)." These are productive constructions that bind syntax, lexis, and semantics. It presents (a) analyses of usage patterns of English VACs in terms of their grammatical form, semantics, lexical constituency, and distribution patterns in large corpora; (b) patterns of VAC usage in child-directed speech and child language acquisition; and (c) investigations of VAC free-association and psycholinguistic studies of online processing. We conclude that VACs are highly patterned in usage, that this patterning drives language acquisition, and that language processing is sensitive to the forms of the syntagmatic construction and their distributional statistics, the contingency of their association with meaning, and spreading activation and prototypicality effects in semantic reference. Language users have rich implicit knowledge of the statistics of multiword sequences. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Is He Floating across or Crossing Afloat? Cross-Influence of L1 and L2 in Spanish-English Bilingual Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hohenstein, Jill; Eisenberg, Ann; Naigles, Letitia

2006-01-01

Research has begun to address the question of transfer of language usage patterns beyond the idea that people's native language (L1) can influence the way they produce a second language (L2). This study investigated bidirectional transfer, of both lexical and grammatical features, in adult speakers of English and Spanish who varied in age of L2…

Modeling the language learning strategies and English language proficiency of pre-university students in UMS: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiram, J. J.; Sulaiman, J.; Swanto, S.; Din, W. A.

2015-10-01

This study aims to construct a mathematical model of the relationship between a student's Language Learning Strategy usage and English Language proficiency. Fifty-six pre-university students of University Malaysia Sabah participated in this study. A self-report questionnaire called the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning was administered to them to measure their language learning strategy preferences before they sat for the Malaysian University English Test (MUET), the results of which were utilised to measure their English language proficiency. We attempted the model assessment specific to Multiple Linear Regression Analysis subject to variable selection using Stepwise regression. We conducted various assessments to the model obtained, including the Global F-test, Root Mean Square Error and R-squared. The model obtained suggests that not all language learning strategies should be included in the model in an attempt to predict Language Proficiency.

The Elements of Nonsexist Usage: A Guide to Inclusive Spoken and Written English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dumond, Val

This handbook is intended for students, teachers, journalists, executives, and court and government workers who want to eliminate sexism from their English. It offers sound advice on gender-inclusive or gender-neutral language. Among its topics of interest are: the reasons to avoid sexist language; sensible alternatives to offensive terminology;…

Choosing an Indigenous Official Language for Nigeria.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mann, Charles C.

A discussion of the choice of official languages in Nigeria first gives an overview of the current language situation in Nigeria, particularly of indigenous language usage, sketches the history of English, French, and Anglo-Nigerian Pidgin (ANP) both before and after independence, outlines the main proposals for language planning, and draws some…

The Representation of Latinos and the Use of Spanish: A Critical Content Analysis of "Skippyjon Jones"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martínez-Roldan, Carmen M.

2013-01-01

This study illustrates the presence of Mock Spanish in some English-based picture books and the ways this usage misrepresents Latino people, language, and culture. The author conducted a critical content analysis of five Skippyjon Jones books. Her guiding question was, How is language used, particularly Spanish, in these English texts, and what…

La Gramatica Ingles: Libro de Trabajo (English Grammar: Workbook).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Paul

This student workbook is designed for native Spanish-speaking learners of English as a second language, and presents instruction in basic English grammatical constructions and usage, as well as some vocabulary development. Lessons include basic descriptions of the constructions and rules in applying them, and a brief exercise reinforcing the…

Classification of Word Levels with Usage Frequency, Expert Opinions and Machine Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sohsah, Gihad N.; Ünal, Muhammed Esad; Güzey, Onur

2015-01-01

Educational applications for language teaching can utilize the language levels of words to target proficiency levels of students. This paper and the accompanying data provide a methodology for making educational standard-aligned language-level predictions for all English words. The methodology involves expert opinions on language levels and…

An Automatic Reference Aid for Improving EFL Learners' Formulaic Expressions in Productive Language Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Mei-Hua; Huang, Chung-Chi; Huang, Shih-Ting; Chang, Jason S.; Liou, Hsien-Chin

2014-01-01

Formulaic language is important to language acquisition; however, English language learners are often reported to have problems with formulaic expressions. Several lists of formulaic sequences have been proposed, mainly for developing teaching and testing materials. However, their limited numbers and insufficient usage information seem unable to…

Tanzania: Country Status Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robson, Barbara

A survey of the status of language usage in Tanzania begins with an overview of the three levels of language use: (1) Swahili, the national and official language, used in public life; (2) English, used in international affairs and in technical and intellectual matters; and (3) the over 120 vernacular languages used in family and religious life,…

Developing a Language Program in One School System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charlesworth, Roberta A.

As an outgrowth of their study of language theory and practice, English and elementary school teachers involved in in-service linguistic workshops are analyzing the verbal usage of a number of Toronto students to identify the language attitudes and characteristics of K-13 students and to become aware of language learning possibilities at grade…

The Concept of English Philologists' Training at Swiss Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zasluzhena, Alla

2016-01-01

The issue of plurilingual approach usage to the study of foreign languages has been made actual on case study of Swiss universities. Basic concepts of English philologists' formation at Swiss universities have been determined. These components have been analyzed with relation to their relevance to the prospective philologist in English Linguistics…

Discovering English with the Sketch Engine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, James

2014-01-01

"Discovering English with the Sketch Engine" is the title of a new book (Thomas, 2014) which introduces the use of corpora in language study, teaching, writing and translating. It focuses on using the Sketch Engine to identify patterns of normal usage in many aspects of English ranging from morphology to discourse and pragmatics. This…

A Descriptive Enquiry into Subject-Verb Concord in English Existential Constructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsuchida, Takehiro

2011-01-01

Subject-verb concord in English existential constructions is often viewed as problematic from both prescriptive and descriptive approaches to grammar and causes considerable confusion among teachers and learners of English as a second language (ESL). This paper aims to disentangle debates over the curious usage of the "there" + plural noun phrase…

South Africa: Country Status Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFerren, Margaret

A survey of the status of language usage in South Africa begins with an overview of the distribution among the population of the official languages, Afrikaans and English, and the principle languages of the Black majority: Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Nothern Sotho (Pedi), Southern Sotho, Tsonga, Swazi, and Venda. The influence of apartheid policy on…

Schematization and Sentence Processing by Foreign Language Learners: A Reading-Time Experiment and a Stimulated-Recall Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tode, Tomoko

2012-01-01

This article examines how learners of English as a foreign language process reduced relative clauses (RRCs) from the perspective of usage-based language learning, which posits that language knowledge forms a hierarchy from item-based knowledge consisting only of entrenched frequent exemplars to more advanced schematized knowledge. Twenty-eight…

Building Vocabulary for Language Learning: Approach for ESL Learners to Study New Vocabulary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alharbi, Adel M.

2015-01-01

This project investigated Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs) English Language Learners used; and strategies they thought were effective to them in terms of language proficiency. Using an online survey, 121 participants responded to statements regarding their usage of VLSs. Participants have been divided into two groups: (1) learners with low…

The Construction of a Second Language Acquisition Index of Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsen-Freeman, Diane; Strom, Virginia

Compositions written by 48 university students of English as a Second Language (ESL) were examined as a step in the development of an index for proficiency in a second language. A feature analysis of the compositions revealed the following tendencies: (1) syntactic sophistication and tense usage improved as proficiency increased, (2) errors in…

A Focus on Pre Writing Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKay, Sandra

Composition instruction directed at native speakers of English has focused on the composed product rather than the composing process. The teaching of English as a second language (ESL) students has had a similar emphasis, with much classroom time devoted to sentence manipulation and usage exercises. Such exercises have little effectiveness in…

Linguo-Intercultural Sensitivity and Its Predictors in EFL in a Bosnian Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydogan, Hakan; Akbarov, Azamat

2015-01-01

In this article, the predictive power of five variables relevant for Linguo-intercultural sensitivity (flexibility) is examined. Communication aspect of intercultural interactions, specifically, the role of English as an international language are emphasized. Attitudes Towards English and Its Usage Scale (ATEUS) was applied to 194 students who…

Speakeasy. English for Special Purposes Series: Autobody Repair. Ilocano Translation Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berzabal, Ofelia G.

This guide to spoken usage with exercises is designed to enrich the English vocabulary of speakers of Ilocano. Narrative portions of the text are in Ilocano. Emphasis is on survival language skills and automobile repair skills. Chapters include "Time,""Getting to Know You,""Eating Out,""Opening a Savings…

8 CFR 312.1 - Literacy requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., including an ability to read, write, and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language. (b) Exceptions. The following persons need not demonstrate an ability to read, write and speak words in ordinary...) Verbal skills. The ability of an applicant to speak English shall be determined by a designated examiner...

8 CFR 312.1 - Literacy requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., including an ability to read, write, and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language. (b) Exceptions. The following persons need not demonstrate an ability to read, write and speak words in ordinary...) Verbal skills. The ability of an applicant to speak English shall be determined by a designated examiner...

Multilingualism among University Staff: A Case Study of Language Management at an Australian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marriott, Helen

2013-01-01

Employing the language management framework, this paper reports on multilingual use among the staff of a major metropolitan university in Melbourne and covers both simple and organised management. It describes a top-down attempt to survey staffs' (academic and general) background in Languages other than English (LOTE), LOTE usage and evaluative…

Langue et rapports sociaux. Analyse des language d'usage chez des Italiens de deuxieme generation (Language and Social Relationships. Analysis of Languages Used by Second-Generation Italians).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fortier, Anne-Marie

A study investigated the choice of language (French, English, or Italian) for different activities and with different individuals among second-generation Italians in Quebec through interviews with 12 adults. The report first provides a sociolinguistic profile of the subjects and identifies the social factors associated with language choice in…

The expression of emotions in 20th century books.

PubMed

Acerbi, Alberto; Lampos, Vasileios; Garnett, Philip; Bentley, R Alexander

2013-01-01

We report here trends in the usage of "mood" words, that is, words carrying emotional content, in 20th century English language books, using the data set provided by Google that includes word frequencies in roughly 4% of all books published up to the year 2008. We find evidence for distinct historical periods of positive and negative moods, underlain by a general decrease in the use of emotion-related words through time. Finally, we show that, in books, American English has become decidedly more "emotional" than British English in the last half-century, as a part of a more general increase of the stylistic divergence between the two variants of English language.

The Expression of Emotions in 20th Century Books

PubMed Central

Acerbi, Alberto; Lampos, Vasileios; Garnett, Philip; Bentley, R. Alexander

2013-01-01

We report here trends in the usage of “mood” words, that is, words carrying emotional content, in 20th century English language books, using the data set provided by Google that includes word frequencies in roughly 4% of all books published up to the year 2008. We find evidence for distinct historical periods of positive and negative moods, underlain by a general decrease in the use of emotion-related words through time. Finally, we show that, in books, American English has become decidedly more “emotional” than British English in the last half-century, as a part of a more general increase of the stylistic divergence between the two variants of English language. PMID:23527080

Soap Operas and Captioning in the EFL Class.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huffman, Donald T.

A teacher describes the use of closed-caption decoding of television melodramas to teach English as a second language (ESL). The approach uses evening soap operas that afford a range of English usage and accents, realistic dialogue, entertainment, and coverage of current social issues and are closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired. The programs…

A Cognitive Framework in Teaching English Simple Present

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tian, Cong

2015-01-01

A Cognitive Grammar (CG) analysis of linguistic constructions has been claimed to be beneficial to second language teaching. However, little empirical research has been done to support this claim. In this study, two intact classes of Chinese senior high school students were given a 45-minute review lesson on the usages of the English simple…

An Examination of Language Teachers' Enactment of Curriculum Materials in the Context of a Centralised Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Zhan; Harfitt, Gary James

2017-01-01

This paper examines a ubiquitous yet under-studied area of language pedagogy, namely materials usage. It explores teachers' enactment of curriculum materials by focusing on English language education (ELE) teachers' use of prescribed textbooks to plan and deliver lessons at the tertiary level in Mainland China. A qualitative multi-case study…

Education, bilingualism, and cognitive trajectories: Sacramento Area Latino Aging Study (SALSA).

PubMed

Mungas, Dan; Early, Dawnté R; Glymour, M Maria; Zeki Al Hazzouri, Adina; Haan, Mary N

2018-01-01

This study examined the influence of education, country where education occurred, and monolingual-bilingual (English/Spanish) language usage on late life cognitive trajectories in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA), an epidemiological study of health and cognition in Hispanics, mostly of Mexican origin, age 60 and over (N = 1,499). SALSA followed a large cohort of older Latinos for up to 7 assessment waves from 1998 to 2007. Global cognition was assessed by using the Modified Mini Mental State Examination, and the Spanish English Verbal Learning Test was used to measure episodic memory. Education, country of origin, and language usage patterns were collected at the baseline assessment and used as predictors of longitudinal trajectories of cognition. Parallel process mixed effects models were used to examine effects of education and language variables on baseline cognition and rate of cognitive decline. Mixed effects longitudinal models showed that education had strong effects on baseline global cognition and verbal memory but was not related to decline over up to 9 years of longitudinal follow-up. Differences in education effects between subgroups educated in Mexico and in the United States were minor. Monolingual-bilingual language usage was not related to cognitive decline, and bilinguals did not significantly differ from monolingual English speakers on baseline cognitive scores. Hypotheses that higher education and bilingualism protect against late life cognitive decline were not supported and education effects on late-life cognitive trajectories did not substantially differ across U.S.- and Mexico-educated groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Does the Usage of an Online EFL Workbook Conform to Benford's Law?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olszewski, Mikolaj; Lodzikowski, Kacper; Zwolinski, Jan; Warnakulasooriya, Rasil; Black, Adam

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to explore if English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' usage of an online workbook follows Benford's law, which predicts the frequency of leading digits in numbers describing natural phenomena. According to Benford (1938), one can predict the frequency distribution of leading digits in numbers describing natural…

Report on WRITE; A Computer Assisted Instruction Course in Written English Usage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunwell, Stephen; And Others

A computer-assisted instructional (CAI) course, WRITE, was used at the Poughkeepsie, New York, Middle School to help 5th through 8th graders with spelling and word usage problems. The course used the Coursewriter III language and an IBM System/360 computer; students received self-paced instructional programs at typewriter terminals. All teaching…

Why Do They Speak Inuktitut? Language and Identity in Iqaluit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorais, Louis-Jacques

Residents of Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, discussed why they use Inuktitut or English in different circumstances. Interviews with 50 Inuit adults in Iqaluit inquired about their language usage with six categories of people: their parents, children, spouse, siblings, friends, and fellow workers. No gender differences were found, although some…

Liberia: Country Status Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robson, Barbara

A survey of the status of language usage in Liberia begins with an overview of the distribution of the 16 languages and dialects spoken natively there that are recognized by the government. These include, in order of number of native speakers: Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Mano, Lorma, Krahn, Gola, Mandingo, Kissi, Vai, English, Gbandi, Mende, Belle,…

Usage and Efficacy of Electronic Dictionaries for a Language without Word Boundaries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toyoda, Etsuko

2016-01-01

There is cumulative evidence suggesting that hyper-glossing facilitates lower-level processing and enhances reading comprehension. There are plentiful studies on electronic dictionaries for English. However, research on e-dictionaries for languages with no boundaries between words is still scarce. The main aim for the current study is to…

A Corpus-Based Comparative Study of "Learn" and "Acquire"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Bei

2016-01-01

As an important yet intricate linguistic feature in English language, synonymy poses a great challenge for second language learners. Using the 100 million-word British National Corpus (BNC) as data and the software Sketch Engine (SkE) as an analyzing tool, this article compares the usage of "learn" and "acquire" used in natural…

The Instructed Learning of Form-Function Mappings in the English Article System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Helen; MacWhinney, Brian

2018-01-01

This article analyzes the instructed learning of the English article system by second language (L2) learners. The Competition Model (MacWhinney, 1987, 2012) was adopted as the theoretical framework for analyzing the cues to article usage and for designing effective computer-based article instruction. Study 1 found that article cues followed a…

Mixed Methodology to Predict Social Meaning for Decision Support

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

regular usage of Standard American English (SAE) that also ranges in use of stylistic features that identify users as members of certain street gangs...membership based solely on their use of language. While aspects of gang language, such as the stylistic tendencies of the language of graffiti (Adams and... stylistics of gang language online, as a mode of code switching that reflects the infrastructure of the larger gang community, has been little studied

Second Language Interference during First Language Processing by Arabic–English Bilinguals

PubMed Central

Alsaigh, Tahani; Kennison, Shelia M.

2017-01-01

The research investigated whether a bilinguals’ second language (L2) is activated during a task involving only the first language (L1). We tested the hypothesis that the amount of L2 interference can vary across settings, with less interference occurring in testing locations where L2 is rarely used. In Experiment 1, we compared language processing for 50 Arabic–English bilinguals tested in Saudi Arabia and 49 Arabic–English tested in the United States. In the task, participants viewed a picture and judged whether a phoneme presented over headphones was part of the L1 picture name. The results showed no effect of testing location on processing. For both groups of bilinguals, we observed L2 interference in mean error rates, but not in mean response times. We also found evidence for L2 interference in correlational analyses between response times and (a) participants’ weekly L2 usage and (b) frequency of English picture names. A second experiment with 24 Arabic monolinguals supported the conclusion that the results with bilinguals were due to L2 interference. Implications for theories of bilingual memory are discussed. PMID:29163322

An Exploratory Study of ICT Use in English Language Learning among EFL University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tri, Dang Hoang; Nguyen, Nhung Hong Thi

2014-01-01

There has been a large volume of published studies describing the attitudes of teachers and students towards ICT usage to study English; nevertheless, limited research has been conducted to examine the use of ICT in terms of frequency of use, purposes, perceptions, and expectations among EFL students. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to…

Guidelines for Nonsexist Use of Language in NCTE Publications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL.

Written in response to a resolution passed at the 1974 convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, these guidelines are based on the assumption that the sexist usage of language aids in arbitrary assignation of roles to both men and women and would be better omitted. Although directed specifically to editors, these guidelines for…

Dictionary Culture of University Students Learning English as a Foreign Language in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baskin, Sami; Mumcu, Muhsin

2018-01-01

Dictionaries, one of the oldest tools of language education, have continued to be a part of education although information technologies and concept of education has changed over time. Until today, with the help of the developments in technology both types of dictionaries have increased, and usage areas have expanded. Therefore, it is possible to…

Morphosyntactic annotation of CHILDES transcripts*

PubMed Central

SAGAE, KENJI; DAVIS, ERIC; LAVIE, ALON; MACWHINNEY, BRIAN; WINTNER, SHULY

2014-01-01

Corpora of child language are essential for research in child language acquisition and psycholinguistics. Linguistic annotation of the corpora provides researchers with better means for exploring the development of grammatical constructions and their usage. We describe a project whose goal is to annotate the English section of the CHILDES database with grammatical relations in the form of labeled dependency structures. We have produced a corpus of over 18,800 utterances (approximately 65,000 words) with manually curated gold-standard grammatical relation annotations. Using this corpus, we have developed a highly accurate data-driven parser for the English CHILDES data, which we used to automatically annotate the remainder of the English section of CHILDES. We have also extended the parser to Spanish, and are currently working on supporting more languages. The parser and the manually and automatically annotated data are freely available for research purposes. PMID:20334720

Use of the comma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eremina, Svetlana V.; Gureyev, Vladimir V.

2005-06-01

Use ofthe comma is the most problematic place ofthe English language for the Russian users. Some rules on the comma usage do not work, others are incorrectly formulated. The list of cases of use amounts from a dozen to thirty, and intuition is not the one to rely on. The material for the case analysis has been taken from the most recent grammar manuals compiled by the English-speaking linguists.

"Tell Me What You Speak and I'll Tell You...": Exploring Attitudes to Languages in the Ultra-Orthodox Community in Israel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tannenbaum, Michal; Ofner, Hannah Esther

2008-01-01

This paper article on a study focusing on Israel's Haredi (ultra-Orthodox Jews) community, exploring its members' perceptions of Hebrew, Yiddish and English in terms of the language's importance, usage, holiness and related emotions. Questionnaires were distributed to 180 participants from five prominent subgroups within the community. Analysis…

[One-hundred fifty English words and expressions in dermatology that present difficulties or pitfalls for translation into Spanish].

PubMed

Navarro, F A

2008-06-01

Every year, thousands of technical neologisms are coined in English and must be rapidly imported into the Spanish language with the utmost precision, clarity, rigor, and linguistic correctness for Spanish to remain useful as a language of culture and learning that allows us to express the medicine of today. In 1999, the author published an extensive Glossary of Doubts in English-Spanish Translation of Dermatology that contained more than 500 words and expressions in dermatology that present difficulties in translation. Nine years later, the original glossary has been extended to include new English words and expressions that were not covered at that time. The author compiles and discusses 150 dermatological neologisms and technical terms in English that present problems for translation into Spanish or generate doubts regarding their use in that language, and offers reasoned proposals for their translation. The proposed translations are well founded and reflect the necessity for accuracy and clarity that should characterize all scientific language. In most cases, they are accompanied by detailed comments on normal usage among physicians, orthographic rules in Spanish, and official guidelines based on standardized nomenclature and the recommendations of the main international organizations.

Local confinement and bedridden in the context of boundedness - The development of a conceptual definition based on an integrative review

PubMed

Schirghuber, Johannes; Schrems, Berta

2018-04-01

Background: Local confinement and bedridden are important phenomena in nursing care. Nevertheless, conceptual definitions and appropriate nursing diagnoses are missing in the current nursing classification systems. Aim: The aim is to provide the basis for a conceptual definition. To this end, the current state of the German and English usage of the terms local confinement and bedridden are presented. At the same time, definitions of English-language terms, which are internationally widely recognized, are elaborated. Additionally, phenomena associated with local confinement and bedridden are recorded and delimited of each other. Method: The identification of the German and English conceptual usage takes place through an integrative literature review covering the period from 1990 to 2016. Results: There are a variety of English-language terms of location confinement and bedridden. The concepts of homebound, wheelchairbound and bedridden form of local confinement and bedridden most extensively. Instability, immobility is connected as cause and inactivity as a consequence. In contrast to this is bedrest, which is ordered and temporally limited. Conclusions: Local confinement and bedridden are to be viewed through the definition of boundedness. The antecedents (instability, immobility) must be diagnosed to derive adequate interventions to avoid or alleviate the consequences.

Reflections of Students' Language Usage in Social Networking Sites: Making or Marring Academic English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurairaj, Saraswathy; Hoon, Er Pek; Roy, Swagata Sinha; Fong, Pok Wei

2015-01-01

Social networking sites (SNSs) have become a major form of communication in today's day and age whereby language use has been impacted in various areas especially in that of learning and teaching. Young users use literally half their week engaging in SNSs communication, thereby giving rise to a brand of internet slang which is entirely their own.…

El Mantenimiento o Desplazamiento Linguistico: El Futuro del Espanol en los Estados Unidos. (Linguistic Maintenance or Replacement: The Future of Spanish in the United States)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaarder, Bruce A.

1976-01-01

What is the probability that Spanish, as a vernacular language, will survive in the U.S. with an increasing usage and prestige? Or will its usage, its speakers and its importance diminish rapidly in number and geographical extension? Can it be retained or will there be a shift into English? This article, written in Spanish, addresses these…

You'll Never Be the Man Your Mother Was, and Other Truisms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsen, Alleen Pace

1979-01-01

Notes that the general public has developed an awareness of sexist language usage and has begun to make changes in its use of the word "man," and traces parallel changes that are gradually being made in the English pronoun system. (GT)

Language proficiency and health status: are bilingual immigrants healthier?

PubMed

Schachter, Ariela; Kimbro, Rachel T; Gorman, Bridget K

2012-03-01

Bilingual immigrants appear to have a health advantage, and identifying the mechanisms responsible for this is of increasing interest to scholars and policy makers in the United States. Utilizing the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS; n = 3,264), we investigate the associations between English and native-language proficiency and usage and self-rated health for Asian and Latino U.S. immigrants from China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The findings demonstrate that across immigrant ethnic groups, being bilingual is associated with better self-rated physical and mental health relative to being proficient in only English or only a native language, and moreover, these associations are partially mediated by socioeconomic status and family support but not by acculturation, stress and discrimination, or health access and behaviors.

The Impact of Accounting Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sangster, Alan; Fogarty, Tim; Stoner, Greg; Marriott, Neil

2015-01-01

This paper presents an exploratory study into the nature and patterns of usage of accounting education research. The study adopts the most accessible metric, "Google Advanced Scholar" citations, to analyse the impact of research published in the six principal English-language accounting education journals. The analysis reveals a global…

Poetic rhyme reflects cross-linguistic differences in information structure.

PubMed

Wagner, Michael; McCurdy, Katherine

2010-11-01

Identical rhymes (right/write, attire/retire) are considered satisfactory and even artistic in French poetry but are considered unsatisfactory in English. This has been a consistent generalization over the course of centuries, a surprising fact given that other aspects of poetic form in French were happily applied in English. This paper puts forward the hypothesis that this difference is not merely one of poetic tradition, but is grounded in the distinct ways in which information-structure affects prosody in the two languages. A study of rhyme usage in poetry and a perception experiment confirm that native speakers' intuitions about rhyming in the two languages indeed differ, and a further perception experiment supports the hypothesis that this fact is due to a constraint on prosody that is active in English but not in French. The findings suggest that certain forms of artistic expression in poetry are influenced, and even constrained, by more general properties of a language. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Functions of Spanish in the School Lives of Mexicano Bilingual Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benjamin, Rebecca

1996-01-01

A study of the language usage of five Mexican American fifth-grade bilingual students in an all-English classroom revealed the functions that Spanish continued to serve: providing information and assistance with school work, seeking explanations, providing self-talk, establishing and maintaining social relationships, and negotiating and…

How Mexican Is a Spanish-Speaking Mexican American?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patella, Victoria M.

To investigate the validity of language usage as an indicator of identification with the Mexican American subculture, this study hypothesized that greater use of Spanish than English would be correlated with characteristics consistent with the ideal, typical, Mexican American family in terms of family of orientation and aspirations for future…

Word Family Size and French-Speaking Children's Segmentation of Existing Compounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicoladis, Elena; Krott, Andrea

2007-01-01

The family size of the constituents of compound words, or the number of compounds sharing the constituents, affects English-speaking children's compound segmentation. This finding is consistent with a usage-based theory of language acquisition, whereby children learn abstract underlying linguistic structure through their experience with particular…

The Globalisation of (Educational) Language Rights.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove

2001-01-01

Argues that global English usage is triggering linguistic genocide in many areas of the world. Equates globalization with war and colonization, and with power structures taking control of natural resources--including land, water, and humans. Asserts that education in a mother tongue must be a human right. (Contains 50 references.) (NB)

Contrastive Study between Pronunciation Chinese L1 and English L2 from the Perspective of Interference Based on Observations in Genuine Teaching Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Feng

2016-01-01

Much research has been conducted on factors that impact on second language (L2) speech production in light of the age of L2 acquisition, the length of residence in the L2 environment, motivation, the amount of first language (L1) usage, etc. Very little of this research has taken the perspective of interference between L1 and L2, especially with…

Poorer verbal working memory for a second language selectively impacts academic achievement in university medical students

PubMed Central

Canny, Benedict J.; Reser, David H.; Rajan, Ramesh

2013-01-01

Working memory (WM) is often poorer for a second language (L2). In low noise conditions, people listening to a language other than their first language (L1) may have similar auditory perception skills for that L2 as native listeners, but do worse in high noise conditions, and this has been attributed to the poorer WM for L2. Given that WM is critical for academic success in children and young adults, these speech in noise effects have implications for academic performance where the language of instruction is L2 for a student. We used a well-established Speech-in-Noise task as a verbal WM (vWM) test, and developed a model correlating vWM and measures of English proficiency and/or usage to scholastic outcomes in a multi-faceted assessment medical education program. Significant differences in Speech-Noise Ratio (SNR50 ) values were observed between medical undergraduates who had learned English before or after five years of age, with the latter group doing worse in the ability to extract whole connected speech in the presence of background multi-talker babble (Student-t tests, p < 0.001). Significant negative correlations were observed between the SNR50 and seven of the nine variables of English usage, learning styles, stress, and musical abilities in a questionnaire administered to the students previously. The remaining two variables, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Age of Acquisition of English (AoAoE) were significantly positively correlated with the SNR50 , showing that those with a poorer capacity to discriminate simple English sentences from noise had learnt English later in life and had higher levels of stress – all characteristics of the international students. Local students exhibited significantly lower SNR50 scores and were significantly younger when they first learnt English. No significant correlation was detected between the SNR50 and the students’ Visual/Verbal Learning Style (r = −0.023). Standard multiple regression was carried out to assess the relationship between language proficiency and verbal working memory (SNR50 ) using 5 variables of L2 proficiency, with the results showing that the variance in SNR50 was significantly predicted by this model (r2 = 0.335). Hierarchical multiple regression was then used to test the ability of three independent variable measures (SNR50 , age of acquisition of English and English proficiency) to predict academic performance as the dependent variable in a factor analysis model which predicted significant performance differences in an assessment requiring communications skills (p = 0.008), but not on a companion assessment requiring knowledge of procedural skills, or other assessments requiring factual knowledge. Thus, impaired vWM for an L2 appears to affect specific communications-based assessments in university medical students. PMID:23638357

Poorer verbal working memory for a second language selectively impacts academic achievement in university medical students.

PubMed

Mann, Collette; Canny, Benedict J; Reser, David H; Rajan, Ramesh

2013-01-01

Working memory (WM) is often poorer for a second language (L2). In low noise conditions, people listening to a language other than their first language (L1) may have similar auditory perception skills for that L2 as native listeners, but do worse in high noise conditions, and this has been attributed to the poorer WM for L2. Given that WM is critical for academic success in children and young adults, these speech in noise effects have implications for academic performance where the language of instruction is L2 for a student. We used a well-established Speech-in-Noise task as a verbal WM (vWM) test, and developed a model correlating vWM and measures of English proficiency and/or usage to scholastic outcomes in a multi-faceted assessment medical education program. Significant differences in Speech-Noise Ratio (SNR50) values were observed between medical undergraduates who had learned English before or after five years of age, with the latter group doing worse in the ability to extract whole connected speech in the presence of background multi-talker babble (Student-t tests, p < 0.001). Significant negative correlations were observed between the SNR50 and seven of the nine variables of English usage, learning styles, stress, and musical abilities in a questionnaire administered to the students previously. The remaining two variables, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Age of Acquisition of English (AoAoE) were significantly positively correlated with the SNR50, showing that those with a poorer capacity to discriminate simple English sentences from noise had learnt English later in life and had higher levels of stress - all characteristics of the international students. Local students exhibited significantly lower SNR50 scores and were significantly younger when they first learnt English. No significant correlation was detected between the SNR50 and the students' Visual/Verbal Learning Style (r = -0.023). Standard multiple regression was carried out to assess the relationship between language proficiency and verbal working memory (SNR50) using 5 variables of L2 proficiency, with the results showing that the variance in SNR50 was significantly predicted by this model (r (2) = 0.335). Hierarchical multiple regression was then used to test the ability of three independent variable measures (SNR50, age of acquisition of English and English proficiency) to predict academic performance as the dependent variable in a factor analysis model which predicted significant performance differences in an assessment requiring communications skills (p = 0.008), but not on a companion assessment requiring knowledge of procedural skills, or other assessments requiring factual knowledge. Thus, impaired vWM for an L2 appears to affect specific communications-based assessments in university medical students.

Words Come in Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horowitz, Edward

This vocabulary enrichment book presents over 100 word roots of the English language. Each root is defined and its origin discussed. Words which derive from the roots are also defined and used in sentences which illustrate their meaning and usage. Over a thousand words are included in all, deriving from such roots as: allos, alter, ambul, arch,…

Curriculum Program for the Apache Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whiteriver Public Schools, AZ.

These curriculum materials from the Whiteriver (Arizona) Elementary School consist of--(1) an English-Apache word list of some of the most commonly used words in Apache, 29p.; (2) a list of enclitics with approximate or suggested meanings and illustrations of usage, 5 p.; (3) an illustrated chart of Apache vowels and consonants, various written…

Exploring Classroom Assessment Practices: The Case of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inbar-Lourie, Ofra; Donitsa-Schmidt, Smadar

2009-01-01

The research investigated the factors which underlie the perceptions and usage of alternative assessment procedures among EFL teachers in Israel. The research was conducted within the framework of an earlier model by Hargreaves and colleagues comprising four perspectives--technological, cultural, political and postmodern--to account for teachers'…

Cognitive reserve in Parkinson's disease: the effects of welsh-english bilingualism on executive function.

PubMed

Hindle, John V; Martin-Forbes, Pamela A; Bastable, Alexandra J M; Pye, Kirstie L; Martyr, Anthony; Whitaker, Christopher J; Craik, Fergus I M; Bialystok, Ellen; Thomas, Enlli M; Mueller Gathercole, Virginia C; Clare, Linda

2015-01-01

Objective. Bilingualism has been shown to benefit executive function (EF) and delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This study aims at examining whether a bilingual advantage applies to EF in Parkinson's disease (PD). Method. In a cross-sectional outpatient cohort of monolingual English (n = 57) and bilingual Welsh/English (n = 46) speakers with PD we evaluated the effects of bilingualism compared with monolingualism on performance on EF tasks. In bilinguals we also assessed the effects of the degree of daily usage of each language and the degree of bilingualism. Results. Monolinguals showed an advantage in performance of language tests. There were no differences in performance of EF tests in monolinguals and bilinguals. Those who used Welsh less in daily life had better performance on one test of English vocabulary. The degree of bilingualism correlated with one test of nonverbal reasoning and one of working memory but with no other tests of EF. Discussion. The reasons why the expected benefit in EF in Welsh-English bilinguals with PD was not found require further study. Future studies in PD should include other language pairs, analysis of the effects of the degree of bilingualism, and longitudinal analysis of cognitive decline or dementia together with structural or functional neuroimaging.

Cognitive Reserve in Parkinson's Disease: The Effects of Welsh-English Bilingualism on Executive Function

PubMed Central

Hindle, John V.; Martin-Forbes, Pamela A.; Bastable, Alexandra J. M.; Pye, Kirstie L.; Martyr, Anthony; Whitaker, Christopher J.; Craik, Fergus I. M.; Bialystok, Ellen; Thomas, Enlli M.; Mueller Gathercole, Virginia C.; Clare, Linda

2015-01-01

Objective. Bilingualism has been shown to benefit executive function (EF) and delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This study aims at examining whether a bilingual advantage applies to EF in Parkinson's disease (PD). Method. In a cross-sectional outpatient cohort of monolingual English (n = 57) and bilingual Welsh/English (n = 46) speakers with PD we evaluated the effects of bilingualism compared with monolingualism on performance on EF tasks. In bilinguals we also assessed the effects of the degree of daily usage of each language and the degree of bilingualism. Results. Monolinguals showed an advantage in performance of language tests. There were no differences in performance of EF tests in monolinguals and bilinguals. Those who used Welsh less in daily life had better performance on one test of English vocabulary. The degree of bilingualism correlated with one test of nonverbal reasoning and one of working memory but with no other tests of EF. Discussion. The reasons why the expected benefit in EF in Welsh-English bilinguals with PD was not found require further study. Future studies in PD should include other language pairs, analysis of the effects of the degree of bilingualism, and longitudinal analysis of cognitive decline or dementia together with structural or functional neuroimaging. PMID:25922786

The Impact of the Computer on the English Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Devern

1990-01-01

Study analyzed 224 product announcements from 69 hardware and software companies to detail computer-related words that are in common usage and compare the words and definitions with those in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It was found that 67.3 percent of the words were not included in the dictionary, pointing out the need for teachers to help…

The Lexico-Syntactic Marking of Chronological Order: Insights from Vietnamese Learners of ESL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tickoo, Asha

1998-01-01

This study of the use of "then"/"after that" by Vietnamese English-as-a-Second-Language learners suggests that the temporal adverbial poses a significant learning challenge similar to morphological means of temporal reference. Learner usage is monitored by a looser notion of salience, which emerges from the transference of a salience-marking…

Critical Race Theory, Hip Hop, and "Huck Finn": Narrative Inquiry in a High School English Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jennifer L.

2014-01-01

This study explores the impact of reading "Huckleberry Finn" through the lens of critical race theory for both teacher and students in a racially diverse urban high school environment. The teacher/researcher used narrative inquiry and creative non-fiction to examine student language usage, white privilege (including her own), and student…

Phrase Frequency, Proficiency and Grammaticality Interact in Non-Native Processing: Implications for Theories of SLA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shantz, Kailen

2017-01-01

This study reports on a self-paced reading experiment in which native and non-native speakers of English read sentences designed to evaluate the predictions of usage-based and rule-based approaches to second language acquisition (SLA). Critical stimuli were four-word sequences embedded into sentences in which phrase frequency and grammaticality…

Cerebral organization of oral and signed language responses: case study evidence from amytal and cortical stimulation studies.

PubMed

Mateer, C A; Rapport, R L; Kettrick, C

1984-01-01

A normally hearing left-handed patient familiar with American Sign Language (ASL) was assessed under sodium amytal conditions and with left cortical stimulation in both oral speech and signed English. Lateralization was mixed but complementary in each language mode: the right hemisphere perfusion severely disrupted motoric aspects of both types of language expression, the left hemisphere perfusion specifically disrupted features of grammatical and semantic usage in each mode of expression. Both semantic and syntactic aspects of oral and signed responses were altered during left posterior temporal-parietal stimulation. Findings are discussed in terms of the neurological organization of ASL and linguistic organization in cases of early left hemisphere damage.

Does English proficiency impact on health outcomes for inpatients undergoing stroke rehabilitation?

PubMed

Davies, Sarah E; Dodd, Karen J; Tu, April; Zucchi, Emiliano; Zen, Stefania; Hill, Keith D

2016-07-01

To determine whether English proficiency and/or the frequency of interpreter use impacts on health outcomes for inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Retrospective case-control study. People admitted for inpatient stroke rehabilitation. A high English proficiency group comprised people with native or near native English proficiency (n = 80), and a low English proficiency group comprised people who preferred a language other than English (n = 80). Length of stay (LOS), discharge destination and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). The low English proficiency group showed a greater improvement in FIM from admission to discharge (p = 0.04). No significant differences were found between groups in LOS, discharge destination and number of encounters with allied health professionals. Increased interpreter usage improved FIM efficiency but did not significantly alter other outcomes. English proficiency does not appear to impact on health outcomes in inpatient rehabilitation with a primarily in-house professional interpreter service. However, there is a need for a larger powered study to confirm these findings. Implications for rehabilitation People with low English proficiency undergoing inpatient stroke rehabilitation in a setting with a primarily in-house professional interpreter service, achieved similar outcomes to those with high English proficiency irrespective of frequency of interpreter usage. A non-significant increase of 4 days length of stay was observed in the low English proficiency group compared to the high English proficiency group. For patients with low English proficiency, greater change in Functional Independence Measure efficiency scores was observed for those with higher levels of interpreter use relative to those with low interpreter use. Clinicians should optimise use of interpreters with patients with low English proficiency when possible.

The Effects of Achievement Goal Orientation and English Language Usage on Student Standardized Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolton, Richard Allen

2017-01-01

Students take standardized tests and in most cases, the results have implications not only to the students, but also teachers and administrators. The students' motivation to perform may be a factor, especially in the infrequent situations when there aren't consequences to the students, only the administration. The tests in the middle school years…

Origine et evolution du bilinguisme judiciaire au Quebec (Origin and Evolution of Judicial Bilingualism in Quebec).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. Laurent, Gilles

The history and conditions of the use of English and French in the exercise of justice in Quebec are outlined in the context of the problems, sociopolitical realities, and procedural impact of language usage. The history is chronicled in six segments: 1760-1764, a period of British military government and political standoff between British and…

Action Research: Applying a Bilingual Parallel Corpus Collocational Concordancer to Taiwanese Medical School EFL Academic Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Barry Lee

2016-01-01

Lack of knowledge in the conventional usage of collocations in one's respective field of expertise cause Taiwanese students to produce academic writing that is markedly different than more competent writing. This is because Taiwanese students are first and foremost English as a Foreign language (EFL) readers and may have difficulties picking up on…

Word Watcher's Handbook, Including a Deletionary of the Most Abused and Misused Words.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Phyllis

The goal of this handbook of English usage and pronunciation is to save the job seeker from possible rejection, to improve the job holder's chances for promotion, to inspire the student to master the language, and to help everyone to avoid making errors in everyday conversation. Part one of the volume provides a "deletionary," a listing of words…

Containment and Support: Core and Complexity in Spatial Language Learning.

PubMed

Landau, Barbara; Johannes, Kristen; Skordos, Dimitrios; Papafragou, Anna

2017-04-01

Containment and support have traditionally been assumed to represent universal conceptual foundations for spatial terms. This assumption can be challenged, however: English in and on are applied across a surprisingly broad range of exemplars, and comparable terms in other languages show significant variation in their application. We propose that the broad domains of both containment and support have internal structure that reflects different subtypes, that this structure is reflected in basic spatial term usage across languages, and that it constrains children's spatial term learning. Using a newly developed battery, we asked how adults and 4-year-old children speaking English or Greek distribute basic spatial terms across subtypes of containment and support. We found that containment showed similar distributions of basic terms across subtypes among all groups while support showed such similarity only among adults, with striking differences between children learning English versus Greek. We conclude that the two domains differ considerably in the learning problems they present, and that learning in and on is remarkably complex. Together, our results point to the need for a more nuanced view of spatial term learning. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Exposure to and Use of Electronic Cigarettes: Does Language Matter?

PubMed

Wada, Paul; Lam, Chun Nok; Burner, Elizabeth; Terp, Sophie; Menchine, Michael; Arora, Sanjay

2017-01-01

To determine whether patients who are English proficient become aware of e-cigarettes through different marketing tactics and have dissimilar patterns of use than patients who are non-English speaking. This was a cross-sectional study surveying adult English- and Spanish-speaking patients. ANOVA and chi-squared tests were used to examine differences between groups. A large public, safety-net hospital in Los Angeles County, California. Respondents (N=1899) were predominately Hispanic (78%), foreign-born (68%), and reported Spanish as a primary language (64%). Native English speakers reported the highest use of e-cigarettes (26%), followed by non-native (13%) and non-English speakers (2%) (P<.001). In terms of marketing, native and non-native English speakers were more likely to have friends and family as sources of e-cigarette information (P<.001). Native speakers were more likely to see advertisements for e-cigarettes on storefronts (P=.004) and on billboards (P<.001). Non-English speakers were most likely to learn about e-cigarettes on the news (P<.001) and in advertisements on the television and radio (P=.002). Differences in reasons for use were not significant between the three groups. Native and non-native English speakers become aware of e-cigarettes through different mechanisms and use e-cigarettes at a significantly higher rate than non-English speakers. These results highlight an opportunity for public health programs to concentrate on specific channels of communication that introduce patient populations to e-cigarettes to slow the spread of e-cigarette usage.

Obligatory grammatical categories and the expression of temporal events.

PubMed

Winskel, Heather; Luksaneeyanawin, Sudaporn

2009-03-01

Thai has imperfective aspectual morphemes that are not obligatory in usage, whereas English has obligatory grammaticized imperfective aspectual marking on the verb. Furthermore, Thai has verb final deictic-path verbs that form a closed class set. The current study investigated if obligatoriness of these grammatical categories in Thai and English affects the expression of co-occurring temporal events and actions depicted in three different short animations. Ten children aged four years, five years, six years and seven years, and ten adults as a comparison group from each of the two languages participated. English speakers explicitly expressed the ongoingness of the events more than Thai speakers, whereas Thai speakers expressed the entrance and exit of protagonists depicted in the animations significantly more than English speakers. These results support the notion that obligatory grammatical categories shape how Thai and English speakers express temporal events or actions.

Drug Themes in Science Fiction. National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Issues 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverberg, Robert

This booklet is part of a series most of which focus on empirical research findings and major theoretical approaches in the area of drug usage. In this volume, the author has compiled a group of English-language short stories and novels which deal with the use of mind-altering drugs, all written since 1900 and falling within the literary category…

On the Use of "Then"/"After That" in the Marking of Chronological Order: Insights from Vietnamese and Chinese Learners of ESL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tickoo, Asha

2002-01-01

Examines the use of "then"/"after that" by Vietnamese and Chinese learners of English as a Second Language, suggesting that this temporal adverb poses as much of a learning challenge as morphological means of temporal reference. Shows that a learner's usage is monitored by a looser notion of salience, which emerges from the…

Comparing User-Assisted and Automatic Query Translation

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

do their strategies differ from those used in monolingual applications? How do individual differences in subject knowledge, language skills, search...Translation Ideally, we would prefer to provide the searcher with English definitions for each German translation alternative. Dictionaries with these...keeping with the common usage in monolingual contexts [1], we call this approach “key- word in context” or “KWIC.” For each German translation of an

The Development of Strategies for the Assignment of Semantic Information to Unknown Lexemes in Text. Lenguas para Objetivos Especificas (Languages for Special Purposes), No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alderson, Charles; Alvarez, Guadalupe

An English for Special Purposes (ESP) course being developed aims to give the students a series of techniques to help them handle vocabulary in a text, and teach them strategies for identifying meaning in context. Traditional strategies, such as the study of morphology, use of grammatical information, and exercises in dictionary usage, are…

Health-Seeking Behaviors of Filipino Migrants in Australia: The Influence of Persisting Acculturative Stress and Depression.

PubMed

Maneze, Della; Salamonson, Yenna; Poudel, Chandra; DiGiacomo, Michelle; Everett, Bronwyn; Davidson, Patricia M

2016-08-01

This study examined the relationships among the constructs of acculturative stress, depression, English language use, health literacy, and social support and the influence of these factors on health-seeking behaviors of Filipino Australians. Using a self-administered questionnaire, 552 respondents were recruited from November 2010 to June 2011. Structural equation modelling was used to examine relationships. A direct and negative relationship between health-seeking behaviors and depression, and an indirect relationship with acculturative stress, was observed mediated through depression. Social support had an important moderating influence on these effects. Although there was an inverse relationship between age and English language usage and depression, age was positively related to health-seeking behavior. Despite their long duration of stay, Filipino Australian migrants continue to experience acculturative stress and depression leading to lower health-seeking behaviors. This study highlights the importance of screening for acculturative stress and depression in migrants and fostering social support.

Using a schoolyard garden to increase language acquisition and conceptual understanding of science in elementary ELL students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, Morgan

This action research study examined a small cross-section of a Texas public school population. Participants were kindergarten through third grade students enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program who were pulled out of their general classroom to receive English support within the content area of science. This study looked at how effective a hands-on learning experience using a schoolyard garden enhanced the academic language and science content of the participants. The study began in mid-March and concluded at the end of April with each group receiving 40 minutes of instruction five days a week. Each group consisted of a Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced/Advanced High student for a total of 12 participants. Four forms of data were used in this study: archival, pre-test, post-test, and journal. Rubrics were used to analyze individual students' level of academic language before and after the study. The results illustrate that the younger students (kindergarten and first grade) descriptions were very basic and concrete while the older students had more accurate and descriptive responses. Upon completion of this research, it was determined that the usage of a schoolyard garden compliments both the acquisition of academic language and the increase in science content knowledge.

Gender difference in academic performance of nursing students in a Malaysian university college.

PubMed

Wan Chik, W Z; Salamonson, Y; Everett, B; Ramjan, L M; Attwood, N; Weaver, R; Saad, Z; Davidson, P M

2012-09-01

To examine differences in academic performance between male and female nursing students, and to identify whether professional identity and language usage were explanatory factors of academic performance. Although the numbers of men entering the nursing profession are increasing, societal stereotypes and the lack of male role models in nursing may have a negative impact on motivation, and hence, academic performance. A total of 147 students who were enrolled in an undergraduate nursing programme in Peninsula Malaysia were surveyed in January 2011. In addition to demographic and academic data, three instruments were administered to measure language acculturation and professional identity. The mean age of participants was 20.0 (SD: 1.5) years with 81% being female. Almost all students spoke the Malay language at home. Although there were no differences between male and female nursing students in relation to professional identity (P=0.496), male nursing students reported a lower mean English language usage score (9.9 vs. 10.9, P=0.011) and a higher mean Malay language usage score (20.4 vs. 18.8, P=0.017). Males were also found to have lower academic performance than female students, as measured by grade point average (GPA) (2.7 vs. 3.2, P<0.001). Regression analysis revealed gender was the only significant predictor of academic performance (β=-0.44, P<0.001). Males represent less than 10% of the nursing workforce in developed countries, with some developing countries experiencing even lower participation rates. Promoting academic support of male nursing students may assist in increasing the number of male registered nurses in the nursing workforce. © 2012 The Authors. International Nursing Review © 2012 International Council of Nurses.

Psychometric properties and measurement equivalence of the English and Chinese versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory in patients with breast cancer.

PubMed

Ke, Yu; Ng, Terence; Yeo, Hui Ling; Shwe, Maung; Gan, Yan Xiang; Chan, Alexandre

2017-02-01

There is a lack of psychometric data for both the English and Chinese versions of Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to support its usage among breast cancer patients. This study examined the psychometric properties and measurement equivalence of the English and Chinese versions of BAI among breast cancer patients in Singapore. Patients were recruited from two major cancer centers in Singapore. The criterion and construct validity of BAI was assessed by its correlation strength with (1) the emotional functioning subdomain of EORTC QLQ-C30 and (2) constructs related to anxiety, namely fatigue, dyspnea, and quality of life. The known-group validity was assessed according to the patients' breast cancer stage, religious beliefs, and emotional functioning levels. The internal consistency of the BAI domains was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Regression analysis was performed to compare the BAI total and domain scores between the two language versions. Data from 244 patients (144 English-speaking and 100 Chinese-speaking) were analyzed. For both language versions, the BAI total scores correlated moderately with the EORTC QLQ-C30 emotional functioning subdomain (r = -0.655 and -0.601). Correlations with fatigue, quality of life, and dyspnea were moderate (|r| = 0.456-0.606). Patients with poorer emotional functioning reported higher anxiety levels, establishing known-group validity. All BAI domains demonstrated satisfactory internal consistencies (α = 0.74-0.87), except for the panic domain (α = 0.57-0.61). Possible measurement equivalence between the language versions was established. Both English and Chinese versions of BAI are valid, reliable, and possibly equivalent for future use.

English language usage pattern in China mainland doctors: AME survey-001 initial analysis results.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhongheng; Wáng, Yì-Xiáng J

2015-02-01

English is the most widely used language in medical community worldwide. Till now there is no study yet on how English language is being used among mainland Chinese doctors. The present survey aimed to address this question. An online cross-sectional survey was carried out during the period of 23 Oct 2014 to 13 November 2014, totaling 22 days. This survey was conducted on the platform provided by DXY (www.dxy.cn), which is the largest medical and paramedical related website in China with registered medical doctor users of slightly more than one million. E-mails were sent to all DXY registered users to invite them to participate the survey which lasts approximately five-minute. The questionnaire included three major aspects: (I) the demographic characteristics of participants; (II) English reading pattern; and (III) paper publishing experience in international journals. To accommodate the complexity of relationships among variables, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to build the model. In total 1,663 DXY users completed the survey, which counted for ≈1% of the total registered medical doctor users. There were more participants from relatively economically developed eastern coast areas. The age of participants was 33.6±7.4 years. There were 910 respondents from teaching hospitals (54.72%), followed by tertiary care hospitals (class-III hospital, 22.37%). Mainland Chinese doctors were more likely to consult medical materials in Chinese (63.5%) when they encounter clinical difficulties. Participants who were able to list English journals of their own specialty up to four were 44.02% for 0, 13.77% for one journal, 13.89% for two journals, 9.26% for three journals, and 19.06% for four journals. Most participants (82.86%) have read at least one English paper or one professional book in English, while 17.14% responded they never read a single English paper or professorial book in English. About 30.42% participants published at least one paper in English journals, and approximately half of them require professional English editing service. This limited survey shows Mainland Chinese doctors are more likely to use Chinese medical materials. Overall their familiarity with international English journals is relatively low. Improving English education at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels is recommended.

Social media in adolescent health literacy education: a pilot study.

PubMed

Tse, Carrie Kw; Bridges, Susan M; Srinivasan, Divya Parthasarathy; Cheng, Brenda Ss

2015-03-09

While health literacy has gained notice on a global stage, the initial focus on seeking associations with medical conditions may have overlooked its impact across generations. Adolescent health literacy, specifically in dentistry, is an underexplored area despite the significance of this formative stage on an individual's approach to healthy lifestyles and behaviors. The aim is to conduct a pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of three major social media outlets - Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube - in supporting adolescents' oral health literacy (OHL) education. A random sample of 22 adolescents (aged 14-16 years) from an English-medium international school in Hong Kong provided informed consent. Sociodemographic information, including English language background, social media usage, and dental experience were collected via a questionnaire. A pre- and post-test of OHL (REALD-30) was administered by two trained, calibrated examiners. Following pre-test, participants were randomly assigned to one of three social media outlets: Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. Participants received alerts posted daily for 5 consecutive days requiring online accessing of modified and original OHL education materials. One-way ANOVA ( analysis of variance) was used to compare the mean difference between the pre- and the post-test results among the three social media. No associations were found between the social media allocated and participants' sociodemographics, including English language background, social media usage, and dental experience. Of the three social media, significant differences in literacy assessment scores were evident for participants who received oral health education messages via Facebook (P=.02) and YouTube (P=.005). Based on the results of the pilot study, Facebook and YouTube may be more efficient media outlets for OHL promotion and education among adolescent school children when compared to Twitter. Further analyses with a larger study group is warranted.

De L'Economie des moyens linguistiques en francais et en anglais dans l'usage standard contemporain (On the Economy of Linguistic Means in French and English Standard Contemporary Usage).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calve, Pierre

1989-01-01

The conciseness and "ease of use" often attributed to North American English relative to French in standard contemporary usage is explained in terms of English morpho-syntactic structure and of the values of the classical norm and rhetoric affecting French. (Author/MSE)

CRIE: An automated analyzer for Chinese texts.

PubMed

Sung, Yao-Ting; Chang, Tao-Hsing; Lin, Wei-Chun; Hsieh, Kuan-Sheng; Chang, Kuo-En

2016-12-01

Textual analysis has been applied to various fields, such as discourse analysis, corpus studies, text leveling, and automated essay evaluation. Several tools have been developed for analyzing texts written in alphabetic languages such as English and Spanish. However, currently there is no tool available for analyzing Chinese-language texts. This article introduces a tool for the automated analysis of simplified and traditional Chinese texts, called the Chinese Readability Index Explorer (CRIE). Composed of four subsystems and incorporating 82 multilevel linguistic features, CRIE is able to conduct the major tasks of segmentation, syntactic parsing, and feature extraction. Furthermore, the integration of linguistic features with machine learning models enables CRIE to provide leveling and diagnostic information for texts in language arts, texts for learning Chinese as a foreign language, and texts with domain knowledge. The usage and validation of the functions provided by CRIE are also introduced.

Indigenous language use and primary science teaching in a post-colonial society: The case of Shona in Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horcajo, Susan Lori

The historical legacy of colonialism in Zimbabwe is revealed in the continued use of the colonial language, English, in education. However, many teachers use the local language along with particular techniques to address this language gap so that children learn the content of the lessons, especially in the rural areas where access to modern conveniences and the school language outside of class is limited. This research examines the use of an indigenous language in an educational system in which content area curricula are administered in a second language. Three third grade classes in a rural Zimbabwean village were video recorded for three weeks each during the teaching of science. Lessons were transcribed and questions devised for the teachers and a small number of students in order to explore issues related to language use and scientific concept development. The lessons and interviews were reviewed in order to determine particular language usage in the indigenous Shona language and its local dialect, Ndau. The questions addressed were: (1) When and how does the teacher use Shona to explain scientific concepts? (2) When and how do children use Shona to discuss these concepts? (3) What is the relationship among cognition, the use of Shona in the classroom and the learning of science? Analysis of Shona language use in these lessons revealed that while Shona was most commonly used in single words for affection, to facilitate instruction, and to support the lesson, large segments of four sentences or more allowed for more culturally relevant teaching and the development of concepts which served the purpose of science learning through identification, description, explanation and the reaching of conclusions. Metalinguistic awareness and literacy were seen to be salient elements in the lessons, especially given the fact that only English is allowed to be written; that is, while the teacher often explained elements of the lessons orally, all writing on the board, in exercises and other tasks was done in English. Given the correlation between cognitive and linguistic development, the implications for education for national socio-economic development are great.

Evolution of the most common English words and phrases over the centuries.

PubMed

Perc, Matjaz

2012-12-07

By determining the most common English words and phrases since the beginning of the sixteenth century, we obtain a unique large-scale view of the evolution of written text. We find that the most common words and phrases in any given year had a much shorter popularity lifespan in the sixteenth century than they had in the twentieth century. By measuring how their usage propagated across the years, we show that for the past two centuries, the process has been governed by linear preferential attachment. Along with the steady growth of the English lexicon, this provides an empirical explanation for the ubiquity of Zipf's law in language statistics and confirms that writing, although undoubtedly an expression of art and skill, is not immune to the same influences of self-organization that are known to regulate processes as diverse as the making of new friends and World Wide Web growth.

Prediction of psychosis across protocols and risk cohorts using automated language analysis.

PubMed

Corcoran, Cheryl M; Carrillo, Facundo; Fernández-Slezak, Diego; Bedi, Gillinder; Klim, Casimir; Javitt, Daniel C; Bearden, Carrie E; Cecchi, Guillermo A

2018-02-01

Language and speech are the primary source of data for psychiatrists to diagnose and treat mental disorders. In psychosis, the very structure of language can be disturbed, including semantic coherence (e.g., derailment and tangentiality) and syntactic complexity (e.g., concreteness). Subtle disturbances in language are evident in schizophrenia even prior to first psychosis onset, during prodromal stages. Using computer-based natural language processing analyses, we previously showed that, among English-speaking clinical (e.g., ultra) high-risk youths, baseline reduction in semantic coherence (the flow of meaning in speech) and in syntactic complexity could predict subsequent psychosis onset with high accuracy. Herein, we aimed to cross-validate these automated linguistic analytic methods in a second larger risk cohort, also English-speaking, and to discriminate speech in psychosis from normal speech. We identified an automated machine-learning speech classifier - comprising decreased semantic coherence, greater variance in that coherence, and reduced usage of possessive pronouns - that had an 83% accuracy in predicting psychosis onset (intra-protocol), a cross-validated accuracy of 79% of psychosis onset prediction in the original risk cohort (cross-protocol), and a 72% accuracy in discriminating the speech of recent-onset psychosis patients from that of healthy individuals. The classifier was highly correlated with previously identified manual linguistic predictors. Our findings support the utility and validity of automated natural language processing methods to characterize disturbances in semantics and syntax across stages of psychotic disorder. The next steps will be to apply these methods in larger risk cohorts to further test reproducibility, also in languages other than English, and identify sources of variability. This technology has the potential to improve prediction of psychosis outcome among at-risk youths and identify linguistic targets for remediation and preventive intervention. More broadly, automated linguistic analysis can be a powerful tool for diagnosis and treatment across neuropsychiatry. © 2018 World Psychiatric Association.

Information and Communication Technology Use Among Low-Income Pregnant and Postpartum Women by Race and Ethnicity: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Chilukuri, Nymisha; West, Meredith; Henderson, Janice Lynn; Lawson, Shari; Ehsanipoor, Robert; Costigan, Kathleen; Polk, Sarah; Bennett, Wendy

2015-07-03

Pregnancy and the postpartum period provide windows of opportunity to impact perinatal and lifelong preventive health behavior for women and their families, but these opportunities are often missed. Understanding racial/ethnic differences in information and communication technology (ICT) use could inform technology-based interventions in diverse populations. The objective of the study was to evaluate differences in the use of ICT between racial and ethnic groups as well as by English language proficiency. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 246 women who were aged 18 years or older and pregnant or within 1 year of delivery. They were recruited from 4 hospital-based outpatient clinics and completed a self-administered survey. We used multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the association between race/ethnicity and ICT (mobile phone/short message service [SMS] text message, Internet, and social network) usage by race/ethnicity and perceived English language proficiency after adjusting for age, income, marital status, and insurance status. In all, 28% (69/246) of participants were Latina, 40% (98/246) were African American, 23% (56/246) were white, and 9% (23/246) from other racial/ethnic groups. Of the Latinas, 84% (58/69) reported limited English language proficiency and 59% (41/69) were uninsured. More than 90% of all participants reported mobile phone use, but more than 25% (65/246) had changed phone numbers 2 or more times in the past year. Compared to white women, African American women were less likely to SMS text message (OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01-0.63) and Latinas were less likely to use the Internet to find others with similar concerns (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.08-0.73). Women with limited English language proficiency were less likely to use the Internet overall (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.09-0.99) or use email (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.08-0.63) compared to women with adequate English language proficiency. Mobile phones are widely available for the delivery of health interventions to low-income, racially diverse pregnant and postpartum women, but disparities in Internet use and SMS text messaging exist. Interventions or programs requiring Web-based apps may have lower uptake unless alternatives are available, such as those adapted for limited English proficiency populations.

The Usage Evaluation of Official Computer Terms in Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesian Government Official Websites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amalia, A.; Gunawan, D.; Lydia, M. S.; Charlie, C.

2017-03-01

According to Undang-Undang Dasar Republik Indonesia 1945 Pasal 36, Bahasa Indonesia is a National Language of Indonesia. It means Bahasa Indonesia must be used as an official language in all levels ranging from government to education as well as in development of science and technology. The Government of Republic of Indonesia as the highest and formal authority must use official Bahasa Indonesia in their activities including in their official websites. Therefore, the government issued a regulation instruction called Instruksi Presiden (Inpres) No. 2 Tahun 2001 to govern the usage of official computer terms in Bahasa Indonesia. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the usage of official computer terms in Bahasa Indonesia compared to the computer terms in English. The data are obtained from the government official websites in Indonesia. The method consists of data gathering, template detection, string extraction and data analysis. The evaluation of official computer terms in Bahasa Indonesia falls into three categories, such as good, moderate and poor. The number of websites in good category is 281 websites, the moderate category is 512 websites and the poor category is 290 websites. The authorized institution may use this result as additional information to evaluate the implementation of official information technology terms in Bahasa Indonesia.

Minority students in the science classroom: Issues of language, class, race, culture and pedagogy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweeney, Aldrin Edward

A considerable proportion of the educationally at-risk students in the K-12 public education system is composed of minority students, either in terms of cultural background, linguistic background, and frequently, both. In particular, satisfactory levels of achievement in science are not being attained by these students. The concerns of this study center on examining and understanding the reasons underlying this situation, with a view to suggesting how these problems of underachievement in science might be addressed. Previous and ongoing educational research concerning these issues suggest that such underachievement may be due to current pedagogical practices which seem to actively discourage these students from achieving any significant measure of academic, educational or professional success. The purpose of this study is thus to explore the beliefs and pedagogical practices of science teachers as they relate to minority students, especially those minority students for whom English is not a first language and who have limited English proficiency (LEP). In the course of this study, the terminology 'minority students' will refer to and be inclusive of cultural and/or language minorities, i.e. those students who differ from the mainstream white American student in terms of cultural background and a native language other than English. Culturally derived usages of non-standard forms of English (e.g. Black English Vernacular) also will be subsumed within this definition of cultural and language minority students. Particular attention will be given to emergent issues relating to current pedagogical practices, also to the science teacher beliefs and epistemological rationales underlying such practices. In exploring these beliefs and pedagogical practices, the study also will seek to delineate and to understand the various problems which are being encountered in the teaching of science to minority students. As the result of exploring the beliefs and pedagogical practices of science teachers as they relate to minority students, it is intended that the completed study will contribute toward the development and elaboration of a substantive pedagogical content knowledge base for science teachers of cultural and language minority students. It is anticipated that the development of such a knowledge base will be of practical assistance to science teachers in their pedagogical decisions such that a greater inclusion of these students in the science discourse community may be attained.

English Language Learners. What Works Clearinghouse Topic Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2007

2007-01-01

English language learners are students with a primary language other than English who have a limited range of speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills in English. English language learners also include students identified and determined by their school as having limited English proficiency and a language other than English spoken in the…

Do Decision Rules Matter? A Descriptive Study of English Language Proficiency Assessment Classifications for English-Language Learners and Native English Speakers in Fifth Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Patricia E.; Bailey, Alison L.

2016-01-01

English language proficiency assessments (ELPA) are used in the United States to measure annually the English language progress and proficiency of English-language learners (ELLs), a subgroup of language minority students who receive language acquisition support mandated and largely funded by Title III (NCLB, 2001). ELPA proficient and…

Complex Networks in Different Languages: A Study of an Emergent Multilingual Encyclopedia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pembe, F. Canan; Bingol, Haluk

There is an increasing interest to the study of complex networks in an interdisciplinary way. Language, as a complex network, has been a part of this study due to its importance in human life. Moreover, the Internet has also been at the center of this study by making access to large amounts of information possible. With these ideas in mind, this work aims to evaluate conceptual networks in different languages with the data from a large and open source of information in the Internet, namely Wikipedia. As an evolving multilingual encyclopedia that can be edited by any Internet user, Wikipedia is a good example of an emergent complex system. In this paper, different from previous work on conceptual networks which usually concentrated on single languages, we concentrate on possible ways to compare the usages of different languages and possibly the underlying cultures. This also involves the analysis of local network properties around certain coneepts in different languages. For an initial evaluation, the concept "family" is used to compare the English and German Wikipedias. Although, the work is currently at the beginning, the results are promising.

Marking of verb tense in the English of preschool English-Mandarin bilingual children: evidence from language development profiles within subgroups on the Singapore English Action Picture Test.

PubMed

Brebner, Chris; McCormack, Paul; Liow, Susan Rickard

2016-01-01

The phonological and morphosyntactic structures of English and Mandarin contrast maximally and an increasing number of bilinguals speak these two languages. Speech and language therapists need to understand bilingual development for children speaking these languages in order reliably to assess and provide intervention for this population. To examine the marking of verb tense in the English of two groups of bilingual pre-schoolers learning these languages in a multilingual setting where the main educational language is English. The main research question addressed was: are there differences in the rate and pattern of acquisition of verb-tense marking for English-language 1 children compared with Mandarin-language 1 children? Spoken language samples in English from 481 English-Mandarin bilingual children were elicited using a 10-item action picture test and analysed for each child's use of verb tense markers: present progressive '-ing', regular past tense '-ed', third-person singular '-s', and irregular past tense and irregular past-participle forms. For 4-6 year olds the use of inflectional markers by the different language dominance groups was compared statistically using non-parametric tests. This study provides further evidence that bilingual language development is not the same as monolingual language development. The results show that there are very different rates and patterns of verb-tense marking in English for English-language 1 and Mandarin-language 1 children. Furthermore, they show that bilingual language development in English in Singapore is not the same as monolingual language development in English, and that there are differences in development depending on language dominance. Valid and reliable assessment of bilingual children's language skills needs to consider the characteristics of all languages spoken, obtaining accurate information on language use over time and accurately establishing language dominance is essential in order to make a differential diagnosis between language difference and impairment. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Use and Impact of English-Language Learner Assessment in Arizona

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Stephen B.

2009-01-01

The Arizona English-Language Learner Assessment (AZELLA) is the backbone of Arizona's new English-language learner (ELL) policy in that it is used to assess students' English-language proficiency in order to place them into groups for English-language instruction and to determine when they have become proficient in English. This paper evaluates a…

Characteristics of an Effective English Language Teacher as Perceived by Iranian Teachers and Learners of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shishavan, Homa Babai; Sadeghi, Karim

2009-01-01

This study attempted to characterize qualities of an effective English language teacher (EELT) as perceived by Iranian English language teachers and learners. For this purpose, a tailor-made questionnaire was administered to 59 English language teachers and 215 learners of English at universities, high schools and language institutes in Iran. The…

Definite Article Usage across Varieties of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wahid, Ridwan

2013-01-01

This paper seeks to explore the extent of definite article usage variation in several varieties of English based on a classification of its usage types. An annotation scheme based on Hawkins and Prince was developed for this purpose. Using matching corpus data representing Inner Circle varieties and Outer Circle varieties, analysis was made on…

Language Ideologies in a Danish Company with English as a Corporate Language: "It Has to Be English"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lønsmann, Dorte

2015-01-01

With the spread of English as a global language, concerns have been voiced over the impact of English on local languages. This article presents results from an ethnographic study of language ideologies in a Danish workplace with a particular focus on ideologies of English in relation to the local language and to other foreign languages. In this…

The Persistence and Functional Impact of English Language Difficulties Experienced by Children Learning English as an Additional Language and Monolingual Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whiteside, Katie E.; Norbury, Courtenay Frazier

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study explored whether a monolingual-normed English language battery could identify children with English as an additional language (EAL) who have persistent English language learning difficulties that affect functional academic attainment. Method: Children with EAL (n = 43) and monolingual English-speaking children (n = 46)…

Constructing English as a Ugandan Language through an English Textbook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stranger-Johannessen, Espen

2015-01-01

English is a national language in Uganda and is widely used in elite areas such as politics and business, but most Ugandans master English to only a limited degree. In this situation, English can be seen as either a foreign language or a second language--influencing how English is taught. One goal of language teaching espoused in this article is…

The Impact of an Instructional Intervention on the Science and Language Learning of Middle Grade English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

August, Diane; Branum-Martin, Lee; Cardenas-Hagan, Elsa; Francis, David

2010-01-01

The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention--Quality English and Science Teaching (QuEST)--designed to develop the science knowledge and academic language of middle grades English language learners studying science in their second language and their English-proficient classmates. Both English language learners and…

76 FR 3120 - Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program; Office of English Language...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-19

... English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English.... Barrera, Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, Office of English Language Acquisition, Language... learners (ELs) \\1\\, and to promote parental and community participation in language instruction educational...

A bootstrapping method for development of Treebank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarei, F.; Basirat, A.; Faili, H.; Mirain, M.

2017-01-01

Using statistical approaches beside the traditional methods of natural language processing could significantly improve both the quality and performance of several natural language processing (NLP) tasks. The effective usage of these approaches is subject to the availability of the informative, accurate and detailed corpora on which the learners are trained. This article introduces a bootstrapping method for developing annotated corpora based on a complex and rich linguistically motivated elementary structure called supertag. To this end, a hybrid method for supertagging is proposed that combines both of the generative and discriminative methods of supertagging. The method was applied on a subset of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in order to annotate its sentences with a set of linguistically motivated elementary structures of the English XTAG grammar that is using a lexicalised tree-adjoining grammar formalism. The empirical results confirm that the bootstrapping method provides a satisfactory way for annotating the English sentences with the mentioned structures. The experiments show that the method could automatically annotate about 20% of WSJ with the accuracy of F-measure about 80% of which is particularly 12% higher than the F-measure of the XTAG Treebank automatically generated from the approach proposed by Basirat and Faili [(2013). Bridge the gap between statistical and hand-crafted grammars. Computer Speech and Language, 27, 1085-1104].

The Relative Importance of English versus Spanish Language Skills for Low-Income Latino English Language Learners' Early Language and Literacy Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sonnenschein, Susan; Metzger, Shari R.; Dowling, Rebecca; Baker, Linda

2017-01-01

The association between monolingual children's early language abilities and their later reading performance is well established. However, for English language learners, the pattern of associations between early language skills and later literacy is much less well understood for English language learners. This study examined language predictors of…

A Phenomenological Study: The Impacts of Developing Phonetic Awareness through Technological Resources on English Language Learners' (ELL) Communicative Competences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fabre-Merchán, Paolo; Torres-Jara, Gabriela; Andrade-Dominguez, Francisco; Ortiz-Zurita, Ma. José; Alvarez-Muñoz, Patricio

2017-01-01

Throughout our experience within the English Language Teaching (ELT) field and while acquiring a second language in English a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) settings, we have noticed that one of the main perceived challenges for English Language Learners (ELLs) is to effectively communicate. Most of the time, this…

Cognition, Corpora, and Computing: Triangulating Research in Usage-Based Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Nick C.

2017-01-01

Usage-based approaches explore how we learn language from our experience of language. Related research thus involves the analysis of the usage from which learners learn and of learner usage as it develops. This program involves considerable data recording, transcription, and analysis, using a variety of corpus and computational techniques, many of…

Should bilingual children learn reading in two languages at the same time or in sequence?

PubMed Central

Berens, Melody S.; Kovelman, Ioulia; Petitto, Laura-Ann

2013-01-01

Is it best to learn reading in two languages simultaneously or sequentially? We observed 2nd and 3rd grade children in two-way dual-language learning contexts: (i) 50:50 or Simultaneous dual-language (two languages within same developmental period) and (ii) 90:10 or Sequential dual-language (one language, followed gradually by the other). They were compared to matched monolingual English-only children in single-language English schools. Bilinguals (home language was Spanish only, English-only, or Spanish and English in dual-language schools), were tested in both languages, and monolingual children were tested in English using standardized reading and language tasks. Bilinguals in 50:50 programs performed better than bilinguals in 90:10 programs on English Irregular Words and Passage Comprehension tasks, suggesting language and reading facilitation for underlying grammatical class and linguistic structure analyses. By contrast, bilinguals in 90:10 programs performed better than bilinguals in the 50:50 programs on English Phonological Awareness and Reading Decoding tasks, suggesting language and reading facilitation for surface phonological regularity analysis. Notably, children from English-only homes in dual-language learning contexts performed equally well, or better than, children from monolingual English-only homes in single-language learning contexts. Overall, the findings provide tantalizing evidence that dual-language learning during the same developmental period may provide bilingual reading advantages. PMID:23794952

Teaching Pronunciation to Adult English Language Learners. CAELA Network Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaetzel, Kirsten; Low, Ee Ling

2009-01-01

Adult English language learners in the United States approach the learning of English pronunciation from a wide variety of native language backgrounds. They may speak languages with sound systems that vary a great deal from that of English. The pronunciation goals and needs of adult English language learners are diverse. These goals and needs…

Language Policy, Teacher Beliefs, and Practice: Implications for English Language Learners in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llamas-Flores, Silvia

2013-01-01

In 2007, Arizona voters passed House Bill (HB) 2064, a law that fundamentally restructured the Structured English Immersion (SEI) program, putting into place a 4-hour English language development (ELD) block for educating English language learners (ELLs). Under this new language policy, ELL students are segregated from their English-speaking peers…

Language of Instruction as a Moderator for Transfer of Reading Comprehension Skills among Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlo, María S.; Barr, Christopher D.; August, Diane; Calderón, Margarita; Artzi, Lauren

2014-01-01

This three-year longitudinal study investigated the role of language of instruction in moderating the relationships between initial levels of English oral language proficiency and Spanish reading comprehension and growth in English reading comprehension. The study followed Spanish-speaking English language learners in English-only literacy…

Language-specific memory for everyday arithmetic facts in Chinese-English bilinguals.

PubMed

Chen, Yalin; Yanke, Jill; Campbell, Jamie I D

2016-04-01

The role of language in memory for arithmetic facts remains controversial. Here, we examined transfer of memory training for evidence that bilinguals may acquire language-specific memory stores for everyday arithmetic facts. Chinese-English bilingual adults (n = 32) were trained on different subsets of simple addition and multiplication problems. Each operation was trained in one language or the other. The subsequent test phase included all problems with addition and multiplication alternating across trials in two blocks, one in each language. Averaging over training language, the response time (RT) gains for trained problems relative to untrained problems were greater in the trained language than in the untrained language. Subsequent analysis showed that English training produced larger RT gains for trained problems relative to untrained problems in English at test relative to the untrained Chinese language. In contrast, there was no evidence with Chinese training that problem-specific RT gains differed between Chinese and the untrained English language. We propose that training in Chinese promoted a translation strategy for English arithmetic (particularly multiplication) that produced strong cross-language generalization of practice, whereas training in English strengthened relatively weak, English-language arithmetic memories and produced little generalization to Chinese (i.e., English training did not induce an English translation strategy for Chinese language trials). The results support the existence of language-specific strengthening of memory for everyday arithmetic facts.

A Study on Metadiscoursive Interaction in the MA Theses of the Native Speakers of English and the Turkish Speakers of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Köroglu, Zehra; Tüm, Gülden

2017-01-01

This study has been conducted to evaluate the TM usage in the MA theses written by the native speakers (NSs) of English and the Turkish speakers (TSs) of English. The purpose is to compare the TM usage in the introduction, results and discussion, and conclusion sections by both groups' randomly selected MA theses in the field of ELT between the…

A study of the effects of English language proficiency and scientific reasoning skills on the acquisition of science content knowledge of Hispanic English language learners and native English language-speaking students participating in grade 10 science classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, Hector Neftali, Sr.

2000-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of English language proficiency and levels of scientific reasoning skills of Hispanic English language learners and native English language speaking students on their acquisition of science content knowledge as measured by a state-wide standardized science test. The researcher studied a group of high school Hispanic English language learners and native English language speaking students participating in Grade 10 science classes. The language proficiency of the students was to be measured through the use of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) instrument. A Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning developed by Lawson (1978) was administered in either English or Spanish to the group of Hispanic English language learners and in English to the group of native English language-speaking students in order to determine their levels of scientific reasoning skills. The students' acquisition of science content knowledge was measured through the use of statewide-standardized science test developed by the State's Department of Education. This study suggests that the levels of English language proficiency appear to influence the acquisition of science content knowledge of Hispanic English language learners in the study. The results of the study also suggest that with regards to scientific reasoning skills, students that showed high levels or reflective reasoning skills for the most part performed better on the statewide-standardized science test than students with intuitive or transitional reasoning skills. This assertion was supported by the studies conducted by Lawson and his colleagues, which showed that high levels of reasoning or reflective reasoning skills are prerequisite for most high school science courses. The findings in this study imply that high order English language proficiency combined with high levels of reasoning skills enhances students' abilities to learn science content subject matter. This lends support to Cummins' theoretical framework, which indicates that learning science content subject matter requires cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). The study also indicates that CALP maybe the combination of high order English language proficiency and high levels of reasoning skills. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Language Identity among Iranian English Language Learners: A Nationwide Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rezaei, Saeed; Khatib, Mohammad; Baleghizadeh, Sasan

2014-01-01

The present study is a nationwide survey of language identity among English language learners in Iran. The participants who completed the survey in this research included 1851 English language learners from different parts of the country who belonged to different genders, age groups and English language proficiency levels. The main instrument was…

Early Mathematics Achievement Trajectories: English-Language Learner and Native English-Speaker Estimates, Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey

PubMed Central

Roberts, Greg; Bryant, Diane

2012-01-01

This study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, Kindergarten Class of 1998 –1999, to (a) estimate mathematics achievement trends through 5th grade in the population of students who are English-language proficient by the end of kindergarten, (b) compare trends across primary language groups within this English-language proficient group, (c) evaluate the effect of low socioeconomic status (SES) for English-language proficient students and within different primary language groups, and (d) estimate language-group trends in specific mathematics skill areas. The group of English-language proficient English-language learners (ELLs) was disaggregated into native Spanish speakers and native speakers of Asian languages, the 2 most prevalent groups of ELLs in the United States. Results of multilevel latent variable growth modeling suggest that primary language may be less salient than SES in explaining the mathematics achievement of English-language proficient ELLs. The study also found that mathematics-related school readiness is a key factor in explaining subsequent achievement differences and that the readiness gap is prevalent across the range of mathematics-related skills. PMID:21574702

English-Language Writing Instruction in Poland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reichelt, Melinda

2005-01-01

Second language writing scholars have undertaken descriptions of English-language writing instruction in a variety of international settings, describing the role of various contextual factors in shaping English-language writing instruction. This article describes English-language writing instruction at various levels in Poland, noting how it is…

37 CFR 3.26 - English language requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false English language requirement... English language requirement. The Office will accept and record non-English language documents only if accompanied by an English translation signed by the individual making the translation. [62 FR 53202, Oct. 10...

Teaching English as an International Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selvi, A. F.; Yazan, B.

2013-01-01

English has unquestionably become a global phenomenon, generating a fundamental discussion of EIL pedagogy for English language teaching practitioners around the world. Teaching English as an International Language captures this important moment in the history of English language teaching. Readers will find an accessible introduction to the past,…

34 CFR 668.153 - Administration of tests for individuals whose native language is not English or for individuals...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... language is not English or for individuals with disabilities. 668.153 Section 668.153 Education Regulations... whose native language is not English or for individuals with disabilities. (a) Individuals whose native language is not English. For an individual whose native language is not English and who is not fluent in...

Cost/Benefit Evaluation of Three English Language Training Programs for Potential Navy Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swope, William M.; And Others

As part of its plans to recruit Hispanic personnel who speak English as a second language, the U.S. Navy will have to provide English language training as well as technical training to prepare these personnel for fleet duty. A cost/benefit analysis was conducted of three English language training programs: the English Technical Language School…

English Language Teaching at the Primary Level: Foundations for Bilingualism or Not?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eapen, Rachel Lalitha

2011-01-01

In countries where English is a second language, there has been a movement over the last 60 years from supporting indigenous languages over foreign language--English--to the present one where, with globalization and market demands, English is beginning to be seen as an indigenous language in itself. The teaching of English from Grade 1 about five…

English Second Language, General, Special Education, and Speech/Language Personal Teacher Efficacy, English Language Arts Scientifically-Validated Intervention Practice, and Working Memory Development of English Language Learners in High and Low Performing Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Barbara J.

2013-01-01

The researcher investigated teacher factors contributing to English language arts (ELA) achievement of English language learners (ELLs) over 2 consecutive years, in high and low performing elementary schools with a Hispanic/Latino student population greater than or equal to 30 percent. These factors included personal teacher efficacy, teacher…

"Speaking English Naturally": The Language Ideologies of English as an Official Language at a Korean University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Jinsook

2016-01-01

This study explores language ideologies of English at a Korean university where English has been adopted as an official language. This study draws on ethnographic data in order to understand how speakers respond to and experience the institutional language policy. The findings show that language ideologies in this university represent the…

Negotiating Domination and Resistance: English Language Learners and Foucault's "Care of the Self" in the Context of English-Only Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bondy, Jennifer M.

2016-01-01

This article explores the basis for resistance to the normalizing technologies associated with English-only legislation and resulting educational practices. The dominance of English-only education in US public schools has normalized English first language speakers and English language learning by appropriating the technology of language in order…

A Quest to Prepare All English Language Teachers for Diverse Teaching Settings: If Not Us, Who? if Not Now, When?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selvi, Ali Fuad

2012-01-01

Fueled by present-day globalization and influx of migration, the unprecedented global demand for English language necessitates the provision of high-quality education for English language learners across the world. This picture places English language teaching at the top of the educational agenda in both English-speaking and non-English-speaking…

Investigating the Language Demands in the Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners: A Comparison Study of Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Wang, Yuan; Huang, Becky H.; Blood, Ian

2014-01-01

This study reports on a critical review of the language demands contained in the Common Core State Standards for English language arts (CCSS-ELA) with the aim of deriving important implications for the instruction of English language learners. The language demands of the CCSS-ELA were compared with those of existing English language arts (ELA) and…

78 FR 65303 - Request for Information To Inform the Title III Technical Assistance Agenda and the Future...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-31

... for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) AGENCY: Office of English Language Acquisition, Language... of English Language Acquisition, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5C148, Washington, DC 20202- 6132... assistance, including materials through the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and...

English Code Switching in Indonesian Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Setiawan, Dedy

2016-01-01

There is a growing phenomenon, worldwide, of inserting English words, phrases or expressions, into the local language: this is part of the acceptance of English as current world language. Indonesia is experiencing the use of this mixture of language when using either their own Indonesian or local language; English words, phrases and expressions…

Mandarin-English Bilinguals Process Lexical Tones in Newly Learned Words in Accordance with the Language Context.

PubMed

Quam, Carolyn; Creel, Sarah C

2017-01-01

Previous research has mainly considered the impact of tone-language experience on ability to discriminate linguistic pitch, but proficient bilingual listening requires differential processing of sound variation in each language context. Here, we ask whether Mandarin-English bilinguals, for whom pitch indicates word distinctions in one language but not the other, can process pitch differently in a Mandarin context vs. an English context. Across three eye-tracked word-learning experiments, results indicated that tone-intonation bilinguals process tone in accordance with the language context. In Experiment 1, 51 Mandarin-English bilinguals and 26 English speakers without tone experience were taught Mandarin-compatible novel words with tones. Mandarin-English bilinguals out-performed English speakers, and, for bilinguals, overall accuracy was correlated with Mandarin dominance. Experiment 2 taught 24 Mandarin-English bilinguals and 25 English speakers novel words with Mandarin-like tones, but English-like phonemes and phonotactics. The Mandarin-dominance advantages observed in Experiment 1 disappeared when words were English-like. Experiment 3 contrasted Mandarin-like vs. English-like words in a within-subjects design, providing even stronger evidence that bilinguals can process tone language-specifically. Bilinguals (N = 58), regardless of language dominance, attended more to tone than English speakers without Mandarin experience (N = 28), but only when words were Mandarin-like-not when they were English-like. Mandarin-English bilinguals thus tailor tone processing to the within-word language context.

Explaining errors in children's questions.

PubMed

Rowland, Caroline F

2007-07-01

The ability to explain the occurrence of errors in children's speech is an essential component of successful theories of language acquisition. The present study tested some generativist and constructivist predictions about error on the questions produced by ten English-learning children between 2 and 5 years of age. The analyses demonstrated that, as predicted by some generativist theories [e.g. Santelmann, L., Berk, S., Austin, J., Somashekar, S. & Lust. B. (2002). Continuity and development in the acquisition of inversion in yes/no questions: dissociating movement and inflection, Journal of Child Language, 29, 813-842], questions with auxiliary DO attracted higher error rates than those with modal auxiliaries. However, in wh-questions, questions with modals and DO attracted equally high error rates, and these findings could not be explained in terms of problems forming questions with why or negated auxiliaries. It was concluded that the data might be better explained in terms of a constructivist account that suggests that entrenched item-based constructions may be protected from error in children's speech, and that errors occur when children resort to other operations to produce questions [e.g. Dabrowska, E. (2000). From formula to schema: the acquisition of English questions. Cognitive Liguistics, 11, 83-102; Rowland, C. F. & Pine, J. M. (2000). Subject-auxiliary inversion errors and wh-question acquisition: What children do know? Journal of Child Language, 27, 157-181; Tomasello, M. (2003). Constructing a language: A usage-based theory of language acquisition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press]. However, further work on constructivist theory development is required to allow researchers to make predictions about the nature of these operations.

"English for the Global": Discourses in/of English-Language Voluntourism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakubiak, Cori

2012-01-01

Drawing upon the notion of hyperglobalism and critical perspectives on English as an international language, this study examines the ways in which English language teaching via volunteer tourism (i.e. English-language voluntourism) is represented and legitimated as an altruistic practice among organizational sponsors and in the talk of current and…

Position Paper: English Language Curriculum Guidelines for Elementary School English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miele, Anthony

2007-01-01

English Language Development (ELD) and Academic English Development (AED) curricula in most public schools lack a communicative method and consist mostly of dry, meaningless grammar lessons devoid of relevance and authentic context. The purpose of this project is to develop guidelines to teach English language to elementary school children…

Disconnection between Language and Culture: A Case Study of Iranian English Textbooks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majdzadeh, Mojgan

This paper asserts that lack of cultural knowledge related to English among Iranian students who pursue advanced education abroad affects their English language proficiency. It examines whether the disconnection between the English language and the culture of that language embodied in Iranian English textbooks hinders students' knowledge and use…

Examining the Reliability and Validity of ADEPT and CELDT: Comparing Two Assessments of Oral Language Proficiency for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chavez, Gina

2013-01-01

Few classroom measures of English language proficiency have been evaluated for reliability and validity. This research examined the concurrent and predictive validity of an oral language test, titled A Developmental English Language Proficiency Test (ADEPT), and the relationship to the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) in the…

Issues in Vertical Scaling of a K-12 English Language Proficiency Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenyon, Dorry M.; MacGregor, David; Li, Dongyang; Cook, H. Gary

2011-01-01

One of the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act is that states show adequate yearly progress in their English language learners' (ELLs) acquisition of English language proficiency. States are required to assess ELLs' English language proficiency annually in four language domains (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) to measure their…

Relations among Language Exposure, Phonological Memory, and Language Development in Spanish-English Bilingually-Developing Two-Year-Olds

PubMed Central

Parra, Marisol; Hoff, Erika; Core, Cynthia

2010-01-01

The relation of phonological memory to language experience and development was investigated in 41 Spanish-English bilingual first language learners. The children’s relative exposure to English and Spanish and phonological memory for English-like and Spanish-like nonwords were assessed at 22 months; their productive vocabulary and grammar in both languages were assessed at 25 months. Phonological memory for English- and Spanish-like nonwords were highly correlated, and each was related to vocabulary and grammar in both languages, suggesting a language-general component to phonological memory skill. In addition, there was evidence of language-specific benefits of language exposure to phonological memory skill and of language-specific benefits of phonological memory skill to language development. PMID:20828710

Acquisition of Mathematical Language: Suggestions and Activities for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cirillo, Michelle; Bruna, Katherine Richardson; Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth

2010-01-01

In this article, we describe aspects of mathematical language that could be problematic to English-language learners, provide recommendations for teaching English-language learners, and suggest activities intended to foster language development in mathematics. (Contains 1 figure.)

Post O-Level English--The Study of Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gannon, P.

1976-01-01

Examines objections to the study of language and linguistics in secondary education and suggests that it is time to resolve the false dichotomy between English literature and English language by providing a modest optional language element in A-level English. (Author/RK)

The Educational Trajectories of English Language Learners in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Stella M.; Batalova, Jeanne; Fix, Michael

2012-01-01

About 5.3 million English Language Learners (ELLs)--students whose primary language is not English and whose English language skills are not sufficient to keep up with classes conducted only in English--are enrolled in PK-12 public schools across the United States. The number of these students increased dramatically in ten years, from 3.5 million…

Whose English Counts? Native Speakers as English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grill, Jennifer

2010-01-01

The author, a teacher educator, explains that because of a lack of training in language studies, many teachers do not view language as linguists do. She identifies three misconceptions (and the implications they have for English language learners) that still persist in education: Standard English is the best and most correct form of English,…

The Influence of Classroom Drama on English Learners' Academic Language Use during English Language Arts Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Alida; Loughlin, Sandra M.

2014-01-01

Teacher and student academic discourse was examined in an urban arts-integrated school to better understand facilitation of students' English language learning. Participants' discourse was compared across English language arts (ELA) lessons with and without classroom drama in a third-grade classroom of English learning (EL) students (N = 18) with…

Discriminating Children with Language Impairment among English-Language Learners from Diverse First-Language Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paradis, Johanne; Schneider, Phyllis; Duncan, Tamara Sorenson

2013-01-01

Purpose: In this study, the authors sought to determine whether a combination of English-language measures and a parent questionnaire on first-language development could adequately discriminate between English-language learners (ELLs) with and without language impairment (LI) when children had diverse first-language backgrounds. Method:…

The Effect of English Language on Multiple Choice Question Scores of Thai Medical Students.

PubMed

Phisalprapa, Pochamana; Muangkaew, Wayuda; Assanasen, Jintana; Kunavisarut, Tada; Thongngarm, Torpong; Ruchutrakool, Theera; Kobwanthanakun, Surapon; Dejsomritrutai, Wanchai

2016-04-01

Universities in Thailand are preparing for Thailand's integration into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by increasing the number of tests in English language. English language is not the native language of Thailand Differences in English language proficiency may affect scores among test-takers, even when subject knowledge among test-takers is comparable and may falsely represent the knowledge level of the test-taker. To study the impact of English language multiple choice test questions on test scores of medical students. The final examination of fourth-year medical students completing internal medicine rotation contains 120 multiple choice questions (MCQ). The languages used on the test are Thai and English at a ratio of 3:1. Individual scores of tests taken in both languages were collected and the effect of English language on MCQ was analyzed Individual MCQ scores were then compared with individual student English language proficiency and student grade point average (GPA). Two hundred ninety five fourth-year medical students were enrolled. The mean percentage of MCQ scores in Thai and English were significantly different (65.0 ± 8.4 and 56.5 ± 12.4, respectively, p < 0.001). The correlation between MCQ scores in Thai and English was fair (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.41, p < 0.001). Of 295 students, only 73 (24.7%) students scored higher when being tested in English than in Thai language. Students were classified into six grade categories (A, B+, B, C+, C, and D+), which cumulatively measured total internal medicine rotation performance score plus final examination score. MCQ scores from Thai language examination were more closely correlated with total course grades than were the scores from English language examination (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.73 (p < 0.001) and 0.53 (p < 0.001), respectively). The gap difference between MCQ scores in both languages was higher in borderline students than in the excellent student group (11.2 ± 11.2 and 7.1 ± 8.2, respectively, p < 0.001). Overall, average student English proficiency score was very high, at 3.71 ± 0.35 from a total of 4.00. Mean student GPA was 3.40 ± 0.33 from a possible 4.00. English language MCQ examination scores were more highly associated with GPA than with English language proficiency. The use of English language multiple choice question test may decrease scores of the fourth-year internal medicine post-rotation final examination, especially those of borderline students.

76 FR 14954 - National Professional Development Program; Office of English Language Acquisition, Language...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-18

... Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students; Overview... to provide instruction that accelerates ELs' acquisition of language, literacy, and content knowledge.... Rosalinda Barrera, Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for English Language Acquisition, Language...

Mandarin-English Bilinguals Process Lexical Tones in Newly Learned Words in Accordance with the Language Context

PubMed Central

Quam, Carolyn; Creel, Sarah C.

2017-01-01

Previous research has mainly considered the impact of tone-language experience on ability to discriminate linguistic pitch, but proficient bilingual listening requires differential processing of sound variation in each language context. Here, we ask whether Mandarin-English bilinguals, for whom pitch indicates word distinctions in one language but not the other, can process pitch differently in a Mandarin context vs. an English context. Across three eye-tracked word-learning experiments, results indicated that tone-intonation bilinguals process tone in accordance with the language context. In Experiment 1, 51 Mandarin-English bilinguals and 26 English speakers without tone experience were taught Mandarin-compatible novel words with tones. Mandarin-English bilinguals out-performed English speakers, and, for bilinguals, overall accuracy was correlated with Mandarin dominance. Experiment 2 taught 24 Mandarin-English bilinguals and 25 English speakers novel words with Mandarin-like tones, but English-like phonemes and phonotactics. The Mandarin-dominance advantages observed in Experiment 1 disappeared when words were English-like. Experiment 3 contrasted Mandarin-like vs. English-like words in a within-subjects design, providing even stronger evidence that bilinguals can process tone language-specifically. Bilinguals (N = 58), regardless of language dominance, attended more to tone than English speakers without Mandarin experience (N = 28), but only when words were Mandarin-like—not when they were English-like. Mandarin-English bilinguals thus tailor tone processing to the within-word language context. PMID:28076400

Learning Strategies in Alleviating English Writing Anxiety for English Language Learners (ELLs) with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Chia-Pei; Lin, Huey-Ju

2016-01-01

This study utilized the Oxford Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and an English writing anxiety scale to examine the relationship between learning strategies and English writing anxiety in 102 university-level English language learners (ELLs) with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) in a university in Taiwan. Kruskal Wallis Test…

Using Primary Language Support via Computer to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills of First-Grade English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Cathi Draper; Filler, John; Higgins, Kyle

2012-01-01

Through this exploratory study the authors investigated the effects of primary language support delivered via computer on the English reading comprehension skills of English language learners. Participants were 28 First-grade students identified as Limited English Proficient. The primary language of all participants was Spanish. Students were…

Helping ELLs Meet Standards in English Language Arts and Science: An Intervention Focused on Academic Vocabulary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

August, Diane; Artzi, Lauren; Barr, Christopher

2016-01-01

The Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards require students to understand and produce academic language that appears in informational text. Vocabulary is a critical domain of academic language, but English language learners (ELLs) come to the English Language Arts classroom with more limited English vocabulary than…

Language Use in a Spanish-English Dual Immersion Classroom: A Sociolinguistic Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potowski, Kimberly

Dual immersion classrooms combine students who speak a non-English language (in this case Spanish) with English speaking students learning the native language of the nonnative English speaking students. This case study recorded the output of Spanish first language (L1) and second language (L2) fifth graders over 5 months of Spanish language…

Integrating Literacy and Science for English Language Learners: From Learning-to-Read to Reading-to-Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Koch, Janice

2014-01-01

The authors examined the impact of 2 subsequent, longitudinal interdisciplinary interventions for 58 Hispanic English language learners (ELLs): (a) Grade 5 science with English language/reading embedded (i.e., science intervention) and (b) K-3 English language/reading with science embedded (i.e., language/reading intervention). Results revealed…

English-as-a-Second-Language Programs in Basic Skills Education Program 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

languages and English as a second language . These theories and findings have led, in turn, to the development of new methods for teaching languages ...INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING TECHNIQUES FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Introduction ............................. 9 Traditional Methods ...instruments. q8 . _. ,’,..8 4% .’ II. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING TECHNIQUES FOR ENGLISH

English and Identity in Multicultural Contexts: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lie, Anita

2017-01-01

The increasing dominance of English has brought implications in language policy and the teaching of English in the multicultural Indonesia. A high power language such as English is taught in schools as a language of modern communication, while the national language is regarded as a force of unifying the nation and local languages as carriers of…

37 CFR 3.26 - English language requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false English language requirement. 3.26 Section 3.26 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE... English language requirement. The Office will accept and record non-English language documents only if...

The Persistence and Functional Impact of English Language Difficulties Experienced by Children Learning English as an Additional Language and Monolingual Peers

PubMed Central

Whiteside, Katie E.

2017-01-01

Purpose This study explored whether a monolingual-normed English language battery could identify children with English as an additional language (EAL) who have persistent English language learning difficulties that affect functional academic attainment. Method Children with EAL (n = 43) and monolingual English-speaking children (n = 46) completed a comprehensive monolingual-normed English language battery in Year 1 (ages 5–6 years) and Year 3 (ages 7–8 years). Children with EAL and monolingual peers, who either met monolingual criteria for language impairment or typical development on the language battery in Year 1, were compared on language growth between Year 1 and Year 3 and on attainment in national curriculum assessments in Year 2 (ages 6–7 years). Results Children with EAL and monolingual peers who met monolingual criteria for language impairment in Year 1 continued to display comparably impaired overall language ability 2 years later in Year 3. Moreover, these groups displayed comparably low levels of academic attainment in Year 2, demonstrating comparable functional impact of their language difficulties. Conclusion Monolingual-normed language batteries in the majority language may have some practical value for identifying bilingual children who need support with language learning, regardless of the origin of their language difficulties. PMID:28617919

Exporting the European Idea of a National Language: Some Educational Implications of the Use of English and Indigenous Languages in the Philippines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolicz, Jerzy J.; Nical, Illuminado

1997-09-01

The Philippines has a bilingual education policy, using English and a major indigenous language, Tagalog, renamed "Filipino". This article describes a study on the problem facing approximately two thirds of the population who do not have English or Filipino as their first or home language. Senior secondary school students were asked abut their attitudes towards English, Filipino and their home language (Cebuana, Ilocano or Waray). Attitudes to the three languages differed. Some respondents favoured Filipino over English, others vice versa. Most respondents showed attachment to their home languages. The study concluded that it is possible for Filipinos to be literate in their mother tongue and still be fluent in Filipino, as the national language of the country, with English continuing in its role as the international language.

Enhancing Students' Performance in the English Language through Literature-in-English in the Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adejimola, Amuseghan Sunday; Ojuolape, Momoh Adenike

2013-01-01

This paper examines the relationship between the English Language and Literature-in-English in secondary schools in Nigeria. The purpose is to explore and expose the interdependence of the two subjects in enhancing English language competence. Apart from the educational advantages, it is also in the opinion of the writer that language is not only…

Teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language in Nepal: Past and Present

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bista, Krishna

2011-01-01

In this paper, the author reviews the history of English language teaching English as a second or foreign language in schools and colleges in Nepal. Teaching English language and literature in Nepal is of about a half a decade, starting from the mid of twentieth century. English learners in Nepal do not have enough exposure to various techniques…

16 CFR 303.4 - English language requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false English language requirement. 303.4 Section... AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE TEXTILE FIBER PRODUCTS IDENTIFICATION ACT § 303.4 English language requirement. All required information shall be set out in the English language. If the required information...

14 CFR 221.4 - English language.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false English language. 221.4 Section 221.4... REGULATIONS TARIFFS General § 221.4 English language. All tariffs and other documents and material filed with the Department pursuant to this part shall be in the English language. ...

14 CFR 221.4 - English language.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false English language. 221.4 Section 221.4... REGULATIONS TARIFFS General § 221.4 English language. All tariffs and other documents and material filed with the Department pursuant to this part shall be in the English language. ...

16 CFR 303.4 - English language requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false English language requirement. 303.4 Section... AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE TEXTILE FIBER PRODUCTS IDENTIFICATION ACT § 303.4 English language requirement. All required information shall be set out in the English language. If the required information...

Dual language versus English-only support for bilingual children with hearing loss who use cochlear implants and hearing aids.

PubMed

Bunta, Ferenc; Douglas, Michael; Dickson, Hanna; Cantu, Amy; Wickesberg, Jennifer; Gifford, René H

2016-07-01

There is a critical need to understand better speech and language development in bilingual children learning two spoken languages who use cochlear implants (CIs) and hearing aids (HAs). The paucity of knowledge in this area poses a significant barrier to providing maximal communicative outcomes to a growing number of children who have a hearing loss (HL) and are learning multiple spoken languages. In fact, the number of bilingual individuals receiving CIs and HAs is rapidly increasing, and Hispanic children display a higher prevalence of HL than the general population of the United States. In order to serve better bilingual children with CIs and HAs, appropriate and effective therapy approaches need to be designed and tested, based on research findings. This study investigated the effects of supporting both the home language (Spanish) and the language of the majority culture (English) on language outcomes in bilingual children with HL who use CIs and HAs as compared to their bilingual peers who receive English-only support. Retrospective analyses of language measures were completed for two groups of Spanish- and English-speaking bilingual children with HL who use CIs and HAs matched on a range of demographic and socio-economic variables: those with dual-language support versus their peers with English-only support. Dependent variables included scores from the English version of the Preschool Language Scales, 4th Edition. Bilingual children who received dual-language support outperformed their peers who received English-only support at statistically significant levels as measured by Total Language and Expressive Communication as raw and language age scores. No statistically significant group differences were found on Auditory Comprehension scores. In addition to providing support in English, encouraging home language use and providing treatment support in the first language may help rather than hinder development of both English and the home language in bilingual children with HL who use CIs and HAs. In fact, dual-language support may yield better overall and expressive English language outcomes than English-only support for this population. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

77 FR 31606 - Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-29

... Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students, Department.... Barrera, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and... Secretary and Director for English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for...

Predictors of second language acquisition in Latino children with specific language impairment.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Clellen, Vera; Simon-Cereijido, Gabriela; Sweet, Monica

2012-02-01

This study evaluated the extent to which the language of intervention, the child's development in Spanish, and the effects of English vocabulary, use, proficiency, and exposure predict differences in the rates of acquisition of English in Latino children with specific language impairment (SLI). In this randomized controlled trial, 188 Latino preschoolers with SLI participated in a small-group academic enrichment program for 12 weeks and were followed up 3 and 5 months later. Children were randomly assigned to either a bilingual or an English-only program. Predictors of English growth included measures of Spanish language skills and English vocabulary, use, proficiency, and exposure. Performance on English outcomes (i.e., picture description and narrative sample) was assessed over time. A series of longitudinal models were tested via multilevel modeling with baseline and posttreatment measures nested within child. Children demonstrated growth on the English outcomes over time. The language of intervention, Spanish skills, English vocabulary, and English use significantly predicted differences in rates of growth across children for specific measures of English development. This study underscores the role of the child's first language skills, the child's level of English vocabulary development, and level of English use for predicting differences in English acquisition in Latino preschoolers with SLI. These factors should be carefully considered in making clinical decisions.

Stuttering in English-Mandarin bilingual speakers: the influence of language dominance on stuttering severity.

PubMed

Lim, Valerie P C; Lincoln, Michelle; Chan, Yiong Huak; Onslow, Mark

2008-12-01

English and Mandarin are the 2 most spoken languages in the world, yet it is not known how stuttering manifests in English-Mandarin bilinguals. In this research, the authors investigated whether the severity and type of stuttering is different in English and Mandarin in English-Mandarin bilinguals, and whether this difference was influenced by language dominance. Thirty English-Mandarin bilinguals who stutter (BWS), ages 12-44 years, were categorized into 3 groups (15 English-dominant, 4 Mandarin-dominant, and 11 balanced bilinguals) using a self-report classification tool. Three 10-min conversations in English and Mandarin were assessed by 2 English-Mandarin bilingual clinicians for percent syllables stuttered (%SS), perceived stuttering severity (SEV), and types of stuttering behaviors using the Lidcombe Behavioral Data Language (LBDL; Packman & Onslow, 1998; Teesson, Packman, & Onslow, 2003). English-dominant and Mandarin-dominant BWS exhibited higher %SS and SEV scores in their less dominant language, whereas the scores for the balanced bilinguals were similar for both languages. The difference in the percentage of stutters per LBDL category between English and Mandarin was not markedly different for any bilingual group. Language dominance appeared to influence the severity but not the types of stuttering behaviors in BWS. Clinicians working with BWS need to assess language dominance when diagnosing stuttering severity in bilingual clients.

Language and Culture: A Book of Readings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenn, Robert B., Ed.; And Others

These readings on language and culture are divided into sections on: "Principles of Language,""Culture and Language,""Structure of the English Language,""Ancestry and History of English,""Aspects of American English,""Americans and the Other World,""Language and Literature," and "Aspects of Applied Linguistics." Contributing authors include Noam…

Syntactic Representations of English in Second Language Learners: An Investigation of the Process of English Sentence Production by Bilingual Speakers Using a Within-Language (L2) Structural Priming Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sunfa

2010-01-01

This dissertation reports the results of within-English structural priming experiments in language production which investigated the syntactic representations of English syntactic structures in three different bilingual groups: Japanese-English, Korean-English, and Mandarin Chinese-English bilinguals. Specifically, my dissertation research…

Teaching English as a Language Not Subject by Employing Formative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandio, Muhammad Tufail; Jafferi, Saima

2015-01-01

English is a second language (L2) in Sindh, Pakistan. Most of the public sector schools in Sindh teach English as a subject rather than a language. Besides, they do not distinguish between generic pedagogy and distinctive approaches used for teaching English as a first language (L1) and second language (L2). In addition, the erroneous traditional…

Learning Styles and Individual Differences in Learning English Idioms via Computer Assisted Language Learning in English as a Second Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viteli, Jarmo

The purpose of this study was to determine the learning styles of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students and individual differences in learning English idioms via computer assisted language learning (CALL). Thirty-six Hispanic students, 26 Japanese students, and 6 students with various language backgrounds from the Nova University Intensive…

"I Understand English but Can't Write It": The Power of Native Language Instruction for Adult English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukes, Marguerite

2011-01-01

This study explores the potential of native language literacy instruction for adult immigrant English language learners who have limited formal schooling or have had interruptions in their formal education. By examining 3 programs that provide native language literacy in combination with English as a second language (ESL) instruction, this study…

Analysis of English language learner performance on the biology Massachusetts comprehensive assessment system: The impact of english proficiency, first language characteristics, and late-entry ELL status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, Mary A.

This study analyzed English language learner (ELL) performance on the June 2012 Biology MCAS, namely on item attributes of domain, cognitive skill, and linguistic complexity. It examined the impact of English proficiency, Latinate first language, first language orthography, and late-entry ELL status. The results indicated that English proficiency was a strong predictor of performance and that ELLs at higher levels of English proficiency overwhelmingly passed. The results further indicated that English proficiency introduced a construct-irrelevant variance on the Biology MCAS and raised validity issues for using this assessment at lower levels of English proficiency. This study also found that ELLs with a Latinate first language consistently had statistically significant lower performance. Late-entry ELL status did not predict Biology MCAS performance.

English Usage in Daily Life by Turkish Students between 15-19 Years of Age: A Scale Development Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deha Dogan, C.; Canan Karababa, Z.; Fulya Soguksu, A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable scale to assess the level of English usage in daily life by students between 15 and 19 years of age, and to compare these students' scale scores according to their achievement levels in an English course. Five hundred and ninety-five participants were randomly selected from a universe.…

English Language Classroom Practices: Bangladeshi Primary School Children's Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shrestha, Prithvi Narayan

2013-01-01

English language teaching (ELT) has been investigated from various angles including how English language teachers perceive what happens in an ELT classroom. How primary school English language learners perceive their experiences of ELT is rarely reported in the published literature, particularly from developing countries such as Bangladesh. This…

16 CFR 300.7 - English language requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false English language requirement. 300.7 Section... AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE WOOL PRODUCTS LABELING ACT OF 1939 Labeling § 300.7 English language..., shall appear in the English language. If the product bears any stamp, tag, label, or mark of...

48 CFR 614.201-70 - Use of English language.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Use of English language... METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES SEALED BIDDING Solicitation of Bids 614.201-70 Use of English language. Use of English language solicitations and contracts is mandatory unless a deviation has been approved by the...

16 CFR 301.3 - English language requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false English language requirements. 301.3 Section... AND REGULATIONS UNDER FUR PRODUCTS LABELING ACT Regulations § 301.3 English language requirements. All..., shall be set out in the English language. If labels, invoices or advertising matter contain any of the...

Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners' Experiences in High School Chemistry Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Annette; Smith, K. Christopher

2013-01-01

This article reports on the experiences of Spanish-speaking English language learners in high school chemistry courses, focusing largely on experiences in learning the English language, experiences learning chemistry, and experiences learning chemistry in the English language. The findings illustrate the cognitive processes the students undertake…

77 FR 30045 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: English Language Evaluation Surveys

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-21

...] 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: English Language Evaluation Surveys ACTION: Notice... clearance will allow ECA/P/V, as part of the English Language Evaluation, to conduct surveys of participants in the ETA Program, E-Teacher Scholarship program, and the English Language Specialist Program...

16 CFR 301.3 - English language requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false English language requirements. 301.3 Section... AND REGULATIONS UNDER FUR PRODUCTS LABELING ACT Regulations § 301.3 English language requirements. All..., shall be set out in the English language. If labels, invoices or advertising matter contain any of the...

16 CFR 300.7 - English language requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false English language requirement. 300.7 Section... AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE WOOL PRODUCTS LABELING ACT OF 1939 Labeling § 300.7 English language..., shall appear in the English language. If the product bears any stamp, tag, label, or mark of...

The English Language Learner Program Survey for Principals. REL 2014-027

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grady, Matthew W.; O'Dwyer, Laura M.

2014-01-01

REL Northeast & Islands at Education Development Center, in partnership with the English Language Learners Alliance, has developed a new survey tool--The English Language Learner Program Survey for Principals--to help state education departments collect consistent data on the education of English language learner students. Designed for school…

Knowing English is Not Enough! Cultivating Academic Literacies among High School Newcomers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franquiz, Maria E.; Salinas, Cinthia

2013-01-01

Secondary school teachers face remarkable challenges when they are asked to incorporate language objectives because the traditional approach to the education of English Language Learners (ELL) separates English language development from content instruction. The underlying assumption is that English language proficiency is a prerequisite for…

75 FR 26942 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-13

... Management. Office of English Language Acquisitions Type of Review: Reinstatement. Title: Application for Grants Under English Language Acquisition and Language Enhancement: Native American and Alaska Native... Grants Under English Language Acquisition and Language Enhancement: Native American and Alaska Native...

[An etymology of pharmacy in the Western languages].

PubMed

Uchibayashi, Masao

2003-01-01

An etymological and semantic history of the terms of various pharmaceutical retailers in the West in presented. Apothecary is a combination of IE * apo- (separate) and * dhē (to place) which gave rise to the Greek term apothēkē, which originally meant a warehouse for food and wine. Pharmacy is a combination of the Greek term * pharama form IE * bher- (to charm, enchant) and -(a)-ko- resulting in * pharmako- (magic, charm, cure, potion, medicine) and in Latin pharmacie. Chemist's shop is the English version of an American drugstore. Further, such terms as dispensary, officinal and drug are etymologically discussed. Different usages in England and the U.S. of terms like shop and store are summarized. [Note:"IE" with asterisk stands for the Indo-European proto-languages which are the ancestors of most Western tongues.

Specialist English as a foreign language for European public health: evaluation of competencies and needs among Polish and Lithuanian students.

PubMed

Sumskas, Linas; Czabanowska, Katarzyna; Bruneviciūte, Raimonda; Kregzdyte, Rima; Krikstaponyte, Zita; Ziomkiewicz, Anna

2010-01-01

Foreign languages are becoming an essential prerequisite for a successful carrier among all professions including public health professionals in many countries. The expanding role of English as a mode of communication allows for university graduates to project and to seek their career in English-speaking countries. The present study was carried out in the framework of EU Leonardo da Vinci project "Specialist English as a foreign language for European public health." The study aimed to get a deeper insight how the English language is perceived as a foreign language, by Polish and Lithuanian public health students, what is level of their language competence, which level of English proficiency they expect to use in future. MATERIAL AND METHODS. A total of 246 respondents completed the special questionnaires in autumn semester in 2005. A questionnaire form was developed by the international project team. For evaluation of English competences, the Language Passport (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of Council of Europe) was applied. RESULTS. Current self-rated proficiency of the English language was at the same level for Lithuanian (3.47+/-1.14) and Polish (3.31+/-0.83) respondents (P>0.05). Majority of respondents (88.6% of Lithuanian and 87.8% of Polish) reported using the English language for their current studies. Respondents reported a significant increase in necessity for higher level of English proficiency in future: mean scores provided by respondents changed from B1 level to B2 level. Respondents gave priority to less formal and practice-based interactive English teaching methods (going abroad, contacts with native speakers) in comparison with theory-oriented methods of learning (self-studying, Internet courses). CONCLUSIONS. Similar levels of English language in all five areas of language skills were established in Polish and Lithuanian university students. Respondents gave more priorities to less formal and practice-based interactive English teaching methods (going abroad, contacts with native speakers) in comparison with theory-oriented or classroom-based methods of learning (self-studying, Internet courses). Survey showed a growing interest of students in improving English language in the future in Poland and Lithuania.

Dual language versus English only support for bilingual children with hearing loss who use cochlear implants and hearing aids

PubMed Central

Bunta, Ferenc; Douglas, Michael; Dickson, Hanna; Cantu, Amy; Wickesberg, Jennifer; Gifford, René H.

2015-01-01

Background There is a critical need to better understand speech and language development in bilingual children learning two spoken languages who use cochlear implants (CIs) and hearing aids (HAs). The paucity of knowledge in this area poses a significant barrier to providing maximal communicative outcomes to a growing number of children who have a hearing loss and are learning multiple spoken languages. In fact, the number of bilingual individuals receiving CIs and HAs is rapidly increasing, and Hispanic children display a higher prevalence of hearing loss than the general population of the United States (e.g., Mehra, Eavey, & Keamy, 2009). In order to better serve bilingual children with CIs and HAs, appropriate and effective therapy approaches need to be designed and tested, based on research findings. Aims This study investigated the effects of supporting both the home language (Spanish) and the language of the majority culture (English) on language outcomes in bilingual children with hearing loss (HL) who use CIs and HAs as compared to their bilingual peers who receive English only support. Methods and Procedures Retrospective analyses of language measures were completed for two groups of Spanish-and English-speaking bilingual children with HL who use CIs and HAs matched on a range of demographic and socio-economic variables: those with dual language support versus their peers with English only support. Dependent variables included scores from the English version of the Preschool Language Scales, 4th edition. Results Bilingual children who received dual language support outperformed their peers who received English only support at statistically significant levels as measured by Total Language and Expressive Communication as raw and language age scores. No statistically significant group differences were found on Auditory Comprehension scores. Conclusions In addition to providing support in English, encouraging home language use and providing treatment support in the first language may help rather than hinder development of both English and the home language in bilingual children with hearing loss who use CIs and HAs. In fact, dual language support may yield better overall and expressive English language outcomes than English only support for this population. PMID:27017913

Learning through English Language in Early Childhood Education: A Case of English Medium Schools in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mwalongo, Leopard Jacob

2016-01-01

In China the English medium schools are now mushrooming and many parents send their children at very early age. These schools enroll children of pre-school to school age to learn through English as foreign language regardless of their proficiency in the first language. Therefore the study aims at examining the learning English language as a…

Evaluation of the benefits of assistive reading software: perceptions of high school students with learning disabilities.

PubMed

Chiang, Hsin-Yu; Liu, Chien-Hsiou

2011-01-01

Using assistive reading software may be a cost-effective way to increase the opportunity for independent learning in students with learning disabilities. However, the effectiveness and perception of assistive reading software has seldom been explored in English-as-a-second language students with learning disabilities. This research was designed to explore the perception and effect of using assistive reading software in high school students with dyslexia (one subtype of learning disability) to improve their English reading and other school performance. The Kurzweil 3000 software was used as the intervention tool in this study. Fifteen students with learning disabilities were recruited, and instruction in the usage of the Kurzweil 3000 was given. Then after 2 weeks, when they were familiarized with the use of Kurzweil 3000, interviews were used to determine the perception and potential benefit of using the software. The results suggested that the Kurzweil 3000 had an immediate impact on students' English word recognition. The students reported that the software made reading, writing, spelling, and pronouncing easier. They also comprehended more during their English class. Further study is needed to determine under which conditions certain hardware/software might be helpful for individuals with special learning needs.

The Role of Language Laboratory in English Language Learning Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohammed, Abdelaziz

2017-01-01

This study aims at determining the relationship between language labs and the effective ways of mastering better performance of English language. The study raised two questions. They are "Is language laboratory useful in teaching English to Saudi students?" And "How do language labs help in improving students' performance?"…

1,000 Spanish Idioms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, J. Dale

The idioms, rated numerically on frequency of occurrence and prevailing usage, are presented with an illustrative example and English translation. An alphabetical listing of the English translations of the Spanish idioms includes reference to page citation and frequency of usage. Appendixes contain a sample evaluation sheet used in the selection…

Patient-provider language concordance and colorectal cancer screening.

PubMed

Linsky, Amy; McIntosh, Nathalie; Cabral, Howard; Kazis, Lewis E

2011-02-01

Patient-provider language barriers may play a role in health-care disparities, including obtaining colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Professional interpreters and language-concordant providers may mitigate these disparities. DESIGN, SUBJECTS, AND MAIN MEASURES: We performed a retrospective cohort study of individuals age 50 years and older who were categorized as English-Concordant (spoke English at home, n = 21,594); Other Language-Concordant (did not speak English at home but someone at their provider's office spoke their language, n = 1,463); or Other Language-Discordant (did not speak English at home and no one at their provider's spoke their language, n = 240). Multivariate logistic regression assessed the association of language concordance with colorectal cancer screening. Compared to English speakers, non-English speakers had lower use of colorectal cancer screening (30.7% vs 50.8%; OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.51-0.76). Compared to the English-Concordant group, the Language-Discordant group had similar screening (adjusted OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.58-1.21), while the Language-Concordant group had lower screening (adjusted OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.46-0.71). Rates of CRC screening are lower in individuals who do not speak English at home compared to those who do. However, the Language-Discordant cohort had similar rates to those with English concordance, while the Language-Concordant cohort had lower rates of CRC screening. This may be due to unmeasured differences among the cohorts in patient, provider, and health care system characteristics. These results suggest that providers should especially promote the importance of CRC screening to non-English speaking patients, but that language barriers do not fully account for CRC screening rate disparities in these populations.

Importance of Phonological and Orthographic Skills for English Reading and Spelling: A Comparison of English Monolingual and Mandarin-English Bilingual Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeong, Stephanie H. M.; Fletcher, Janet; Bayliss, Donna M.

2014-01-01

This cross-sectional study examines the importance of English phonological and orthographic processing skills to English word reading and spelling in 3 groups of younger (8-9 years) and older (11-12 years) children from different language backgrounds: English monolingual, English first language (L1)-Mandarin second language (L2), and Mandarin…

A Study of English Language Learning Beliefs, Strategies, and English Academic Achievement of the ESP Students of STIENAS Samarinda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayati, Noor

2015-01-01

This research aimed to investigate; students' English academic achievement, beliefs about English language learning, English language learning strategies, and the relationship of them. Descriptive and correlational design, quantitative methods were applied in this research. The students' final English scores of the first year, BALLI, and SILL were…

Learner Views on English and English Language Teaching in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Na; Lin, Chih-Kai; Wiley, Terrence G.

2016-01-01

Since the 1980s, China has represented one of the major growth areas in the world for English language education, and studying English has been a priority among its foreign language educational policies. As English has gained more popularity in China, some have noted the potential value of English as a means to greater educational access and…

Borrowing Legitimacy as English Learner (EL) Leaders: Indiana's 14-Year History with English Language Proficiency Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morita-Mullaney, Trish

2017-01-01

English language proficiency or English language development (ELP/D) standards guide how content-specific instruction and assessment is practiced by teachers and how English learners (ELs) at varying levels of English proficiency can perform grade-level-specific academic standards in K-12 US schools. With the transition from the state-developed…

Teaching English through English: Proficiency, Pedagogy and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Jack C.

2017-01-01

Most of the world's English language teachers speak English as a second or third language rather than as their first language. For many, their level of proficiency in English may not reach benchmarks established by their employers, raising the issue that is the focus of this article, namely, what kind of proficiency in English is necessary to be…

Effectiveness of a Parent-Implemented Language and Literacy Intervention in the Home Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ijalba, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Few studies explore parent-implemented literacy interventions in the home language for young children with problems in language acquisition. A shift in children's use of the home language to English has been documented when English is the only language of instruction. When parents are not proficient in English, such language shift can limit…

Timelines for English Language Acquisition: A Study of the Rates of Second Language Acquisition among Hispanic English Language Learners Including Exceptionalities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, Jennifer J.

2012-01-01

This study explores No Child Left Behind's required timetable for English language learners (ELLs) to reach English language proficiency within five years, as outlined in the Annual Measurable Achievement Outcomes (AMAOs), despite the lack of research evidence to support this as a reasonable expectation. Analysis was conducted on the archived data…

The Impact of an Instructional Intervention on the Science and Language Learning of Middle Grade English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

August, Diane; Branum-Martin, Lee; Cardenas-Hagan, Elsa; Francis, David J.

2009-01-01

The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention--Quality English and Science Teaching (QuEST)--designed to develop the science knowledge and academic language of middle grades English language learners studying science in their second language and their English-proficient classmates. Ten sixth-grade science teachers in 5…

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Title III: Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students. 107th Congress, 1st Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, Washington, DC.

This report describes the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title III: Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students. Part A describes the English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act. Its four subparts include the following: (1) grants and subgrants for English language acquisition…

Masking Release for Igbo and English.

PubMed

Ebem, Deborah U; Desloge, Joseph G; Reed, Charlotte M; Braida, Louis D; Uguru, Joy O

2013-09-01

In this research, we explored the effect of noise interruption rate on speech intelligibility. Specifically, we used the Hearing In Noise Test (HINT) procedure with the original HINT stimuli (English) and Igbo stimuli to assess speech reception ability in interrupted noise. For a given noise level, the HINT test provides an estimate of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required for 50%-correct speech intelligibility. The SNR for 50%-correct intelligibility changes depending upon the interruption rate of the noise. This phenomenon (called Masking Release) has been studied extensively in English but not for Igbo - which is an African tonal language spoken predominantly in South Eastern Nigeria. This experiment explored and compared the phenomenon of Masking Release for (i) native English speakers listening to English, (ii) native Igbo speakers listening to English, and (iii) native Igbo speakers listening to Igbo. Since Igbo is a tonal language and English is a non-tonal language, this allowed us to compare Masking Release patterns on native speakers of tonal and non-tonal languages. Our results for native English speakers listening to English HINT show that the SNR and the masking release are orderly and consistent with other English HINT data for English speakers. Our result for Igbo speakers listening to English HINT sentences show that there is greater variability in results across the different Igbo listeners than across the English listeners. This result likely reflects different levels of ability in the English language across the Igbo listeners. The masking release values in dB are less than for English listeners. Our results for Igbo speakers listening to Igbo show that in general, the SNRs for Igbo sentences are lower than for English/English and Igbo/English. This means that the Igbo listeners could understand 50% of the Igbo sentences at SNRs less than those required for English sentences by either native or non-native listeners. This result can be explained by the fact that the perception of Igbo utterances by Igbo subjects may have been aided by the prediction of tonal and vowel harmony features existent in the Igbo language. In agreement with other studies, our results also show that in a noisy environment listeners are able to perceive their native language better than a second language. The ability of native language speakers to perceive their language better than a second language in a noisy environment may be attributed to the fact that: Native speakers are more familiar with the sounds of their language than second language speakers.One of the features of language is that it is predictable hence even in noise a native speaker may be able to predict a succeeding word that is scarcely audible. These contextual effects are facilitated by familiarity.

Evaluating the lexico-grammatical differences in the writing of native and non-native speakers of English in peer-reviewed medical journals in the field of pediatric oncology: Creation of the genuine index scoring system

PubMed Central

Gayle, Alberto Alexander; Shimaoka, Motomu

2017-01-01

Introduction The predominance of English in scientific research has created hurdles for “non-native speakers” of English. Here we present a novel application of native language identification (NLI) for the assessment of medical-scientific writing. For this purpose, we created a novel classification system whereby scoring would be based solely on text features found to be distinctive among native English speakers (NS) within a given context. We dubbed this the “Genuine Index” (GI). Methodology This methodology was validated using a small set of journals in the field of pediatric oncology. Our dataset consisted of 5,907 abstracts, representing work from 77 countries. A support vector machine (SVM) was used to generate our model and for scoring. Results Accuracy, precision, and recall of the classification model were 93.3%, 93.7%, and 99.4%, respectively. Class specific F-scores were 96.5% for NS and 39.8% for our benchmark class, Japan. Overall kappa was calculated to be 37.2%. We found significant differences between countries with respect to the GI score. Significant correlation was found between GI scores and two validated objective measures of writing proficiency and readability. Two sets of key terms and phrases differentiating NS and non-native writing were identified. Conclusions Our GI model was able to detect, with a high degree of reliability, subtle differences between the terms and phrasing used by native and non-native speakers in peer reviewed journals, in the field of pediatric oncology. In addition, L1 language transfer was found to be very likely to survive revision, especially in non-Western countries such as Japan. These findings show that even when the language used is technically correct, there may still be some phrasing or usage that impact quality. PMID:28212419

Evaluating the lexico-grammatical differences in the writing of native and non-native speakers of English in peer-reviewed medical journals in the field of pediatric oncology: Creation of the genuine index scoring system.

PubMed

Gayle, Alberto Alexander; Shimaoka, Motomu

2017-01-01

The predominance of English in scientific research has created hurdles for "non-native speakers" of English. Here we present a novel application of native language identification (NLI) for the assessment of medical-scientific writing. For this purpose, we created a novel classification system whereby scoring would be based solely on text features found to be distinctive among native English speakers (NS) within a given context. We dubbed this the "Genuine Index" (GI). This methodology was validated using a small set of journals in the field of pediatric oncology. Our dataset consisted of 5,907 abstracts, representing work from 77 countries. A support vector machine (SVM) was used to generate our model and for scoring. Accuracy, precision, and recall of the classification model were 93.3%, 93.7%, and 99.4%, respectively. Class specific F-scores were 96.5% for NS and 39.8% for our benchmark class, Japan. Overall kappa was calculated to be 37.2%. We found significant differences between countries with respect to the GI score. Significant correlation was found between GI scores and two validated objective measures of writing proficiency and readability. Two sets of key terms and phrases differentiating NS and non-native writing were identified. Our GI model was able to detect, with a high degree of reliability, subtle differences between the terms and phrasing used by native and non-native speakers in peer reviewed journals, in the field of pediatric oncology. In addition, L1 language transfer was found to be very likely to survive revision, especially in non-Western countries such as Japan. These findings show that even when the language used is technically correct, there may still be some phrasing or usage that impact quality.

Test Review: Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malone, Margaret E.

2010-01-01

This article presents a review of the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment, a high stakes standardized test of the English language. It is a topic-based test that integrates listening, reading, writing and speaking. The test is designed to describe the level of English language proficiency of test takers planning to study at…

English Language Education Policy in Colombia and Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roux, Ruth

2012-01-01

English language education policies have attracted the attention of researchers in applied linguistics and English language teaching world-wide in the last few years. Some contend that English language skills are vital if a country is to participate actively in the global economy and individuals are to have access to knowledge for social and…

Improving English Listening Proficiency: The Application of ARCS Learning-Motivational Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jianfeng

2015-01-01

Language learning motivation is one of vital factors which strongly correlates to the success in second language acquisition. Listening proficiency, as one of the basic language abilities, is paid much attention in English instruction, but presently the college English listening teaching is a weak link in English language teaching in China, which…

Bridging English Language Learner Achievement Gaps through Effective Vocabulary Development Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Charles

2016-01-01

Despite a well-documented history of immigration in the United States of America and rise in population of students that speak a language other than English, academic achievement gaps between English Language Learners and their native English language speaking counterparts from Grades Pre-Kindergarten through the college/university level still…

19 CFR 122.4 - English language required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false English language required. 122.4 Section 122.4... TREASURY AIR COMMERCE REGULATIONS General Definitions and Provisions § 122.4 English language required. A translation in the English language shall be attached to the original and each copy of any form or document...

48 CFR 52.214-34 - Submission of Offers in the English Language.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... the English Language. 52.214-34 Section 52.214-34 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Provisions and Clauses 52.214-34 Submission of Offers in the English Language. As prescribed in 14.201-6(w), insert the following provision: Submission of Offers in the English Language (APR 1991) Offers submitted...

The Factor Structure of the English Language Development Assessment: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuriakose, Anju

2011-01-01

This study investigated the internal factor structure of the English language development Assessment (ELDA) using confirmatory factor analysis. ELDA is an English language proficiency test developed by a consortium of multiple states and is used to identify and reclassify English language learners in kindergarten to grade 12. Scores on item…

12 CFR 516.80 - What language must I use in my publication?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...? (a) English. You must publish the notice in a newspaper printed in the English language. (b) Other than English. If the OTS determines that the primary language of a significant number of adult residents of the community is a language other than English, the OTS may require that you simultaneously...

19 CFR 122.4 - English language required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false English language required. 122.4 Section 122.4... TREASURY AIR COMMERCE REGULATIONS General Definitions and Provisions § 122.4 English language required. A translation in the English language shall be attached to the original and each copy of any form or document...

16 CFR 307.5 - Language requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... regulations shall be set out in the English language. If the label of a smokeless tobacco product contains a required warning in a language other than English, the required warning must also appear in English. In the... publication that is not in English, the warning statement shall appear in the predominant language of the...

It's Not in the Curriculum: Adult English Language Teachers and LGBQ Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Christy M.; Coda, James

2017-01-01

For adult English language learners, the English language classroom provides a space for students to examine cultural as well other identities. However, discussions often center on racial, rather than sexual identities. In addition, attention to how adult English language instructors engage in classroom practices that focus on sexual identities is…

English language use, health and mortality in older Mexican Americans.

PubMed

Salinas, Jennifer J; Sheffield, Kristin M

2011-04-01

The purpose of this study is to determine if English language use is associated with smoking, diabetes, hypertension, limitations in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and 12-year mortality in older Mexican Americans. Using data from a cohort of 3,050 Mexican Americans aged 65 years and older, we examined prevalence of 4 health indicators and survival over 12 years of follow-up by English language use. English language use is associated with increased odds of hypertension in men, independent of nativity and sociodemographic control variables. Among women, English language use is associated with lower odds of ADL limitations and increased odds of smoking. The associations for women were partially explained by occupational status and nativity. After adjusting for health conditions, sociodemographics, and nativity, English language use was associated with increased mortality among men. Interaction terms revealed that for both men and women, higher English language use was associated with mortality for respondents with the highest level of income only. English language use is a predictor of health and mortality in older Mexican Americans separate from country of birth.

Refusal Strategies of Iranian University English as a Foreign Language and Non-English Learners in Native Language: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sa'd, Seyyed Hatam Tamimi; Qadermazi, Zohre

2014-01-01

This study is an attempt to examine the possible effect that exposure to English has had on the use of refusal strategies in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners compared with those of non-English learners when refusing in their native language, Persian. The sample included 12 EFL learners and 12 learners of other academic majors including…

16 CFR 803.8 - Foreign language documents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... language documents. (a) Whenever at the time of filing a Notification and Report Form there is an English... English language versions shall be filed along with the foreign language information or materials. (b... for additional information or documentary material shall be submitted with verbatim English language...

Common usage of cardiologic anatomical terminology: critical analysis and a trilingual discussion proposal.

PubMed

Werneck, Alexandre Lins; Batigália, Fernando

2009-01-01

Terminology and Lexicography have been especially addressed to the Allied Health Sciences regarding discussion of case reports or concerning publication of scientific articles. The knowledge of Human Anatomy enables the understanding of medical terms and the refinement of Medical Terminology makes possible a better anatomicomedical communication in a highly technical level. Most of the scientific publications in both Anatomy and Medicine are found only in English and most of dictionaries or search resources available do not have specificity enough to explain anatomicomedical, terminological, or lexicographical occurrences. To design and produce a multilingual terminological dictionary (Latin-English-Portuguese-Spanish) containing a list of English anatomicomedical terms in common usage in cardiology subspecialties addressed to medical students and professionals, to other allied health sciences professionals, and to translators working in this specific field. Terms, semantical and grammatical components were selected to compose an anatomicocardiological corpus. The adequacy to the thematic terminological research requests and the translation reliability level will be settled from the terminology specificity in contrast to the semantics, as well as from a peer survey of the main terms used by national and international experts in specialized journals, Internet sites, and from text-books on Anatomy and Cardiology. The inclusion criteria will be the terms included in the English, Portuguese, and Spanish Terminologia Anatomica - the official terminology of the anatomical sciences; nonofficial technical commonly used terms which lead to terminology or translation misunderstanding often being a source of confusion. A table with a sample of the 508 most used anatomical cardiologic terms in English language peer-reviewed journals of cardiology and (pediatric and adult) thoracic surgery is shown. The working up of a multilingual terminological dictionary reduces the risk of ambiguities, inconsistencies, inutilities, and repetitions concerning the Nomenclature addressed to the Allied Health Sciences by prioritizing the inclusion of official technical terms and a judicious selection of commonly used terms. Efforts to standardize lists of structures in Humana Anatomy lead to both opportunities of scientific update and conceptual enlightenment.

Improving Science and Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners. CREATE Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

August, Diane; Artzi, Lauren; Mazrum, Julie

2010-01-01

This brief reviews previous research related to the development of science knowledge and academic language in English language learners as well as the role of English language proficiency, learning in a second language, and first language knowledge in science learning. It also describes two successful CREATE interventions that build academic and…

Teaching English in Primary Schools in Vietnam: An Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoa, Nguyen Thi Mai; Tuan, Nguyen Quoc

2007-01-01

This paper examines the English language situation at primary school level in Vietnam from a language planning perspective. It examines language policy for foreign language teaching in Vietnam to provide a picture of the role of English in foreign language education. It analyses language-in-education policy, curriculum and teaching materials, and…

The Development of English as a Second Language With and Without Specific Language Impairment: Clinical Implications.

PubMed

Paradis, Johanne

2016-02-01

The purpose of this research forum article is to provide an overview of typical and atypical development of English as a second language (L2) and to present strategies for clinical assessment with English language learners (ELLs). A review of studies examining the lexical, morphological, narrative, and verbal memory abilities of ELLs is organized around 3 topics: timeframe and characteristics of typical English L2 development, comparison of the English L2 development of children with and without specific language impairment (SLI), and strategies for more effective assessment with ELLs. ELLs take longer than 3 years to converge on monolingual norms and approach monolingual norms asynchronously across linguistic subdomains. Individual variation is predicted by age, first language, language learning aptitude, length of exposure to English in school, maternal education, and richness of the English environment outside school. ELLs with SLI acquire English more slowly than ELLs with typical development; their morphological and nonword repetition abilities differentiate them the most. Use of strategies such as parent questionnaires on first language development and ELL norm referencing can result in accurate discrimination of ELLs with SLI. Variability in the language abilities of ELLs presents challenges for clinical practice. Increased knowledge of English language learning development with and without SLI together with evidence-based alternative assessment strategies can assist in overcoming these challenges.

Predictors of Second Language Acquisition in Latino Children With Specific Language Impairment

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-Clellen, Vera; Simon-Cereijido, Gabriela; Sweet, Monica

2012-01-01

Purpose This study evaluated the extent to which the language of intervention, the child’s development in Spanish, and the effects of English vocabulary, use, proficiency, and exposure predict differences in the rates of acquisition of English in Latino children with specific language impairment (SLI). Method In this randomized controlled trial, 188 Latino preschoolers with SLI participated in a small-group academic enrichment program for 12 weeks and were followed up 3 and 5 months later. Children were randomly assigned to either a bilingual or an English-only program. Predictors of English growth included measures of Spanish language skills and English vocabulary, use, proficiency, and exposure. Performance on English outcomes (i.e., picture description and narrative sample) was assessed over time. A series of longitudinal models were tested via multilevel modeling with baseline and posttreatment measures nested within child. Results Children demonstrated growth on the English outcomes over time. The language of intervention, Spanish skills, English vocabulary, and English use significantly predicted differences in rates of growth across children for specific measures of English development. Conclusions This study underscores the role of the child’s first language skills, the child’s level of English vocabulary development, and level of English use for predicting differences in English acquisition in Latino preschoolers with SLI. These factors should be carefully considered in making clinical decisions. PMID:22230174

The Effect of Using Arabic Language for Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Elementary Stage Schools in Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dmour, Ahmad

2015-01-01

This paper aims at investigating the effect of using Arabic language for teaching English as a Foreign Language in a Jordanian context at elementary school stages in Al-Karak Directorate of Education. English language teachers usually intend to focus on using English in their classes, but they come across a big problem which is the lack of…

The Overall Relationships between the Use of English Language Learning Strategies and Personality Traits among the Female University Level Learners of English Language as a University Major

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazeli, Seyed Hossein

2012-01-01

The current study aims to explore the overall relationships between use of English language learning strategies and personality traits of the female university level learners of English language as a university major. Four instruments were used, which were Adapted Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) of Rebecca L. Oxfords, A Background…

English Language Teaching in Rural Areas: A Scenario and Problems and Prospects in Context of Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hossain, Md. Mahroof

2016-01-01

Language is one of the medium of expressing our ideas, feelings and emotions. And if we think about language in present world then English is one of the most used languages in the world and English is used as a second language in Bangladesh. English is introduced here at the primary level and its inclusion continues till the tertiary level of…

Early Childhood: Language and Bullying in an English-Medium School in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehman, Clayton Wayne

2017-01-01

The purpose of this small-scale study was to examine whether language is a factor in the reporting of bullying behavior by young English language learners enrolled in an early childhood program of an English-medium school in China. Further investigated was whether an English-only language policy affects the reporting of bullying behavior.…

Teaching English in English, "In Principle": The National Foreign Language Curriculum for Japanese Senior High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glasgow, Gregory Paul

2014-01-01

Research in language-in-education policy and planning (LEP) rarely examines how language teachers negotiate official policy statements on teaching methodologies. In this study, I investigate the current upper secondary school foreign language national curriculum in Japan that requires English classes to be conducted in English, implemented since…

English Language Proficiency and Teacher Judgments of the Academic and Interpersonal Competence of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freberg, Miranda E.

2014-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate how English language proficiency is related to teacher judgments of students' academic and interpersonal competence. It was hypothesized that English Language Learner (ELL) students would generally be perceived as having weaker academic and interpersonal skills than their non-ELL counterparts regardless…

Accommodations for English Language Learners with Disabilities in Federally-Mandated Statewide English Language Proficiency Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuti, Laura M.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research study was to conduct exploratory research to examine federally-mandated annual English language proficiency (ELP) assessment of English language learners (ELLs) and their use of accommodations on the assessment. First the researcher provides a review of the literature regarding accommodations provided for ELLs,…

Asian/Pacific Islander Languages Spoken by English Learners (ELs). Fast Facts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of English Language Acquisition, US Department of Education, 2015

2015-01-01

The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has synthesized key data on English learners (ELs) into two-page PDF sheets, by topic, with graphics, plus key contacts. The topics for this report on Asian/Pacific Islander languages spoken by English Learners (ELs) include: (1) Top 10 Most Common Asian/Pacific Islander Languages Spoken Among ELs:…

Personality Traits as Predictors of the Social English Language Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazeli, Seyed Hossein

2012-01-01

The present study aims to find out the role of personality traits in the prediction use of the Social English Language Learning Strategies (SELLSs) for learners of English as a foreign language. Four instruments were used, which were Adapted Inventory for Social English Language Learning Strategies based on Social category of Strategy Inventory…

Learners' Attitudes toward "English-Only" Institutional Policies: Language Use outside the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shvidko, Elena

2017-01-01

It is commonly believed that intensive English programs (IEP) are designed to immerse learners in an English-speaking environment to help them effectively develop their language skills. Therefore, despite countless studies on the importance of a learner's first language (L1) in second language learning, some IEPs enforce English-only policies that…

Challenges of Implementing a Top-Down Curriculum Innovation in English Language Teaching: Perspectives of Form Iii English Language Teachers in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoth, Teresa A.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the challenges Form III English language teachers face when implementing the revised integrated English language curriculum. A mixed-method descriptive design was used in Eldoret East SubCounty in Kenya. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews and reflective conversations. Cluster, purposive and random…

The Impact of Personality Traits on the Affective Category of English Language Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazeli, Seyed Hossein

2011-01-01

The present study aims at discovering the impact of personality traits in the prediction use of the Affective English Language Learning Strategies (AELLSs) for learners of English as a foreign language. Four instruments were used, which were Adapted Inventory for Affective English Language Learning Strategies based on Affective category of…

Preparing English as a Second Language Students for College Level Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valenzuela, Hector

2014-01-01

In a diverse classroom, there are students who are in need of both mathematics and English as a second language instruction. One of the challenges faced at Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) was the development of a pathway for English language learners into core academic courses at the college. In addition, English language learners…

English as an Additional Language and Attainment in Primary Schools in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demie, Feyisa

2018-01-01

English as an additional language (EAL) and language diversity attract much interest amongst policymakers and educationists; yet little is known about the performance in English schools of EAL pupils who are not fluent in English and speak different languages at home. The findings of the aggregated data confirm that EAL pupils achieved less well…

An Integrative Approach to Teaching English as a Second Language: The Hong Kong Case.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wan, Yee

This paper proposes an integrative approach for teaching English as a second language to students in Hong Kong to develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English to meet the challenge of an English curriculum. The integrative approach provides an authentic language environment for learners to develop language skills in a…

Uses of Technology in the Instruction of Adult English Language Learners. CAELA Network Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Sarah Catherine K.

2009-01-01

In program year 2006-2007, 46 percent of the adults enrolled in federally funded, state-administered adult education programs in the United States were enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. These adult English language learners represent a wide range of ages, nationalities, native languages, and English proficiency levels. In…

Identification of Specific Language Impairment in Bilingual Children: I. Assessment in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillam, Ronald B.; Peña, Elizabeth D.; Bedore, Lisa M.; Bohman, Thomas M.; Mendez-Perez, Anita

2013-01-01

Purpose: This study was designed to derive cut scores for English testing for use in identifying specific language impairment (SLI) in bilingual children who were learning English as a second language. Method: In a 1-gate design, 167 children received comprehensive language assessments in English and Spanish during their first-grade year. The…

Language Ability of Young English Language Learners: Definition, Configuration, and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gu, Lin

2015-01-01

In this study I examined the dimensionality of the latent ability underlying language use that is needed to fulfill the demands young learners face in English-medium instructional environments, where English is used as the means of instruction for teaching subject matters. Previous research on English language use by school-age children provided…

Parent Involvement in Early Childhood: A Comparison of English Language Learners and English First Language Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Sarah N.; Pelletier, Janette

2010-01-01

This study evaluated parents' communication, involvement and knowledge of their children's abilities in reading and mathematics among parents who spoke English as a first language (EL1) and those who were English language learners (ELL). Forty-two kindergarten-aged children, their parents and their teachers participated in the study. Results…

Education for Adult English Language Learners in the United States: Trends, Research, and Promising Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaetzel, Kirsten; Young, Sarah

2010-01-01

Adult English language learners comprise a substantial proportion of the adult education population in the United States. In program year 2006-2007, 46% of participants enrolled in state-administered adult education programs were in English as a second language (ESL) classes. This percentage does not include English language learners enrolled in…

A Small-Scale Study of Primary School English Language Teachers' Classroom Activities and Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arikan, Arda

2011-01-01

Turkey's search for upgrading the quality of English language teaching is still in progress. Publication of Ministry of National Education's "English Language Curriculum for Primary Education Grades 4,5,6,7 and 8" (2006) framed the content and delivery of our primary school English language teaching classes along with a list of suggested…

77 FR 42149 - Changes To Implement the Preissuance Submissions by Third Parties Provision of the Leahy-Smith...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-17

...; (4) an English language translation of any non-English language item listed; (5) a statement by the...-party submission was found to be non- compliant. Section 1.290(d)(4) requires an English language translation of any non-English language item identified in the document list. A translation submitted pursuant...

Effects of Academic and Non-Academic Instructional Approaches on Preschool English Language Learners' Classroom Engagement and English Language Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markova, Ivana

2017-01-01

This research compared the relative impact of different preschool activities on the development of bilingual students' English-language skills. The study investigated whether bilingual preschool children would engage more, and use more of their second language (English), during free-play (non-academic) versus teacher-structured (academic)…

English Language Proficiency and Early School Attainment among Children Learning English as an Additional Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whiteside, Katie E.; Gooch, Debbie; Norbury, Courtenay F.

2017-01-01

Children learning English as an additional language (EAL) often experience lower academic attainment than monolingual peers. In this study, teachers provided ratings of English language proficiency and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning for 782 children with EAL and 6,485 monolingual children in reception year (ages 4-5). Academic…

English Language Teaching Profile: Sweden.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

British Council, London (England). English-Teaching Information Centre.

This profile in outline form of the English language teaching situation in Sweden discusses the role of English within Swedish society and within the Swedish educational system. The status of English as the principal foreign language since 1945 for use in business, the media and tourism is pointed out. The system of English instruction in the…

Language, Identity, and Citizenship in a U.S. University: Immigrant English Learners' Identity (Re)positioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuentes, Ronald

2016-01-01

In response to growing linguistic diversity, many U.S. universities have implemented language policies that include procedures for English learner (EL) identification. Institutional labels such as "English learner" and "limited English proficiency" are regularly used to identify students who may need English language support;…

A Growth Curve Analysis of Literacy Performance among Second-Grade, Spanish-Speaking, English-Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutiierrez, Gabriel; Vanderwood, Mike L.

2013-01-01

The literacy growth of 260 second-grade English learners (ELs) with varying degrees of English language proficiency (e.g., Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Early Advanced and Advanced English language proficiency) was assessed with English literacy skill assessments. Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills measures were…

Codeswitching Techniques: Evidence-Based Instructional Practices for the ASL/English Bilingual Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Jean F.; Rusher, Melissa

2010-01-01

The authors present a perspective on emerging bilingual deaf students who are exposed to, learning, and developing two languages--American Sign Language (ASL) and English (spoken English, manually coded English, and English reading and writing). The authors suggest that though deaf children may lack proficiency or fluency in either language during…

History of the English Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Curriculum Project, Atlanta, GA.

This curriculum guide, developed for pre-kindergartners through grade 12 as part of the total English curriculum, is concerned with the English language as it is now known and as it evolved from its Indo-European roots. Materials include (1) an overview of the origin and development of the English language from Old English through middle English…

English Activation through Art: Tensions and Rewards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Tat Heung

2017-01-01

This article describes a unit of work framed by a rationale for activating English language learning through arts-based practices that are suitable for preservice teachers who are nonnative speakers of English (seeking certification for teaching English as a second language). Because teachers of English are expected to use language arts to promote…

English as a Global Language. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crystal, David

This book presents an account of the rise of English as a global language and explores the history, current status, and future potential of English as the international language of communication. Five chapters focus on the following: (1) "Why a Global Language?" (e.g., what a global language is, what makes a language global, and why a…

Linguistic Interdependence between Spanish Language and English Language and Reading: A Longitudinal Exploration from Second through Fifth Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Proctor, C. Patrick; Harring, Jeffrey R.; Silverman, Rebecca D.

2017-01-01

This study explored effects of Spanish oral language skills (vocabulary and syntax) on the development of English oral language skills (vocabulary, morphology, semantics, syntax) and reading comprehension among 156 bilingual Latino children in second through fifth grade whose first language was Spanish and whose second language was English. Using…

Which Methodology Works Better? English Language Teachers' Awareness of the Innovative Language Learning Methodologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurt, Mustafa

2015-01-01

The present study investigated whether English language teachers were aware of the innovative language learning methodologies in language learning, how they made use of these methodologies and the learners' reactions to them. The descriptive survey method was employed to disclose the frequencies and percentages of 175 English language teachers'…

Crashing the Language Barrier! The English Language: The Way It Is.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Dorothy S.

Intended for adults in search of improved language skills and their leaders, this handbook provides opportunities to strengthen abilities to listen, observe, organize, solve problems, evaluate, and draw tentative conclusions about the English language. The handbook contains a proposition about the English language, suggests procedures to confirm…

Impact of English on Education Reforms in China: With Reference to the Learn-English Movement, the Internationalisation of Universities and the English Language Requirement in College Entrance Examinations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, James Jian-Min; Hu, Ping; Ng, Sik Hung

2017-01-01

When China liberalised its economy and opened up to the (Western) world, it actively promoted the English language at schools and universities on a massive scale. This learn-English movement, riding on the back of English as the dominant international language, has powered English into China's education reforms. We outline the movement and discuss…

Teaching English as a "Second Language" in Kenya and the United States: Convergences and Divergences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy-Campbell, Zaline M.

2015-01-01

English is spoken in five countries as the native language and in numerous other countries as an official language and the language of instruction. In countries where English is the native language, it is taught to speakers of other languages as an additional language to enable them to participate in all domains of life of that country. In many…

Vietnamese Immigrant and Refugee Women's Mental Health: An Examination of Age of Arrival, Length of Stay, Income, and English Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Chris; Schale, Codi L.; Nilsson, Johanna E.

2010-01-01

Vietnamese immigrant and refugee women (N = 83) were surveyed regarding their mental health, English language proficiency, age of arrival, length of stay, and income. English language proficiency and age of arrival correlated with reduced symptomatology. Moreover, English language proficiency was the sole predictor of somatic distress. (Contains 1…

Prereferral Process with Latino English Language Learners with Specific Learning Disabilities: Perceptions of English-as-a-Second-Language Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferlis, Emily; Xu, Yaoying

2016-01-01

This study explored perceptions of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers on the prereferral process for Latino English language learners (ELLs). Using Colaizzi's (1978) phenomenological approach, qualitative data were collected through interviews with four ESL teachers. Analyses of the data indicated that the ESL teachers used research-based…

Sign Language: An Effective Strategy to Reduce the Gap between English Language Learners Native Language and English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, Sheryl; Graves, Emily

2010-01-01

Linguistic diversity provides even greater challenges for our educational system. English Language Learners (ELLs) are a diverse population of students who are learning English in school. They come from numerous cultural and economic backgrounds, and live throughout the country. The task of the classroom teacher is to find a way to reach these…

The Arizona Home Language Survey: The Under-Identification of Students for English Language Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldenberg, Claude; Rutherford-Quach, Sara

2012-01-01

Assuring that English learners (ELs) receive the support services to which they are entitled requires accurately identifying students who are limited in their English proficiency. As a first step in the identification process, students' parents fill out a home language survey. If the survey indicates a language other than English is spoken in the…

The Influence of Teacher Power on English Language Learners' Self-Perceptions of Learner Empowerment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz, Abel; Cochran, Kathryn; Karlin, Nancy

2016-01-01

English language learners (ELL) are students with a primary language spoken other than English enrolled in U.S. educational settings. As ELL students take on the challenges of learning English and U.S. culture, they must also learn academic content. The expectation to succeed academically in a foreign culture and language, while learning to speak…

English Language Training for Puerto Rican Navy Recruits: Evaluation of Pilot Program. Technical Report 155.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copeland, D. Robert; And Others

An evaluation of the effectiveness of the English language training for Navy recruits at the English Technical Language School (ETLS) in Puerto Rico is reported. The study covers the period of December 7, 1981, to September 30, 1983. It tracked Puerto Rican Army National Guard (PRANG) personnel from completion of English language training through…

The Challenge for Non-First-Language-English Academic Publishing in English Language Research Outlets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geiger, Vince; Straesser, Rudolf

2015-01-01

This paper is a reflective critique of practice within the field of mathematics education in relation to the challenges faced by non-first-language-English speaking academics when they attempt to publish in English language research outlets. Data for this study are drawn from communications between a German and an Australian academic as the…

Teaching Literacy to English Language Learners in the Borderlands: A Case Study of A Sixth Grade Language Arts and Reading Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Ann Marie; Salgado, Yolanda

2018-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to investigate how an English language arts teacher used young adult literature to help English language learners improve English and literacy comprehension. Through the lens of Anzaldua's (2007) "borderlands", and Rolon-Dow's (2005) "critical care", the authors analyze the case study…

Curriculum Style and English Language: An Investigation into Current Practices in the Teaching of English Language in Australian Schools. ACER Research Monograph No. 19.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Kevin

Intended for English teachers and administrators involved in curriculum design, this monograph describes the Language Learning Project, an investigation into current school practices in the teaching of English language in the Australian junior secondary school, with particular reference to teaching directed toward the attainment of language…

English Language Assessment in the Colleges of Applied Sciences in Oman: Thematic Document Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Hajri, Fatma

2014-01-01

Proficiency in English language and how it is measured have become central issues in higher education research as the English language is increasingly used as a medium of instruction and a criterion for admission to education. This study evaluated the English language assessment in the foundation Programme at the Colleges of Applied sciences in…

Food Safety Instruction Improves Knowledge and Behavior Risk and Protection Factors for Foodborne Illnesses in Pregnant Populations.

PubMed

Kendall, Patricia; Scharff, Robert; Baker, Susan; LeJeune, Jeffrey; Sofos, John; Medeiros, Lydia

2017-08-01

Objective This study compared knowledge and food-handling behavior after pathogen-specific (experimental treatment) versus basic food safety instruction (active control) presented during nutrition education classes for low-income English- and Spanish-language pregnant women. Methods Subjects (n = 550) were randomly assigned to treatment groups in two different locations in the United States. Food safety instruction was part of an 8-lesson curriculum. Food safety knowledge and behavior were measured pre/post intervention. Descriptive data were analyzed by Chi-Square or ANOVA; changes after intervention were analyzed by regression analysis. Results Knowledge improved after intervention in the pathogen-specific treatment group compared to active control, especially among Spanish-language women. Behavior change after intervention for the pathogen-specific treatment group improved for thermometer usage, refrigeration and consumption of foods at high risk for safety; however, all other improvements in behavior were accounted for by intervention regardless of treatment group. As expected, higher pre-instruction behavioral competency limited potential gain in behavior post-instruction due to a ceiling effect. This effect was more dominant among English-language women. Improvements were also linked to formal education completed, a partner at home, and other children in the home. Conclusions for Practice This study demonstrated that pathogen-specific food safety instruction leads to enhance knowledge and food handling behaviors that may improve the public health of pregnant women and their unborn children, especially among Spanish-language women. More importantly, food safety instruction, even at the most basic level, benefited pregnant women's food safety knowledge and food-handling behavior after intervention.

Sub-syllabic processing in young Korean-English bilinguals: semivowel placement differences between Korean and English.

PubMed

Baek, Seunghyun

2014-10-01

This study investigated the sub-syllabic awareness of two groups of 86 Korean kindergarteners learning English as a foreign language (EFL) or English as a second language (ESL). In addition, it explored the cross-language transfer of sub-syllabic units between Korean and English by taking into account their lexical abilities with respect to the two languages. The participants were assessed in Korean and English based on their sound oddity and similarity judgments with respect to sub-syllabic units in spoken pseudo-syllables containing semivowels (e.g., /j/ and /w/) as well as on a lexical ability test. The results indicate that EFL and ESL children preferred body structure and rime structure, respectively, regardless of the language. These results provide support for the bilingual interactive activation model; that is, bilingual lexicon may be represented in language non-selective access. Further, the differences in semivowel placement between Korean and English may be a possible resource for language-specific sub-syllabic awareness.

China English and ELT for English Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Mingjuan

2008-01-01

This paper is a general study of one of varieties of English--China English and its influence on English Language Teaching (ELT) for English majors. The status of English as an International language breaks the situation in which British English or American English is the sole standard. English becomes World Englishes, taking on a plural form,…

English Language Schooling, Linguistic Realities, and the Native Speaker of English in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen Edwards, Jette G.

2018-01-01

The study employs a case study approach to examine the impact of educational backgrounds on nine Hong Kong tertiary students' English and Cantonese language practices and identifications as native speakers of English and Cantonese. The study employed both survey and interview data to probe the participants' English and Cantonese language use at…

English Phonological Awareness in Bilinguals: A Cross-Linguistic Study of Tamil, Malay and Chinese English-Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, L. Quentin; Chuang, Hui-Kai; Quiroz, Blanca

2012-01-01

To test the lexical restructuring hypothesis among bilingual English-language learners, English phonological awareness (PA), English vocabulary and ethnic language vocabulary (Mandarin Chinese, Malay or Tamil) were assessed among 284 kindergarteners (168 Chinese, 71 Malays and 45 Tamils) in Singapore. A multi-level regression analysis showed that…

Teachers' Views on Ways of Improving English Language Teaching in Hong Kong.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Fung-kuen Eva

A study investigated the attitudes of Hong Kong English-as-a-Second-Language teachers concerning English language teaching problems in that context. The study was prompted by perceptions of declining interest in use of English, less frequent requirement of English skills for employment, increased use of colloquial Cantonese in social contexts, and…

A Study of Self-Identity Changes and Correlation of Influential Factors of Thai Students Studying English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boonchum, Patumporn

2009-01-01

English is regarded as an International Language. Most Thai students have to learn English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Significantly, learning languages, not only English, is related to a foreign culture's behavioral norms, and cultural values that usually determine a person's self-identity. Especially, students in English major may undergo…

Perceptions and Problems of English Language and Communication Abilities: A Final Check on Thai Engineering Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rajprasit, Krich; Pratoomrat, Panadda; Wang, Tuntiga

2015-01-01

English language and communication abilities are an essential part of the global engineering community. However, non-native English speaking engineers and students tend to be unable to master these skills. This study aims to gauge the perceived levels of their general English language proficiency, to explore their English communicative problems,…

Pluricentric Views towards English and Implications for ELT in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jianli, Liang

2015-01-01

Descriptions of the classifications or models of English language have been proposed by a number of scholars who attempt to explain the differences in the ways English is used in different localities. This paper reviews three models of classification of English language, with an aim of drawing implications on how English Language Teaching (ELT) in…

English, Language Shift and Values Shift in Japan and Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morita, Liang

2015-01-01

This is a comparative study of English language education in Japan and Singapore and the role English plays in both countries. English language education in Japan has not been very effective. Although the communicative approach to teaching English was introduced in the 1980s, schools still use the grammar-translation method and most Japanese do…

Examining the Validity of the Arizona English Language Learners Assessment Cut Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florez, Ida Rose

2012-01-01

The Arizona English Language Learners Assessment (AZELLA) is used by the Arizona Department of Education to determine which children should receive English support services. AZELLA results are used to determine if children are either proficient in English or have English language skills in one of four non-proficient categories (pre-emergent,…

A cross-language study of perception of lexical stress in English.

PubMed

Yu, Vickie Y; Andruski, Jean E

2010-08-01

This study investigates the question of whether language background affects the perception of lexical stress in English. Thirty native English speakers and 30 native Chinese learners of English participated in a stressed-syllable identification task and a discrimination task involving three types of stimuli (real words/pseudowords/hums). The results show that both language groups were able to identify and discriminate stress patterns. Lexical and segmental information affected the English and Chinese speakers in varying degrees. English and Chinese speakers showed different response patterns to trochaic vs. iambic stress across the three types of stimuli. An acoustic analysis revealed that two language groups used different acoustic cues to process lexical stress. The findings suggest that the different degrees of lexical and segmental effects can be explained by language background, which in turn supports the hypothesis that language background affects the perception of lexical stress in English.

Effects of Age of English Exposure, Current Input/Output, and grade on bilingual language performance*

PubMed Central

BEDORE, LISA M.; PEÑA, ELIZABETH D.; GRIFFIN, ZENZI M.; HIXON, J. GREGORY

2018-01-01

This study evaluates the effects of Age of Exposure to English (AoEE) and Current Input/Output on language performance in a cross-sectional sample of Spanish–English bilingual children. First- (N= 586) and third-graders (N= 298) who spanned a wide range of bilingual language experience participated. Parents and teachers provided information about English and Spanish language use. Short tests of semantic and morphosyntactic development in Spanish and English were used to quantify children’s knowledge of each language. There were significant interactions between AoEE and Current Input/Output for children at third grade in English and in both grades for Spanish. In English, the relationship between AoEE and language scores were linear for first- and third-graders. In Spanish a nonlinear relationship was observed. We discuss how much of the variance was accounted for by AoEE and Current Input/Output. PMID:26916066

Anxiety in English Language Learning: A Case Study of English Language Learners in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadiq, Jamilah Mohammed

2017-01-01

Language anxiety as a specific aspect of language acquisition has occupied a great body of research for the past few decades. In this study, the level of foreign language anxiety among English language learners was investigated. This study was carried out with a quantitative research design using a survey methodology to collect data about the…

The English-Language and Reading Achievement of a Cohort of Deaf Students Speaking and Signing Standard English: A Preliminary Study.

PubMed

Nielsen, Diane Corcoran; Luetke, Barbara; McLean, Meigan; Stryker, Deborah

2016-01-01

Research suggests that English-language proficiency is critical if students who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) are to read as their hearing peers. One explanation for the traditionally reported reading achievement plateau when students are D/HH is the inability to hear insalient English morphology. Signing Exact English can provide visual access to these features. The authors investigated the English morphological and syntactic abilities and reading achievement of elementary and middle school students at a school using simultaneously spoken and signed Standard American English facilitated by intentional listening, speech, and language strategies. A developmental trend (and no plateau) in language and reading achievement was detected; most participants demonstrated average or above-average English. Morphological awareness was prerequisite to high test scores; speech was not significantly correlated with achievement; language proficiency, measured by the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4 (Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2003), predicted reading achievement.

A Comparative Analysis of Contracted versus Alphabetical English Braille and Attitudes of English as a Foreign Language Learners: A Case Study of a Farsi-Speaking Visually Impaired Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mobaraki, Mohsen; Nazarloo, Saber Atash; Toosheh, Elaheh

2017-01-01

In the educational system of Iran, in which English is a foreign language, the duration of primary school is six years. After that, these English as a foreign language students enter high school and start to learn English during an additional six-year period. In years seven and eight, English textbooks are embossed in alphabetic English braille;…

Exploring English Language Learners (ELL) Experiences with Scientific Language and Inquiry within a Real Life Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Algee, Lisa M.

2012-01-01

English Language Learners (ELL) are often at a distinct disadvantage from receiving authentic science learning opportunites. This study explored English Language Learners (ELL) learning experiences with scientific language and inquiry within a real life context. This research was theoretically informed by sociocultural theory and literature on…

Language Planning, English Language Education and Development Aid in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erling, Elizabeth J.

2017-01-01

The increased status of English as the language of international communication and business has meant that development aid has increasingly been used to finance language planning initiatives aimed at improving and/or expanding English language education. The intended outcome of this aid is often to provide expanded economic returns and…

Development of Vocabulary in Spanish-Speaking and Cantonese-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uchikoshi, Yuuko

2014-01-01

This study examines vocabulary growth rates in first and second languages for Spanish-speaking and Cantonese-speaking English language learners from kindergarten through second grade. Growth-modeling results show a within-language effect of concepts about print on vocabulary. Language exposure also had an effect on English vocabulary: earlier…

A Project for Everyone: English Language Learners and Technology in Content-Area Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egbert, Joy

2002-01-01

Discussion of student participation in classroom projects when learning English as a second language highlights conditions that support language and content learning; approaches that can facilitate language and content learning; and what technology and other resources support English language learners in content-area classrooms. Uses a project on…

Foreign Language Planning in Saudi Arabia: Beyond English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, Mark; Almansour, Maram

2014-01-01

This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of foreign language planning in Saudi Arabia. In terms of official policy, the sole foreign language taught in Saudi public schools is English. Therefore, researching foreign languages there is often limited to researching the area of English as a Foreign Language. However, evidence shows that…

English Language Learners: Development and Intervention--An Introduction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCardle, Peggy; Leung, Christy Y.Y.

2006-01-01

Nearly one in five Americans speaks a language other than English at home; among Americans speaking languages other than English, the largest single language group is Spanish speaking (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2004). The increase in the total group of language minority individuals has been dramatic, with their proportion in the U.S. population…

Examining Emotions in English Language Learning Classes: A Case of EFL Emotions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pishghadam, Reza; Zabetipour, Mohammad; Aminzadeh, Afrooz

2016-01-01

Emotions play a significant role in learning in general, and foreign language learning in particular. Although with the rise of humanistic approaches, enough attention has been given to the affective domain in language learning, the emotions English as a foreign language (EFL) learners experience regarding English language skills in listening,…

Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Primary School. Case Studies in TESOL Practice Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCloskey, Mary Lou, Ed.; Orr, Janet, Ed.; Dolitsky, Marlene, Ed.

2006-01-01

Although language specialists do not always agree about the best age at which to introduce English language instruction, policy changes are increasingly mandating earlier introduction of English in foreign language (EFL) settings worldwide. In this volume, language educators and program implementers from various countries describe programs and…

Primary Science Teaching to Bicolano Students: In Bicol, English or Filipino?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vela, Jualim Datiles

2015-01-01

This study aimed to determine the effects of using the local and mother languages on primary students' academic performance in science, which is officially taught in English. Using the official language, English, and the two local languages--Filipino, the national and official language, and Bicol, the mother language of the respondents--science…

Using Trialogues to Measure English Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Youngsoon; Zapata-Rivera, Diego; Cho, Yeonsuk; Luce, Christine; Battistini, Laura

2015-01-01

We explored the use of technology-assisted, trialogue-based tasks to measure the English language proficiency of students learning English as a second or foreign language. A presumed benefit of the system for language assessment is its suitability for use in scenario-based tasks that integrate multiple language skills. This integration allows test…

A Literary Approach to Teaching English Language in a Multicultural Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choudhary, Sanju

2016-01-01

Literature is not generally considered as a coherent branch of the curriculum in relation to language development in either native or foreign language teaching. As teachers of English in multicultural Indian classrooms, we come across students with varying degrees of competence in English language learning. Although language learning is a natural…

Publish (in English) or perish: The effect on citation rate of using languages other than English in scientific publications.

PubMed

Di Bitetti, Mario S; Ferreras, Julián A

2017-02-01

There is a tendency for non-native English scientists to publish exclusively in English, assuming that this will make their articles more visible and cited. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the effect of language on the number of citations of articles published in six natural sciences journals from five countries that publish papers in either English or other languages. We analyzed the effect of language (English vs non-English), paper length, and year of publication on the number of citations. The articles published in English have a higher number of citations than those published in other languages, when the effect of journal, year of publication, and paper length are statistically controlled. This may result because English articles are accessible to a larger audience, but other factors need to be explored. Universities and scientific institutions should be aware of this situation and improve the teaching of English, especially in the natural sciences.

Giving Power Its Due: The Powerful Possibilities and the Problems of Power with Deliberative Democracy and English Language Learners. A Response to "Deliberative Democracy in English-Language Education: Cultural and Linguistic Inclusion in the School Community"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Jarrod S.

2015-01-01

The use of deliberation with English Language Learners presents possibilities to both improve language learning, but also expand the potential for civics education for all students. In particular, this response examines the issue of power to extend Liggett's (2014) arguments for using deliberative democracy with English Language Learners and…

Language of administration and neuropsychological test performance in neurologically intact Hispanic American bilingual adults.

PubMed

Gasquoine, Philip Gerard; Croyle, Kristin L; Cavazos-Gonzalez, Cynthia; Sandoval, Omar

2007-11-01

This study compared the performance of Hispanic American bilingual adults on Spanish and English language versions of a neuropsychological test battery. Language achievement test scores were used to divide 36 bilingual, neurologically intact, Hispanic Americans from south Texas into Spanish-dominant, balanced, and English-dominant bilingual groups. They were administered the eight subtests of the Bateria Neuropsicologica and the Matrix Reasoning subtest of the WAIS-III in Spanish and English. Half the participants were tested in Spanish first. Balanced bilinguals showed no significant differences in test scores between Spanish and English language administrations. Spanish and/or English dominant bilinguals showed significant effects of language of administration on tests with higher language compared to visual perceptual weighting (Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey-Revised, Letter Fluency, Story Memory, and Stroop Color and Word Test). Scores on tests with higher visual-perceptual weighting (Matrix Reasoning, Figure Memory, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Spatial Span), were not significantly affected by language of administration, nor were scores on the Spanish/California Verbal Learning Test, and Digit Span. A problem was encountered in comparing false positive rates in each language, as Spanish norms fell below English norms, resulting in a much higher false positive rate in English across all bilingual groupings. Use of a comparison standard (picture vocabulary score) reduced false positive rates in both languages, but the higher false positive rate in English persisted.

English Language Education in Cuba.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irizar, Tony

2001-01-01

Provides an overview of English language education in Cuba. Discusses the historical role of English in Cuba, the introduction of English for specific purposes, and the current status of English instruction. (Author/VWL)

Algeria: Country Status Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFerren, Margaret

A survey of the status of language usage in Algeria begins with an overview of the usage patterns of Arabic, the Berber languages, and French. The country's return to Arabic as its official language after independence from France in 1962 is discussed along with the resultant language planning, issues of language of instruction at the elementary,…

The role of language familiarity in bilingual stuttering assessment.

PubMed

Lee, Amanda Savio; Robb, Michael P; Ormond, Tika; Blomgren, Michael

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of English-speaking speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to evaluate stuttering behaviour in two Spanish-English bilingual adults who stutter (AWS1 and AWS2). The English-speaking SLPs were asked to judge the frequency, severity, type, duration, and physical concomitants of stuttering in both languages of the two AWS. The combined results from the English-speaking SLPs were then compared to the judgements of three Spanish-English bilingual SLPs. Results indicated that English-speaking SLPs (1) judged stuttering frequency to be greater in Spanish than English for AWS1, and equal in Spanish and English for AWS2, (2) were more accurate at evaluating individual moments of stuttering for the English samples compared to the Spanish samples, (3) identified fewer and less severe stuttering behaviours than the bilingual SLPs in both languages, and (4) were accurate judges of overall stuttering severity in both languages. The results correspond to past research examining the accuracy of stuttering evaluations in unfamiliar languages. Possible explanations for the findings, clinical implications, and future research directions are discussed.

Language Sample Measures and Language Ability in Spanish English Bilingual Kindergarteners

PubMed Central

Bedore, Lisa M.; Peña, Elizabeth D.; Gillam, Ronald B.; Ho, Tsung-Han

2010-01-01

Measures of productivity and sentence organization are useful metrics for quantifying language development and language impairments in monolingual and bilingual children. It is not yet known what measures within and across languages are most informative when evaluating the language skills of bilingual children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how measures of language productivity and organization in two languages converge with children’s measured language abilities on the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment (BESA), a standardized measure of language ability. 170 kindergarten age children who produced narrative language samples in Spanish and in English based on a wordless picture book were included in the analysis. Samples were analyzed for number of utterances, number of different words, mean length of utterance, and percentage of grammatical utterances. The best predictors of language ability as measured by the BESA scores were English MLU, English grammaticality, and Spanish grammaticality. Results are discussed in relationship to the nature of the measures in each of the languages and in regard to their potential utility for identifying low language ability in bilingual children. PMID:20955835

Cross-Language Associations in the Development of Preschoolers’ Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary

PubMed Central

Maier, Michelle F.; Bohlmann, Natalie L.; Palacios, Natalia A.

2016-01-01

The increasing population of dual language learners (DLLs) entering preschool classrooms highlights a continued need for research on the development of dual language acquisition, and specifically vocabulary skills, in this age group. This study describes young DLL children's (N = 177) vocabulary development in both English and Spanish simultaneously, and how vocabulary skills in each language relate to one another, during a contextual shift that places greater emphasis on the acquisition of academic English language skills. Findings demonstrated that DLL preschoolers made gains in vocabulary in both languages with more change evidenced in receptive, in comparison to expressive, vocabulary as well as in English in comparison to Spanish. When examining whether children's vocabulary scores in one language at the beginning of preschool interact with their vocabulary scores in the other language to predict vocabulary growth, no significant associations were found for receptive vocabulary. In contrast, the interaction between initial English and Spanish expressive vocabulary scores was negatively related to growth in English expressive vocabulary. This cross-language association suggests that children who have low expressive vocabulary skills in both languages tend to grow faster in their English expressive vocabulary. The study extends previous work on dual language development by examining growth in expressive and receptive vocabulary in both English and Spanish. It also provides suggestions for future work to inform a more comprehensive understanding of DLL children's development in both languages. PMID:26807002

Cross-Language Associations in the Development of Preschoolers' Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary.

PubMed

Maier, Michelle F; Bohlmann, Natalie L; Palacios, Natalia A

The increasing population of dual language learners (DLLs) entering preschool classrooms highlights a continued need for research on the development of dual language acquisition, and specifically vocabulary skills, in this age group. This study describes young DLL children's ( N = 177) vocabulary development in both English and Spanish simultaneously, and how vocabulary skills in each language relate to one another, during a contextual shift that places greater emphasis on the acquisition of academic English language skills. Findings demonstrated that DLL preschoolers made gains in vocabulary in both languages with more change evidenced in receptive, in comparison to expressive, vocabulary as well as in English in comparison to Spanish. When examining whether children's vocabulary scores in one language at the beginning of preschool interact with their vocabulary scores in the other language to predict vocabulary growth, no significant associations were found for receptive vocabulary. In contrast, the interaction between initial English and Spanish expressive vocabulary scores was negatively related to growth in English expressive vocabulary. This cross-language association suggests that children who have low expressive vocabulary skills in both languages tend to grow faster in their English expressive vocabulary. The study extends previous work on dual language development by examining growth in expressive and receptive vocabulary in both English and Spanish. It also provides suggestions for future work to inform a more comprehensive understanding of DLL children's development in both languages.

Integrating Science and English Proficiency for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Okhee; Buxton, Cory A.

2013-01-01

Despite the expectation that all students should achieve high academic standards, content area instruction and English for speakers of other languages instruction for English language learners (ELLs) have traditionally been conceptualized as separate domains, resulting in educational inequities for ELLs. This is because effective instruction to…

English Language Spread in Local Contexts: Turkey, Latvia and France

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uysal, Hacer Hande; Plakans, Lia; Dembovskaya, Svetlana

2007-01-01

In the discussion of English language spread policies, scholars have taken various viewpoints. One approach concerns the "diffusion-of-English" and "language ecology" paradigms, which distinguish externally dominant English spread and resistance to this hegemony. Others have questioned this approach, and proposed that English…

The Impact of Open Discussion Sessions on Enhancing the Oral Communicative Abilities of Saudi English Language Majors at Buraydah Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daif-Allah, Ayman Sabry; Khan, Mohammad Imran

2016-01-01

The importance of developing the communicative needs of English language majors has been found a fundamental concern of Buraydah Community college in Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study has been to identify English language speaking skill needs of English language majors and investigate the impact of using Open Discussion…

A Quantitative Causal-Comparative Nonexperimental Research Study of English Language Learner and Non-English Language Learner Students' Oral Reading Fluency Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Loughlin, Tricia Ann

2017-01-01

Beginning learners of English progress through the same stages to acquire language. However, the length of time each student spends at a particular stage may vary greatly. Under the current educational policies, ELL students are expected to participate in the general education curriculum while developing their proficiency in the English language.…

Early Oral Language and Later Reading Development in Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: Evidence from a Nine-Year Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kieffer, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Using nationally-representative, longitudinal data on a cohort of Spanish-speaking English language learners in the U.S., this study investigated the extent to which early oral language proficiency in Spanish and English predicts later levels and rates of growth in English reading. Latent growth models indicated that both Spanish and English…

Marking of Verb Tense in the English of Preschool English-Mandarin Bilingual Children: Evidence from Language Development Profiles within Subgroups on the Singapore English Action Picture Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brebner, Chris; McCormack, Paul; Rickard Liow, Susan

2016-01-01

Background: The phonological and morphosyntactic structures of English and Mandarin contrast maximally and an increasing number of bilinguals speak these two languages. Speech and language therapists need to understand bilingual development for children speaking these languages in order reliably to assess and provide intervention for this…

English Word-Level Decoding and Oral Language Factors as Predictors of Third and Fifth Grade English Language Learners' Reading Comprehension Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landon, Laura L.

2017-01-01

This study examines the application of the Simple View of Reading (SVR), a reading comprehension theory focusing on word recognition and linguistic comprehension, to English Language Learners' (ELLs') English reading development. This study examines the concurrent and predictive validity of two components of the SVR, oral language and word-level…

Literacy-Related School Readiness Skills of English Language Learners in Head Start: An Analysis of the School Readiness Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Yujeong; Gurel, Sungur; Oh, Jihyun; Bettini, Elizabeth A; Leite, Walter

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of Head Start on early literacy skills relevant to school readiness of English language learners compared to their peers. The comparisons of literacy outcomes were conducted between English language learners and non-English language learners when both groups participated and were not in Head…

"My Purpose Was to Help Them with Accounting, Not English": An Exploratory Study of Languages Other than English in Peer Assisted Study Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Supple, Briony J.; Best, Gill; Pearce, Amanda

2016-01-01

This paper considers when and for what purposes Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) Leaders at an English medium university use their first language (when that language is not the dominant language of instruction) to facilitate PASS sessions in an English speaking university. This small qualitative exploratory study examines the experiences of…

Evaluating College English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructors of School Support and Preparation for Teaching English Language Learners (ELLs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Abdelmonem Saad Abdelhamid

2013-01-01

As English language learner (ELL) students are at risk of dropping out of higher education, colleges and universities must make greater efforts to retain them. This study assessed the training quality of English as a second language (ESL) instructors in higher educational institutions in New York City to help ELL students in academics, language…

Psychometric function for NU-6 word recognition in noise: effects of first language and dominant language.

PubMed

Shi, Lu-Feng; Zaki, Nancy A

2014-01-01

The present study attempted to establish psychometric function in individuals whose first language is not English. Psychometric function was obtained for one of the most commonly used clinical tests, the Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 (Tillman & Carhart 1966), so that findings could be directly applied to everyday clinical practice. Five groups of 14 normal-hearing, adult listeners differing in their first language and dominant language (English monolinguals, English- and Arabic-dominant Arabic-English bilinguals, and English- and Russian-dominant Russian-English bilinguals) participated. Both forms of the Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 test (8 lists of 50 monosyllabic English words) were presented. The lists were randomly assigned to eight signal-to-noise ratios (-3 to 18 dB in 3 dB steps). Listeners responded verbally and in writing. Psychometric functions were derived via logistic regression and described by two parameters: the 50% correct performance level (θ) and the slope (k). Both English-dominant bilingual groups obtained psychometric functions comparable with monolinguals. The θ and k of the functions for these three groups of participants were consistent with the literature. Compared with these three groups, non-English-dominant bilinguals' functions grew significantly more gradually (i.e., a significantly higher θ and a significantly lower k). No differences in either θ or k were found between bilinguals with the same dominant language but different first languages. Bilinguals reporting themselves to be dominant in English generate monolingual-like psychometric functions. By contrast, a different set of psychometric properties describes the function of bilinguals dominant in their first language. Because first language did not appear to be a significant factor in determining bilinguals' functions, it is concluded that English learning history and English proficiency are more important variables than first language for clinicians to consider when administering English word-recognition tests to their bilingual clients. When working with bilingual clients who are dominant in their first language, clinicians are advised to refer to the normative data reported here specifically for these individuals.

The Malaysian English Language Competency Dilemma: Recovering Lost Grounds through MUET.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Swee Heng; Wong, Bee Eng

2002-01-01

Provides insights into the Malaysian English language policy, required standards, and testing in language use in Malaysian tertiary institutions. Gives information about backwash effects in particular about institutional programs related to the teaching of English as a Second Language. (Author/VWL)

State Funding Mechanisms for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millard, Maria

2015-01-01

Research is clear that English language learners (ELLs) perform better academically and achieve greater language proficiency when they have high-quality English language instruction.1 Like all supplemental services, these necessary supports require additional funding above the average per-student amount. The federal government provides grant…

Arguing about How the World Is or How the World Should Be: The Role of Argument in IELTS Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coffin, Caroline

2004-01-01

Non native speakers of English wishing to study at tertiary level in English speaking countries are increasingly required to prove their English language competence by taking an internationally recognised test such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS). This article…

Do the AZELLA Cut Scores Meet the Standards? A Validation Review of Arizona English Language Learner Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florez, Ida Rose

2010-01-01

The Arizona English Language Learners Assessment (AZELLA) is used by the Arizona Department of Education to determine which children should receive English support services. AZELLA results are used to determine if children are either proficient in English or have English language skills in one of four pre-proficient categories (pre-emergent,…

Debating Standard Language Ideology in the Classroom: Using the "Speak Good English Movement" to Raise Awareness of Global Englishes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Heath; Galloway, Nicola

2017-01-01

In this article, we describe and evaluate an innovative pedagogical task designed to raise awareness of Global Englishes and to challenge standard language ideology in an English language classroom. The task encouraged the learning and debate of the controversial Speak Good English Movement, which campaigns for Singaporeans to use a…

Vocabulary Learning: A Comparison of Learners of English as a Second and Third Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dibaj, Farzad

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare the vocabulary learning of monolingual learners of English as a second language with bilingual learners of English as a third language. The study is based on data from 52 monolingual Persian-speaking learners of English and 45 bilingual Azeri-Persian-speaking learners of English. All the participants were…

English as a "Global Language" in China: An Investigation into Learners' and Teachers' Language Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Lin; Block, David

2011-01-01

This paper discusses issues related to language beliefs held by teachers and students of English in China; namely, the status of English, the learners' expectations of English and the focus of English teaching and learning in China. These beliefs are examined in the context of globalization and China's ever-deepening integration into the global…

Perceptions of the Selection Criteria of Omani English Language Teachers: Implications for Policy Reconsideration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Issa, Ali; Al-Bulushi, Ali; Al-Zadjali, Rima

2017-01-01

Proficiency in the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (N-NESTs) selection for joining the profession. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman decided to set the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for accepting the English Language…

Sub-Syllabic Processing in Young Korean-English Bilinguals: Semivowel Placement Differences between Korean and English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baek, Seunghyun

2014-01-01

This study investigated the sub-syllabic awareness of two groups of 86 Korean kindergarteners learning English as a foreign language (EFL) or English as a second language (ESL). In addition, it explored the cross-language transfer of sub-syllabic units between Korean and English by taking into account their lexical abilities with respect to the…

Listeners feel the beat: entrainment to English and French speech rhythms.

PubMed

Lidji, Pascale; Palmer, Caroline; Peretz, Isabelle; Morningstar, Michele

2011-12-01

Can listeners entrain to speech rhythms? Monolingual speakers of English and French and balanced English-French bilinguals tapped along with the beat they perceived in sentences spoken in a stress-timed language, English, and a syllable-timed language, French. All groups of participants tapped more regularly to English than to French utterances. Tapping performance was also influenced by the participants' native language: English-speaking participants and bilinguals tapped more regularly and at higher metrical levels than did French-speaking participants, suggesting that long-term linguistic experience with a stress-timed language can differentiate speakers' entrainment to speech rhythm.

Predictors of English Reading Comprehension: Cantonese-Speaking English Language Learners in the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uchikoshi, Yuuko

2013-01-01

In this paper, first language (L1) and second language (L2) oral language and word reading skills were used as predictors to devise a model of reading comprehension in young Cantonese-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in the United States. L1 and L2 language and literacy measures were collected from a total of 101 Cantonese-speaking ELLs…

Speech-language pathologists' assessment and intervention practices with multilingual children.

PubMed

Williams, Corinne J; McLeod, Sharynne

2012-06-01

Within predominantly English-speaking countries such as the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, there are a significant number of people who speak languages other than English. This study aimed to examine Australian speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perspectives and experiences of multilingualism, including their assessment and intervention practices, and service delivery methods when working with children who speak languages other than English. A questionnaire was completed by 128 SLPs who attended an SLP seminar about cultural and linguistic diversity. Approximately one half of the SLPs (48.4%) reported that they had at least minimal competence in a language(s) other than English; but only 12 (9.4%) reported that they were proficient in another language. The SLPs spoke a total of 28 languages other than English, the most common being French, Italian, German, Spanish, Mandarin, and Auslan (Australian sign language). Participants reported that they had, in the past 12 months, worked with a mean of 59.2 (range 1-100) children from multilingual backgrounds. These children were reported to speak between two and five languages each; the most common being: Vietnamese, Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Australian Indigenous languages, Tagalog, Greek, and other Chinese languages. There was limited overlap between the languages spoken by the SLPs and the children on the SLPs' caseloads. Many of the SLPs assessed children's speech (50.5%) and/or language (34.2%) without assistance from others (including interpreters). English was the primary language used during assessments and intervention. The majority of SLPs always used informal speech (76.7%) and language (78.2%) assessments and, if standardized tests were used, typically they were in English. The SLPs sought additional information about the children's languages and cultural backgrounds, but indicated that they had limited resources to discriminate between speech and language difference vs disorder.

Globalisation of Language and Culture in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaish, Viniti

2007-01-01

What are the effects of globalisation on patterns of language use in the domain of media in Singapore? Rather than only cultural imperialism of hegemonic English, which is no doubt the case, the use of languages in the "mediascap" also shows the consumption of non-English languages and cultures. Though English may be the main language of…

English Language Teachers' Perceptions on Knowing and Applying Contemporary Language Teaching Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sucuoglu, Esen

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the perceptions of English language teachers teaching at a preparatory school in relation to their knowing and applying contemporary language teaching techniques in their lessons. An investigation was conducted of 21 English language teachers at a preparatory school in North Cyprus. The SPSS statistical…

Language Shift or Increased Bilingualism in South Africa: Evidence from Census Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posel, Dorrit; Zeller, Jochen

2016-01-01

In the post-apartheid era, South Africa has adopted a language policy that gives official status to 11 languages (English, Afrikaans, and nine Bantu languages). However, English has remained the dominant language of business, public office, and education, and some research suggests that English is increasingly being spoken in domestic settings.…

Assessment Tools to Differentiate between Language Differences and Disorders in English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shenoy, Sunaina

2014-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) who are in the process of acquiring English as a second language for academic purposes, are often misidentified as having Language Learning Disabilities (LLDs). Policies regarding the assessment of ELLs have undergone many changes through the years, such as the introduction of a Response to Intervention (RTI)…

Preparing Secondary Education Teachers To Work with English Language Learners: English Language Arts. NCBE Resource Collection Series, No. 10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anstrom, Kris; DiCerbo, Patricia, Ed.

This document examines the education of secondary level English language learners within mainstream language arts classes. It provides teachers and teacher educators with an understanding of how mainstream language arts instruction can be designed and implemented to enhance academic achievement for these students. Research for this report included…

Executive Functions and Inhibitory Control in Multilingual Children: Evidence from Second-Language Learners, Bilinguals, and Trilinguals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poarch, Gregory J.; van Hell, Janet G.

2012-01-01

In two experiments, we examined inhibitory control processes in three groups of bilinguals and trilinguals that differed in nonnative language proficiency and language learning background. German 5- to 8-year-old second-language learners of English, German-English bilinguals, German-English-Language X trilinguals, and 6- to 8-year-old German…

Adaptation of Communicative Language Teaching Methodology to an English Textbook for English Language Learning of NIDA Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Andrew J.

2016-01-01

In this paper, the researcher focuses on assessing the language learning benefits for students of adapting the communicative language teaching (CLT) methodology to an English textbook, a methodology that, according to Richards (2006), Littlewood (2008) and others, is influential in shaping second language learning worldwide. This paper is intended…

A Brief Introduction to Foreign Languages Education Policy in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Weiwen

2012-01-01

Based on a series of official published documents and relevant research reports, the paper make a brief introduction to foreign languages education policies in China, which included national English teaching guidance, national English language textbooks, national English curriculum standard and the massive English teachers training program, etc.…

Language Learning Motivation, Global English and Study Modes: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanvers, Ursula

2017-01-01

Exploring the popular explanation that the global spread of English may demotivate students with English as their first language to learn other languages, this study investigates relations between student motivation and perception of Global English and tests for differences between traditional "campus" and distance university students…

Ambiguous Aims: English-Language Voluntourism as Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakubiak, Cori

2016-01-01

"English-language voluntourism" is a practice whereby people from the Global North teach English in the Global South as an alternative form of travel and means of development assistance. As part of a larger, multisited ethnography, I investigate how in-service and former English-language voluntourism program participants frame short-term…

Contextualizing Instruction for English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Rhonda D.

2016-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) with learning disabilities (LD) can find navigating the content areas quite difficult due to challenges involving limitations in English language proficiency, gaps in English academic vocabulary, difficulties with working memory and long-term memory, and limited background knowledge on content area topics. However,…

Tense Marking in the English Narrative Retells of Dual Language Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gusewski, Svenja; Rojas, Raul

2017-01-01

Purpose: This longitudinal study investigated the emergence of English tense marking in young (Spanish-English) dual language learners (DLLs) over 4 consecutive academic semesters, addressing the need for longitudinal data on typical acquisition trajectories of English in DLL preschoolers. Method: Language sample analysis was conducted on 139…

7 CFR 253.5 - State agency requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... households which speak the same non-English language and which do not contain adults(s) fluent in English as a second language. If the non-English language is spoken but not written, the State agency shall... sufficient bilingual staff for the timely processing of non-English speaking applicants. (3) The State agency...

Moodling English Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coskun, Abdullah; Arslan, Abdullah

2014-01-01

This paper aims to emphasize the importance of using Moodle in foreign language learning and teaching by reviewing relevant literature and introducing a Moodle-based environment aiming to help English learners to practice their English by themselves. Firstly, the use of Moodle in education and more specifically in English Language Teaching is…

Test Review: ACCESS for ELLs[R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Janna; Fairbairn, Shelley

2011-01-01

This article reviews Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners ("ACCESS for ELLs"[R]), which is a large-scale, high-stakes, standards-based, and criterion-referenced English language proficiency test administered in the USA annually to more than 840,000 English Language Learners (ELLs), in…

Learning about the Literacy Development of English Language Learners in Asynchronous Online Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Oliveira, Luciana C.; Olesova, Larisa

2013-01-01

This study examined asynchronous online discussions in the online course "English Language Development" to identify themes related to participants' learning about the language and literacy development of English Language Learners when they facilitated online discussions to determine whether the participants developed sufficient…

The Relationship between Demotivation and EFL Learners' English Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Rou-Jui Sophia

2011-01-01

To what extent does demotivation affect EFL learners' English language proficiency attainment? The present study addresses this question by investigating the relationship between technological institute EFL students' past demotivating factors and their English language proficiency. Although the role of demotivation in foreign language achievement…

Who cites non-English-language pharmaceutical articles?

PubMed Central

Edouard, Bruno

2009-01-01

PURPOSE The objective was to determine a link between the number of non-English language references in the bibliographies of publications in international pharmaceutical journals and the geographic origin of these publications. METHODS A systematic prospective analysis of 7 international pharmaceutical journals in 2005–2006. All research articles whom corresponding author was a pharmacist were included. For each article, were recorded: the geographic origin of the corresponding author (classified in: North America, Latin America, Oceania, Europe, Asia, others); the title of the journal; the number of non-English language references in the bibliography (classified in: Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, others). RESULTS 1,568 articles were included, corresponding to 45,949 bibliographic references, of whom 542 where non-English references. North America is the geographic zone of the world with the lowest rate of non-English language references in bibliographies of published articles; significant differences appear between North America and Europe, Latin America and Asia. A sub-analysis by countries shows that United States, United Kingdom, Australia and China present a specific low rate of non-English language references. The two journals with the lowest rate of non-English language references in bibliographies of published articles are edited in the USA. CONCLUSIONS Despite some limitations, this study shows that pharmacists from regions where English language is the only or predominant language are refractory to include non-English language references in the bibliographies of their publications. The fundamental reasons of this restriction are not clear. PMID:19240258

Mother-Tongue Diversity in the Foreign Language Classroom: Perspectives on the Experiences of Non-Native Speakers of English Studying Foreign Languages in an English-Medium University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruen, Jennifer; Kelly, Niamh

2017-01-01

This paper considers the position of university language students whose mother tongue is other than the medium of instruction. Specifically, it investigates the attitudes and experiences of non-native English speakers studying either German or Japanese as foreign languages at an English-medium university. The findings indicate that the non-native…

Maternal Language and Adverse Birth Outcomes in a Statewide Analysis

PubMed Central

Sentell, Tetine; Chang, Ann; Jun Ahn, Hyeong; Miyamura, Jill

2016-01-01

Background Limited English proficiency is associated with disparities across diverse health outcomes. However, evidence regarding adverse birth outcomes across languages is limited, particularly among US Asian and Pacific Islander populations. The study goal was to consider the relationship of maternal language to birth outcomes using statewide hospitalization data. Methods Detailed discharge data from Hawai‘i childbirth hospitalizations from 2012 (n=11,419) were compared by maternal language (English language or not) for adverse outcomes using descriptive and multivariable log-binomial regression models, controlling for race/ethnicity, age group, and payer. Results Ten percent of mothers spoke a language other than English; 93% of these spoke an Asian or Pacific Islander language. In multivariable models, compared to English speakers non-English speakers had significantly higher risk (adjusted relative risk [ARR]: 2.02; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.34–3.04) of obstetric trauma in vaginal deliveries without instrumentation. Some significant variation was seen by language for other birth outcomes, including an increased rate of primary Caesarean sections and vaginal births after Caesarean among non-English speakers. Conclusions Non-English speakers had approximately two times higher risk of having an obstetric trauma during a vaginal birth when other factors, including race/ethnicity, were controlled. Non-English speakers also had higher rates of potentially high-risk deliveries. PMID:26361937

Maternal language and adverse birth outcomes in a statewide analysis.

PubMed

Sentell, Tetine; Chang, Ann; Ahn, Hyeong Jun; Miyamura, Jill

2016-01-01

Limited English proficiency is associated with disparities across diverse health outcomes. However, evidence regarding adverse birth outcomes across languages is limited, particularly among U.S. Asian and Pacific Islander populations. The study goal was to consider the relationship of maternal language to birth outcomes using statewide hospitalization data. Detailed discharge data from Hawaii childbirth hospitalizations from 2012 (n = 11,419) were compared by maternal language (English language or not) for adverse outcomes using descriptive and multivariable log-binomial regression models, controlling for race/ethnicity, age group, and payer. Ten percent of mothers spoke a language other than English; 93% of these spoke an Asian or Pacific Islander language. In multivariable models, compared to English speakers, non-English speakers had significantly higher risk (adjusted relative risk [ARR]: 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34-3.04) of obstetric trauma in vaginal deliveries without instrumentation. Some significant variation was seen by language for other birth outcomes, including an increased rate of primary Caesarean sections and vaginal births after Caesarean, among non-English speakers. Non-English speakers had approximately two times higher risk of having an obstetric trauma during a vaginal birth when other factors, including race/ethnicity, were controlled. Non-English speakers also had higher rates of potentially high-risk deliveries.

Native Language Spoken as a Risk Marker for Tooth Decay.

PubMed

Carson, J; Walker, L A; Sanders, B J; Jones, J E; Weddell, J A; Tomlin, A M

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess dmft, the number of decayed, missing (due to caries), and/ or filled primary teeth, of English-speaking and non-English speaking patients of a hospital based pediatric dental clinic under the age of 72 months to determine if native language is a risk marker for tooth decay. Records from an outpatient dental clinic which met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Patient demographics and dmft score were recorded, and the patients were separated into three groups by the native language spoken by their parents: English, Spanish and all other languages. A total of 419 charts were assessed: 253 English-speaking, 126 Spanish-speaking, and 40 other native languages. After accounting for patient characteristics, dmft was significantly higher for the other language group than for the English-speaking (p<0.001) and Spanish-speaking groups (p<0.05), however the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking groups were not different from each other (p>0.05). Those patients under 72 months of age whose parents' native language is not English or Spanish, have the highest risk for increased dmft when compared to English and Spanish speaking patients. Providers should consider taking additional time to educate patients and their parents, in their native language, on the importance of routine dental care and oral hygiene.

Influence of current input-output and age of first exposure on phonological acquisition in early bilingual Spanish-English-speaking kindergarteners.

PubMed

Ruiz-Felter, Roxanna; Cooperson, Solaman J; Bedore, Lisa M; Peña, Elizabeth D

2016-07-01

Although some investigations of phonological development have found that segmental accuracy is comparable in monolingual children and their bilingual peers, there is evidence that language use affects segmental accuracy in both languages. To investigate the influence of age of first exposure to English and the amount of current input-output on phonological accuracy in English and Spanish in early bilingual Spanish-English kindergarteners. Also whether parent and teacher ratings of the children's intelligibility are correlated with phonological accuracy and the amount of experience with each language. Data for 91 kindergarteners (mean age = 5;6 years) were selected from a larger dataset focusing on Spanish-English bilingual language development. All children were from Central Texas, spoke a Mexican Spanish dialect and were learning American English. Children completed a single-word phonological assessment with separate forms for English and Spanish. The assessment was analyzed for segmental accuracy: percentage of consonants and vowels correct and percentage of early-, middle- and late-developing (EML) sounds correct were calculated. Children were more accurate on vowel production than consonant production and showed a decrease in accuracy from early to middle to late sounds. The amount of current input-output explained more of the variance in phonological accuracy than age of first English exposure. Although greater current input-output of a language was associated with greater accuracy in that language, English-dominant children were only significantly more accurate in English than Spanish on late sounds, whereas Spanish-dominant children were only significantly more accurate in Spanish than English on early sounds. Higher parent and teacher ratings of intelligibility in Spanish were correlated with greater consonant accuracy in Spanish, but the same did not hold for English. Higher intelligibility ratings in English were correlated with greater current English input-output, and the same held for Spanish. Current input-output appears to be a better predictor of phonological accuracy than age of first English exposure for early bilinguals, consistent with findings on the effect of language experience on performance in other language domains in bilingual children. Although greater current input-output in a language predicts higher accuracy in that language, this interacts with sound complexity. The results highlight the utility of the EML classification in assessing bilingual children's phonology. The relationships of intelligibility ratings with current input-output and sound accuracy can shed light on the process of referral of bilingual children for speech and language services. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Language Growth in English Monolingual and Spanish-English Bilingual Children from 2.5 to 5 Years.

PubMed

Hoff, Erika; Ribot, Krystal M

2017-11-01

To describe the trajectories of English and Spanish language growth in typically developing children from bilingual homes and compare those with the trajectories of English growth in children from monolingual homes, to assess effects of dual language exposure on language growth in typically developing children. Expressive vocabularies were assessed at 6-month intervals from age 30 to 60 months, in English for monolinguals and English and Spanish for bilinguals. Use of English and Spanish in the home was assessed via parental report. Multilevel modeling, including parent education as a covariate, revealed that children from bilingual homes lagged 6 months to 1 year behind monolingual children in English vocabulary growth. The size of the lag was related to the relative amount of English use in the home, but the relation was not linear. Increments in English use conferred the greatest benefit most among homes with already high levels of English use. These homes also were likely to have 1 parent who was a native English speaker. Bilingual children showed stronger growth in English than in Spanish. Bilingual children can lag 6 months to 1 year behind monolingual children in normal English language development. Such lags may not necessarily signify clinically relevant delay if parents report that children also have skills in the home language. Shorter lags are associated with 2 correlated factors: more English exposure and more exposure from native English speakers. Early exposure to Spanish in the home does not guarantee acquisition of Spanish. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does Adding Mathematics to English Language Learners' Timetables Improve Their Acquisition of English?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stacey, Jenny

2016-01-01

This enquiry based project set out to find out if adult English language learners, known as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners in the UK, might benefit, in terms of their acquisition of English, from studying maths. This research has been conducted at a medium sized FE college in the East Midlands where I teach. I evaluate…

Using Oral Language Skills to Build on the Emerging Literacy of Adult English Learners. CAELA Network Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vinogradov, Patsy; Bigelow, Martha

2010-01-01

In addition to learning to read and write for the first time, adult English language learners with limited or emerging literacy skills must acquire oral English. Often, learners with limited print literacy in their first language have oral skills in English that exceed their English literacy skills (Geva & Zadeh, 2006). While this mismatch of oral…

English as a Foreign Language Students' Opinions about the Use of English on the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coskun, Abdullah

2017-01-01

As in many other fields, the Internet has been used for educational purposes, especially for foreign language learning. This study has the main objective to investigate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' opinions about the use of English on the Internet. By means of a Likert-type questionnaire dealing with the use of English on the…

Initial Spanish Proficiency and English Language Development among Spanish-Speaking English Learner Students in New Mexico. REL 2018-286

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arellano, Brenda; Liu, Feng; Stoker, Ginger; Slama, Rachel

2018-01-01

To what extent do Spanish-speaking English learner students develop English proficiency and grade-level readiness in English language arts and math from early elementary school to upper elementary school? Is there a relationship between proficiency in a student's primary home language, Spanish, and the amount of time needed to attain fluency in…

Developing Oral Language Skills in Middle School English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy

2018-01-01

Oral language development can help English learners develop academic proficiency with the English language. In this investigation, at one middle school, teachers focused on improving oral language skills. Using a formative experiment process, the teachers developed an intervention to accomplish their pedagogical goal and then tracked data to see…

Speech-Language Pathologists' Comfort Levels in English Language Learner Service Delivery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimble, Carlotta

2013-01-01

This study examined speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) comfort levels in providing service delivery to English language learners (ELLs) and limited English proficient (LEP) students. Participants included 192 SLPs from the United States and Guam. Participants completed a brief, six-item questionnaire that investigated their perceptions regarding…

English Language Immersion and Students' Academic Achievement in English, Chinese and Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Liying; Li, Miao; Kirby, John R.; Qiang, Haiyan; Wade-Woolley, Lesly

2010-01-01

Research has demonstrated that second language immersion is an effective means of facilitating primary school students' second language without undermining competence in their first language. Despite the rapid growth of English immersion (EI) programmes in China, only limited empirical research has been conducted to evaluate students' academic…

Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment (WELPA). Form C 2015. Interpretation Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2015

2015-01-01

The "Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment" (WELPA) is a No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-compliant instrument that is used in Grades K-12 as a formal and standardized method of measuring language proficiency. The test results provide important information for classifying English Language Learners (ELLs) and subsequently for…

English Language Teaching Profile: Brazil.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

British Council, London (England). English-Teaching Information Centre.

This profile reviews the state of English language teaching in Brazil. In 1968 the Brazilian government launched major university reforms, and the situation is still fluid. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil and English is learned as a foreign language for international communication, occasionally as a medium of instruction, as a tool…

Creating Culturally Relevant Instructional Materials: A Swaziland Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Titone, Connie; Plummer, Emily C.; Kielar, Melissa A.

2012-01-01

In the field of English language learning, research proves that culturally relevant reading materials improve students' language acquisition, learning motivation, self-esteem, and identity formation. Since English is the language of instruction in many distant countries, such as Swaziland, even when English is not the native language of those…

Commentary: Motivation for Learning Languages Other than English in an English-Dominant World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duff, Patricia A.

2017-01-01

The majority of recent research on language learning motivation has reportedly focused on English as a target language, typically in relatively homogeneous, secondary and postsecondary "foreign language" settings. How applicable, then, are the theories and findings undergirding that research to our understanding of the contemporary…

Foreign Language Listening Anxiety and Listening Performance: Conceptualizations and Causal Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Xian

2013-01-01

This study used structural equation modeling to explore the possible causal relations between foreign language (English) listening anxiety and English listening performance. Three hundred participants learning English as a foreign language (FL) completed the foreign language listening anxiety scale (FLLAS) and IELTS test twice with an interval of…

Vocabulary Growth in Armenian-English Bilingual Kindergarteners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hovsepian, Alice

2018-01-01

Four-year-old (n = 20) and five-year-old (n = 22) bilingual children were tested twice in six months on Armenian (minority language) and English (majority language) picture identification and picture naming tasks to examine receptive and expressive vocabulary growth in both languages. Parental education, Armenian/English language exposure, and…

Preparing Dual Language Teachers to Educate English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craft-Coleman, Sylvia L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative embedded multiple case study was to explore the teaching strategies, skills, and knowledge received from English language learner professional development (ELLPD) trainings and seminars and how the application of ELLPD content affected communication with English language learners in the mainstream classroom. The…

Professional Development Needs of English Language Teachers in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khandehroo, Koroush; Mukundan, Jayakaran; Alavi, Zhinoos Kamal

2011-01-01

This study surveyed the professional development (PD) needs of school English language teachers at Melaka State in Malaysia. With close cooperation with the Department of Language at the Ministry of Education, the whole population of English language teachers had been studied on their types of professional development needs in instructional…

Audience Effects in American Sign Language Interpretation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisenberg, Julia

2009-01-01

There is a system of English mouthing during interpretation that appears to be the result of language contact between spoken language and signed language. English mouthing is a voiceless visual representation of words on a signer's lips produced concurrently with manual signs. It is a type of borrowing prevalent among English-dominant…

Language Profiles of Poor Comprehenders in English and French

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Angelo, Nadia; Chen, Xi

2017-01-01

This study explored components of language comprehension (vocabulary, grammar, and higher-level language) skills for poor comprehenders in French immersion. We identified three groups of bilingual comprehenders (poor, average, and good) based on English reading performance and compared their language comprehension skills in English L1 and French…

Balancing Content & Language in the English Language Development Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds-Young, Danielle; Hood, Sally

2014-01-01

Although course assignments require English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher candidates to design activities, performance assessments, and lessons that balance the teaching of the English language and academic content, the ESL teacher candidates remain perplexed as to how to teach without a prescribed curriculum. The answer is challenging, given…

Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners Participant's Workbook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Jane D.; Bjork, Cynthia Linnea

2008-01-01

Everyone who participates in your workshop on "Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners" needs this participant's workbook to gain expertise in strategies that are effective with ELL (English Language Learners) students.

Morocco: Country Status Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFerren, Margaret

A survey of the status of language usage in Morocco begins with an overview of the distribution and usage of Arabic, the official language, the Berber dialects, and French, an unofficial second language. The continuing high status and widespread use of French despite arabization efforts is discussed. A matrix follows that rates these languages and…

Iran: Country Status Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFerren, Margaret

A survey of the status of language usage in Iran begins with an overview of the usage pattern of Persian, the official language spoken by just over half the population, and the competing languages of six ethnic and linguistic minorities: Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Arabic, Gilaki, Luri-Bakhtiari, and Mazandarani. The development of language policy…

Impact of Spanish-language information sessions on Spanish-speaking patients seeking bariatric surgery.

PubMed

Martin, Allison N; Marino, Miguel; Killerby, Marie; Rosselli-Risal, Liliana; Isom, Kellene A; Robinson, Malcolm K

2017-06-01

Bariatric centers frequently provide preoperative educational programs to inform patients about the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery. However, most programs are conducted in English, which may create barriers to effective treatment and access to care for non-English speaking populations. To address this concern, we instituted a comprehensive Spanish-language education program consisting of preoperative information and group nutrition classes conducted entirely in, and supported with Spanish-language materials. The primary aim was to examine the effect of this intervention on Spanish-speaking patients' decision to undergo surgery in a pilot study. University Hospital/Community Health Center, United States. Three cohorts of patients seeking bariatric surgery between January 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012 were identified: 1) primary English speakers attending English-language programs ("English-English"); 2) primary Spanish speakers attending Spanish-language programs ("Spanish-Spanish"); and 3) primary Spanish speakers attending English-speaking programs with the assistance of a Spanish-to-English translator ("Spanish-English"). 26% of the English-English cohort ultimately underwent surgery compared with only 12% of the Spanish-Spanish cohort (P = .009). Compared with the English-English group, time to surgery was 35 days longer for the Spanish-Spanish and 185 days longer for the Spanish-English group (both P< .001). Spanish-speaking patients were less likely to undergo bariatric surgery regardless of the language in which educational sessions are provided. For those choosing surgery, providing Spanish-language sessions can shorten time to surgery. A barrier to effective obesity treatment may exist for Spanish speakers, which may be only partially overcome by providing support in Spanish. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Contribution of spoken language and socio-economic background to adolescents' educational achievement at age 16 years.

PubMed

Spencer, Sarah; Clegg, Judy; Stackhouse, Joy; Rush, Robert

2017-03-01

Well-documented associations exist between socio-economic background and language ability in early childhood, and between educational attainment and language ability in children with clinically referred language impairment. However, very little research has looked at the associations between language ability, educational attainment and socio-economic background during adolescence, particularly in populations without language impairment. To investigate: (1) whether adolescents with higher educational outcomes overall had higher language abilities; and (2) associations between adolescent language ability, socio-economic background and educational outcomes, specifically in relation to Mathematics, English Language and English Literature GCSE grade. A total of 151 participants completed five standardized language assessments measuring vocabulary, comprehension of sentences and spoken paragraphs, and narrative skills and one nonverbal assessment when between 13 and 14 years old. These data were compared with the participants' educational achievement obtained upon leaving secondary education (16 years old). Univariate logistic regressions were employed to identify those language assessments and demographic factors that were associated with achieving a targeted A * -C grade in English Language, English Literature and Mathematics General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) at 16 years. Further logistic regressions were then conducted to examine further the contribution of socio-economic background and spoken language skills in the multivariate models. Vocabulary, comprehension of sentences and spoken paragraphs, and mean length utterance in a narrative task along with socio-economic background contributed to whether participants achieved an A * -C grade in GCSE Mathematics and English Language and English Literature. Nonverbal ability contributed to English Language and Mathematics. The results of multivariate logistic regressions then found that vocabulary skills were particularly relevant to all three GCSE outcomes. Socio-economic background only remained important for English Language, once language assessment scores and demographic information were considered. Language ability, and in particular vocabulary, plays an important role for educational achievement. Results confirm a need for ongoing support for spoken language ability throughout secondary education and a potential role for speech and language therapy provision in the continuing drive to reduce the gap in educational attainment between groups from differing socio-economic backgrounds. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Intercultural Exposure through English Language Teaching: An Analysis of an English Language Textbook in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siddiqie, Shamsun Akhter

2011-01-01

The treatment of culture in foreign language textbooks is comparatively a new trend in English Language Teaching (ELT) which is based on the growing consensus that language textbooks should attempt to raise students' awareness of international culture as well as that of their own. Being influenced by this thought, Bangladesh too like many other…

Perceptions about Representative English-Language Accents from Prospective and Practicing Providers of Business-Related Language Services in Argentina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, James Calvert; Green, Diana J.; Rosewarne, David D.

2004-01-01

The purposes of the study were (a) to identify perceptions about representative English-language accents from prospective and practicing providers of business-related language services residing in Argentina and (b) to examine the differences in their perceptions of these English-language accents. The respondents ranked the accents in this order:…

Building Teachers' Assessment Capacity for Supporting English Language Learners through the Implementation of the Step Language Assessment in Ontario K-12 Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Viegen Stille, Saskia; Jang, Eunice; Wagner, Maryam

2015-01-01

The Ontario Ministry of Education recently implemented the Steps to English Proficiency (STEP) language assessment framework to build educator capacity for addressing the needs of English language learners (ELLs) in K-12 schools. The STEP framework is a set of descriptors-based language proficiency scales that specify observable linguistic…

Effects of Feedback Intervention on Team-Teaching in English Language Classrooms in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anani, Oluwabunmi Ahoefa; Badaki, Jude Valentine; Kamai, Richard

2016-01-01

The typical Nigerian English language classroom has a large class size and lacks qualified language teachers. These factors reflect in the quality and quantity of teaching in the English as a Second Language classroom. Team teaching or co-teaching is an intervention strategy which language teachers can use to address these issues. Not only does…

Modelling the Perceived Value of Compulsory English Language Education in Undergraduate Non-Language Majors of Japanese Nationality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivers, Damian J.

2012-01-01

Adopting mixed methods of data collection and analysis, the current study models the "perceived value of compulsory English language education" in a sample of 138 undergraduate non-language majors of Japanese nationality at a national university in Japan. During the orientation period of a compulsory 15-week English language programme,…

Do They Make a Difference? The Impact of English Language Programs on Second Language Students in Canadian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Janna; Cheng, Liying; Zumbo, Bruno D.

2014-01-01

Few studies have investigated the impact of English language programs on second language (L2) students studying in Canadian universities (Cheng & Fox, 2008; Fox, 2005, 2009). This article reports on questionnaire responses of 641 L2 students studying in 36 English language programs in 26 Canadian universities. The researchers identified…

Learning How to Focus on Language While Teaching Mathematics to English Language Learners: A Case Study of Courtney

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chval, Kathryn B.; Pinnow, Rachel J.; Thomas, Amanda

2015-01-01

Research in mathematics education increasingly recognizes the role of language in the education of English language learners. However, research examining the professional growth of mathematics teachers as they learn to teach English language learners is sparse. This case study addresses this issue by examining one third grade teacher as she…

Does Attending an English-Language University Diminish Abilities in the Native Language? Data from Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayçiçegi-Dinn, Ayse; SISman-Bal, Simge; Caldwell-Harris, Catherine L.

2017-01-01

Does a native language suffer when students take all of their classes in a foreign language, even in their home country? Turkish students studying psychology, economics, or English literature with English as the language of instruction (N = 91) were studied across a three-year period. Test scores, word fluency measures, and self-ratings were…

The Influence of Neutral Gender Words on Translating Job Titles from English Language into Arabic Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mubaideen, Taghreed

2015-01-01

This paper aims at investigating the influence of neutral gender words on translating job titles from English language into Arabic Language. This qualitative research includes 20 postgraduate students doing their M.A in Applied Linguistics at the Department of English Language and Literature at Mu'tah University for the academic year 2015/2016.…

The effect of first written language on the acquisition of English literacy.

PubMed

Holm, A; Dodd, B

1996-05-01

The relationship between first and second language literacy was examined by identifying the skills and processes developed in the first language that were transferred to the second language. The performance of 40 university students from The People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Australia were compared on a series of tasks that assessed phonological awareness and reading and spelling skills in English. The results indicated that the Hong Kong students (with non-alphabetic first language literacy) had limited phonological awareness compared to those students with alphabetic first language literacy. The reading and spelling tasks showed no differences between the groups on real word processing. However, the students from Hong Kong had difficulty processing nonwords because of their poor phonological awareness. The results supported the hypothesis that people learning English as a second language (ESL) transfer their literacy processing skills from their first language to English. When the phonological awareness required in English had not been developed in the first language, ESL students were limited to a whole-word, visual strategy. The findings indicate that students from non-alphabetic written language backgrounds might have difficulties with new, or unfamiliar words when attending universities where English is the medium of instruction.

Pensamientos Sobre (Thoughts on) Teaching English as a Second Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulibarri, Mari-Luci

This document presents ideas on various topics in teaching English as a second language. Some of the problems of English orthography and semantics are illustrated. The role of contrastive analysis is mentioned with Spanish-English illustrations. A list of second-language-acquisition principles and techniques is provided, and suggestions for…

Second- and Foreign-Language Variation in Tense Backshifting in Indirect Reported Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charkova, Krassimira D.; Halliday, Laura J.

2011-01-01

This study examined how English learners in second-language (SL) and foreign-language (FL) contexts employ tense backshifting in indirect reported speech. Participants included 35 international students in the United States, 37 Bulgarian speakers of English, 38 Bosnian speakers of English, and 41 native English speakers. The instrument involved…

English Language Testing of Very Young Children: The Case of Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otomo, Ruriko

2016-01-01

Taking commercial English language tests is becoming common practice among young English learners in Japan. With a specific focus on the "Jido Eiken" test, this study examines English language test-taking activity by analyzing textual data retrieved from three data sources. "Jido Eiken" is found to represent a complex…

English Language Learners and Automated Scoring of Essays: Critical Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weigle, Sara Cushing

2013-01-01

This article presents considerations for using automated scoring systems to evaluate second language writing. A distinction is made between English language learners in English-medium educational systems and those studying English in their own countries for a variety of purposes, and between learning-to-write and writing-to-learn in a second…

Language and EFL Teacher Preparation in Non-English-Speaking Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peretz, Arna S.

Linguistic and paralinguistic problems faced by non-native-English speakers training to be teachers of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) in non-English-speaking environments are discussed. Relevant theories of second language learning and acquisition are reviewed, and the affective factors and sociocultural variables that appear to…

Cultural Diversity in English Language Teaching: Learners' Voices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chinh, Nguyen Duc

2013-01-01

The focus of culture in English language teaching (ELT) has traditionally been on the target culture of English speaking countries. However, the new status of English as international language (EIL) has led to significant changes in the practice of teaching and learning culture in ELT. Rather than relying on the paradigm of native speaker…

A School's Activity System of Supporting Upper-Elementary Newcomers' English Language Proficiency Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowdrick, Kara E.

2018-01-01

Using the sociocultural theoretical framework of activity theory, this intrinsic case study sought to investigate how administrators, mainstream teachers, and English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) teachers in one school support newcomers' English language proficiency growth. Newcomers are English learners (ELs) who moved to the United…

TESL Reporter, Vol. 11, No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pack, Alice C., Ed.

This issue contains five articles on teaching English as a second language. "Predictive Validity of the CELT" by R. T. Moran and J. G. Erion discusses use of the Comprehensive English Language Test for Speakers of English as a Second Language to predict later success in a setting where nearly all students speak English as their second…

Extraversion/Introversion and Gender in Relation to the English Pronunciation Accuracy of Arabic Speaking College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassan, Badran A.

The relationship between both extraversion/introversion and gender to the pronunciation accuracy of English as a foreign language was examined. Instruments for this study included a specifically developed introversion scale and an English language pronunciation accuracy test. Subjects were third-year English language specialists. It was found…

The Difficulties That Seventh Grade Students Face in Comprehensive Reading Skill for English Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albdour, Waddah Mahmoud

2015-01-01

The study aims at identifying the difficulties affecting the student in the area of reading comprehension skill in English language curricula, measuring the differences in English language teachers' attitudes towards difficulties that seventh grade students face in reading comprehension skill for English language according to personal variables.…

7 CFR 3560.160 - Tenant grievances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... with a concentration of non-English speaking individuals, the borrower must provide grievance procedures in both English and the non-English language. The notice must include the telephone number and... of non-English speaking individuals, the notice must be in English and the non-English language. (f...

Examination of the Relationship Between Autonomy and English Achievement as Mediated by Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety.

PubMed

Ghorbandordinejad, Farhad; Ahmadabad, Roghayyeh Moradian

2016-06-01

This study investigated the relationship between autonomy and English language achievement among third-grade high school students as mediated by foreign language classroom anxiety in a city in the north-west of Iran. A sample of 400 students (187 males, and 213 females) was assessed for their levels of autonomy and foreign language anxiety using the Autonomy Questionnaire and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), respectively. Participants' scores on their final English exam were also used as the measurement of their English achievement. The results of Pearson correlation revealed a strong correlation between learners' autonomy and their English achievement (r [Formula: see text] .406, n [Formula: see text] 400, [Formula: see text]). Also, foreign language classroom anxiety was found to be significantly and negatively correlated with English achievement (r [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text].472, n [Formula: see text] 400, [Formula: see text]). Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the ability of autonomy to predict language learning achievement, after controlling for the influence of anxiety. In sum, the results of hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that foreign language classroom anxiety significantly mediates the relationship between autonomy and English language achievement. Implications for both teachers and learners, and suggestions for further research are provided.

The Scope of Usage-Based Theory

PubMed Central

Ibbotson, Paul

2013-01-01

Usage-based approaches typically draw on a relatively small set of cognitive processes, such as categorization, analogy, and chunking to explain language structure and function. The goal of this paper is to first review the extent to which the “cognitive commitment” of usage-based theory has had success in explaining empirical findings across domains, including language acquisition, processing, and typology. We then look at the overall strengths and weaknesses of usage-based theory and highlight where there are significant debates. Finally, we draw special attention to a set of culturally generated structural patterns that seem to lie beyond the explanation of core usage-based cognitive processes. In this context we draw a distinction between cognition permitting language structure vs. cognition entailing language structure. As well as addressing the need for greater clarity on the mechanisms of generalizations and the fundamental units of grammar, we suggest that integrating culturally generated structures within existing cognitive models of use will generate tighter predictions about how language works. PMID:23658552

The Relationship between the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Scores and Academic Success of International Master's Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arcuino, Cathy Lee T.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine if the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are related to academic success defined by final cumulative grade point average (GPA). The data sample, from three Midwestern universities, was comprised of international graduate students who…

My Mother Tongue Pulls My Leg Arabic Language Interference in the Acquisition of English Language: An Attempt to Know How

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkhateeb, Muna Mohammed Abbas

2016-01-01

English has a very dynamic status today. One can literally witness its circle widening day by day, engulfing in it a wide spectrum of varieties. English is a pluri-centric language, i.e. language with more than one accepted standard and set of norms for creativity. The spread of English across the globe took place due to two reasons: first, the…

English Language Proficiency and Early School Attainment Among Children Learning English as an Additional Language.

PubMed

Whiteside, Katie E; Gooch, Debbie; Norbury, Courtenay F

2017-05-01

Children learning English as an additional language (EAL) often experience lower academic attainment than monolingual peers. In this study, teachers provided ratings of English language proficiency and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning for 782 children with EAL and 6,485 monolingual children in reception year (ages 4-5). Academic attainment was assessed in reception and Year 2 (ages 6-7). Relative to monolingual peers with comparable English language proficiency, children with EAL displayed fewer social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties in reception, were equally likely to meet curriculum targets in reception, and were more likely to meet targets in Year 2. Academic attainment and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning in children with EAL are associated with English language proficiency at school entry. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Research in Child Development.

Teaching and Learning English in Tanzania: Blessing or Curse? A Practical Review of Phan Le Ha's Teaching English as an International Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mtallo, Godson Robert

2015-01-01

This paper is inspired by the work of Phan Le Ha (2008) in her book titled Teaching English as an International Language: Identity, Resistance, and Negotiation in which she presented the way English language is taught in Vietnam and the emergence of conflicting classes of western-trained Vietnamese teachers of English versus non western trained…

Gradient language dominance affects talker learning.

PubMed

Bregman, Micah R; Creel, Sarah C

2014-01-01

Traditional conceptions of spoken language assume that speech recognition and talker identification are computed separately. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies imply some separation between the two faculties, but recent perceptual studies suggest better talker recognition in familiar languages than unfamiliar languages. A familiar-language benefit in talker recognition potentially implies strong ties between the two domains. However, little is known about the nature of this language familiarity effect. The current study investigated the relationship between speech and talker processing by assessing bilingual and monolingual listeners' ability to learn voices as a function of language familiarity and age of acquisition. Two effects emerged. First, bilinguals learned to recognize talkers in their first language (Korean) more rapidly than they learned to recognize talkers in their second language (English), while English-speaking participants showed the opposite pattern (learning English talkers faster than Korean talkers). Second, bilinguals' learning rate for talkers in their second language (English) correlated with age of English acquisition. Taken together, these results suggest that language background materially affects talker encoding, implying a tight relationship between speech and talker representations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical Natural Language Processing in languages other than English: opportunities and challenges.

PubMed

Névéol, Aurélie; Dalianis, Hercules; Velupillai, Sumithra; Savova, Guergana; Zweigenbaum, Pierre

2018-03-30

Natural language processing applied to clinical text or aimed at a clinical outcome has been thriving in recent years. This paper offers the first broad overview of clinical Natural Language Processing (NLP) for languages other than English. Recent studies are summarized to offer insights and outline opportunities in this area. We envision three groups of intended readers: (1) NLP researchers leveraging experience gained in other languages, (2) NLP researchers faced with establishing clinical text processing in a language other than English, and (3) clinical informatics researchers and practitioners looking for resources in their languages in order to apply NLP techniques and tools to clinical practice and/or investigation. We review work in clinical NLP in languages other than English. We classify these studies into three groups: (i) studies describing the development of new NLP systems or components de novo, (ii) studies describing the adaptation of NLP architectures developed for English to another language, and (iii) studies focusing on a particular clinical application. We show the advantages and drawbacks of each method, and highlight the appropriate application context. Finally, we identify major challenges and opportunities that will affect the impact of NLP on clinical practice and public health studies in a context that encompasses English as well as other languages.

Current Trends in English Language Testing. Conference Proceedings for CTELT 1997 and 1998, Vol. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coombe, Christine A., Ed.

Papers from the 1997 and 1998 Current Trends in English Language Testing (CTELT) conferences include: "Computer-Based Language Testing: The Call of the Internet" (G. Fulcher); "Uses of the PET (Preliminary English Test) at Sultan Qaboos University" (R. Taylor); "Issues in Foreign and Second Language Academic Listening…

Testing as a Way to Monitor English as a Foreign Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Anthony; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana; Petrashova, Tamara

2017-01-01

This study was conducted at a large technical university in Russia, which offers English language courses to students majoring in nine different degree programs. Each degree program develops and delivers its own English language curriculum. While all degree programs followed the same curriculum development model to design language courses, each…

Perspectives on Official English. The Campaign for English as the Official Language of the USA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Karen L., Ed.; Brink, Daniel T., Ed.

Essays on the campaign to establish English as the United States' official language include: "Official Languages and Language Planning" (Richard Ruiz); "Una lingua, una patria?: Is Monolingualism Beneficial or Harmful to a Nation's Unity?" (David F. Marshall and Roseann D. Gonzalez); "Canadian Perspectives on Official…

English Language Teachers on the Discursive Faultlines: Identities, Ideologies and Pedagogies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menard-Warwick, Julia

2013-01-01

This book brings the voices of teachers into the fierce debates about language ideologies and cultural pedagogies in English language teaching. Through interviews and classroom observations in Chile and California, this study compares the controversies around English as a global language with the similar cultural tensions in programs for…

English as a Lingua Franca: Implications for Pedagogy and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fang, Fan

2017-01-01

The English language functions as a global language that facilitates communication among people of different lingua-cultures. This background leads to the question of whether the traditional language assessment still fulfils the needs of the majority of language learners who will use English for various purposes with people from different…

Two-Way Immersion Students' Home Languages, Proficiency Levels, and Responses to Form-Focused Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tedick, Diane J.; Young, Amy I.

2018-01-01

Two-way immersion (TWI) programs in the U.S. integrate learners with different home languages and varied proficiencies in Spanish and English. Although both English home language (EHL) and Spanish home language (SHL) TWI students succeed academically in English, they often experience incomplete acquisition (Montrul 2011. "Morphological Errors…

The Concurrent Development of Spelling Skills in Two Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joy, Rhonda

2011-01-01

The study reported on in this paper investigated the concurrent development of spelling in children learning two languages. The study compared over time and between languages the types of spelling errors made in English as a first language and French as a second. Fortyseven grade one English-speaking children completed an English and French…

English Language Teacher Educator Interactional Styles: Heterogeneity and Homogeneity in the ELTE Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucero, Edgar; Scalante-Morales, Jeesica

2018-01-01

This article presents a research study on the interactional styles of teacher educators in the English language teacher education classroom. Two research methodologies, ethnomethodological conversation analysis and self-evaluation of teacher talk were applied to analyze 34 content- and language-based classes of nine English language teacher…

An Exploration of Planning for English-as-Foreign-Language (EFL) Academic Language Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

This paper arises from a concern that in English-as-foreign-language (EFL) curricula there are apparently unsystematic and linguistically under-theorized approaches to language development. The paper explores EFL unit plans across upper primary and lower secondary schooling, in a context where secondary school graduates need English mainly for…

The Effective English Language Teacher from the Perspectives of Turkish Preparatory School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arikan, Arda; Taser, Duygu; Sarac-Suzer, H. Sezgi

2008-01-01

In this study, Turkish EFL students' conceptualization of an effective English language teacher is studied. A survey formerly developed by Yu-Hsin (1999) was adapted and administered to 100 foreign language learners studying at two state universities' English language preparatory schools. Also, participants' written responses were collected to…

Iranian English Language Teachers' Job Satisfaction and Organisational Climate in Public and Private Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Razavipour, Kioumars; Yousefi, Moslem

2017-01-01

Organisation issues rarely feature in the English language education literature, since language education is seemingly mostly concerned with the individual learner or teacher. As such, the impact that school climate might have on Iranian English language teachers remains an uncharted territory. This mixed-method study explores the relationship…

Stigma and Counter-Stigma Frames, Cues, and Exemplification: Comparing News Coverage of Depression in the English- and Spanish-Language Media in the U.S.

PubMed

Wang, Weirui

2017-11-13

A content analysis was conducted to compare news coverage of depression in the English- and Spanish-language media in the United States (N = 355). The study revealed that the English-language media reported stereotypes more frequently than the Spanish-language news media. The presence of all four types of stereotypes (i.e., the mentally ill as violent, suicidal, incompetent, and weak) was associated with the increased use of the stigma frame in the English-language news media, while only the violence stereotype was associated with the increased use of the stigma frame in the Spanish-language news media. The presence of recovery information and positive emotions was associated with the increased use of the counter-stigma frame in both English- and Spanish-language news media. Furthermore, the study found that the use of exemplars was generally correlated with an increase in stereotypical coverage, particularly in English-language news media, but a decrease in educational information in both news media.

English and Chinese languages as weighted complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Long; Li, Chunguang

2009-06-01

In this paper, we analyze statistical properties of English and Chinese written human language within the framework of weighted complex networks. The two language networks are based on an English novel and a Chinese biography, respectively, and both of the networks are constructed in the same way. By comparing the intensity and density of connections between the two networks, we find that high weight connections in Chinese language networks prevail more than those in English language networks. Furthermore, some of the topological and weighted quantities are compared. The results display some differences in the structural organizations between the two language networks. These observations indicate that the two languages may have different linguistic mechanisms and different combinatorial natures.

Multiple levels of bilingual language control: evidence from language intrusions in reading aloud.

PubMed

Gollan, Tamar H; Schotter, Elizabeth R; Gomez, Joanne; Murillo, Mayra; Rayner, Keith

2014-02-01

Bilinguals rarely produce words in an unintended language. However, we induced such intrusion errors (e.g., saying el instead of he) in 32 Spanish-English bilinguals who read aloud single-language (English or Spanish) and mixed-language (haphazard mix of English and Spanish) paragraphs with English or Spanish word order. These bilinguals produced language intrusions almost exclusively in mixed-language paragraphs, and most often when attempting to produce dominant-language targets (accent-only errors also exhibited reversed language-dominance effects). Most intrusion errors occurred for function words, especially when they were not from the language that determined the word order in the paragraph. Eye movements showed that fixating a word in the nontarget language increased intrusion errors only for function words. Together, these results imply multiple mechanisms of language control, including (a) inhibition of the dominant language at both lexical and sublexical processing levels, (b) special retrieval mechanisms for function words in mixed-language utterances, and (c) attentional monitoring of the target word for its match with the intended language.

FAO/INFOODS e-Learning Course on Food Composition Data.

PubMed

Charrondiere, U Ruth; Rittenschober, Doris; Nowak, Verena; Nicodemi, Chiara; Bruggeling, Peter; Petracchi, Cristina

2016-02-15

The FAO/INFOODS e-Learning Course on Food Composition Data was developed to close existing knowledge gaps on food composition of professionals working with those data. It covers the important aspects of food composition, is based on instructional design, is highly interactive and comprises 14 lessons of approximate 10h duration. It was developed primarily for usage in universities, but also suits self-paced learning and blended learning programmes. It is available at: http://www.fao.org/infoods/infoods/training/en/ free-of-charge in English, as on-line version or CD-ROM. Feedback from users was very positive and universities start to incorporate it into their curricula. The translation into other languages and the implementation of a certification and assessment programme are envisaged. e-Learning is cost-effective and reaches a wide audience. The course is expected to contribute to the improved data quality, usage, generation, publication and appreciation of food composition data. Copyright © 2014 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Language, Parents' Involvement, and Social Justice: The Fight for Maintaining Minority Home Language: A Chinese-Language Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yuxiang

2009-01-01

English-only policies and the expiration of the "Bilingual Education Act," which is now replaced by "No Child Left Behind," make it clear that English is the official language of schools in the United States with the emphasis moved from the goal of maintaining students' home languages while learning English to a focus of ignoring minority…

Interpretation and Use of K-12 Language Proficiency Assessment Score Reports: Perspectives of Educators and Parents. WCER Working Paper No. 2016-8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Ahyoung Alicia; Kondo, Akira; Blair, Alissa; Mancilla, Lorena; Chapman, Mark; Wilmes, Carsten

2016-01-01

A number of English language proficiency exams target grades K-12 English language learners (ELLs) because of the rising need to identify their needs and provide appropriate support in language learning. A good example is the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs (hereafter ACCESS), designed to measure the English language proficiency of students identified as…

Teachers' Language Use in University Foreign Language Classrooms: A Qualitative Analysis of English and Target Language Alternation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polio, Charlene G.; Duff, Patricia A.

1994-01-01

In a follow-up project, this study examined how and when six university language teachers actually used English and the target language in the classroom. Results suggest that switches to English may be made to help maintain classroom order, to create solidarity or empathy, to cover lack of experience or strategies, or to rephrase or modify their…

The Use of Electronic Dictionary in the Language Classroom: The Views of Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barham, Kefah A.

2017-01-01

E- Dictionaries have the potential to be a useful instrument in English Language classes, at the same time; it can be seen as a waste of time and a hindrance tool in the English Language classroom. This paper reports on students' use of e-dictionary in two of "Educational Readings in the English Language" course sections through in-depth…

Health information in Vietnamese-American print media: results of a content analysis.

PubMed

Nguyen, Giang T; Ashfaq, Hera; Pham, Tuong Vi H

2010-01-01

Vietnamese-Americans (VA) constitute a large minority community that is mostly foreign born with limited English proficiency. This article compares the health content of free print media targeting VA with that of free English-language print media. Content analysis. All free print media available at the three largest VA-serving supermarkets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were reviewed. Comparison English-language periodicals included free and purchased publications. We identified and coded 254 health content-containing articles from 22 issues of six periodicals (four free Vietnamese, one free English language, and one purchased English language) collected over a 4-week period. Chi-square and t-tests for independent samples were used to compare free Vietnamese- and free English-language periodicals. Additional analyses included all English-language periodicals as the comparison group. Higher proportions of advertisements and "pseudonews" articles (ads formatted like news stories) were found in free Vietnamese- vs. free English-language publications (overt ads, 61% vs. 28%; pseudonews, 18% vs. 0%). Moreover, Vietnamese-language publications did not contain many articles addressing diseases most commonly found in Asian-Americans. The significant proportion made up by profit-motivated health content in VA print media points to an untapped opportunity to provide evidence-based information about health topics of interest to this community. Future studies should examine secular trends, assess multiple communities, and develop community-based participatory approaches to improving access to quality health information among minorities with limited English proficiency.

Rigor or Restriction: Examining Close Reading with High School English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomason, Betty; Brown, Clara Lee; Ward, Natalia

2017-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing student subgroup in the United States, and public schools have the challenging task of teaching ELLs both English language and academic content. In spite of the attention given to improving outcomes for ELLs, the achievement gap between ELLs and native English speakers persists, especially…

Attitudes and Attained English Language Proficiency of University Students in Thailand: A Sociolinguistic Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boykin, Arsene; Trungamphai, Arunthadee

English proficiency of Thai university students studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL) was studied in relation to attitudinal scores on social, economic, travel, or prestige scales. Secondarily, the subjects' attitudes toward their native group and toward the target language group, and their motives for learning English were studied in…

Axiological Role of English Adjectives in English Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zerkina, Natalya N.; Kostina, Nataliia N.; Urazayeva, Nailya R.; Lomakina, Yekaterina A.; Emets, Tatiana V.; Gallyamova, Maria S.; Melnikova, Elena P.; Trutnev, Alexey Yu.; Lukina, Oksana A.

2016-01-01

The article focuses on peculiarities of English adjective teaching as one of main and important lexicological basis. As the English language nowadays is important and universal as a native language of worldwide society, exactly that's why process of learning must include wide range of techniques not only as a process of learning theories but also…

Improving the Academic Performance of Non-Native English-Speaking Students: The Contribution of Pre-Sessional English Language Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorpe, Andy; Snell, Martin; Davey-Evans, Sue; Talman, Richard

2017-01-01

There is an established, if weak, inverse relationship between levels of English language proficiency and academic performance in higher education. In response, higher education institutions (HEIs) insist upon minimum entry requirements concerning language for international applicants. Many HEIs now also offer pre-sessional English courses to…

The Perspectives of Students in the College of Basic Education on the Characteristics of Effective English Language Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taqi, Hanan A.; Al-Nouh, Nowreyah A.; Akbar, Rahima S.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a research study designed to investigate the characteristics of effective teachers of English and the uniqueness of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The research is based on four general categories: English language proficiency, educational perception, organization and communication skills, social and emotional…

The Hegemony of English as a Global Language: Reclaiming Local Knowledge and Culture in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, Yan; Beckett, Gulbahar H.

2007-01-01

English has become the dominant global language of communication, business, aviation, entertainment, diplomacy and the internet. Governments as well as some scholars appear to be accepting such a spread of English uncritically. However, we argue that the increasing dominance of the English language is contributing to neocolonialism by empowering…

Challenges Face Arab Students in Writing Well-Developed Paragraphs in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rass, Ruwaida Abu

2015-01-01

This study aimed to investigate problems facing Palestinian Arab students from Israel who are majoring in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in developing well-written paragraphs in English. They usually transfer the stylistic features of their first language, Arabic to the target language, English. For example, they tend to write long…

The Role of Native-Language Phonology in the Auditory Word Identification and Visual Word Recognition of Russian-English Bilinguals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shafiro, Valeriy; Kharkhurin, Anatoliy V.

2009-01-01

Abstract Does native language phonology influence visual word processing in a second language? This question was investigated in two experiments with two groups of Russian-English bilinguals, differing in their English experience, and a monolingual English control group. Experiment 1 tested visual word recognition following semantic…

Predictors and Outcomes of Early versus Later English Language Proficiency among English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halle, Tamara; Hair, Elizabeth; Wandner, Laura; McNamara, Michelle; Chien, Nina

2012-01-01

The development of English language learners (ELLs) was explored from kindergarten through eighth grade within a nationally representative sample of first-time kindergartners (N = 19,890). Growth curve analyses indicated that, compared to native English speakers, ELLs were rated by teachers more favorably on approaches to learning, self-control,…

English Language Learners and Gifted Identification: Exploring the Perceptions of Teachers and Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichol, Kathy P.

2013-01-01

The demographics of public schools in the United States have changed over recent years to include millions of English language learners (ELLs), students whose first language is not English and who demonstrate limited proficiency in English. During this same time period, school personnel have struggled to identify ELLs for gifted programs because…

Concept of Best Practices in English Language Teaching to Pakistani ELT Fraternity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soomro, Muhammad Arif; Memon, Natasha; Memon, Shumaila Aijaz

2016-01-01

Teaching industry of English as a second or foreign language has grown massively in recent times in Pakistan. There are many public sectors universities and English academies established all over Pakistan offering English language proficiency courses. Therefore, this wave led to conduct this research. The purpose of conducting this study was to…

Constructing Gender in an English Dominant Kindergarten: Implications for Second Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hruska, Barbara L.

2004-01-01

This article is part of a year-long ethnographic study conducted in an English dominant kindergarten in the United States. The classroom comprised 6 Spanish-bilingual English language learners and 17 native English speakers. The study was based on a theoretical framework that views language as the site for constructing social meaning and…

Chapter 1 English as a Second Language, 1988-89. OREA Evaluation Section Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerrero, Frank; And Others

The Chapter 1 English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program provided supplementary, intensive English language instruction to limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in 69 non-public schools in New York City. The program's primary goal was to help LEP students gain the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills necessary to improve their…

Teachers Evaluate the New Curriculum in English: Views Regarding Evaluation and Evaluation Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adin-Surkis, Abigail

2015-01-01

English is solidly entrenched in Israel as the "first foreign language", as defined in the Policy on Language Education in Israeli Schools. The English curriculum published in 2001 expresses the view that English is the world's most important language and therefore requires the highest standards of teaching. This research examined how…

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Children: A Multinational Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vroom, Sara J.; Seaman, Alan A.

2014-01-01

One of the most significant trends in contemporary English language teaching is the dramatic increase in English as a foreign language (EFL) programs for younger children (ages 3-12) in school systems throughout the world. These programs have created special challenges for teachers who are nonnative English speakers (NNES). To document the…

Implementing Oral English Language Acquisition Policy in Career and Technical Education Classes: Changing to a Social Pedagogy Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crockett, Kelley E.

2010-01-01

Federal and state policies have long sought to address the social inequities faced by limited English proficient (LEP) students through the improvement of English language acquisition. English language acquisition policy has focused on access to resources, qualified teachers, and instructional methodologies (e.g. pedagogy) that create a learning…

An Evaluation of the Global Orientation of English Textbooks in Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syrbe, Mona; Rose, Heath

2018-01-01

This article investigates textbooks used in English classes in German schools to evaluate their relevance to current trends of teaching English as an international language. For many European students, English is no longer just a foreign language, but an important European lingua franca. Thus, we argue it is essential for the language to be…

Weblogs for English Language Learning: Students' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wan, Juida; Tan, Bee Hoon

2011-01-01

The digital explosion of information on the Internet has resulted in a need for a new and up-to-date way for Digital Natives to learn English. Educators have reported numerous benefits of using weblogs in English language learning. This article presents a small scale study on the use of weblogs for English language learning at tertiary level in…

Investigating the Reading Engagement of English Language Learners: A Case Study of Four Middle School ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Protacio, Maria Selena O.

2013-01-01

This study investigates the reading engagement of four middle school English Language Learners (ELLs) in their English or English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. Engaged readers are those who address the four components of reading engagement--motivation, strategic knowledge, constructing meaning from texts, and social interactions. In this…

Acquisition of Zero Relative Clauses in English by Adult Turkish Learners of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ordem, Eser

2017-01-01

Studies on acquisition of relative clauses by first and second language learners have evoked considerable interest in recent decades. In line with such studies, in this present study we aim to show the possible effect of first language (Turkish) on second language (English) in zero relative clause constructions. English uses certain stranded…

Different Reasons to Play Games in an English Language Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sevy-Biloon, Julia

2017-01-01

English language students at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion (UNAE) in Ecuador tend to have various learning styles and have a hard time being motivated to not only learn, but also remember the correct form of English language being taught in the classroom. It is mandatory for these students to learn English; therefore many do not have…

A Report of the Center for English as a Lingua Franca (CELF) for Academic Year 2014-2015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okada, Tricia; Milliner, Brett; Ogane, Ethel; Leichsenring, Andrew; Imai, Mitsuko; Cote, Travis; McBride, Paul

2015-01-01

English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) refers to the use of English as a contact language between people who have different first languages, including native English speakers (Jenkins, 2014). "ELF is simultaneously the consequence and the principal language medium of globalizing processes" (Jenkins, Cogo, & Dewey, 2011, p. 303). In…

Technology in Teaching English Language Learners: The Case of Three Middle School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrei, Elena

2017-01-01

This study looks at how three middle school teachers of English as a second language (ESL) use technology in the classroom. Technology use in the ESL classroom has the potential of supporting the English and content learning of English language learners, but the availability of technology does not necessarily lead to technology integration that…

Beyond the Curriculum: A Chinese Example of Issues Constraining Effective English Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Minglin; Baldauf, Richard

2011-01-01

Studies of English language education in primary and secondary schools in Asia have shown that at different times the orientation of English language curricula for schools has been adjusted to meet changing sociopolitical and educational trends. In much of Asia the emphasis of the objectives set out in the English curricula has shifted from…

English as a Multicultural Language: Implications from a Study of Japan's Junior High Schools' English Language Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamada, Mieko

2010-01-01

Applying Kachru and Nelson's model of English spread and their categorisation into Inner/Outer/Expanding Circles, this content analysis of English as a Foreign Language textbooks used in Japanese junior high schools investigates which countries were introduced and further studies how Japan's domestic diversity was constructed in those textbooks.…

Imperialist Desires in English-Only Language Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macedo, Donaldo

2017-01-01

This article tackles the questions around the efficacy of the English language in educational contexts. The author argues that the answer to these questions has nothing to do with whether English is a more viable language of instruction or whether it promises non-English-speaking students full participation both in school and the society at large.…

English for Scientific Purposes (EScP): Technology, Trends, and Future Challenges for Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Gi-Zen; Chiu, Wan-Yu; Lin, Chih-Chung; Barrett, Neil E.

2014-01-01

To date, the concept of English for Specific Purposes has brought about a great impact on English language learning across various disciplines, including those in science education. Hence, this review paper aimed to address current English language learning in the science disciplines through the practice of computer-assisted language learning to…

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS): The Speaking Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingram, D. E.

1991-01-01

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assesses proficiency in English both generally and for special purposes of non-native English speakers studying, training, or learning English in English-speaking countries. The Speaking subtest of the IELTS measures a candidate's general proficiency in speaking in everyday situations via a…

Achievement and High School Completion Rates of Hispanic Students with No English Language Skills Compared to Hispanic Students with Some English Language Skills Attending the Same High School in an Immigrant Responsive City

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrison, Joanne M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to determine achievement and high school completion rates of Hispanic students (n = 13) with no English language skills compared to Hispanic students (n = 11) with some English language skills attending the same high school in an immigrant responsive city. All students were in attendance in the research school…

The home literacy environment and Latino head start children's emergent literacy skills.

PubMed

Farver, Jo Ann M; Xu, Yiyuan; Lonigan, Christopher J; Eppe, Stefanie

2013-04-01

This study examined children's early literacy skills in both English and Spanish at entry to preschool to investigate the pattern of association among these skills and their families' home language and literacy practices. The participants were 392 primarily Latino immigrant (85%) families and their children. Mothers completed questionnaires about their families and their home literacy environment (HLE), and children's emergent literacy skills were measured in English and Spanish at the outset of the preschool year. Project assistants interviewed mothers in their homes and tallied the presence of literacy-related materials. Results of structural equation modeling showed that the 3 preliteracy skills were significantly associated within and across English and Spanish, suggesting the possible transfer of these early preliteracy skills across languages. For the English language HLE, parents' literacy-related behaviors, sibling-child reading, and families' literacy resources were all associated with children's English oral language skills, and their English print knowledge was associated with their home resources. For the Spanish language HLE, only parents' literacy-related behaviors were related to children's Spanish oral language and print knowledge skills. There were no significant cross-linguistic relations between any aspect of the English HLE and children's Spanish preliteracy skills, whereas parents' literacy-related behaviors in Spanish were negatively associated with children's English oral language and phonological awareness skills. Given the importance of oral language and vocabulary in promoting children's literacy, these results indicate that parents can support this skill in both languages, but their relative impact seems to be within rather across language. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

[Citation rates of medical German-language journals in English-language papers - do they correlate with the Impact Factor, and who cites?].

PubMed

Winkmann, G; Schlutius, S; Schweim, H G

2002-01-25

Several publications are warning that the German language is no longer needed for transmission of scientific data. One of the causes may be the Impact Factor (IF), which appears to be derived predominantly from Anglo-American journals. The aim of this study was to check actual international attention paid to German-language journals, i. e. their citation frequencies in English-language papers. Are these citing rates in English-language articles correlated to the IF, and from where do citing articles originate? Of 25 arbitrarily selected >85 % German-language medical journals, IF as well as language distributions of citing articles were determined by searching publication years 1995 - 2000 in Science Citation Index (SCI). MEDLINE and EMBASE were used as supplementary retrieval systems. (i) The sample journals displayed an average IF = 0.357. A 99 % correlation (Pearson factor r = 0.987; n = 25) was observed between our > constructed< IF 2000 and IF published in Journal Citation Report 2000. This proves Stegmann's IF determination method to be valid. On the average, 53 % German-language and 45 % English-language articles between 1995 - 2000 cited the 1995 - 1999' contributions of the studied journals. No correlation was observed between IF vs. rates of citing articles in English (r <0.1). 64 % of citing English-language articles showed corporate sources in Germany/ Austria/ Switzerland, and 13.5 % authors' institutions in USA. (i) An IF >/=1 is, obviously, very hard to attain by German-language journals. ISI's differentiation between Citing vs. Cited-only Journals (the latter often serving as MEDLINE/ EMBASE sources) during derivation of IF appears unjustified. (ii) English now serves as the predominant communication language in sciences in German-speaking countries, but has not supplanted the German language. Our study reveals remarkable international attention rates remaining.

A Teacher’s Guide for Using Learning Strategies in English-as-a-Second- Language Instruction

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-01

learner strategies used in the acquisition of English as a second language (ESL). The Teacher’s Guide demonstrates for ESL...strategies to apply to a wide range of language learning tasks are far more likely to be effective language learners . The language lessons in this section...skills in the acquisition of English as a second language (ESL). This study completed a review of the literature on learning strategies in

Longitudinal Prediction of 1st and 2nd Grade English Oral Reading Fluency in English Language Learners: Which Early Reading and Language Skills Are Better Predictors?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solari, Emily J.; Aceves, Terese C.; Higareda, Ignacio; Richards-Tutor, Cara; Filippini, Alexis L.; Gerber, Michael M.; Leafstedt, Jill

2014-01-01

This study investigates the relation between Spanish and English early literacy skills in kindergarten and first grade, and English oral reading fluency at the end of first and second grade in a sample of 150 Spanish-speaking English language learners. Students were assessed in kindergarten, first, and second grades on a broad bilingual academic…

Graduate Students' Perceptions of the Impact of the Alternative National English Course on the Improvement of Their English Language Learning and Their Learning Challenges at the University of Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkhawaldeh, Ahmad Mokbel

2017-01-01

This qualitative study addressed the English language learning needs and challenges expressed by a sample of 22 postgraduate students from diversified faculties in the University of Jordan. These students were required to take the Alternative National English course. They wrote a self-report reflecting on their English language learning needs and…

3rd grade English language learners making sense of sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez, Enrique; Otero, Valerie

2013-01-01

Despite the extensive body of research that supports scientific inquiry and argumentation as cornerstones of physics learning, these strategies continue to be virtually absent in most classrooms, especially those that involve students who are learning English as a second language. This study presents results from an investigation of 3rd grade students' discourse about how length and tension affect the sound produced by a string. These students came from a variety of language backgrounds, and all were learning English as a second language. Our results demonstrate varying levels, and uses, of experiential, imaginative, and mechanistic reasoning strategies. Using specific examples from students' discourse, we will demonstrate some of the productive aspects of working within multiple language frameworks for making sense of physics. Conjectures will be made about how to utilize physics as a context for English Language Learners to further conceptual understanding, while developing their competence in the English language.

English language proficiency and the accommodations for language non-concordance amongst patients utilizing chiropractic college teaching clinics.

PubMed

Saporito, Richard P

2013-02-01

The number of households in the United States that are not proficient in the English language is growing and presenting a challenge to the health care system. Over nineteen percent of the US population speak a language other than English in the home. This increase in language discordance generates a greater need to find and implement accommodations in the clinical setting to insure accurate and efficient diagnosis and treatment as well as provide for patient safety. The purpose of this study is to determine the percentage of patients accessing the chiropractic college teaching clinics who are not proficient in the English language and to what extent the colleges provide accommodations for that language disparity. The clinic directors and deans of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges were surveyed via an on-line survey engine. The survey queried the percentage of the patient population that is not English language proficient, the accommodations the college currently has in place, if the college has a language specific consent to treat document and if the college has a written policy concerning patients without English proficiency. Fifty percent of the contacted chiropractic colleges responded to the survey. In the respondent college clinics 16.5% of the patient population is not proficient in English, with over 75% speaking Spanish. All but one of the respondents provide some level of accommodation for the language non-concordance. Forty five percent of the responding colleges employ a language specific consent to treat form. The implementation of accommodations and the use of a language specific consent to treat form is more prevalent at colleges with a higher percentage of non-English speaking patients. The percentage of patients with limited English proficiency accessing services at the teaching clinics of the chiropractic colleges mirrors the numbers in the general population. There is a wide disparity in the accommodations that the individual colleges make to address this language discordance. There is a need to further develop accurate and meaningful accommodations to address language disparity in the chiropractic teaching clinics.

Composing in a Second Language: A Case Study of a Russian College Student.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Anna Charr

The case study examined the development of English writing skills in a native Russian-speaking college student with no previous instruction in English as a Second Language. It drew on writing samples from 2 years of English language instruction. Theories of first and second language acquisition, especially in written expression, are analyzed in…