Teaching English Language at SSC Level in Private Non-Elite Schools in Pakistan: Practices and Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fareed, Muhammad; Jawed, Saniya; Awan, Sidra

2018-01-01

English language is taught as a compulsory subject up to graduate level in Pakistani educational system. Despite studying English for over 14 years, majority of students coming from non-elite schools, lack required command in English language skills to pursue their higher education and professional careers. With this background in mind, the…

English Language Learners in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calderon, Brenda

2015-01-01

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act has provided services for English Language Learners (ELLs) since 1968. In 2010 nearly 4.6 million students were classified as ELLs and of those nearly 80% were from a Spanish speaking background. To ignore their education is to neglect preparing a large portion of our nation's future workforce. Given…

"That's Where the Rubber Meets the Road": The Intersection of Special Education and Dual Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kangas, Sara E. N.

2017-01-01

Background: English language learners (ELLs) with special needs remain an underresearched student population. Although providing services to these students proves to be a daunting task, bilingual schools are uniquely poised to meet the educational needs of ELLs with special needs. Yet, research has not explored service provision practices in…

Language and Faith Encounters: Bridging Language--Ethnicity and Language--Religion Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Souza, Ana

2016-01-01

There has been growing interest by British policy-makers in the importance of acknowledging the role of migrant children's background in their educational progress. Therefore, this article draws on studies of language-ethnicity and of language-religion to understand the linguistic and the religious heritage of four groups of Brazilian migrants in…

Survey of Employment Opportunities Open to Graduates in Foreign Language Education, English as a Second Language, and Applied Linguistics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herold, William R.

A survey of employed recipients of the doctorate from the Foreign Language Education Center at the University of Texas was conducted to determine the nature of positions the graduates are holding and to identify those positions for which their background and training would qualify them. The scope of the survey extends to career opportunities for…

Teaching in a Language that Is Not Their Own: Experiences from Teachers in California and the Basque Country (Spain and France)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaminde, Izaskun

2011-01-01

Concerns about bilingual and multilingual programs have been an issue all over the world. Efforts to improve the educational achievement of students from different language backgrounds have created educational settings where teachers are now teaching in a language that is not their own. In the 20th century, many groups have expressed their rights…

Teachers' Perceptions of Language Teaching for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulz, Yoshiko

2017-01-01

Under the No Child Left Behind's educational accountability requirements, the U.S.'s mainstream classroom teachers were responsible for all students' academic language and content knowledge development regardless of students' academic or linguistic backgrounds. A lack of teachers' language awareness appeared to be responsible for teachers'…

On TESOL '75: New Directions in Second Language Learning, Teaching and Bilingual Education. Selected Papers from the Annual TESOL Convention (9th, Los Angeles, CA, March 4-9, 1975)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burt, Marina K., Ed.; Dulay, Heidi C., Ed.

This volume consists of 35 papers divided into the following 12 sections: (1) organizational policy: a dialogue between TESOL and bilingual education--two papers on compatibility and cooperation; (2) second language acquisition--six papers dealing with language learning and teaching, effect of background on learning, order of acquisition,…

Case report: acquisition of three spoken languages by a child with a cochlear implant.

PubMed

Francis, Alexander L; Ho, Diana Wai Lam

2003-03-01

There have been only two reports of multilingual cochlear implant users to date, and both of these were postlingually deafened adults. Here we report the case of a 6-year-old early-deafened child who is acquiring Cantonese, English and Mandarin in Hong Kong. He and two age-matched peers with similar educational backgrounds were tested using common, standardized tests of vocabulary and expressive and receptive language skills (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (Revised) and Reynell Developmental Language Scales version II). Results show that this child is acquiring Cantonese, English and Mandarin to a degree comparable to two classmates with normal hearing and similar educational and social backgrounds.

Equity or Equality? Students with Language Backgrounds Other Than English. Centre for the Study of Higher Education Research Working Papers, 93.8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isaac, Anne

This paper reviews participation patterns of migrants, refugees, and permanent residents with language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE), at Australian universities in general, and the University of Melbourne in particular. It critically examines the effectiveness of current measures designed to improve the opportunities and university…

The Multi-Level Classroom or the One Room Little Red School-House Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Courchene, Robert

1984-01-01

Describes language lab listening activity designed to serve needs of the English as a second language class comprised of students at different levels of language proficiency, divergent native languages, multicultural backgrounds, and varying levels of formal education. Multilevel tasks are drawn from a common text, allowing students to do…

Indian River County Environmental Education Instructional Guide. Language Arts and Social Studies, Sixth Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee.

The guide is one in a series for teachers, students, and community members to help them utilize community resources in developing and teaching environmental concepts, responsibility, and problem solving. This particular guide focuses on social studies and language arts aspects of environmental education for sixth graders. Background information…

Regional Symposium on Race, Language and Special Education. Proceedings Document.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markowitz, Joy, Ed.

This symposium proceedings reports on the background, purpose, and implementation of meetings held on May 19-21, 1997 that focused on race, language, and special education. Participants from school districts in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont formed teams that included two or more of the following: local…

Inter-Professional Education of Prospective Speech-Language Therapists and Primary School Teachers through Shared Professional Practice Placements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Leanne; McNeill, Brigid; Gillon, Gail T.

2017-01-01

Background: Preliminary studies of inter-professional education (IPE) among student speech-language therapists (SLTs) and student teachers suggest that workshop-based applications are beneficial in preparing participants for elements of collaborative practice. Situating IPE within the students' professional practice placements may provide another…

Educando a Estudiantes con Diversidades Linguisticas y Culturales (Educating Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students). Que Ningun Nino se Quede Atras (No Child Left Behind).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (ED), Washington, DC.

The brochure, written in Spanish, briefly outlines the U.S. Department of Education's most recent policy on educating students with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It states the Department's mission, describes today's student population, and outlines the role of the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and…

Voices of Young People with a History of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) in the First Year of Post-16 Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palikara, Olympia; Lindsay, Geoff; Dockrell, Julie E.

2009-01-01

Background: Giving young people more and better opportunities to have their voices heard is a key feature of current educational policy and research internationally and in the UK. Aims: To examine the views of young people with a history of specific language impairment (SLI) as they entered post-16 education. Methods & Procedures: A total of…

The Dilemma of Cultural Responsiveness and Professionalization: Listening Closer to Immigrant Teachers Who Teach Children of Recent Immigrants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adair, Jennifer Keys; Tobin, Joseph; Arzubiaga, Angela E.

2012-01-01

Background/Context: Many scholars in the fields of teacher education, multicultural education, and bilingual education have argued that children of recent immigrants are best served in classrooms that have teachers who understand the cultural background and the home language of their students. Culturally knowledgeable and responsive teachers are…

Language Rights: A Framework for Ensuring Social Equity in Planning and Implementing National-Education Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hossain, Tania; Pratt, Cornelius B.

2008-01-01

Background: An important issue in the discourse on language rights is the degree to which they influence the development and implementation of language policies or perpetuate inequalities in many language situations. Skutnabb-Kangas (1996, 2002a, 2002b) and May (2000), for example, have argued that language rights offer a reasonable framework for…

Reading, Perception and Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duane, Drake D., Ed.; Rawson, Margaret B., Ed.

The nine papers in this book discuss aspects of language processing that contribute to reading difficulty. After a summary of the 1974 World Congress on Dyslexia, at which these papers were presented, the following subjects are examined: historical background and educational treatment of dyslexia; the structure of language; neuroanatomy underlying…

Learner Background and the Acquisition of Discourse Features of Korean in the Australian Secondary School Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sun Hee Ok

2012-01-01

This paper explores how learner background shapes learner performance on discourse features in writing by analysing data produced as part of the Student Achievement in Asian Languages Education project (Scarino et al., 2011) by Year 10 (mid-secondary school) students learning Korean as a foreign or heritage language. Five participants were in…

Rhetorical Meta-Language to Promote the Development of Students' Writing Skills and Subject Matter Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pelger, Susanne; Sigrell, Anders

2016-01-01

Background: Feedback is one of the most significant factors for students' development of writing skills. For feedback to be successful, however, students and teachers need a common language--a meta-language--for discussing texts. Not least because in science education such a meta-language might contribute to improve writing training and…

Integrating the Personal and the Professional: Marking the Career Paths of Adult Language Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappel, Linda J.

2015-01-01

This article explores details of research that examined how the personal backgrounds of educators connected with organizational contexts to inform teacher practice within the area of adult English language teaching. Using life history as a research methodology and basing research on a framework of teacher authenticity, the primary goal of this…

Mobile-Assisted Narrative Writing Practice for Young English Language Learners from a Funds of Knowledge Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yan; Carger, Chris Liska; Smith, Thomas J.

2017-01-01

As a nation of immigrants with diverse cultures and nationalities, one of the most striking occurrences in the United States educational system is the rapidly increasing enrollment of English Language Learners (ELLs). In view of their multicultural backgrounds, the multiliteracies education of ELLs is intertwined with their diverse socioeconomic,…

Change in Receptive Vocabulary from Childhood to Adulthood: Associated Mental Health, Education and Employment Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Rebecca; Arnott, Wendy; Copland, David A.; McMahon, Katie; Khan, Asaduzzaman; Najman, Jake M.; Scott, James G.

2017-01-01

Background: Population-based studies have found that early language delays are associated with poorer long-term outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Few studies have explored the influence of change in language ability over time on adult outcomes. Aim: To examine the educational, vocational and mental health outcomes for adults accounting for…

Necessary versus Sufficient Conditions for Using New Languages in South African Higher Education: A Linguistic Appraisal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mesthrie, Rajend

2008-01-01

This paper critically examines one particular issue against the background of changes in South Africa's higher education system consequent upon the advent of a non-racial democracy--the possibility of implementing multilingual instructional polices that include indigenous African languages in its universities. Currently, a great deal of applied…

Arizona Bilingual Business and Office Education. Book 1--Bilingual Business Grammar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Louis, Jr.; And Others

This book is the first in a set of four occupational and business education curriculum guides which were developed for Spanish speaking students with limited English speaking backgrounds and also for foreign language students who desire to reinforce their Spanish language skills. The guides are structured so that the teacher can provide service to…

Arizona Bilingual Business and Office Education. Book IV--Bilingual Business Careers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Louis, Jr.; And Others

This book is the fourth in a set of four occupational and business education curriculum guides which were developed for Spanish speaking students with limited English speaking backgrounds and also for foreign language students who desire to reinforce their Spanish language skills. The guides are structured so that the teacher can provide service…

Arizona Bilingual and Office Education. Book III--Bilingual Business Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Louis, Jr.; And Others

This book is the third in a set of four occupational and business education curriculum guides which were developed for spanish speaking students with limited English speaking backgrounds and also for foreign language students who desire to reinforce their Spanish language skills. The guides are structured so that the teacher can provide service to…

Arizona Bilingual Business and Office Education. Book II--Bilingual Business Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Louis, Jr.; And Others

This book is the second in a set of four occupational and business education curriculum guides which were developed for Spanish speaking students with limited Engligh speaking backgrounds and also for foreign language students who desire to reinforce their Spanish language skills. The guides are structured so that the teacher can provide service…

Language Ideology and Identity Seeking: Perceptions of College Learners of English in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Ming

2016-01-01

This study was based on the view that collective conceptions of learners have intimate connections with both social and linguistic analysis and language education. It set out to examine systematically the perceptions of Chinese college students on English and English education against the background of both the increasing role of English in the…

Instructional Language Policy in Ethiopia: Motivated by Politics or the Educational Needs of Children?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alemu, Daniel S.; Tekleselassie, Abebayehu A.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explain the formulation, implementation, and outcome of Ethiopia's instructional language policy in light of the PRINCE system of power analysis as adapted by Fowler (2004), along with several literature references pertinent to the issue. After providing a brief background on Ethiopia and its education and language…

Effects of Elementary School Home Language, Immigrant Generation, Language Classification, and School's English Learner Concentration on Latinos' High School Completion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zarate, Maria Estela; Pineda, Claudia G.

2014-01-01

Background/Context: Relying largely on high school measures of home language use, the literature examining immigrant incorporation in schools provides contradictory evidence of home language effects on educational outcomes. More recent research has demonstrated that home language use is dynamic and thus it is important to examine the implications…

Opportunities in Foreign Language Careers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huebener, Theodore

This guide to careers requiring knowledge of a foreign language details a wide range of positions. It begins with a general survey of the field of foreign languages--historical background, need for trained personnel, attributes necessary for success, comments of business and professional people. Educational preparation in high school, college, and…

Stakeholders' Qualitative Perspectives of Effective Telepractice Pedagogy in Speech-Language Pathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overby, Megan S.

2018-01-01

Background: Academic programmes in speech-language pathology are increasingly providing telehealth/telepractice clinical education to students. Despite this growth, there is little information describing effective ways to teach it. Aims: The current exploratory study analyzed the perceptions of speech-language pathology/therapy (SLP/SLT) faculty,…

Multilingual educational trends and practices in Lebanon: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahous, Rima; Bacha, Nahla Nola; Nabhani, Mona

2011-12-01

This paper reports on the multilingual background, language education policies and practices in Lebanon. Specifically, it shows how the multilingual make-up in the country is translated into language policies in schools. A survey of 30 private school principals, middle managers and teachers was administered online to obtain their views on school policies, problems, successes, concerns and quality ranking. Results showed that a great deal of work has been done to introduce a language of instruction and a third language as decreed by the Ministry of Education and at the same time keep the national language, Arabic, alive. The main concerns of the participants were the need for teacher training programmes and resources. Although the research implies that the school systems, in keeping up with this multilingual milieu, could be contributing to the death of the national language as well as producing students who are not fluent in any of the languages, there continues to be an attempt to keep alive a quality multilingual educational context which contributes to a cohesive society.

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…

Background Languages, Learner Motivation and Self-Assessed Progress in Learning Zulu as an Additional Language in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marten, Lutz; Mostert, Carola

2012-01-01

The article reports results of a study of beginner-level learners of Zulu in higher education in the UK, focussing on learners' linguistic background, their motivation and reasons for studying Zulu, and their self-assessed progress at the beginning of the second term of teaching. The study shows that participants typically studied Zulu as an…

Acquiring Reading and Vocabulary in Dutch and English: The Effect of Concurrent Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Leij, Aryan; Bekebrede, Judith; Kotterink, Mieke

2010-01-01

To investigate the effect of concurrent instruction in Dutch and English on reading acquisition in both languages, 23 pupils were selected from a school with bilingual education, and 23 from a school with education in Dutch only. The pupils had a Dutch majority language background and were comparable with regard to social-economic status (SES).…

European Languages and Culture in Hong Kong: Trade or Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cribbin, John

2009-01-01

Hong Kong Government policy is to promote Hong Kong as an international education hub for the region. This may be more rhetoric than reality. The article surveys the historical background of Hong Kong in terms of its role as a trading centre, a gateway to China and a meeting place for East and West for which interchange with European languages and…

La Lengua Espanol en los Estados Unidos (The Spanish Language in the United States).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnach-Calbo, Ernesto

This report on the use of the Spanish language in the United States discusses the Spanish-speaking population, the language itself, and bilingual education in the United States. The background about the Spanish-speaking population includes the following topics: (1) "A Nations of Immigrants," (2) "The Population of the…

Language Trends 2010 Secondary (CILT, ALL, ISMLA) Data Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CILT, the National Centre for Languages, 2011

2011-01-01

This survey has been carried out annually since 2002 to track developments in language provision and take up in secondary schools. The following sections are included in this analysis of key results from the Secondary Language Trends survey: (1) Survey background, methodology and sample design; (2) DfE (Department for Education) data trends of…

Improving the Language Skills of Pre-Kindergarten Students: Preliminary Impacts of the "Let's Know!" Experimental Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johanson, Megan; Arthur, Ann M.

2016-01-01

Background: Improving children's oral language skills is an important focus of educational research and practice; however, relatively few interventions have demonstrated impacts on these skills. This work makes a unique contribution to our understanding of the effects of language-focused interventions in pre-kindergarten settings by examining…

Chinese Language Education in Europe: The Confucius Institutes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starr, Don

2009-01-01

This article explores the background to the Chinese government's decision to embark on a programme of promoting the study of Chinese language and culture overseas. This includes the impact of Joseph Nye's concept of "soft power" in China, ownership of the national language, the Confucius connection, and how these factors interact with…

Improving Language Comprehension in Preschool Children with Language Difficulties: A Cluster Randomized Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagen, Åste M.; Melby-Lervåg, Monica; Lervåg, Arne

2017-01-01

Background: Children with language comprehension difficulties are at risk of educational and social problems, which in turn impede employment prospects in adulthood. However, few randomized trials have examined how such problems can be ameliorated during the preschool years. Methods: We conducted a cluster randomized trial in 148 preschool…

Teaching the Metric System in the Foreign Language Classroom. Language in Education: Theory and Practice. No. 32.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Bette Le Feber

This booklet on the metric system and its presentation in the foreign language class has three main sections: (1) background material, including a brief history of the metric system and a rationale for teaching it in the foreign language class; (2) information for the teacher; and (3) learning activities. The second section includes terminology,…

Toward Understanding the Second Language Learning of Arab Students in Israel and Canada: The Relationship of Attitudes and Cultural Background to Reading Comprehension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu-Rabia, Salim; Feuerverger, Grace

1996-01-01

Investigated the relationship between cultural background of Arab students in Canada and Israel and reading comprehension of majority and minority group stories. Findings indicate that, in terms of language education, it is essential to develop pedagogies that respond to the diversity of the social contexts in which the learners are situated. (70…

Professional Content Knowledge of Grades One--Three Teachers in Sweden for Reading and Writing Instruction: Language Structures, Code Concepts, and Spelling Rules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alatalo, Tarja

2016-01-01

In this study, Swedish teachers of grades 1-3, with various teacher-training backgrounds, were tested to determine if they have the requisite awareness of language elements and the way these elements are represented in writing. The results were poor, yet the indication was that teachers with a good educational background in literacy and a good…

Logic Programming: PROLOG.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez, Antonio M., Jr.

1989-01-01

Provides background material on logic programing and presents PROLOG as a high-level artificial intelligence programing language that borrows its basic constructs from logic. Suggests the language is one which will help the educator to achieve various goals, particularly the promotion of problem solving ability. (MVL)

Attitudes of Classroom Teachers to Cultural Diversity and Multicultural Education in Country New South Wales, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forrest, James; Lean, Garth; Dunn, Kevin

2017-01-01

Views of country school teachers towards multicultural education and anti-racism policy directives are examined against a background of a largely "white" landscape but increasing numbers of language background other than English (LBOTE) immigrants. A 10 per cent response from a self-administered online survey of government primary and…

Meeting the Educational and Social Needs of Children with Language Impairment or Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Parents' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, Geoff; Ricketts, Jessie; Peacey, Lindy V.; Dockrell, Julie E.; Charman, Tony

2016-01-01

Background: There is increasing interest in examining the perspectives of parents of children with special educational needs (SEN). Exploring the view of parents of a child with language impairment (LI) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is particularly important because of their high prevalence, at over 30% of children with SEN in England, and the…

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…

Examining the Association between Language, Expository Discourse and Offending Behaviour: An Investigation of Direction, Strength and Independence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopkins, Thomas; Clegg, Judy; Stackhouse, Joy

2018-01-01

Background: A high prevalence of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is reported in the population of Young Offenders (YO). However, little is known about the extent of the association between language and offending behaviour relative to social disadvantage, education attendance and non-verbal intelligence (IQ), and neither has this association…

Improving the Language Skills of Pre-Kindergarten Students: Preliminary Impacts of the "Let's Know!" Experimental Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johanson, Megan; Arthur, Ann M.

2016-01-01

Background: Improving children's oral language skills is an important focus of educational research and practice; however, relatively few interventions have demonstrated impacts on these skills. This work makes a unique contribution to our understanding of the effects of language-focused interventions in pre-kindergarten settings by examining…

Speaking like a "Good American": National Identity and the Legacy of German-Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kibler, Amanda

2008-01-01

Background/Context: As a case study in minority language restriction, the German example provides a useful historical counterpoint to more recent debates regarding the place of non-English languages in American schools. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study and Research Design: This historical analysis examines the role of education…

Education in Bosnia: Religion, Language and Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCreight, Richard Douglas

This book investigates the forces shaping the development of education systems in Bosnia and the impact those historical forces may, or may not, have on the condition of secondary education in Bosnia today. Initial chapters offer historical background about educational development in the Balkans and in Bosnia. The volume outlines the accumulative…

The Role of Advocacy in Shaping Immigrant Education: A California Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Laurie

2009-01-01

Background Context: Throughout United States history, immigrant education has been shaped and defined by political struggles over immigration, language rights, national security, and educational equity and access. Bilingual education has become the contemporary battleground for these struggles. In 1996, in California, a struggle ensued between…

To what extent are Canadian second language policies evidence-based? Reflections on the intersections of research and policy

PubMed Central

Cummins, Jim

2014-01-01

The paper addresses the intersections between research findings and Canadian educational policies focusing on four major areas: (a) core and immersion programs for the teaching of French to Anglophone students, (b) policies concerning the learning of English and French by students from immigrant backgrounds, (c) heritage language teaching, and (d) the education of Deaf and hard-of hearing students. With respect to the teaching of French, policy-makers have largely ignored the fact that most core French programs produce meager results for the vast majority of students. Only a small proportion of students (<10%) attend more effective alternatives (e.g., French immersion and Intensive French programs). With respect to immigrant-background students, a large majority of teachers and administrators have not had opportunities to access the knowledge base regarding effective instruction for these students nor have they had opportunities for pre-service or in-service professional development regarding effective instructional practices. Educational policies in most jurisdictions have also treated the linguistic resources that children bring to school with, at best, benign neglect. In some cases (e.g., Ontario) school systems have been explicitly prohibited from instituting enrichment bilingual programs that would promote students’ bilingualism and biliteracy. Finally, with respect to Deaf students, policy-makers have ignored overwhelming research on the positive relationship between academic success and the development of proficiency in natural sign languages, preferring instead to leave uncorrected the proposition that acquisition of languages such as American Sign Language by young children (with or without cochlear implants) will impede children’s language and academic development. The paper reviews the kinds of policies, programs, and practices that could be implemented (at no additional cost) if policy-makers and educators pursued evidence-based educational policies. PMID:24847289

Early Years Centres for Pre-School Children with Primary Language Difficulties: What Do They Cost, and are They Cost-Effective?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, J.; Dockrell, J. E.; Castelnuovo, E.; Williams, K.; Seeff, B.; Normand, C.

2006-01-01

Background: High levels of early language difficulties raise practical issues about the efficient and effective means of meeting children's needs. Persistent language difficulties place significant financial pressures on health and education services. This has led to large investment in intervention in the early years; yet, little is known about…

The Community College: Bridge or Roadblock to Higher Education for US Adult Immigrant English-Language Learners?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janis, Thomas

2013-01-01

While community colleges have been accessible for adult learners with an immigrant and an English Language Learning (ELL) background, there is a gap between preparation and academic success on the college level among these students. Within community colleges, older adult English as a Second Language (ESL) students have the lowest first-semester…

Effects of Note-Taking Instruction and Note-Taking Languages on College EFL Students' Listening Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai-Fu, Tsai; Wu, Yongan

2010-01-01

Background: The effect of note-taking has been well-recognized by EFL educators. However, little empirical research has been done to investigate combined effects of note-taking instruction and note-taking language (whether in L1 or L2) in an acquisition-poor environment, where English is used as an instructional language yet the audience is…

L. V. Shcherba: A "New Slant" on Modern Foreign Languages in the School Curriculum?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell-Thomson, Olga

2017-01-01

In this paper, I offer a critical reflection on the thesis of the general educational value of foreign languages developed by Russian linguist Lev Vladimirovich Shcherba. I do so against the background of current debates on the positioning of foreign languages in the school curriculum in the United Kingdom (UK). I argue that Shcherba's thesis,…

Effective Transition (Project E.T.), Final Evaluation Profile. Transitional Bilingual Education 1991-92. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Office of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment.

Students from Lafayette High School and Pershing Intermediate School in Brooklyn, New York who were of Spanish and Cantonese linguistic backgrounds (and who scored at or below the 40th percentile on the Language Assessment Battery) received intensive instruction in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and native language arts (NLA) in Spanish or…

Task-Based Language Teaching and English for Academic Purposes: An Investigation into Instructor Perceptions and Practice in the Canadian Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Scott Roy; Kim, Marcia

2014-01-01

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs designed to meet postsecondary English language proficiency requirements are a common pathway to higher education for students from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Grounded in a Canadian context, this study seeks to examine the prevalence of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in EAP, common examples…

Situation Report--Colombia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Planned Parenthood Federation, London (England).

Data relating to population and family planning in Colombia are presented in this situation report. Information is provided, where appropriate and available, under two topics, general background and family planning situation. General background covers ethnic groups, language, religion, economy, communication/education, medical/social welfare, and…

Diversity in Intensive English Language Centres in South Australia: Sociocultural Approaches to Education for Students with Migrant or Refugee Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Due, Clemence; Riggs, Damien W.; Augoustinos, Martha

2016-01-01

While there is a body of research concerning the education of students with migrant or refugee backgrounds, little of this research focuses on primary school-aged children. In order to address this gap, the current paper utilises data gained from an ethnographic study to consider the challenges and opportunities associated with diverse classrooms…

Vocabulary Knowledge Predicts Lexical Processing: Evidence from a Group of Participants with Diverse Educational Backgrounds

PubMed Central

Mainz, Nina; Shao, Zeshu; Brysbaert, Marc; Meyer, Antje S.

2017-01-01

Vocabulary knowledge is central to a speaker's command of their language. In previous research, greater vocabulary knowledge has been associated with advantages in language processing. In this study, we examined the relationship between individual differences in vocabulary and language processing performance more closely by (i) using a battery of vocabulary tests instead of just one test, and (ii) testing not only university students (Experiment 1) but young adults from a broader range of educational backgrounds (Experiment 2). Five vocabulary tests were developed, including multiple-choice and open antonym and synonym tests and a definition test, and administered together with two established measures of vocabulary. Language processing performance was measured using a lexical decision task. In Experiment 1, vocabulary and word frequency were found to predict word recognition speed while we did not observe an interaction between the effects. In Experiment 2, word recognition performance was predicted by word frequency and the interaction between word frequency and vocabulary, with high-vocabulary individuals showing smaller frequency effects. While overall the individual vocabulary tests were correlated and showed similar relationships with language processing as compared to a composite measure of all tests, they appeared to share less variance in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1. Implications of our findings concerning the assessment of vocabulary size in individual differences studies and the investigation of individuals from more varied backgrounds are discussed. PMID:28751871

Planning for Development or Decline? Education Policy for Chinese Language in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan

2014-01-01

This article examines how political discourse, language ideologies, recent Chinese curriculum reforms, and their representations in the media are inextricably related. Using the "Speak Mandarin Campaign" as background for the inquiry, I focus on textual features of the various media sources, TV advertisements, campaign slogans, official…

Elderly Refugees and Language Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grognet, Allene Guss

For elderly refugees, coming from a variety of cultural situations and with varied educational backgrounds, transplantation to a new culture is an especially difficult process. There is no research evidence to suggest that older adults can not succeed in learning another language, although more deliberate efforts must be made to achieve this. In…

Ecolinguistic Biographies: Social Networks in a Nursery School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Linda

A British ethnolinguistic study described the language behavior of 12 preschool children during their first experience in a formal educational setting where they constituted a linguistic minority. All were third-generation, British-born children of Moslem parents of ethnic Pakistani background; their home language was a vernacular Panjabi. Data…

La formacion de profesores de lengua materna (Native Language Teachers' Education).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez Chacon, Concepcion Elena

1980-01-01

Discusses the goals of native language instruction advocating a broadening of horizons, away from traditional grammar and literature teaching, and towards culturally based communication skills. Sociocultural awareness is stressed as the fundamental component of a teacher's background and the basis for mastering the relevant aspects of…

Academic Preparation for International Pre-MBA's in Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westerfield, Kay

Adjustments to the case study approach are recommended to address three major areas of difficulty for foreign students in master's-level marketing education programs: (1) language-related problems; (2) unfamiliar class format and methodology; and (3) lack of cultural background knowledge. For language-related problems, case studies are a good…

Impact of Placement Type on the Development of Clinical Competency in Speech-Language Pathology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheepway, Lyndal; Lincoln, Michelle; McAllister, Sue

2014-01-01

Background: Speech-language pathology students gain experience and clinical competency through clinical education placements. However, currently little empirical information exists regarding how competency develops. Existing research about the effectiveness of placement types and models in developing competency is generally descriptive and based…

Mixed Ability Teaching: Meeting Learners' Needs. Netword 3: Teaching Languages to Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainslie, Susan

This guide, designed for teachers of second languages to adults, discusses instruction for student groups of mixed abilities. The first chapter examines the factors that determine mixed ability, including: student motivation, interests, and needs; linguistic ability; general educational background; learning style; age; external pressures and time…

Designing Online Instruction for Internationally Educated Nurses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Virginia R.

2012-01-01

Internationally educated nurses (IENs), when adequately prepared, can make a valuable contribution to the nursing profession in the United States, particularly in cities with large immigrant populations, where their language skills and cultural background can bring a dimension to health care that nurses educated in this country do not have.…

An Imperfect Understanding: The Air Forces Transition to Diversity and Inclusion

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

background, cultural knowledge, educational background, work background, language abilities, physical abilities, philosophical/spiritual...it resulted in an over- looked second-order effect: the universally and explicitly acknowledged need to prevent discrimination, sexual harassment, and...for leaders to encourage innovation and stimulate energy in their skilled Airmen. Complemented by the building of trust, discussed later, this

State of the Art of Pacific Bilingual Education. Bilingual Education Paper Series Vol. 4 No. 10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Robert E.

A discussion of the state of bilingual education in the Pacific islands administered by the United States (Guam, American Samoa, and Micronesia) begins with background information on the patterns of education and language use in the region and in each separate area. The current status of bilingual education programs and support projects is…

Instrumental Music as Content Literacy Education: An Instructional Framework Based on the Continuous Improvement Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neves, Victor Russell Tarbet

2007-01-01

Background: Educational guidelines and reforms focused on literacy, including No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), have contributed to a music education culture and climate focused on language literacy rather than on the core content literacies inherent in music itself. Purpose: The purpose of this…

Cooperative Autonomy in Online Lingua Franca Exchanges: A Case Study on Foreign Language Education in Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffstaedter, Petra; Kohn, Kurt

2016-01-01

We report on a case study on pedagogical affordances of intercultural telecollaboration for authentic communication practice and competence development in the local foreign language. Focus is on spoken and written conversations involving pairs of secondary school pupils of different linguacultural backgrounds. Particular attention is given to…

Aspiring to Quality Teacher-Parent Partnerships in Vietnam: Building Localised Funds of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedges, Helen; Fleer, Marilyn; Fleer-Stout, Freya; Hanh, Le Thi Bich

2016-01-01

Collaborative and reciprocal teacher-parent partnerships have been established in prior research as vital in empowering ethnic-minority children to be competent learners who value their home background, culture, and language and also learn the language used by teachers as the medium of education. Such collaborative relationships may be challenging…

English Language Learners' Pathways to Four-Year Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanno, Yasuko; Cromley, Jennifer G.

2015-01-01

Background/Context: English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the K-12 student population in the United States, yet they encounter substantial problems entering higher education. The gap between ELLs and non-ELLs is particularly acute for four-year college access. Research has been largely silent on ELLs' college…

The Role of the Reading Teacher in Adult Basic Education - TESL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Harvey M.

In teaching reading in English as a second language, teachers must diagnose student difficulties and individualize instruction. They must analyze why students are in the course, determine what their individual reading backgrounds are in their native language and in English, and adapt class activities and reading materials to students' expectations…

Implementing Structured English Immersion in Arizona: Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rios-Aguilar, Cecilia; Gonzalez Canche, Manuel S.; Moll, Luis C.

2012-01-01

Background/Context: Arizona's most recent English Language Learner (ELL) legislation, starting in the school year 2008-2009, requires all such students be educated through a specific Structured English Immersion (SEI) model: the 4-hour English Language Development (ELD) block. The basic premise behind this particular model is that ELL students…

A Longitudinal Study of ESL Learners' Fluency and Comprehensibility Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derwing, Tracey M.; Munro, Murray J.; Thomson, Ron I.

2008-01-01

This longitudinal mixed-methods study compared the oral fluency of well-educated adult immigrants from Mandarin and Slavic language backgrounds (16 per group) enrolled in introductory English as a second language (ESL) classes. Speech samples were collected over a 2-year period, together with estimates of weekly English use. We also conducted…

Mental Health Stigma Prevention: Pilot Testing a Novel, Language Arts Curriculum-Based Approach for Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisman, Hannah L.; Kia-Keating, Maryam; Lippincott, Ann; Taylor, Zachary; Zheng, Jimmy

2016-01-01

Background: Researchers have emphasized the importance of integrating mental health education with academic curriculum. The focus of the current studies was "Mental Health Matters" (MHM), a mental health curriculum that is integrated with English language arts. It is taught by trained community member volunteers and aims to increase…

The Relationship between Anxiety, Shyness, Ambiguity Tolerance, and Language Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadeghi, Karim; Soleimani, Maryam

2016-01-01

Research has indicated that there is an association between the use and choice of learning strategies and different variables like learning contexts, learner characteristics, learning experiences, language proficiency, and cultural and educational backgrounds. To add to the thriving body of knowledge in this area, the present study, therefore, was…

Initial Exploration of a Construct Representing Native Language and Culture (NLC) in Elementary and Middle School Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Ryzin, Mark J.; Vincent, Claudia G.; Hoover, Joseph

2016-01-01

Students from American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) backgrounds have typically experienced poor academic and behavioral outcomes. In response, the educational community has recommended that teachers integrate Native Language and Culture (NLC) into instruction to create a welcoming and culturally relevant classroom environment. However, translating…

Un Bosquejo del Proyecto Bilingue (Outline of a Bilingual Project).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Compton City Schools, CA.

Bilingual education in English and Spanish is intended to give native speakers of both languages insights into two cultures, a broader background, and greater life opportunities. Spanish-speaking students in bilingual programs can retain their language ties and the ability to communicate with their families and older relatives. The directors of…

The Arguments for and the Meaning of Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Helen

2003-01-01

Explores the background to the quality debate in language education as it affects both the private and the state sector, noting similarities and differences between them. Looks at definitions of quality as they manifest themselves in schemes of quality assurance for the private language school sector, and for the state further and higher education…

Efficacy of Language Intervention in the Early Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fricke, Silke; Bowyer-Crane, Claudine; Haley, Allyson J.; Hulme, Charles; Snowling, Margaret J.

2013-01-01

Background: Oral language skills in the preschool and early school years are critical to educational success and provide the foundations for the later development of reading comprehension. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, 180 children from 15 UK nursery schools ("n" = 12 from each setting; M[subscript age] = 4;0) were randomly…

The Comprehension Skills of Children Learning English as an Additional Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgoyne, K.; Kelly nee Hutchinson, J. M.; Whiteley, H. E.; Spooner, A.

2009-01-01

Background: Data from national test results suggests that children who are learning English as an additional language (EAL) experience relatively lower levels of educational attainment in comparison to their monolingual, English-speaking peers. Aims: The relative underachievement of children who are learning EAL demands that the literacy needs of…

Interventions for reading difficulties: a comparison of response to intervention by ELL and EFL struggling readers.

PubMed

Lovett, Maureen W; De Palma, Maria; Frijters, Jan; Steinbach, Karen; Temple, Meredith; Benson, Nancy; Lacerenza, Léa

2008-01-01

This article explores whether struggling readers from different primary language backgrounds differ in response to phonologically based remediation. Following random assignment to one of three reading interventions or to a special education reading control program, reading and reading-related outcomes of 166 struggling readers were assessed before, during, and following 105 intervention hours. Struggling readers met criteria for reading disability, were below average in oral language and verbal skills, and varied in English as a first language (EFL) versus English-language learner (ELL) status. The research-based interventions proved superior to the special education control on both reading outcomes and rate of growth. No differences were revealed for children of EFL or ELL status in intervention outcomes or growth during intervention. Oral language abilities at entry were highly predictive of final outcomes and of reading growth during intervention, with greater language impairment being associated with greater growth.

Increasing Reading Achievement of Students from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCollin, Michelle; O'Shea, Doris

2005-01-01

Legislative language, mandated by the newly reauthorized Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004 and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, underscores a number of issues relevant to students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds displaying reading-achievement difficulties. In this article,…

Disadvantaged Language Minority Students and Their Teachers: A National Picture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samson, Jennifer F.; Lesaux, Nonie K.

2015-01-01

Background: Educational outcomes for language minority (LM) children are of great concern across the nation because these students have lower grades, are rated by their teachers as having lower skills, perform worse on standardized tests, and are more likely to drop out than are non-LM students. Given this context of underperformance, there is a…

Exploring Singapore Primary School Students' Perceptions of Chinese Asynchronous Online Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chin, Wong Wan; Sum, Cheung Wing; Foon, Hew Khe

2008-01-01

Background: Asynchronous online discussion (AOD) has found widespread use in tertiary education and adult learning environment; however, there has been little research on its use in elementary school, especially in the context of the teaching of the Chinese Language. This study explores the use of AOD in a Chinese Language class in a primary…

Preparation, Clinical Support, and Confidence of Speech-Language Therapists Managing Clients with a Tracheostomy in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Elizabeth; Morgan, Tessa; McGowan, Sue; Spurgin, Ann-Louise; Solley, Maura

2012-01-01

Background: Literature regarding the education, training, clinical support and confidence of speech-language therapists (SLTs) working with patients with a tracheostomy is limited; however, it suggests that many clinicians have reduced clinical confidence when managing this complex population, many face role and team challenges practising in this…

Immigration, Language, and Education: How Does Language Policy Structure Opportunity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gandara, Patricia; Rumberger, Russell W.

2009-01-01

Background/Context: According to U.S. Census figures, 11 million elementary and secondary students of immigrant families were enrolled in the public schools in October 2005, representing 20% of all students, and this figure is expected to grow in the coming years. Most of these students enter school as English learners (ELs), and most ELs have…

A Study of Arizona's Teachers of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rios-Aguilar, Cecilia; Gonzalez Canche, Manuel S.; Moll, Luis C.

2012-01-01

Background/Context: In September 2007, the Arizona State Board of Education adopted the Structured English Immersion (SEI) model proposed by the Arizona English Language Learner (ELL) Task Force.During the 2008-2009 academic year, it required all school districts to implement the SEI model.The SEI program, best known as the 4-hour English Language…

Reflections on Speech-Language Therapists' Talk: Implications for Clinical Practice and Education. Clinical Forum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Alison; Armstrong, Elizabeth

2004-01-01

Background: Research into the practices of speech-language therapists in clinical sessions is beginning to identify the way communication in clinical interactions both facilitates and potentially impedes the achievement of therapy goals. Aims: This target article aims to raise the issues that arise from critical reflections on the communication of…

Putting the Cart before the Horse: Interrogating Media Literacy Education in School English Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan Lee Wee, Lynde

2010-01-01

Background: In response to the changing demands of new times, media literacy has been incorporated into the current English Language Syllabus 2010 in Singapore. Although media literacy is mentioned in the syllabus, what this term means needs more clarification. What is clear from the current English Language Syllabus 2010 in Singapore is the…

Multilingualism and Assimilationism in Australia's Literacy-Related Educational Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schalley, Andrea C.; Guillemin, Diana; Eisenchlas, Susana A.

2015-01-01

Australia is a country of high linguistic diversity, with more than 300 languages spoken. Today, 19% of the population aged over 5 years speak a language other than English at home. Against this background, we examine government policies and prominent initiatives developed at national level in the past 30 years to address the challenge of offering…

Fostering Family-Teacher Partnerships: Principles in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight-McKenna, Mary; Hollingsworth, Heidi L.

2016-01-01

Twenty-first century educators of young children need skills and dispositions for building partnerships with the families of all their students. Educators worldwide frequently teach children from families whose backgrounds, including socioeconomic status and home language, are different from their own. This article introduces 12 principles for…

Problemes linguistiques des enfants de travailleurs migrants (Linguistic Problems of the Children of Migrant Workers).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Greve, Marcel, Ed.; Rosseel, Eddy, Ed.

Papers on language difficulties encountered by migrant workers' children include: "Anomie in Bicultural Education" (Hugo Baetens Beardsmore); "An Investigation into Bilingual Education for Children from Favoured Socio-Economic Backgrounds" (Hugo Baetens Beardsmore); "Orientations of Foreign Children Relating to Placement…

Migrants' educational success through innovation: The case of the Hamburg bilingual schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, Joana

2011-12-01

Although Germany has experienced net in-migration for the past five decades, this fact has only recently been officially acknowledged. Furthermore, Germany is marked by a general monolingual self-concept very much attached to the idea of a nation-state with one homogeneous language. However, in large urban areas of Germany about 35 per cent of the population has a migration background, as has almost every second child enrolling in primary school. Hence the country is marked by this dichotomy between a monolingual policy discourse and a multilingual society, manifested in everyday life and, as a consequence, in educational institutions. The fact is that this political attitude towards Germany's own migration history and migrants has led to an educational gap between students with a migration background and their monolingual peers. In 2000, a project was started in Hamburg, aiming to overcome this educational gap and involving the creation of bilingual schools for some of the largest migrant languages. Bilingual classes were thus set up for the following language combinations: German-Portuguese, German-Italian, German-Spanish and German-Turkish, and were evaluated by the University of Hamburg. This paper reports on the model used and the specific school outcomes of the students attending these classes.

The Laundromat as the Transnational Local: Young Children's Literacies of Interdependence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghiso, Maria Paula

2016-01-01

Background: The learning of students from (im)migrant backgrounds has long been a consideration for the field of education. The "transnational" turn in research has brought to the forefront the need to account for students' language and literacy practices as situated within multiple national affiliations, fluid migration histories,…

Facilitating Quality Language Interpretation for Families of Diverse Students with Special Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Juliet E.; Cheatham, Gregory; Jimenez-Silva, Margarita

2012-01-01

As the nation as a whole becomes progressively more diverse, increasing numbers of children from linguistically diverse backgrounds are served in special education programs. Ensuring that appropriate educational services are developed for these students in collaboration with their family members as equal participants on school-based teams…

ILGWU Worker-Family Education Program Curriculum Guide, 1989-1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Deidre; LaMar, Maureen

This teacher's guide for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) educational program provides background information, instructional materials, and instructional techniques for teaching a course in job skills and issues, with emphasis on the development of English language skills. The course is made available to union members and…

Struggle and Failure on Clinical Placement: A Critical Narrative Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davenport, Rachel; Hewat, Sally; Ferguson, Alison; McAllister, Sue; Lincoln, Michelle

2018-01-01

Background: Clinical placements are crucial to the development of skills and competencies in speech-language pathology (SLP) education and, more generally, a requirement of all health professional training programmes. Literature from medical education provides a context for understanding how the environment can be vital to all students' learning.…

Speaking Up and Speaking Out about Gender in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubel, Laurie H.

2016-01-01

Diversity and equity are stated priority areas across the field of mathematics education, from the ivory towers of the academy, across teacher education programs, to school districts, schools, and individual classrooms. The talk surrounding diversity and equity is usually framed around categories of race, cultural background, language, disability…

Working Together for Learning Together: Supporting Students and Teachers with Collaborative Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shamberger, Cynthia Thrasher; Friend, Marilyn

2013-01-01

Professional educators are called upon to provide effective instruction to student populations that increasingly consist of multiple cultures, languages, and ethnic backgrounds. Based on current special education law, schools are working toward establishing more collaborative cultures by stressing partnerships between general and special education…

Bilingual Education and Social Change. Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: 14.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Rebecca D.

A case study is provided of dual-language planning and implementation at the Oyster Bilingual School, a successful Spanish-English public elementary school program in the District of Columbia. The first three chapters offer background information for understanding how the program interacts with the larger sociopolitical context of minority…

Historical Perspectives on Diverse Asian American Communities: Immigration, Incorporation, and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paik, Susan J.; Kula, Stacy M.; Saito, L. Erika; Rahman, Zaynah; Witenstein, Matthew A.

2014-01-01

Background/Context: Asian Americans have recently been reported as the largest incoming immigrant population and the fastest growing racial group. Diverse in culture, tradition, language, and history, they have unique immigrant stories both before and after the Immigration Act in 1965. Historians, sociologists, educators, and other experts inform…

Nurturing Cultural Diversity in Higher Education: A Critical Review of Selected Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, Shibao; Jamal, Zenobia

2007-01-01

Canadian universities and colleges are becoming increasingly ethnoculturally diverse. Two major social forces have contributed to this change: immigration and increasing enrolment of international students. Minority and international students bring their values, language, culture and educational background to our campuses, to add to and enrich our…

Transnational Experiences, Language Competences and Worldviews: Contrasting Language Policies in Two Recently Migrated Greek Families in Luxembourg

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirsch, Claudine; Gogonas, Nikolaos

2018-01-01

Against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis-led migration from Southern to Northwestern Europe, the present paper reports on a case study of two families who have recently migrated from Greece to Luxembourg. Luxembourg has a trilingual education system and many pupils of migrant background face difficulties on this account. Drawing on the framework…

Gender and Bilingual Education: An Exploratory Study of the Academic Achievement of Latina and Latino English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lapayese, Yvette; Huchting, Karen; Grimalt, Olga

2014-01-01

Although biliteracy plays a vital role in academic achievement, there has been little research on the unique needs of female and male English language learners. Becoming biliterate is a complex process, compounded by other variables such as 1st-language background, class, culture, and gender. Among these variables, gender has been the least…

Using Inquiry and Tenets of Multicultural Education to Engage Latino English-Language Learning Students in Learning about Geology and the Nature of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Xenia S.; Capps, Daniel K.; Crawford, Barbara A.; Ross, Robert

2012-01-01

Traditional school science instruction has been largely unsuccessful in reaching diverse student groups and students from, in particular, underrepresented backgrounds. This paper presents a case study of an urban, dual-language middle school classroom in which the teacher used an alternative instructional approach, involving her students in an…

Written Navajo: A Brief History. Navajo Reading Study Progress Report No. 19.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Robert W.

In this paper, a brief history of the Navajo written language between 1819 and the present is presented. The paper describes the progress of Navajo as a written language. The history was used as background material for a meeting organized by the Sanostee-Toadlena Navajo Bilingual Education Project. The meeting's purpose was to survey the present…

Core Subjects at the End of Primary School: Identifying and Explaining Relative Strengths of Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durkin, Kevin; Mok, Pearl L. H.; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2015-01-01

Background: In general, children with specific language impairment (SLI) tend to fall behind their typically developing (TD) peers in educational attainment. Less is known about how children with SLI fare in particular areas of the curriculum and what predicts their levels of performance. Aims: To compare the distributions of performance of…

Construction and Evaluation of an Integrated Formal/Informal Learning Environment for Foreign Language Learning across Real and Virtual Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waragai, Ikumi; Ohta, Tatsuya; Kurabayashi, Shuichi; Kiyoki, Yasushi; Sato, Yukiko; Brückner, Stefan

2017-01-01

This paper presents the prototype of a foreign language learning space, based on the construction of an integrated formal/informal learning environment. Before the background of the continued innovation of information technology that places conventional learning styles and educational methods into new contexts based on new value-standards,…

The Case for Dynamic Assessment in Speech and Language Therapy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hasson, Natalie

2007-01-01

This paper highlights the appeal of dynamic assessment (DA) for speech and language therapists (SLTs), and describes the usefulness of various DA models and methods. It describes the background to DA, and the uses to which DA has been put, by educational psychologists in the UK, and by SLTs in the USA. The research and development of methods of DA…

Effects of age, gender, education and race on two tests of language ability in community-based older adults.

PubMed

Snitz, Beth E; Unverzagt, Frederick W; Chang, Chung-Chou H; Bilt, Joni Vander; Gao, Sujuan; Saxton, Judith; Hall, Kathleen S; Ganguli, Mary

2009-12-01

Neuropsychological tests, including tests of language ability, are frequently used to differentiate normal from pathological cognitive aging. However, language can be particularly difficult to assess in a standardized manner in cross-cultural studies and in patients from different educational and cultural backgrounds. This study examined the effects of age, gender, education and race on performance of two language tests: the animal fluency task (AFT) and the Indiana University Token Test (IUTT). We report population-based normative data on these tests from two combined ethnically divergent, cognitively normal, representative population samples of older adults. Participants aged > or =65 years from the Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) and from the Indianapolis Study of Health and Aging (ISHA) were selected based on (1) a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0; (2) non-missing baseline language test data; and (3) race self-reported as African-American or white. The combined sample (n = 1885) was 28.1% African-American. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression was used to model the effects of demographic characteristics on test scores. On both language tests, better performance was significantly associated with higher education, younger age, and white race. On the IUTT, better performance was also associated with female gender. We found no significant interactions between age and sex, and between race and education. Age and education are more potent variables than are race and gender influencing performance on these language tests. Demographically stratified normative tables for these measures can be used to guide test interpretation and aid clinical diagnosis of impaired cognition.

Perceptions of Parents and Speech and Language Therapists on the Effects of Paediatric Cochlear Implantation and Habilitation and Education Following It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huttunen, Kerttu; Valimaa, Taina

2012-01-01

Background: During the process of implantation, parents may have rather heterogeneous expectations and concerns about their child's development and the functioning of habilitation and education services. Their views on habilitation and education are important for building family-centred practices. Aims: We explored the perceptions of parents and…

Taiwan-Educated Teachers of English: Their Linguistic Capital, Agency, and Perspectives on Their Identities as Legitimate English Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Pei Chia

2017-01-01

NNESTs have diverse educational backgrounds. For example, a number of non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) have obtained their degrees abroad in English-speaking countries and have returned to their countries in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts, working alongside NNESTs who have been educated domestically. Yet, little is known…

A critical exploration of how English language learners experience nursing education.

PubMed

Mulready-Shick, N

2013-01-01

With nursing education reform calling for greater numbers of graduates from diverse backgrounds, this study explored the experiences of students who identified as English language learners (ELs). Educators may view students from underrepresented groups at the margins of nursing education. Minimal research on the experiences of students identifying as ELs exists. Interpretive phenomenological and critical methodologies were used to explore students' lived experiences in the nursing classroom. Academic progress involved additional time and effort dedicated to learning English and the languages of health care and nursing. Traditional and monocultural pedagogical practices, representing acts of power and dominance, thwarted learning. Yet students made progress despite less effective pedagogical practices and socioeconomic realities. This inquiry began with one notion of identity, "English-learners," but evolved to students' perceptions of "being-in-the-world," wholeness, and future endeavors. This study counters the dominant view that students without a greater command of English are not ready for the rigors of nursing education.

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.

Behavioural/Attentional Problems and Literacy Learning Difficulties in Children from Non-English Language/Cultural Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everatt, John; Al-Sharhan, Abir; Al-Azmi, Yousuf; Al-Menaye, Nasser; Elbeher, Gad

2011-01-01

This article reports the findings of studies of the relationship between off-task behaviours and measures of educational achievement. The work focused on children from an Arabic-speaking/cultural background rarely studied in the literature. The first study involved children within a mainstream school context and found that measures of literacy and…

The Impact of Cervical Cancer Education for Deaf Women Using a Video Educational Tool Employing American Sign Language, Open Captioning, and Graphics

PubMed Central

Choe, Sun; Lim, Rod Seung-Hwan; Clark, Karen; Wang, Regina; Branz, Patricia; Sadler, Georgia Robins

2013-01-01

Background Deaf women encounter barriers to accessing cancer information. In this study, we evaluated whether deaf women's knowledge could be increased by viewing a graphically enriched, American Sign Language (ASL) cervical cancer education video. Methods A blind, randomized trial evaluated knowledge gain and retention. Deaf women (n = 130) completed questionnaires before, after, and 2 months after viewing the video. Results With only a single viewing of the in-depth video, the experimental group gained and retained significantly more cancer knowledge than the control group. Conclusions Giving deaf women access to the ASL cervical cancer education video (http://cancer.ucsd.edu/deafinfo) significantly increased their knowledge of cervical cancer. PMID:19259859

How Schools Can Promote Healthy Development for Newly Arrived Immigrant and Refugee Adolescents: Research Priorities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeely, Clea A.; Morland, Lyn; Doty, S. Benjamin; Meschke, Laurie L.; Awad, Summer; Husain, Altaf; Nashwan, Ayat

2017-01-01

Background: The US education system must find creative and effective ways to foster the healthy development of the approximately 2 million newly arrived immigrant and refugee adolescents, many of whom contend with language barriers, limited prior education, trauma, and discrimination. We identify research priorities for promoting the school…

Learning difficulties or learning English difficulties? Additional language acquisition: an update for paediatricians.

PubMed

Clifford, Vanessa; Rhodes, Anthea; Paxton, Georgia

2014-03-01

Australia is a diverse society: 26% of the population were born overseas, a further 20% have at least one parent born overseas and 19% speak a language other than English at home. Paediatricians are frequently involved in the assessment and management of non-English-speaking-background children with developmental delay, disability or learning issues. Despite the diversity of our patient population, information on how children learn additional or later languages is remarkably absent in paediatric training. An understanding of second language acquisition is essential to provide appropriate advice to this patient group. It takes a long time (5 years or more) for any student to develop academic competency in a second language, even a student who has received adequate prior schooling in their first language. Refugee students are doubly disadvantaged as they frequently have limited or interrupted prior schooling, and many are unable to read and write in their first language. We review the evidence on second language acquisition during childhood, describe support for English language learners within the Australian education system, consider refugee-background students as a special risk group and address common misconceptions about how children learn English as an additional language. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions for Children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN): A Review Using the Drummond and Jefferson (1996) "Referee's Checklist"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, James; Zeng, Biao; Lindsay, Geoff; Beecham, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Background: Although economic evaluation has been widely recognized as a key feature of both health services and educational research, for many years there has been a paucity of such studies relevant to services for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), making the application of economic arguments to the development of…

Guide de mise en oeuvre de la gestion scolaire francophone. Revise (Guide for the Implementation of French-Language Education. Revised).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Learning, Edmonton. Direction de l'education francaise.

This guide, aimed primarily at school administrators and school counselors, is a reference manual to be used in conjunction with the corresponding sections of the School Act, RSA 2000 and the Local Authorities Election Act RSA, and any other related legislation. The document provides historical background on the right to choose the language of…

The Development of Comprehension and Reading-Related Skills in Children Learning English as an Additional Language and Their Monolingual, English-Speaking Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgoyne, K.; Whiteley, H. E.; Hutchinson, J. M.

2011-01-01

Background: A significant number of pupils in UK schools learn English as an additional language (EAL). Relative differences between the educational attainment of this group and monolingual, English-speaking pupils call for an exploration of the literacy needs of EAL learners. Aims: This study explores the developmental progression of reading and…

"It's a Unique Role!" Perspectives on Tutor Attributes and Expertise in Distance Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shelley, Monica; White, Cynthia; Baumann, Uwe; Murphy, Linda

2006-01-01

This article outlines the background to, and progress on, a project based on work carried out at the Open University UK (OUUK). The aim of the project is to articulate the attributes and expertise required by tutors of languages in distance education. A review of the literature on the roles and competencies required for tutors operating at a…

Younger Children Experience Lower Levels of Language Competence and Academic Progress in the First Year of School: Evidence from a Population Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norbury, Courtenay Frazier; Gooch, Debbie; Baird, Gillian; Charman, Tony; Simonoff, Emily; Pickles, Andrew

2016-01-01

Background: The youngest children in an academic year are reported to be educationally disadvantaged and overrepresented in referrals to clinical services. In this study we investigate for the first time whether these disadvantages are indicative of a mismatch between language competence at school entry and the academic demands of the classroom.…

Increasing Compatibility Between Educational Practices and the Educational Needs of Pupils Who are Asian With Emphasis on Their Language and Cultural Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castillo, Lydia R.; Ponce, Corazon A.

The contents of this document are organized in eight parts, as follows. Part One, "Speech of Dr. Esther M. T. Sato," the consultant, Associate Professor at the College of Education, University of Hawaii, discusses the following topics: in the background of Filipinos in Hawaii, their social problems, Filipino cultural values, guidelines…

Performance of Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Whites on the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery: the roles of ethnicity and language backgrounds.

PubMed

Flores, Ilse; Casaletto, Kaitlin B; Marquine, Maria J; Umlauf, Anya; Moore, David J; Mungas, Dan; Gershon, Richard C; Beaumont, Jennifer L; Heaton, Robert K

2017-05-01

This study examined the influence of Hispanic ethnicity and language/cultural background on performance on the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB). Participants included healthy, primarily English-speaking Hispanic (n = 93; Hispanic-English), primarily Spanish-speaking Hispanic (n = 93; Hispanic-Spanish), and English speaking Non-Hispanic white (n = 93; NH white) adults matched on age, sex, and education levels. All participants were in the NIH Toolbox national norming project and completed the Fluid and Crystallized components of the NIHTB-CB. T-scores (demographically-unadjusted) were developed based on the current sample and were used in analyses. Spanish-speaking Hispanics performed worse than English-speaking Hispanics and NH whites on demographically unadjusted NIHTB-CB Fluid Composite scores (ps < .01). Results on individual measures comprising the Fluid Composite showed significant group differences on tests of executive inhibitory control (p = .001), processing speed (p = .003), and working memory (p < .001), but not on tests of cognitive flexibility or episodic memory. Test performances were associated with language/cultural backgrounds in the Hispanic-Spanish group: better vocabularies and reading were predicted by being born outside the U.S., having Spanish as a first language, attending school outside the U.S., and speaking more Spanish at home. However, many of these same background factors were associated with worse Fluid Composites within the Hispanic-Spanish group. On tests of Fluid cognition, the Hispanic-Spanish group performed the poorest of all groups. Socio-demographic and linguistic factors were associated with those differences. These findings highlight the importance of considering language/cultural backgrounds when interpreting neuropsychological test performances. Importantly, after applying previously published NIHTB-CB norms with demographic corrections, these language/ethnic group differences are eliminated.

Performance of Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Whites on the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery: The Roles of Ethnicity and Language Backgrounds

PubMed Central

Flores, Ilse; Casaletto, Kaitlin B.; Marquine, Maria J.; Umlauf, Anya; Moore, David J.; Mungas, Dan; Gershon, Richard C.; Beaumont, Jennifer L.; Heaton, Robert K.

2017-01-01

Objective This study examined the influence of Hispanic ethnicity and language/cultural background on performance on the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB). Method Participants included healthy, primarily English-speaking Hispanic (n=93; Hispanic-English), primarily Spanish-speaking Hispanic (n=93; Hispanic-Spanish), and English speaking Non-Hispanic White (n=93; NH White) adults matched on age, sex, and education levels. All participants were in the NIH Toolbox national norming project and completed the Fluid and Crystallized components of the NIHTB-CB. T-scores (demographically-unadjusted) were developed based on the current sample and were used in analyses. Results Spanish-speaking Hispanics performed worse than English-speaking Hispanics and NH Whites on demographically-unadjusted NIHTB-CB Fluid Composite scores (ps<.01). Results on individual measures comprising the Fluid Composite showed significant group differences on tests of executive inhibitory control (p=.001), processing speed (p=.003), and working memory (p<.001), but not on tests of cognitive flexibility or episodic memory. Test performances were associated with language/cultural backgrounds in the Hispanic-Spanish group: better vocabularies and reading were predicted by being born outside the U.S., having Spanish as a first language, attending school outside the U.S., and speaking more Spanish at home. However, many of these same background factors were associated with worse Fluid Composites within the Hispanic-Spanish group. Conclusions On tests of Fluid cognition, the Hispanic-Spanish group performed the poorest of all groups. Socio-demographic and linguistic factors were associated with those differences. These findings highlight the importance of considering language/cultural backgrounds when interpreting neuropsychological test performances. Importantly, after applying previously published NIHTB-CB norms with demographic corrections, these language/ethnic group differences are eliminated. PMID:28080261

Parent-directed approaches to enrich the early language environments of children living in poverty.

PubMed

Leffel, Kristin; Suskind, Dana

2013-11-01

Children's early language environments are critical for their cognitive development, school readiness, and ultimate educational attainment. Significant disparities exist in these environments, with profound and lasting impacts upon children's ultimate outcomes. Children from backgrounds of low socioeconomic status experience diminished language inputs and enter school at a disadvantage, with disparities persisting throughout their educational careers. Parents are positioned as powerful agents of change in their children's lives, however, and evidence indicates that parent-directed intervention is effective in improving child outcomes. This article explores the efficacy of parent-directed interventions and their potential applicability to the wider educational achievement gap seen in typically developing populations of low socioeconomic status and then describes efforts to develop such interventions with the Thirty Million Words Project and Project ASPIRE (Achieving Superior Parental Involvement for Rehabilitative Excellence) curricula. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Assessment for English Language Education on the Programs at the Agricultural Engineering School of Madrid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez Sinobas, Leonor; San José Martínez, Fernando; Hontoria, Kira; Adán, Angeles; Blanco, María; Calderón, Fernando; Carbonell, Victoria; Chaya, Carolina; Fondevila, Guillermo; González, Trinidad; Marín, Carmen; Mira, Sara; Molina, Antonio; Pereira, David; Quemada, Miguel; Ricote, Luis; Sánchez Monje, Rosa; Sanz, Alberto; Albir, Maria

2014-05-01

The convergence process among European academic degrees pursues the exchange of graduate students and the adaptation of university programs to social demand. Within the framework of the European Higher Education, European universities will need to be more competitive not only by increasing or maintaining the student enrolment, but also in their academic performance. Thus, the reinforcing of English language education within the University Programs might play an important role to reach these objectives. In this sense, a complete survey was accomplished at the Agricultural Egineering School of Madrid (ETSIA ) addressing issues such as: identification the needs for bilingual instruction at ETSIA, identification resources needed and interest and background in English language of students and professors (San José et al., 2013). The conclusions and recommendations to promote the bilingual instruction in the ETSIA, taking into account the approaches followed by other Spanish universities, are presented in this work.

Australian School Practices and the Education Experiences of Students with a Refugee Background: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Emily; Ziaian, Tahereh; Esterman, Adrian

2018-01-01

Schools have the potential for significant impact on the lives of Australian students with a refugee background. Many of these young people speak at least one language other than English, have previous histories of interrupted schooling or have experienced trauma during times of displacement and forced migration. Combined with the further…

The Status of Thailand's Implementation of International Treaty Obligations Regarding Linguistic Human Rights in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, John

2013-01-01

Given the recent consideration by the Thai government of a national language policy, this article considers the status of Thailand's treaty obligations regarding linguistic human rights in education. It presents a general background, a brief linguistic profile of Thailand, a concise summary of the concept and importance of linguicide, and a…

Teaching Language Minority Students in Los Angeles and Oslo--A Metropolitan Perspective nr 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerchner, Charles Taylor; Özerk, Kamil

2014-01-01

Receiving, accommodation and education of children with immigrant background is one of the challenging issues in almost all the metropolitan areas in many countries. In our study we are exploring the impact of demographic changes on political agendas, legal frames, educational approaches, research findings and student achievement in the field of…

A Research Review: The Importance of Families and the Home Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Jennifer

2011-01-01

Parents are a child's first educator. A child's family and home environment has a strong impact on his/her language and literacy development and educational achievement. This impact is stronger during the child's early years but continues throughout their school years. Many background variables affect the impact of the family and home environment…

Creating Cultures of Schooling: Historical and Conceptual Background of the KEEP/Rough Rock Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Cathie

1995-01-01

Discusses the collaborative efforts of the Hawaiian Kamehameha Early Education Program (KEEP) and the Navajo Rough Rock Community School in Arizona to develop educational practices and strategies that would help minority-language children succeed in school. Examines the modification of KEEP strategies for use with Navajo children. (16 references)…

The Role of Sociocultural Mediational Tools in EFL Teachers' Development: Insights from a Life History Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mirzaee, Alireza; Aliakbari, Mohammad

2017-01-01

The sociocultural orientation in general education, which has gradually leaked into second language teacher education, argues that teachers usually employ social relations, cultural artefacts, and theoretical concepts to mediate their thinking and practice. Against this background, the present study aimed to explore how three male Iranian English…

Children's Individual Experiences in Early Care and Education: Relations with Overall Classroom Quality and Children's School Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeon, Hyun-Joo; Langill, Carolyn C.; Peterson, Carla A.; Luze, Gayle J.; Carta, Judith J.; Atwater, Jane B.

2010-01-01

This study examined relations among children's individual experiences, global classroom quality, and school readiness. Preschool children from low-income backgrounds (N = 138; M = 62.16 months; SD = 3.93; range = 55-70) were observed in their early care and education settings, and their language and cognitive skills were assessed. Research…

A Cognitive Perspective on Singaporean Primary School Pupils' Use of Reading Strategies in Learning to Read in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Lawrence Jun; Gu, Peter Yongqi; Hu, Guangwei

2008-01-01

Background: This study is conducted in Singapore, where learning to read in English is regarded as essential because it is offered as a First Language (L1) subject in the curriculum and is stipulated as the medium of instruction in the education system, and the mother tongues are offered as Second Language (L2) subjects, although the majority…

Bilateral versus unilateral cochlear implants in children: a study of spoken language outcomes.

PubMed

Sarant, Julia; Harris, David; Bennet, Lisa; Bant, Sharyn

2014-01-01

Although it has been established that bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) offer additional speech perception and localization benefits to many children with severe to profound hearing loss, whether these improved perceptual abilities facilitate significantly better language development has not yet been clearly established. The aims of this study were to compare language abilities of children having unilateral and bilateral CIs to quantify the rate of any improvement in language attributable to bilateral CIs and to document other predictors of language development in children with CIs. The receptive vocabulary and language development of 91 children was assessed when they were aged either 5 or 8 years old by using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (fourth edition), and either the Preschool Language Scales (fourth edition) or the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (fourth edition), respectively. Cognitive ability, parent involvement in children's intervention or education programs, and family reading habits were also evaluated. Language outcomes were examined by using linear regression analyses. The influence of elements of parenting style, child characteristics, and family background as predictors of outcomes were examined. Children using bilateral CIs achieved significantly better vocabulary outcomes and significantly higher scores on the Core and Expressive Language subscales of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (fourth edition) than did comparable children with unilateral CIs. Scores on the Preschool Language Scales (fourth edition) did not differ significantly between children with unilateral and bilateral CIs. Bilateral CI use was found to predict significantly faster rates of vocabulary and language development than unilateral CI use; the magnitude of this effect was moderated by child age at activation of the bilateral CI. In terms of parenting style, high levels of parental involvement, low amounts of screen time, and more time spent by adults reading to children facilitated significantly better vocabulary and language outcomes. In terms of child characteristics, higher cognitive ability and female sex were predictive of significantly better language outcomes. When family background factors were examined, having tertiary-educated primary caregivers and a family history of hearing loss were significantly predictive of better outcomes. Birth order was also found to have a significant negative effect on both vocabulary and language outcomes, with each older sibling predicting a 5 to 10% decrease in scores. Children with bilateral CIs achieved significantly better vocabulary outcomes, and 8-year-old children with bilateral CIs had significantly better language outcomes than did children with unilateral CIs. These improvements were moderated by children's ages at both first and second CIs. The outcomes were also significantly predicted by a number of factors related to parenting, child characteristics, and family background. Fifty-one percent of the variance in vocabulary outcomes and between 59 to 69% of the variance in language outcomes was predicted by the regression models.

Linguistic Validation of Interactive Educational Interventions in Neurologic Trauma.

PubMed

Sahyouni, Ronald; Mahmoodi, Amin; Tran, Diem K; Tran, Peter; Chen, Jefferson W

2017-11-01

Neurological surgeons oftentimes educate patients and their families on complex medical conditions and treatment options. Time constraints and varied linguistic and cultural backgrounds limit the amount of information that can be disbursed. In this study, we assessed the linguistic validity of interactive educational interventions in non-English-speaking patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion and their families. A total of 273 English-, Spanish-, Korean-, and Vietnamese-speaking neurotrauma patients (n =124) and family members (n =149) completed a presurvey to evaluate their incipient understanding, interacted with an iPad-based iBook (Apple) on concussion or TBI in their native language, completed a postsurvey to gauge changes in understanding, and then consulted with their neurosurgeon. All participants (124 patients and 149 family members) had significantly increased (95% confidence interval [CI], P < 0.01) postsurvey scores (average pre-iBook score, 2.810; average post-iBook score, 4.109), regardless of native language or cultural background. Caucasian participants scored significantly higher than the combination of all ethnicities on both the baseline survey (95% CI, P < 0.01) and the post-iBook survey (95% CI, P < 0.01), and Asian participants scored significantly lower (95% CI, P < 0.05) than the combination regardless of similar baseline scores. Interactive iBook-based interventions on concussion and TBI can increase participants' comprehension, improve their comfort with their medical condition and the follow-up care, and enhance communication with their physicians. These findings are linguistically valid irrespective of the participants' native language or cultural background. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Belief Reasoning and Emotion Understanding in Balanced Bilingual and Language-Dominant Mexican American Young Children.

PubMed

Weimer, Amy A; Gasquoine, Philip G

2016-01-01

Belief reasoning and emotion understanding were measured among 102 Mexican American bilingual children ranging from 4 to 7 years old. All children were tested in English and Spanish after ensuring minimum comprehension in each language. Belief reasoning was assessed using 2 false and 1 true belief tasks. Emotion understanding was measured using subtests from the Test for Emotion Comprehension. The influence of family background variables of yearly income, parental education level, and number of siblings on combined Spanish and English vocabulary, belief reasoning, and emotion understanding was assessed by regression analyses. Age and emotion understanding predicted belief reasoning. Vocabulary and belief reasoning predicted emotion understanding. When the sample was divided into language-dominant and balanced bilingual groups on the basis of language proficiency difference scores, there were no significant differences on belief reasoning or emotion understanding. Language groups were demographically similar with regard to child age, parental educational level, and family income. Results suggest Mexican American language-dominant and balanced bilinguals develop belief reasoning and emotion understanding similarly.

Teaching colloquial Australian English to medical students from non-English speaking backgrounds.

PubMed

Chur-Hansen, A; Barrett, R J

1996-11-01

Lack of fluency in the language of instruction can form a barrier to medical education. There has been an effort within Australian universities to teach English to students from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB), but little systematic attention has been given to the teaching of informal or colloquial English. This paper provides evidence that colloquial language is a pervasive and important aspect of doctor-patient communication. It describes a teaching project for NESB medical students which aimed to introduce them to colloquial English, and to provide them with a contextual approach to learning this form of language. Forty-four first year medical students enrolled at the University of Adelaide were required to gather examples of colloquial language by interviewing a native English speaker. Ninety-four examples of colloquial sayings were recorded. These were compiled in the form of a handbook which served as a student resource. Student evaluation of this exercise was positive. The benefits of an interactive method of teaching local and setting-specific language are discussed, and the implications of this approach for clinical teaching and for medical practice are explored.

Spoken word recognition by Latino children learning Spanish as their first language*

PubMed Central

HURTADO, NEREYDA; MARCHMAN, VIRGINIA A.; FERNALD, ANNE

2010-01-01

Research on the development of efficiency in spoken language understanding has focused largely on middle-class children learning English. Here we extend this research to Spanish-learning children (n=49; M=2;0; range=1;3–3;1) living in the USA in Latino families from primarily low socioeconomic backgrounds. Children looked at pictures of familiar objects while listening to speech naming one of the objects. Analyses of eye movements revealed developmental increases in the efficiency of speech processing. Older children and children with larger vocabularies were more efficient at processing spoken language as it unfolds in real time, as previously documented with English learners. Children whose mothers had less education tended to be slower and less accurate than children of comparable age and vocabulary size whose mothers had more schooling, consistent with previous findings of slower rates of language learning in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. These results add to the cross-linguistic literature on the development of spoken word recognition and to the study of the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) factors on early language development. PMID:17542157

"Uni Has a Different Language?…?to the Real World": Demystifying Academic Culture and Discourse for Students from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKay, Jade; Devlin, Marcia

2014-01-01

The Australian government has set ambitious targets for increased higher-education participation of people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. There is, thus, a pressing need to explore how best to empower these students with what they require to progress and succeed at university. The paper draws on a literature review and qualitative data from a…

Na Putu Od Drazvne Do Samoupravne Skole (On the Road from State to Self-Governing School).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Podgorski, Ivica

1971-01-01

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1500 words) of an article by a Croatian discussing certain reforms in educational administration in the Socialist Republic of Croatia. The author starts by discussing education against the background of the new Yugoslav social and economic order. To comply with these trends, he insists…

The Social Background of Students and Their Prospect of Success at School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaniel, Soshana

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a report prepared by a research worker in reply to an IBE questionnaire on the subject. The goal of Israeli education policy has been to raise the educational level of the more backward immigrants to Israel who form a large culturally deprived group, while maintaining an…

Techniques to Bring Humor and Create a Pleasant Learning Environment in Adult ESL Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vu, Phu; Vu, Lan

2012-01-01

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), more than 40% of approximately three million learners in the federally-funded adult education programs are in the area of English as a second language (ESL). These learners, the majority of whom are immigrants and refugees, represent a huge diversity of cultural backgrounds and nationalities,…

Physical Education Pedagogy: An Analysis of Research Published in Spanish Journals (2005-2014)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molina, Pere; Martínez-Baena, Alejandro; Villamón, Miguel

2017-01-01

Background: The majority of reviews related to Physical Education Pedagogy (PEP) refer to the English-speaking world. Some of these assert the need to obtain more data and provide reviews of what has been investigated in languages other than English to be able to assess the current state of the field internationally. Purpose: The aim of this study…

Bridging the Achievement Gap in Urban Schools: Reducing Educational Segregation and Advancing Resilience--Promoting Strategies. Publication Series #95-9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Margaret C.; Kovach, John A.

The impact of the changing macroecological characteristics of cities on school performance is explored, and what can be done to reduce the achievement shortcomings among urban students from ethnic and language minority backgrounds is considered. The increase in residential segregation and thereby educational segregation in urban schools is as much…

Project ASPIRE: Spoken Language Intervention Curriculum for Parents of Low-socioeconomic Status and Their Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.

PubMed

Suskind, Dana L; Graf, Eileen; Leffel, Kristin R; Hernandez, Marc W; Suskind, Elizabeth; Webber, Robert; Tannenbaum, Sally; Nevins, Mary Ellen

2016-02-01

To investigate the impact of a spoken language intervention curriculum aiming to improve the language environments caregivers of low socioeconomic status (SES) provide for their D/HH children with CI & HA to support children's spoken language development. Quasiexperimental. Tertiary. Thirty-two caregiver-child dyads of low-SES (as defined by caregiver education ≤ MA/MS and the income proxies = Medicaid or WIC/LINK) and children aged < 4.5 years, hearing loss of ≥ 30 dB, between 500 and 4000 Hz, using at least one amplification device with adequate amplification (hearing aid, cochlear implant, osseo-integrated device). Behavioral. Caregiver-directed educational intervention curriculum designed to improve D/HH children's early language environments. Changes in caregiver knowledge of child language development (questionnaire scores) and language behavior (word types, word tokens, utterances, mean length of utterance [MLU], LENA Adult Word Count (AWC), Conversational Turn Count (CTC)). Significant increases in caregiver questionnaire scores as well as utterances, word types, word tokens, and MLU in the treatment but not the control group. No significant changes in LENA outcomes. Results partially support the notion that caregiver-directed language enrichment interventions can change home language environments of D/HH children from low-SES backgrounds. Further longitudinal studies are necessary.

Tackling health literacy: adaptation of public hypertension educational materials for an Indo-Asian population in Canada

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Indo-Asians in Canada are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. There is a need for cultural and language specific educational materials relating to this risk. During this project we developed and field tested the acceptability of a hypertension public education pamphlet tailored to fit the needs of an at risk local Indo-Asian population, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Methods A community health board representing Calgary's Indo-Asian communities identified the culturally specific educational needs and language preferences of the local population. An adaptation of an existing English language Canadian Public Hypertension Recommendations pamphlet was created considering the literacy and translation challenges. The adapted pamphlet was translated into four Indo-Asian languages. The adapted pamphlets were disseminated as part of the initial educational component of a community-based culturally and language-sensitive cardiovascular risk factor screening and management program. Field testing of the materials was undertaken when participants returned for program follow-up seven to 12 months later. Results Fifty-nine English-speaking participants evaluated and confirmed the concept validity of the English adapted version. 28 non-English speaking participants evaluated the Gujarati (N = 13) and Punjabi (N = 15) translated versions of the adapted pamphlets. All participants found the pamphlets acceptable and felt they had improved their understanding of hypertension. Conclusions Involving the target community to identify health issues as well as help to create culturally, language and literacy sensitive health education materials ensures resources are highly acceptable to that community. Minor changes to the materials will be needed prior to formal testing of hypertension knowledge and health decision-making on a larger scale within this at risk community. PMID:21223580

Language proficiency and nursing registration.

PubMed

Müller, Amanda

2016-02-01

This discussion paper focuses on English proficiency standards for nursing registration in Australia, how Australia has dealt with the issue of language proficiency, and the factors which have led to the establishment of the current language standards. Also, this paper will provide a comparison of the two language tests that are currently accepted in Australia (OET and IELTS), including the appropriateness of these tests and the minimum standards used. The paper will also examine the use of educational background as an indicator of language proficiency. Finally, communication-based complaints in the post-registration environment will be explored, and some discussion will be provided about why pre-registration measures might have failed to prevent such problematic situations from occurring. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Plain Language and Adding Communication Technology to an Existing Health-Related Questionnaire to Help Generate Accurate Information: Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Wittink, Harriet; Westerman, Marjan J; Topper, Ilse; Snoei, Josca; Devillé, Walter LJM

2018-01-01

Background Low-educated patients are disadvantaged in using questionnaires within the health care setting because most health-related questionnaires do not take the educational background of patients into account. The Dutch Talking Touch Screen Questionnaire (DTTSQ) was developed in an attempt to meet the needs of low-educated patients by using plain language and adding communication technology to an existing paper-based questionnaire. For physical therapists to use the DTTSQ as part of their intake procedure, it needs to generate accurate information from all of their patients, independent of educational level. Objective The aim of this study was to get a first impression of the information that is generated by the DTTSQ. To achieve this goal, response processes of physical therapy patients with diverse levels of education were analyzed. Methods The qualitative Three-Step Test-Interview method was used to collect observational data on actual response behavior of 24 physical therapy patients with diverse levels of education. The interviews included both think-aloud and retrospective probing techniques. Results Of the 24 respondents, 20 encountered one or more problems during their response process. The use of plain language and information and communication technology (ICT) appeared to have a positive effect on the comprehensibility of the DTTSQ. However, it also had some negative effects on the interpretation, retrieval, judgment, and response selection within the response processes of the participants in this study. No educational group in this research population stood out from the rest in the kind or number of problems that arose. All respondents recognized themselves in the outcomes of the questionnaire. Conclusions The use of plain language and ICT within the DTTSQ had both positive and negative effects on the response processes of its target population. The results of this study emphasize the importance of earlier recommendations to accompany any adaption of any questionnaire to a new mode of delivery by demonstrating the difference and equivalence between the two different modes and to scientifically evaluate the applicability of the newly developed mode of the questionnaire in its intended setting. This is especially important in a digital era in which the use of plain language within health care is increasingly being advocated. PMID:29685873

Clinical learning environment and supervision of international nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Mikkonen, Kristina; Elo, Satu; Miettunen, Jouko; Saarikoski, Mikko; Kääriäinen, Maria

2017-05-01

Previously, it has been shown that the clinical learning environment causes challenges for international nursing students, but there is a lack of empirical evidence relating to the background factors explaining and influencing the outcomes. To describe international and national students' perceptions of their clinical learning environment and supervision, and explain the related background factors. An explorative cross-sectional design was used in a study conducted in eight universities of applied sciences in Finland during September 2015-May 2016. All nursing students studying English language degree programs were invited to answer a self-administered questionnaire based on both the clinical learning environment, supervision and nurse teacher scale and Cultural and Linguistic Diversity scale with additional background questions. Participants (n=329) included international (n=231) and Finnish (n=98) nursing students. Binary logistic regression was used to identify background factors relating to the clinical learning environment and supervision. International students at a beginner level in Finnish perceived the pedagogical atmosphere as worse than native speakers. In comparison to native speakers, these international students generally needed greater support from the nurse teacher at their university. Students at an intermediate level in Finnish reported two times fewer negative encounters in cultural diversity at their clinical placement than the beginners. To facilitate a successful learning experience, international nursing students require a sufficient level of competence in the native language when conducting clinical placements. Educational interventions in language education are required to test causal effects on students' success in the clinical learning environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language-related values, reading amount, and reading comprehension in students with migration backgrounds.

PubMed

El-Khechen, Wahiba; Ferdinand, Hanna D; Steinmayr, Ricarda; McElvany, Nele

2016-06-01

Although various studies on general language performance have investigated determinants of students' reading comprehension (e.g., reading amount), they have paid insufficient attention to how students perceive parental values influence their language-related values and behaviour - and, as a consequence, their performance. This is particularly the case for bilingual students with a migration background. The present study aims to examine the impact of how students perceive parental values regarding German (attainment, utility, and cost), students' (utility) value of German/Turkish, and students' reading amount in German/Turkish on German reading comprehension. A total of 118 Grade 4 students in Germany with Turkish as their family language. Reading comprehension was measured with a 15-item standardized test. Whereas students' reading amount (German/Turkish) was assessed through students' self-reports on three questions, students' utility value (German/Turkish) and perceived parental values regarding German (attainment, utility, and cost) were each measured with two items. Results of path modelling supported the hypotheses that students' utility value regarding German and their reading amount in German would positively predict their German reading comprehension, whereas their utility value regarding Turkish and their reading amount in Turkish would negatively predict their German reading comprehension. Data also confirmed a direct effect of the negatively perceived parental cost value of German on German reading comprehension. The new evidence is of practical relevance for teachers, educational scientists, and psychologists who are striving to improve the educational outcomes of bilingual students. Further research needs and the significance of the results for educational practice and home environment are discussed. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

A Survey of Speech-Language-Hearing Therapists' Career Situation and Challenges in Mainland China.

PubMed

Lin, Qiang; Lu, Jianliang; Chen, Zhuoming; Yan, Jiajian; Wang, Hong; Ouyang, Hui; Mou, Zhiwei; Huang, Dongfeng; O'Young, Bryan

2016-01-01

The aim of this survey was to investigate the background of speech-language pathologists and their training needs to provide a profile of the current state of the profession in Mainland China. A survey was conducted of 293 speech-language therapists. The questionnaire used asked questions related to their career background and had a 24-item ranking scale covering almost all of the common speech-language-hearing disorders. A summary of the raw data was constructed by calculating the average ranking score for each answer choice in order to determine the academic training needs with the highest preference among the respondents. The majority of respondents were female, <35 years old and with a total service time of <5 years. More than three quarters of the training needs with the highest preference among the 24 items involved basic-level knowledge of common speech-language-hearing disorders, such as diagnosis, assessment and conventional treatment, but seldom specific advanced technology or current progress. The results revealed that speech-language therapists in Mainland China tend to be young, with little total working experience and at the first stage of their career. This may be due to the lack of systematic educational programs and national certification systems for speech-language therapists. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Educational, developmental and psychological outcomes of resettled refugee children in Western Australia: a review of School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health input.

PubMed

Mace, Ariel Olivia; Mulheron, Shani; Jones, Caleb; Cherian, Sarah

2014-12-01

There are limited data regarding the educational backgrounds and associated psychological and developmental outcomes of refugee children resettling in Western Australia (WA). The WA paediatric Refugee Health Service (RHS) revised its first consult questionnaire (August 2011) to increase educational and psychosocial documentation, concurrent with engagement of a School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN: MMH) liaison teacher. This study aims to utilise these data to increase understanding of this cohort's educational, developmental and psychological needs and to describe SSEN: MMH's role within the RHS. Retrospective audit and analyses were performed on all initial standardised questionnaires for school-aged refugee children (4-18 years) and SSEN: MMH referrals between August 2011 and December 2012. Demographic data from 332 refugees are described (mean age 9.58 ± standard deviation 3.43 years). Detailed educational information was available for 205 children. Prior education was limited (median 2 years), 64.9% experienced likely schooling interruption and 55.8% received education in their primary language. Language development concerns were significantly associated with previous education in a second language (odds ratio (OR) 4.55, P < 0.05). Other severe developmental and schooling issues were uncommon at presentation, with few correlations to prior education. In contrast, several migration factors, including family separation and mandatory detention, were significantly associated with psychological comorbidities such as post-traumatic stress disorder (OR 5.60, P < 0.001 and OR 14.57, P < 0.001, respectively). SSEN: MMH reviewed 59 complex cases. Referral was significantly associated with multiple educational, developmental and psychological concerns. Refugee children have varied migration, trauma and educational backgrounds, impacting on health and psychological outcomes. In-depth multidisciplinary history including prior education and psychosocial issues is recommended. Partnering with education services appears to play an effective, multifaceted role in aiding resettlement; however, longitudinal studies are required. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2014 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Enhancing international medical graduates' communication: the contribution of applied linguistics.

PubMed

Dahm, Maria R; Yates, Lynda; Ogden, Kathryn; Rooney, Kim; Sheldon, Brooke

2015-08-01

International medical graduates (IMGs) make up one-third of the Australian medical workforce. Those from non-English-language backgrounds can face cultural and communication barriers, yet linguistic support is variable and medical educators are often required to provide feedback on both medical and communication issues. However, some communication difficulties may be very specific to the experiences of IMGs as second language users. This interdisciplinary study combines perspectives from applied linguistics experts and clinical educators to address IMGs' difficulties from multiple dimensions and to enhance feedback quality. Five video-recorded patient encounters with five IMGs were collected at Launceston General Hospital. Three clinical educators gave quantitative and qualitative feedback using the Rating Instrument for Clinical Consulting Skills, and two applied linguistics experts analysed the data for language, pragmatic and communication difficulties. The comparison of the educators' language-related feedback with linguistic analyses of the same interactions facilitated the exploration of differences in the difficulties identified by the two expert groups. Although the clinical educators were able to use their tacit intuitive understanding of communication issues to identify IMG difficulties, they less frequently addressed the underlying issues or suggested specific remedies in their feedback. This pilot study illustrates the effectiveness of interdisciplinary collaboration in highlighting the specific discourse features contributing to IMG communication difficulties and thus assists educators in deconstructing their intuitive knowledge. The authors suggest that linguistic insights can therefore improve communications training by assisting educators to provide more targeted feedback. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Broadening the View of Differentiated Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Seth A.; Dodman, Stephanie L.; Burrowbridge, Sarah Cohen

2013-01-01

Students in today's classrooms vary greatly in background, cultures, language proficiency, educational skills, and interests. To best meet students' diverse needs, teachers must differentiate their instruction. The authors argue that the current differentiation conversation focuses almost exclusively on lesson planning, but instead…

Bilateral Versus Unilateral Cochlear Implants in Children: A Study of Spoken Language Outcomes

PubMed Central

Harris, David; Bennet, Lisa; Bant, Sharyn

2014-01-01

Objectives: Although it has been established that bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) offer additional speech perception and localization benefits to many children with severe to profound hearing loss, whether these improved perceptual abilities facilitate significantly better language development has not yet been clearly established. The aims of this study were to compare language abilities of children having unilateral and bilateral CIs to quantify the rate of any improvement in language attributable to bilateral CIs and to document other predictors of language development in children with CIs. Design: The receptive vocabulary and language development of 91 children was assessed when they were aged either 5 or 8 years old by using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (fourth edition), and either the Preschool Language Scales (fourth edition) or the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (fourth edition), respectively. Cognitive ability, parent involvement in children’s intervention or education programs, and family reading habits were also evaluated. Language outcomes were examined by using linear regression analyses. The influence of elements of parenting style, child characteristics, and family background as predictors of outcomes were examined. Results: Children using bilateral CIs achieved significantly better vocabulary outcomes and significantly higher scores on the Core and Expressive Language subscales of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (fourth edition) than did comparable children with unilateral CIs. Scores on the Preschool Language Scales (fourth edition) did not differ significantly between children with unilateral and bilateral CIs. Bilateral CI use was found to predict significantly faster rates of vocabulary and language development than unilateral CI use; the magnitude of this effect was moderated by child age at activation of the bilateral CI. In terms of parenting style, high levels of parental involvement, low amounts of screen time, and more time spent by adults reading to children facilitated significantly better vocabulary and language outcomes. In terms of child characteristics, higher cognitive ability and female sex were predictive of significantly better language outcomes. When family background factors were examined, having tertiary-educated primary caregivers and a family history of hearing loss were significantly predictive of better outcomes. Birth order was also found to have a significant negative effect on both vocabulary and language outcomes, with each older sibling predicting a 5 to 10% decrease in scores. Conclusions: Children with bilateral CIs achieved significantly better vocabulary outcomes, and 8-year-old children with bilateral CIs had significantly better language outcomes than did children with unilateral CIs. These improvements were moderated by children’s ages at both first and second CIs. The outcomes were also significantly predicted by a number of factors related to parenting, child characteristics, and family background. Fifty-one percent of the variance in vocabulary outcomes and between 59 to 69% of the variance in language outcomes was predicted by the regression models. PMID:24557003

Stability of Core Language Skill across the First Decade of Life in Children at Biological and Social Risk

PubMed Central

Bornstein, Marc H.; Hahn, Chun-Shin; Putnick, Diane L.

2016-01-01

Background Command of language is a fundamental skill, a cornerstone of multiple cognitive and socioemotional aspects of development, and a necessary ingredient of successful adjustment and functioning in society. Little is known about the developmental stability of language in at-risk youth or which biological and social risk factors moderate stability. Methods This four-wave 10-year prospective longitudinal study evaluated stability of core language skill in 1780 children in varying categories of biological and social risk in a multiage, multidomain, multimeasure, and multireporter framework. Results Structural equation modeling supported loadings of diverse age-appropriate measures of child language on single latent variables of core language skill at 15 and 25 months and 5 and 11 years, respectively. Core language skill was stable over the first decade of life; significant and comparable stability coefficients were obtained for children with diverse biological and social risks, including poor health, welfare status, teen motherhood, ethnicity, gender, birth order, and families that changed in income and maternal education over the study period; stability in language was strong even accounting for child nonverbal intelligence and social competence, maternal education and language, and the family home environment. Conclusions Core language skill varies in stability with age but is robustly stable in children regardless of multiple biological and social risk factors. PMID:27605246

Designing a Qualitative and Flexible Case Study to Investigate the Opportunities and Challenges for Primary Education Offered to First-Generation Learners in a Rural Community in the State of Maharashtra, India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velu, Ratika

2015-01-01

Many children from rural communities in India seeking an education are first-generation learners. These children at times find it difficult to cope with the school environment and learning the state language, which is unfamiliar to them. The parents of these children have no academic background or formal education at any level, which leaves them…

Embedding international benchmarks of proficiency in English in undergraduate nursing programmes: challenges and strategies in equipping culturally and linguistically diverse students with English as an additional language for nursing in Australia.

PubMed

Glew, Paul J

2013-01-01

To meet the expected shortfalls in the number of registered nurses throughout the coming decade Australian universities have been recruiting an increasing number of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds. Given that international and domestic students who use English as an additional language (EAL) complement the number of native English speaking nursing students, they represent a valuable nurse education investment. Although university programmes are in a position to meet the education and learning needs of native English speaking nursing students, they can experience considerable challenges in effectively equipping EAL students with the English and academic language skills for nursing studies and registration in Australia. However, success in a nursing programme and in preparing for nurse registration can require EAL students to achieve substantial literacy skills in English and academic language through their engagement with these tertiary learning contexts. This paper discusses the education implications for nursing programmes and EAL students of developing literacy skills through pre-registration nursing studies to meet the English language skills standard for nurse registration and presents intervention strategies for nursing programmes that aim to build EAL student capacity in using academic English.

From Kitchen Peelings to Spill the Beans: Empowering NESB Workers at P&O Prepared Foods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Paula

1996-01-01

A workplace education program was devised for volunteer employees from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB) at a food processing plant in Brisbane, Australia. Changing work conditions resulted in increased demands upon employees' language and literacy skills. (Author/JOW)

The Role of Curricular Approach, Rural-Urban Background, and Socioeconomic Status in Second Language Learning: The Cornwall Area Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swain, M.; Barik, H. C.

1978-01-01

Presenting evaluation results of a kindergarten bilingual education program and followup program, this article indicates French immersion can be effective among rural and urban students of both middle-upper and low socioeconomic status. (JC)

Tracing Interacting Literacy Practices in Master's Dissertation Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufhold, Kathrin

2017-01-01

Academic literacy practices are increasingly varied, influenced by the diverse education and language backgrounds of students and staff, interdisciplinary approaches, and collaborations with non-university groups such as business partners. Completing a master's dissertation thus requires students to negotiate literacy practices associated with…

Toward Scholarship in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer-Gabella, Marcy

2012-01-01

Background/Context: Over the past decade, scholars of teaching and teacher education have concluded that the field lacks a common conceptual vocabulary to undergird systematic investigation of practice. Absent a shared language, we can neither articulate common questions nor establish common tools--essential elements for building knowledge and…

Educational Achievement Gaps between Immigrant and Native Students in Two “New Immigration Countries”: Italy and Spain in comparison

PubMed Central

Azzolini, Davide; Schnell, Philipp; Palmer, John

2013-01-01

We use PISA 2009 data to determine how immigrant children in Italy and Spain compare with native students in reading and mathematics skills. Drawing on the vast empirical literature in traditional immigration countries, we test the extent to which the most well-established patterns and hypotheses of immigrant/native educational achievement gaps also apply to these new immigration countries. Findings show that both first- and second-generation immigrant students underperform natives in both countries. Although socioeconomic background and language skills contribute to the explanation of achievement gaps, significant differences remain within countries. While modeling socioeconomic background reduces the observed gaps to a very similar extent in the two countries, language spoken at home is more strongly associated with achievement in Italy. School-type differentiation, such as tracking in Italy and school ownership in Spain, do not reduce immigrant/native gaps, although in Italy tracking is strongly associated with students’ test scores. PMID:23493944

Beyond literacy and numeracy in patient provider communication: Focus groups suggest roles for empowerment, provider attitude and language

PubMed Central

Brugge, Doug; Edgar, Timothy; George, Kelly; Heung, Janette; Laws, M Barton

2009-01-01

Background Although the number of people living in the United States with limited English proficiency (LEP) is substantial, the impact of language on patients' experience of provider-patient communication has been little explored. Methods We conducted a series of 12 exploratory focus groups in English, Spanish and Cantonese to elicit discussion about patient-provider communication, particularly with respect to the concerns of the health literacy framework, i.e. ability to accurately understand, interpret and apply information given by providers. Within each language, 2 groups had high education and 2 had low education participants to partially account for literacy levels, which cannot be assessed consistently across three languages. Eighty-five (85) adults enrolled in the focus groups. The resulting video tapes were transcribed, translated and analyzed via content analysis. Results We identified 5 themes: 1) language discordant communication; 2) language concordant communication; 3) empowerment; 4) providers' attitudes; 5) issues with the health care system. Despite efforts by facilitators to elicit responses related to cognitive understanding, issues of interpersonal process were more salient, and respondents did not readily separate issues of accurate understanding from their overall narratives of experience with health care and illness. Thematic codes often appeared to be associated with education level, language and/or culture. Conclusion Our most salient finding was that for most of our participants there was no clear demarcation between literacy and numeracy, language interpretation, health communication, interpersonal relations with their provider and the rest of their experience with the health care system. PMID:19772555

Using genre pedagogy to promote student proficiency in the language required for interpreting line graphs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smit, Jantien; Bakker, Arthur; van Eerde, Dolly; Kuijpers, Maggie

2016-09-01

The importance of language in mathematics learning has been widely acknowledged. However, little is known about how to make this insight productive in the design and enactment of language-oriented mathematics education. In a design-based research project, we explored how language-oriented mathematics education can be designed and enacted. We drew on genre pedagogy to promote student proficiency in the language required for interpreting line graphs. In the intervention, the teacher used scaffolding strategies to focus students' attention on the structure and linguistic features of the language involved in this particular domain. The research question addressed in this paper is how student proficiency in this language may be promoted. The study comprised nine lessons involving 22 students in grades 5 and 6 (aged 10-12); of these students, 19 had a migrant background. In light of the research aim, we first describe the rationale behind our design. Next, we illustrate how the design was enacted by means of a case study focusing on one student in the classroom practice of developing proficiency in the language required for interpreting line graphs. On the basis of pre- and posttest scores, we conclude that overall their proficiency has increased. Together, the results indicate that and how genre pedagogy may be used to help students become more proficient in the language required in a mathematical domain.

Terminological debate over language impairment in children: forward movement and sticking points

PubMed Central

Reilly, Sheena; Bishop, Dorothy V M; Tomblin, Bruce

2014-01-01

Background There is no agreed terminology for describing childhood language problems. In this special issue Reilly et al. and Bishop review the history of the most widely used label, ‘specific language impairment’ (SLI), and discuss the pros and cons of various terms. Commentators from a range of backgrounds, in terms of both discipline and geographical background, were then invited to respond to each lead article. Aims To summarize the main points made by the commentators and identify (1) points of consensus and disagreement, (2) issues for debate including the drivers for change and diagnostic criteria, and (3) the way forward. Conclusions & Implications There was some common ground, namely that the current situation is not tenable because it impedes clinical and research progress and impacts on access to services. There were also wide-ranging disagreements about which term should be adopted. However, before debating the broad diagnostic label it is essential to consider the diagnostic criteria and the systems used to classify childhood language problems. This is critical in order to facilitate communication between and among clinicians and researchers, across sectors (in particular health and education), with the media and policy-makers and with families and individuals who have language problems. We suggest four criteria be taken into account when establishing diagnostic criteria, including: (1) the features of language, (2) the impact on functioning and participation, (3) the presence/absence of other impairments, and (4) the language trajectory or pathway and age of onset. In future, these criteria may expand to include the genetic and neural markers for language problems. Finally, there was overarching agreement about the need for an international and multidisciplinary forum to move this debate forward. The purpose would be to develop consensus regarding the diagnostic criteria and diagnostic label for children with language problems. This process should include canvassing the views of families and people with language problems as well as the views of policy-makers. PMID:25142092

Le milieu social des eleves et leurs chances de succes a l'ecole (The Social Background of Students and Their Chance of Success at School).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1971

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a French report in response to an IBE questionnaire. Studies conducted by the Ministry of Information have revealed that particularly serious educational wastage has been taking place on both the elementary and secondary levels, and the French education system is not well…

About a Week in Nottingham. Themes from the Conference of the International League for Social Commitment in Adult Education (2nd, Nottingham, England, July 13-18, 1986).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International League for Social Commitment in Adult Education, London (England).

The first five papers in these proceedings focus on the organization and process of the International League for Social Commitment in Adult Education (ILSCAE). They are "Product into Process: The International League, Its Background, Organization, and Structure" (Anette Svensson, Alan Tuckett); "The Language Question" (John Payne); "Gender Issues"…

A Quest for Awareness: Gender-Differentiated English Language Arts Resources and Instructional Techniques to Acknowledge the Needs and Passions of Fourth and Fifth Grade Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feltman, Todd Jason

2013-01-01

A major educational crisis has been transpiring among fourth and fifth grade boys over the last twenty years (Eliot, 2009; Whitmire, 2010). On average, fourth and fifth grade boys, regardless of racial background or socioeconomic class, are performing below girls, both academically in reading and writing. The Center on Educational Policy reports…

An Analysis of Navy Managed Child Development Centers

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

education system. The statistics gathered look at ethnicity/ sex /socio-economic background as well as results from various science, math, and language...Department. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED386297.pdf Laughlin, L. (2013). Who’s minding the kids ? Childcare arrangements: Spring 2011

The Korean Americans. Multiethnic Reminder.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Harold

This overview of Korean Americans and their culture is designed to help administrators, teachers, and other instructional personnel understand general factors about the presence of Korean Americans in the United States and their cultural backgrounds and attitudes toward education. An attempt is made to improve English language instruction by…

Cajun, Creole, and African American Literacy Narratives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Nicole Pepinster

2005-01-01

This article examines students' narrative responses to reading professional literacy histories. Demonstrating the importance of narrative as a way of learning, it shows how elementary education majors of diverse backgrounds explore their relation with language in a traditional grammar class. Cajun, Creole, and African American students recover…

Curriculum for Individuals with a Developmental Disability: An Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palma, Gloria M; And Others

1993-01-01

A functional curriculum for individuals who are developmentally disabled was developed at Tohatchi Special Education and Training Center, located within the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. The curriculum guide includes a contextual framework, extensive background information, and objectives for fine- and gross-motor and language and…

Communication rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa: A workforce profile of speech and language therapists

PubMed Central

McAllister, Lindy; Davidson, Bronwyn; Marshall, Julie

2016-01-01

Background There is an urgent global need to strengthen rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. In sub-Saharan Africa, rehabilitation services for people with communication disabilities continue to be underdeveloped. A first step in strengthening services for people with a communication disabilities is to understand the composition and conditions of the current workforce. Objectives This research describes a sample of the speech and language therapists (SLTs) working in SSA (excluding South Africa). This study explores the characteristics of this workforce, including their demographics, education, experience and geographical stability. Method A mixed-methods survey was used to collect data from SLTs within Anglophone countries of SSA. Completed surveys were received from 33 respondents working in 44 jobs across nine countries. Analysis included descriptive and non-parametric inferential statistics. This study reports on a subset of descriptive and quantitative data from the wider survey. Results A background profile of SLTs across the region is presented. Results indicated that the workforce of SLTs comprised a mix of local and international SLTs, with university-level education. Local SLTs were educated both within and outside of Africa, with more recent graduates trained in Africa. These data reflected the local emergence of speech and language therapy training in SSA. Conclusion This sample comprised a mix of African and international SLTs, with indications of growing localisation of the workforce. Workforce localisation offers potential advantages of linguistic diversity and stability. Challenges including workforce support and developing culturally and contextually relevant SLT practices are discussed. PMID:28730052

Culturally diverse attitudes and beliefs of students majoring in speech-language pathology.

PubMed

Franca, Maria Claudia; Smith, Linda McCabe; Nichols, Jane Luanne; Balan, Dianna Santos

Academic education in speech-language pathology should prepare students to provide professional services that mirror current knowledge, skills, and scope of practice in a pluralistic society. This study seeks to examine the impact of speech-language pathology (SLP) students prior multicultural experiences and previous formal education on attitudes and beliefs toward language diversity. A survey to investigate SLP students attitudes toward language diversity was applied. After the research study and instructions to complete the consent form questionnaire was presented by a research assistant, an announcement was given by a graduate student who speaks English as a second language with an accent. The participants then completed a questionnaire containing questions related to attitudes about the presentation of the announcement in particular and toward language diversity in general. Responses suggested a relationship between self-reported cultural bias and ability to concentrate on speech with an accent, and the extent of interaction with individuals from a cultural and linguistic diverse (CLD) background. Additional outcomes revealed that cultural bias may be predicted by factors related to amount of CLD exposure. Results of this study indicated critical areas that need to be considered when developing curricula in speech-language pathology programs. The results will be useful in determining procedures applicable in larger investigations, and encourage future research on attitudes and beliefs toward aspects of cultural diversity.

Pictures Speak Louder than Words in ESP, Too!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erfani, Seyyed Mahdi

2012-01-01

While integrating visual features can be among the most important characteristics of English language textbooks, reviewing the current locally-produced English for Specific Purposes (ESP) ones reveals that they lack such a feature. Enjoying a rich theoretical background including Paivio's dual coding theory as well as Sert's educational semiotics,…

Flexible Models for Learning English Are Needed for Refugee Mothers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riggs, Elisha; Block, Karen; Gibbs, Lisa; Davis, Elise; Szwarc, Josef; Casey, Sue; Duell-Piening, Philippa; Waters, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

The importance of English language acquisition for resettlement of refugees is well established, particularly as a pathway to education, employment, health and social connections. A qualitative study was conducted in 2011 in Melbourne, Australia utilising focus groups with 87 refugee background women from Karen, Iraqi, Assyrian Chaldean, Lebanese,…

The Dilemma of Difference: Enriching the Disproportionality Discourse with Theory and Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Artiles, Alfredo J.

1998-01-01

In examining the disproportionate representation of minority groups in special education, this article recommends the inclusion of philosophical and ethical perspectives to broader theoretical paradigms and the open acknowledgement in research efforts that issues related to ethnicity, race, and language background are highly contentious in our…

Inference: Procedures and Implications for ELT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabrielatos, Costas

This paper explains the importance of inferencing to effective communication, discussing how it is achieved and focusing on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education. Part 1, "Background," examines clues provided by speakers and writers, also looking at clues and thinking processes used by listeners and readers in order for successful…

Caring Closes the Language-Learning Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borba, Mary

2009-01-01

The gap in academic achievement between English speakers and English learners continues to concern educators, parents, and legislators. Rising expectations for literacy and the increasing number of students from diverse backgrounds contribute to this achievement gap. In this article, the author discusses a variety of strategies for reaching out to…

Teaching English to Arabic-Speaking Students: Cultural and Linguistic Considerations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Sheryl L.; Suleiman, Mahmoud F.

Cultural and linguistic information useful to teachers of native Arabic-speakers in English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education is offered. This includes background information on geographic, political, religious, and ethnic divisions, stereotypes commonly held by Arabs about Americans and American society, common stereotypes about…

Offensive Speech in Educational Materials: Changing Words without Censorship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGough, Sarah M.

2007-01-01

Background/Context: Diane Ravitch has focused on the extensive censorship occurring within the publication of school textbook and testing materials in her book, "The Language Police" (2003). This book, indicative of conservative frustrations with minority special interest groups, raises several key issues echoed throughout the larger educational…

Fighting for "Respeto": Latinas' Stories of Violence and Resistance Shaping Educational Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiyama, Judy Marquez; Harris, Donna Marie; Dache-Gerbino, Amalia

2016-01-01

Background/Context: The experiences of Latina youth in the United States are embedded within a larger social context influenced by gender, ethnic/racial identity, socioeconomic status, language, and sociospatial and political characteristics that can negatively impact their daily lived experiences. Given the challenges that young Latinas…

Social inclusion for children with hearing loss in listening and spoken Language early intervention: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Constantinescu-Sharpe, Gabriella; Phillips, Rebecca L; Davis, Aleisha; Dornan, Dimity; Hogan, Anthony

2017-03-14

Social inclusion is a common focus of listening and spoken language (LSL) early intervention for children with hearing loss. This exploratory study compared the social inclusion of young children with hearing loss educated using a listening and spoken language approach with population data. A framework for understanding the scope of social inclusion is presented in the Background. This framework guided the use of a shortened, modified version of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to measure two of the five facets of social inclusion ('education' and 'interacting with society and fulfilling social goals'). The survey was completed by parents of children with hearing loss aged 4-5 years who were educated using a LSL approach (n = 78; 37% who responded). These responses were compared to those obtained for typical hearing children in the LSAC dataset (n = 3265). Analyses revealed that most children with hearing loss had comparable outcomes to those with typical hearing on the 'education' and 'interacting with society and fulfilling social roles' facets of social inclusion. These exploratory findings are positive and warrant further investigation across all five facets of the framework to identify which factors influence social inclusion.

Students with a Foreign Background in Italian Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET) and the Access to Italian as Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniele, Luisa

2017-01-01

This paper is based on the results of a 2014-2015 quantitative survey on a sample of 1,840 foreign students and 1,835 Italian students, of which, 41% of the Italians and 35% of those of foreign origins interviewed were female. The overall age was between 14 and 24, and these students attended courses in the Initial Vocational Education and…

Core subjects at the end of primary school: identifying and explaining relative strengths of children with specific language impairment (SLI)

PubMed Central

Durkin, Kevin; Mok, Pearl L H; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2015-01-01

Background In general, children with specific language impairment (SLI) tend to fall behind their typically developing (TD) peers in educational attainment. Less is known about how children with SLI fare in particular areas of the curriculum and what predicts their levels of performance. Aims To compare the distributions of performance of children with SLI in three core school subjects (English, Mathematics and Science); to test the possibility that performance would vary across the core subjects; and to examine the extent to which language impairment predicts performance. Methods & Procedures This study was conducted in England and reports historical data on educational attainments. Teacher assessment and test scores of 176 eleven-year-old children with SLI were examined in the three core subjects and compared with known national norms. Possible predictors of performance were measured, including language ability at ages 7 and 11, educational placement type, and performance IQ. Outcomes & Results Children with SLI, compared with national norms, were found to be at a disadvantage in core school subjects. Nevertheless, some children attained the levels expected of TD peers. Performance was poorest in English; relative strengths were indicated in Science and, to a lesser extent, in Mathematics. Language skills were significant predictors of performance in all three core subjects. PIQ was the strongest predictor for Mathematics. For Science, both early language skills at 7 years and PIQ made significant contributions. Conclusions & Implications Language impacts on the school performance of children with SLI, but differentially across subjects. English for these children is the most challenging of the core subjects, reflecting the high levels of language demand it incurs. Science is an area of relative strength and mathematics appears to be intermediate, arguably because some tasks in these subjects can be performed with less reliance on verbal processing. Many children with SLI do have the potential to reach or exceed educational targets that are set at national levels for TD children. PMID:25469890

Accelerating language acquisition.

PubMed

Fowler, W; Ogston, K; Roberts-Fiati, G; Swenson, A

1993-01-01

How much can the development of language and other skills be accelerated in the general population? High correlations between early verbal and mental competencies and parent and teacher language socialization practices suggest enormous potential for widespread improvement. Here we report follow-up research in progress in studies of late adolescent children from diverse ethnic and educational backgrounds who participated in a language enrichment programme during infancy in the home or day-care. In 39 of 44 home-stimulated children located to date (nearly all from college-educated families) 62-93% were: in gifted or advanced programmes, obtaining high grades, avid readers and skilled in writing (over half read before school and wrote creative material independently) and generally highly skilled in verbal, mathematical and other academic domains. They also excelled socially and in sports, and showed intellectual independence. Additional subjects and data (on competence, later experiences and Scholastic Aptitude Test [SAT] scores) are currently being collected. Preliminary data analyses suggest that although early language enrichment can in the short term easily increase competence in all groups well beyond norms generated by current socialization practices, long-term outcomes are a complex function of developmental dynamics between the early, complex, foundation of high skills and motivation for learning, and the interaction with facilitative parental resources.

Cognitive assessment of refugee children: Effects of trauma and new language acquisition.

PubMed

Kaplan, Ida; Stolk, Yvonne; Valibhoy, Madeleine; Tucker, Alan; Baker, Judy

2016-02-01

Each year, approximately 60,000 children of refugee background are resettled in Western countries. This paper reviews the effects of the refugee experience on cognitive functioning. The distinctive influences for these children include exposure to traumatic events and the need to acquire a new language, factors that need to be considered to avoid overdiagnosis of learning disorders and inappropriate educational placements. Prearrival trauma, psychological sequelae of traumatic events, developmental impact of trauma, and the quality of family functioning have been found to influence cognitive functioning, learning, and academic performance. In addition, the refugee child may be semiproficient in several languages, but proficient in none, whilst also trying to learn a new language. The influence that the child's limited English proficiency, literacy, and school experience may have on academic and test performance is demonstrated by drawing on the research on refugees' English language acquisition, as well as the more extensive literature on bilingual English language learners. Implications for interventions are drawn at the level of government policy, schools, and the individual. The paper concludes with the observation that there is a major need for longitudinal research on refugee children's learning and academic performance and on interventions that will close the academic gap, thereby enabling refugee children to reach their educational potential. © The Author(s) 2015.

Clinical educators' experiences of facilitating learning when speaking a different language from both the student and client.

PubMed

Keeton, Nicola; Kathard, Harsha; Singh, Shajila

2017-11-02

Worldwide there is an increasing responsibility for clinical educators to help students from different language backgrounds to develop the necessary skills to provide health care services to a linguistically diverse client base. This study describes the experiences of clinical educators who facilitate learning in contexts where they are not familiar with the language spoken between students and their clients. A part of the qualitative component of a larger mixed methods study is the focus of this paper. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants recruited from all audiology university programmes in South Africa. Thematic analysis allowed for an in depth exploration of the research question. Member checking was used to enhance credibility. It is hoped that the findings will inform training programmes and in so doing, optimize the learning of diverse students who may better be able to provide appropriate services to the linguistically diverse population they serve. Participants experienced challenges with fair assessment of students and with ensuring appropriate client care when they were unable to speak the language shared between the client and the student. In the absence of formal guidelines, clinical educators developed unique coping strategies that they used on a case-by-case basis to assess students and ensure adequate client management when they experienced such language barriers while supervising. Coping strategies included engaging other students as interpreters, having students role-play parts of a session in English in advance and requesting real-time translations from the student during the session. They expressed concern about the fairness and efficacy of the coping strategies used. While clinical educators use unique strategies to assess students and to ensure suitable client care, dilemmas remain regarding the fairness of assessment and the ability to ensure the quality of client care.

Assessing face validity of a physical activity questionnaire for Spanish-speaking women in California

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: A review of the literature produced no rigorously tested and validated Spanish-language physical activity survey or evaluation tools for use by USDA’s food assistance and education programs. The purpose of the current study was to develop and evaluate the face validity of a visually enha...

More Learning and Less Teaching? Students' Perceptions of a Histology Podcast

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beylefeld, A. A.; Hugo, A. P.; Geyer, H. J.

2008-01-01

The increased use of new teaching and learning technologies in higher education environments makes it possible for academic staff to meet the challenge of having to teach students who are diverse in terms of academic, social and language backgrounds. This study reports how the incorporation of podcasts to supplement visual histology learning…

Discovering and Meeting the Needs of Hispanic Hearing Impaired Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lerman, Alan; Cortez, Edmund

During the 1976-77 school year members of the Cooperative Research Endeavors in Education for the Deaf (CREED VII) project conducted a survey and analysis of the situation of Hispanic hearing impaired children in New York City. The demographic profile of this population, home background and language environment, the school environment, cultural…

Stigma, Tensions, and Apprehension: The Academic Writing Experience of International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maringe, Felix; Jenkins, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper examines the experiences of engaging with academic writing of international doctoral students in the schools of humanities and education at a UK university. The purpose of this paper is to uncover the real accounts of international students whose cultural and language backgrounds are often marginalised and considered, not as…

Mary and Her Teachers: A Grebo-Speaking Child's Place in the Mainstream Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Platt, Elizabeth; Troudi, Salah

1997-01-01

Views the experiences of a limited-English-speaking Liberian child of limited educational background in relation to her teacher's beliefs about language, acculturation, natural cognitive processes, and cooperative learning. Argues that in the case of linguistic minority children in mainstream classrooms, powerful ideas viewed from a sociocultural…

Canadian Studies Teaching Strategies and Resources for Use at the Secondary Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fry, Earl, Ed.; And Others

Five units on the culture, language, ethnic background, and characteristics of Canada are provided for the secondary school teacher. The guide is intended as the companion text to the publication entitled "Canadian Studies: A Syllabus" which is being prepared by the New York State Education Department. Each unit contains teaching…

Rural Elementary Students' Understanding of Science and Agricultural Education Benchmarks Related to Meat and Livestock.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meischen, Deanna L.; Trexler, Cary J.

2003-01-01

Seven fifth-graders developed concept maps depicting their knowledge of meat product development. Despite their rural background, they lacked understanding of agriculture concepts and had mixed knowledge of agricultural literacy benchmarks concerning food products. Their language did not reflect scientific terminology in the benchmarks. (Contains…

Interventions for Reading Difficulties: A Comparison of Response to Intervention by ELL and EFL Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovett, Maureen W.; De Palma, Maria; Frijters, Jan; Steinbach, Karen; Temple, Meredith; Benson, Nancy; Lacerenza, Lea

2008-01-01

This article explores whether struggling readers from different primary language backgrounds differ in response to phonologically based remediation. Following random assignment to one of three reading interventions or to a special education reading control program, reading and reading-related outcomes of 166 struggling readers were assessed…

Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) Scores in 11-Year-Old Children with Communication Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Botting, Nicola

2004-01-01

Background: The pragmatic skills of children with communication disorders and their assessment are currently an issue for speech and language therapy and educational placement. Aims: To explore whether different subgroups of children with communication disorders score differently on the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) and to study how…

78 FR 39271 - Applications for New Awards; Educational Technology, Media, and Materials Program for Individuals...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-01

..., color, national origin, language, linguistic background, gender, age, or disability, as appropriate; and... submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written... calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this...

Compilation of K-12 Action Research Papers in Language Arts Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherman, Thomas F.; Lundquist, Margaret

The papers in this compilation are the result of K-12 action research projects and were submitted in partial fulfillment for a variety of degrees from Winona State University (Minnesota). The compilation contains the following nine papers: "Will Playing Background Music in My Classroom Help Increase Student Spelling Scores?" (Jonathan L.…

Getting in Collaborative Gear: A Qualitative Case Study of ENL and General Education Teachers' Perceptions of Each Other's Roles in Co-Teaching 3-5 Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michaelian, Annie

2017-01-01

In the United States, the growth of cultural and linguistic diversity of the nation's population brings students from a wide range of backgrounds to America's schools. This research investigated the perceptions of English as a New Language (ENL) and General Education (GE) co-teachers in a grades 3-5 setting. The study included the perceptions of…

Development of the Grammar and Phonology Screening (GAPS) test to assess key markers of specific language and literacy difficulties in young children.

PubMed

Gardner, Hilary; Froud, Karen; McClelland, Alastair; van der Lely, Heather K J

2006-01-01

Despite a large body of evidence regarding reliable indicators of language deficits in young children, there has not been a standardized, quick screen for language impairment. The Grammar and Phonology Screening (GAPS) test was therefore designed as a short, reliable assessment of young children's language abilities. GAPS was designed to provide a quick screening test to assess whether pre- and early school entry children have the necessary grammar and pre-reading phonological skills needed for education and social development. This paper reports the theoretical background to the test, the pilot study and reliability, and the standardization. This 10-min test comprises 11 test sentences and eight test nonsense words for direct imitation and is designed to highlight significant markers of language impairment and reading difficulties. To standardize the GAPS, 668 children aged 3.4-6.6 were tested across the UK, taking into account population distribution and socio-economic status. The test was carried out by a range of health and education professionals as well as by students and carers using only simple, written instructions. GAPS is effective in detecting a range of children in need of further in-depth assessment or monitoring for language difficulties. The results concur with those from much larger epidemiological studies using lengthy testing procedures. The GAPS test (1) provides a successful screening tool; (2) is designed to be administered by professionals and non-professionals alike; and (3) facilitates identification of language impairment or at-risk factors of reading impairment in the early educational years. Thus, the test affords a first step in a process of assessment and targeted intervention to enable children to reach their potential.

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 effects of age, education, and ethnicity on verbal fluency.

PubMed

Kempler, D; Teng, E L; Dick, M; Taussig, I M; Davis, D S

1998-11-01

A group of 317 healthy participants between 54 and 99 years of age performed a verbal fluency task. The participants included Chinese, Hispanic, and Vietnamese immigrants, as well as White and African American English speakers. They were given 1 min to name as many animals as possible in their native language. The results showed that more animal names were produced by younger people and those with more education. Language background was also an important factor: The Vietnamese produced the most animal names and the Spanish speakers produced the fewest. The exaggerated difference between these two groups is attributed to the fact that Vietnamese animal names are short (predominantly 1 syllable) while the Spanish animal names are longer than any other language in this study (2 and 3 syllables per word). Finally, although the ethnic groups named different animals, and appeared to vary in the variety of animal names they used, these factors did not affect overall verbal fluency performance.

Examining differences in nurses' language, accent, and comprehensibility in nursing home settings based on birth origin and country of education.

PubMed

Wagner, Laura M; Brush, Barbara L; Castle, Nicholas G; Eaton, Michelle; Capezuti, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

As nursing homes turn abroad to fill vacancies, the diverse linguistic backgrounds of nurse hires are creating new challenges in comprehensibility between nurses, providers, and residents. Accents are a natural part of spoken language that may present difficulty even when the parties involved are speaking the same language. We surveyed 1,629 nurses working in 98 nursing homes (NHs) in five U.S. states to determine if and how language difficulties were perceived by nurses and others (e.g. physicians, residents and family members). We found that when participants were asked how often other care team members and residents/families had difficulty understanding them due to language use or accent, foreign born nurses were significantly more likely to report that they experienced difficulty at least some of the time across all groups. This study supports an assessment of nurses' language, accents, and comprehensibility in these settings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medical students' essay-writing skills: criteria-based self- and tutor-evaluation and the role of language background.

PubMed

Chur-Hansen, A

2000-03-01

An exercise is described which aimed to make clear to first-year undergraduate medical students the expected writing skills required for an essay examination in one discipline. Many students were from a non-English speaking background and over one-third of students, regardless of language background, had limited experience in this type of essay writing. For this exercise, a practice essay was written by each student for formative assessment. The essay was rated by a tutor and by the student according to well-defined criteria. This allowed for comparisons to be made in a structured and objective way between the judgements of the student and the assessor. Students found the exercise to be very useful, although whether essay writing skills actually improved could not be established. Students from non-English speaking backgrounds tended to be most harsh in their self-evaluations, yet tutor-evaluations generally showed these students to have better writing skills than other students. Indeed, correlations between self- and tutor-evaluations were quite low. It is evident that students and their educators may be unclear about each others' expectations. By making explicit the requirements of an exercise, misunderstandings may be minimized and it is possible that student performance could improve, though further research is required to verify these hypotheses. It is suggested that students should be encouraged to evaluate their own work and should be instructed in writing skills throughout their medical degree education.

Data on multicultural education and diagnostic information profiling: Culture, learning styles and creativity.

PubMed

Maseleno, Andino; Hardaker, Glenn; Sabani, Noraisikin; Suhaili, Nabilah

2016-12-01

This article contains data related to multicultural education and diagnostic information profiling preliminary findings. It includes the responses of 253 students. The data consists of six sections, i) culture: race, ethnicity, language and identity; ii) learning preferences: physiological and perceptual; iii) cognitive learning styles: physical, emotional and mental; iv) creativity skills and problem solving skills; v) motivation; and vi) students' background knowledge. The data may be used as part of data analytics for specific personalized e-learning platform.

Training Using Technology in the Adult ESL Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClanahan, Lorna

2014-01-01

In this article I discuss two reasons for the slow adoption of technology as an instructional tool in adult English as a Second Language (ESL) education. I outline recent facts about the relationships between today's adult ESL learners and technology, and then construct a background of theoretical support in favor of integrating technology in…

Supporting and Supervising Teachers Working With Adults Learning English. CAELA Network Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Sarah

2009-01-01

This brief provides an overview of the knowledge and skills that administrators need in order to support and supervise teachers of adult English language learners. It begins with a review of resources and literature related to teacher supervision in general and to adult ESL education. It continues with information on the background and…

Using Spanish-English Cognates in Children's Choices Picture Books to Develop Latino English Learners' Linguistic Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernández, Anita C.; Montelongo, José A.; Herter, Roberta J.

2016-01-01

Educators can take advantage of Latino English learners' linguistic backgrounds by teaching Spanish-English cognate vocabulary using the Children's Choices picture books. Cognates are words that have identical or nearly identical spellings and meanings in two languages because of their Latin and Greek origins. Students can learn to recognize…

Language, Thinking and Action: Towards a Semio-Constructivist Approach in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallian, Nathalie; Chang, Ching-Wei

2007-01-01

Background: Research about sport pedagogy has recently emerged as a significant interest in student reflective practice within the PE teaching/learning system. This learning process is considered as a type of knowledge of co-construction in action. This epistemological assumption postulates that the "knowledge-in-action" is the result of an active…

"Give Me a Break--English Is Not My First Language!": Experiences of Linguistically Diverse Student Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eros, John

2016-01-01

Today's K-12 music educators interact regularly with students from culturally diverse communities and backgrounds. Although research exists on culturally diverse students, there is comparatively little research on music teachers who do, themselves, represent diverse cultures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of three…

A Cross-Cultural Study of Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) Students: Cultural Differences and Instructional Strategy Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Fujuan

2010-01-01

Adult education literature generally acknowledges the appropriateness of the incorporation of instructional strategies that stress students' prior experience. Whether this appropriateness applies to students from diverse cultural backgrounds, such as adult students in ESL programs, is not clear. Based on the assumption that students from different…

Triggering Parental Involvement for Parents of Different Language Backgrounds: The Role of Types of Partnership Activities and Preschool Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hachfeld, Axinja; Anders, Yvonne; Kuger, Susanne; Smidt, Wilfried

2016-01-01

Home and educational institutions are children's most important external influences and a positive partnership between the two can positively affect children's cognitive and non-cognitive development. Quality of family-preschool partnership (FPP) can depend on preschool and family characteristics. For Germany, studies show that immigrant parents…

Worldviews, Religions, and Beliefs about Teaching and Learning: Perception of Mathematics Teachers with Different Religious Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Yip-Cheung; Wong, Ngai-Ying

2014-01-01

Beliefs about mathematics education and their influences on teaching practices have been widely investigated in recent decades. There have been numerous empirical studies on the influences of religions on teachers' and students' beliefs about subjects such as sciences and language. However, the influences of worldviews in general and…

Understanding Mixed Code and Classroom Code-Switching: Myths and Realities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, David C. S.

2008-01-01

Background: Cantonese-English mixed code is ubiquitous in Hong Kong society, and yet using mixed code is widely perceived as improper. This paper presents evidence of mixed code being socially constructed as bad language behavior. In the education domain, an EDB guideline bans mixed code in the classroom. Teachers are encouraged to stick to…

The Impact of Teachers' Knowledge and Professional Development Experiences on the Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices They Implement in Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kavel, Rebecca L.

2017-01-01

With substantial demographic shifts in the U.S. student population, today's teachers educate growing numbers of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (Kena, Aud, & Johnson, 2010). While these students bring an abundance of different cultures and languages from their families and communities, these dynamic shifts add…

Including Children with Intellectual Disabilities/Special Educational Needs into National Child Health Surveys: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Judith; Wishart, Jennifer; Currie, Candace

2011-01-01

Background: The language, format and length of typical national health survey questionnaires may make them inaccessible to many school-aged children with an intellectual disability. Materials and Methods: Using the standard delivery protocol, the WHO Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Questionnaire, currently in use in 43 countries,…

Problems of Linguistic Discrimination in the Communicative Space of Tajikistan: Legal, Sociolinguistic and Educational Aspects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iskandarova, Diloro; Ladygina, Olga; Shambezoda, Khusrav; Zolotukhin, Alexey; Abdukhamitov, Valijon

2017-01-01

Although it is disregarded and banned, a person can be discriminated in the society according to various attributes--due to the person's language, religion, nationality, social background. The problem touches upon not only individuals but minorities as well. Almost all states have one or several groups--minorities--that differ from the main…

The Education of English Language Learners in Arizona: A History of Underachievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Eugene E.; Lawton, Kerry; Diniz De Figueriedo, Eduardo H.

2012-01-01

Background: The state of Arizona has recently mandated the Structured English Immersion Model (SEI) in the state's public schools, and as a result the local flexibility that existed regarding the choice of program models for ELLs has ended. In the school year 2008-09, these regulations were made even more restrictive after the implementation of…

The "Pidgin Problem": Attitudes about Hawai'i Creole

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yokota, Thomas

2008-01-01

In this essay, the author examines the attitudes that people in Hawai'i have about Hawai'i Creole. The author first describes the background of the language and explores educators' views from the 1920s to 1940s about Hawai'i Creole (HC), which was first viewed as the the "Pidgin problem" in Hawai'i. The frustrations expressed by…

Farmhands and Factory Workers, Honesty and Humility: The Portrayal of Social Class and Morals in English Language Learner Children's Books

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sano, Joelle

2009-01-01

Background/Context: Although much research has evaluated children's books for depictions of gender, little has centered on the portrayal of immigrants and social class. This investigation utilizes Bourdieu's theory of capital reproduction in education, Durkheim's conception of collective conscience and morals, and Bowles and Gintis's critique of…

Tackling Underachievement of Learners from Ethnic Minorities: A Comparison of Recent Policies of School Improvement in Germany, England and Switzerland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomolla, Mechtild

2006-01-01

Over the past few decades, in many western countries with large immigrant populations, inequalities in education relating to ethnic background have increased. Interventions traditionally consist of selective compensatory arrangements that focus on instruction in the second language--especially in early stages of schooling--and the treatment of…

Beyond Sociolinguistics: Towards a Critical Approach to Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haddix, Marcelle

2008-01-01

The author shares findings from a qualitative study of white, monolingual preservice teachers enrolled in a sociolinguistics course that examines the interplay of language and ethnicity in the United States. The primary aims of the study were to learn more about the preservice teachers' awareness of their cultural and linguistic backgrounds and to…

Weather Anomalies. 9th Grade Lesson. Schools of California Online Resources for Education (SCORE): Connecting California's Classrooms to the World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sears, Bill

This curriculum unit requires students to use science, geography, and language arts skills in studying the weather. Students are asked to report on weather anomalies and are provided with background information, detailed instructions, online resources, and reflection questions. The teacher's guide describes the unit's purpose, correlation to…

The Effects of Socio-Economic Status on Prospective English Language Teachers' Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koban Koç, Didem

2016-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES), which generally involves factors such as parental educational background, occupation and income level, is a strong predictor of student achievement. That is, students with higher parental SES demonstrate increased academic performance when compared to those with lower parental SES. The purpose of the present study is to…

Comparison of the sensitivity of the UKCAT and A Levels to sociodemographic characteristics: a national study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) was introduced to facilitate widening participation in medical and dental education in the UK by providing universities with a continuous variable to aid selection; one that might be less sensitive to the sociodemographic background of candidates compared to traditional measures of educational attainment. Initial research suggested that males, candidates from more advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds and those who attended independent or grammar schools performed better on the test. The introduction of the A* grade at A level permits more detailed analysis of the relationship between UKCAT scores, secondary educational attainment and sociodemographic variables. Thus, our aim was to further assess whether the UKCAT is likely to add incremental value over A level (predicted or actual) attainment in the selection process. Methods Data relating to UKCAT and A level performance from 8,180 candidates applying to medicine in 2009 who had complete information relating to six key sociodemographic variables were analysed. A series of regression analyses were conducted in order to evaluate the ability of sociodemographic status to predict performance on two outcome measures: A level ‘best of three’ tariff score; and the UKCAT scores. Results In this sample A level attainment was independently and positively predicted by four sociodemographic variables (independent/grammar schooling, White ethnicity, age and professional social class background). These variables also independently and positively predicted UKCAT scores. There was a suggestion that UKCAT scores were less sensitive to educational background compared to A level attainment. In contrast to A level attainment, UKCAT score was independently and positively predicted by having English as a first language and male sex. Conclusions Our findings are consistent with a previous report; most of the sociodemographic factors that predict A level attainment also predict UKCAT performance. However, compared to A levels, males and those speaking English as a first language perform better on UKCAT. Our findings suggest that UKCAT scores may be more influenced by sex and less sensitive to school type compared to A levels. These factors must be considered by institutions utilising the UKCAT as a component of the medical and dental school selection process. PMID:24400861

Gatekeepers of the American Dream: How Teachers' Perceptions Shape the Academic Outcomes of Immigrant and Language-Minority Students

PubMed Central

Blanchard, Sarah; Muller, Chandra

2014-01-01

High school teachers evaluate and offer guidance to students as they approach the transition to college based in part on their perceptions of the students' hard work and potential to succeed in college. Their perceptions may be especially crucial for immigrant and language-minority students navigating the U.S. educational system. Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), we consider how the intersection of nativity and language-minority status may (1) inform teachers' perceptions of students' effort and college potential, and (2) shape the link between teachers' perceptions and students' academic progress towards college (grades and likelihood of advancing to more demanding math courses). We find that teachers perceive immigrant language-minority students as hard workers, and that their grades reflect that perception. However, these same students are less likely than others to advance in math between the sophomore and junior years, a critical point for preparing for college. Language-minority students born in the U.S. are more likely to be negatively perceived. Yet, when their teachers see them as hard workers, they advance in math at the same rates as nonimmigrant native English speaking peers. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering both language-minority and immigrant status as social dimensions of students' background that moderate the way that high school teachers' perceptions shape students' preparation for college. PMID:25769866

A comparison of bilingual education and generalist teachers' approaches to scientific biliteracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garza, Esther

The purpose of this study was to determine if educators were capitalizing on bilingual learners' use of their biliterate abilities to acquire scientific meaning and discourse that would formulate a scientific biliterate identity. Mixed methods were used to explore teachers' use of biliteracy and Funds of Knowledge (Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N., 1992; Gonzales, Moll, & Amanti, 2005) from the students' Latino heritage while conducting science inquiry. The research study explored four constructs that conceptualized scientific biliteracy. The four constructs include science literacy, science biliteracy, reading comprehension strategies and students' cultural backgrounds. There were 156 4th-5th grade bilingual and general education teachers in South Texas that were surveyed using the Teacher Scientific Biliteracy Inventory (TSBI) and five teachers' science lessons were observed. Qualitative findings revealed that a variety of scientific biliteracy instructional strategies were frequently used in both bilingual and general education classrooms. The language used to deliver this instruction varied. A General Linear Model revealed that classroom assignment, bilingual or general education, had a significant effect on a teacher's instructional approach to employ scientific biliteracy. A simple linear regression found that the TSBI accounted for 17% of the variance on 4th grade reading benchmarks. Mixed methods results indicated that teachers were utilizing scientific biliteracy strategies in English, Spanish and/or both languages. Household items and science experimentation at home were encouraged by teachers to incorporate the students' cultural backgrounds. Finally, science inquiry was conducted through a universal approach to science learning versus a multicultural approach to science learning.

The Role of Oral Reading Fluency in ESL Reading Comprehension among Learners of Different First Language Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Xiangying

2016-01-01

This study discusses the construct of oral reading fluency and examines its relationship to reading comprehension among adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners of four first language (L1) backgrounds. One hundred and forty-nine adult learners of English with Arabic, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese language backgrounds participated in this…

Why is it not working? Identifying barriers to the therapy of paediatric obesity in an intercultural setting.

PubMed

Ciupitu, Carmen Cristina; Babitsch, Birgit

2011-06-01

Given the high overweight prevalence among children with a migration background in Germany, this paper describes barriers to the treatment of paediatric obesity in a specialized clinic providing services to an ethnically diverse population. In a cross-sectional mixed-method design, a two-week participant observation was followed by a cultural competence survey among the healthcare professionals employed at the clinic. The present study revealed barriers related to all categories of social actors involved in the therapy process. A major difficulty encountered by providers when working with ethnically diverse patients was the lack of mutual understanding, often associated with language barriers. Language barriers were most prevalent between providers and ethnically diverse mothers. Targeted education programs for adults (particularly women) with a migration background and cultural competence training for healthcare providers are needed in Germany. Special attention should be paid to scheduling appointments and enhancing patients' engagement in the therapy process.

[Preschool familial environment and academic difficulties: A 10-year follow-up from kindergarten to middle school].

PubMed

Câmara-Costa, H; Pulgar, S; Cusin, F; Dellatolas, G

2016-02-01

The persistence of academic difficulties from childhood through adulthood has led researchers to focus on the identification of the early factors influencing children's subsequent achievement in order to improve the efficient screening of children who might be at risk of school failure. The foundations of academic achievement can be accurately traced back to the preschool years prior to children's entry in formal schooling and are largely influenced by environmental determinants. Importantly, some environmental conditions act as early risk factors undermining children's later academic achievement due to the well-established relation between underachievement and exposure to moderate to high levels of environmental risk. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the longitudinal effects of environment-level factors (sociodemographic and family characteristics) and early risk exposure at kindergarten on children's subsequent academic achievement at the end of middle school (grade 9). The sample of analysis comprised 654 kindergarteners aged 5-6 years (2001-2002 school year) followed through the end of middle school when they were aged 14-15 years (2010-2011 school year). At kindergarten, assessment included questionnaire-based measures of sociodemographic and family background characteristics. These included an original set of information pertaining to family background including parental nationality, education level, history of reading difficulties, type of early childcare, family situation, family size, and language-based bedtime routines, as well as individual-level factors such as children's first language, medical history, language delay, birth weight, age of walking onset, and gestation period. At grade 9, outcome measures were composed of children's results in the national evaluations performed at the end of middle school ("Diplôme National du Brevet"), or history of repetition for a second year of the same class. The results indicated that all family background characteristics at kindergarten were related to later academic outcomes at grade 9. From the original set of family characteristics, parental educational level, family situation, language-based bedtime routines, and type of early childcare significantly predicted later academic achievement at grade 9. Moreover, a multiple risk index score aggregating these specific family characteristics, together with three individual-level factors (gender, medical history, and language delay) was robustly and positively associated with an increased likelihood of school failure at the end of middle school. Unique to our study was the finding relative to the longitudinal association over a 10-year span of language-based bedtime routines with children's academic performance at the end of middle school. These findings underline the importance of including family background information in early surveillance procedures in order to improve the efficient screening of children who might be at risk of academic underachievement. Importantly, some of these contextual factors represent environmental characteristics that can be reversed early in life through appropriate and informed support to families. Moreover, the present work has important implications regarding the early detection of children who are at familial risk of underachievement, allowing the activation and promotion of adequate intervention strategies early in children's educational trajectories. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Hispanic Students in American High Schools: Background Characteristics and Achievement. National Center for Education Statistics Bulletin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peng, Samuel S.

Based on data from the High School and Beyond Study, a longitudinal study of high school sophomores and seniors, this report summarizes some of the study's findings on the differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks and whites in school delay, aspirations, test scores, language usage, and socioeconomic status. Tabular data indicate that:…

Russian Language Testing and Integrated Examination for Foreign Citizens in Russia: Legislation Background and Legal Regulation Specific Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolzhikova, Anzhela

2015-01-01

The Russian Federation faces active law-making and legislative activities aimed at providing legal grounds for qualifying educational level of foreign nationals entering the country with the purpose to work and apply for citizenship. The article deals with the current legislation and regulations in their relationship with each other, their impact…

Addressing the Antinomy between Health Education and Health Literacy in Advancing Personal Health and Public Health Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belcastro, Philip A.; Ramsaroop-Hansen, Hardaye

2017-01-01

Background: Health literacy evolved from a standard of English language proficiency designed to promote patient compliance into an inferential for promoting positive health decision-making and health outcomes. In turn, the United States relegated health literacy as a national strategy to improve personal health and health care outcomes as well as…

The Gender Gap in Student Engagement: The Role of Teachers' Autonomy Support, Structure, and Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lietaert, Sofie; Roorda, Debora; Laevers, Ferre; Verschueren, Karine; De Fraine, Bieke

2015-01-01

Background: The gender gap in education in favour of girls is a widely known phenomenon. Boys generally have higher dropout rates, obtain lower grades, and show lower engagement. Insight into factors related to these academic outcomes could help to address the gender gap. Aims: This study investigated, for Dutch language classes, (1) how boys and…

Report on a Project to Apply Sociolinguistic Research Findings to Educational Needs of Mexican American Bilingual/Biculturals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ornstein, Jacob

According to this report, the accomplishments of the Sociolinguistics Studies on Southwest Bilingualism have been to (1) elicit a corpus of the speech (Spanish, English, and Mixed) of several hundred young adults and set up taxonomies of leading variables in both languages; (2) devise and apply a Sociolinguistic Background Questionnaire with over…

Student, Home, and School Socio-Demographic Factors: Links to School, Home, and Community Arts Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansour, Marianne; Martin, Andrew J.; Anderson, Michael; Gibson, Robyn; Liem, Gregory Arief D.; Sudmalis, David

2016-01-01

This study explored the role of student (e.g., age, language background, gender), home (e.g., parent/caregiver education), and school (e.g., school type, size) socio-demographic factors in students' school (e.g., in-school arts tuition, arts engagement), home (e.g., parent/caregiver-child arts interaction), and community (e.g., arts attendance,…

Factor Structure and Differential Item Functioning of the BASC-2 BESS Spanish Language Parent Form

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dever, Bridget V.; Raines, Tara C.; Dowdy, Erin

2016-01-01

Given the steady increase of students from diverse backgrounds in the U.S. educational system, in particular immigrant and Latino students, it is important to consider how to best support all students within our schools. The present study focuses on the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition (BASC-2) Behavioral and Emotional…

He Will Lift Up His Head: A Report to the Developmental Disabilities Office on the Situation of Handicapped Navajos and the Implications Thereof for All Native Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haskins, James S.; Stifle, J. M.

Issues involved in education of handicapped Navajo children are examined. Background sections contrast the history of treatment for the handicapped in America with the treatment received by handicapped Navajos. Unemployment, substandard housing, lack of accessibility within the reservation, overpopulation, language barriers, and the relationship…

Teaching New Words to Children with Poor Existing Vocabulary Knowledge: A Controlled Evaluation of the Definition and Context Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nash, Hannah; Snowling, Margaret

2006-01-01

Background: Children who have poor vocabulary knowledge are at risk of wider language weaknesses and reading comprehension difficulties, which will impact upon their educational achievement. The central question addressed in this paper is how best to teach new vocabulary items to these children. Aims: To investigate the effects of two different…

A Chinese young adult non-scientist's epistemologies and her understandings of the concept of speed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Ying; Brizuela, Barbara M.

2015-08-01

Past research has investigated students' epistemologies while they were taking courses that required an integrated understanding of mathematical and scientific concepts. However, past studies have not investigated students who are not currently enrolled in such classes. Additionally, past studies have primarily focused on individuals who are native English speakers from Western cultures. In this paper, we aim to investigate whether Hammer and his colleagues' claims concerning learners' epistemologies could be extended to individuals who lack advanced mathematics and science training, have had different cultural and learning experiences, and have grown up speaking and learning in another language. To this end, we interviewed a participant with these characteristics about her understandings of the concept of speed. Our findings show that previous theoretical frameworks can be used to explain the epistemologies of the individual examined in this study. The case suggests that these theories may be relevant regardless of the learner's mathematics and science background, language, educational experience, and cultural background. In the future, more cases should be examined with learners from different academic backgrounds and cultures to further support this finding.

Subtractive Bilingualism and the Survival of the Inuit Language: Heritage-versus Second-Language Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Stephen C.; Taylor, Donald M.; Macarthur, Judy

2000-01-01

Examines the impact of early heritage-language education and second-language education on heritage-language and second-language development among Inuit, White, and mixed-heritage kindergarten children. Inuit children in second-language classes showed heritage language skills equal to or better than mixed-heritage children and Whites educated in…

Pitch jnd and the tritone paradox: The linguistic nexus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safari, Kourosh

2002-11-01

Previous research has shown a connection between absolute pitch (the ability to name a specific pitch in the absence of any reference) and native competence in a tone language (Deutsch, 1990). In tone languages, tone is one of the features which determines the lexical meaning of a word. This study investigates the relationship between native competence in a tone language and the just noticeable difference of pitch. Furthermore, the tritone paradox studies have shown that subjects hear two tritones (with bell-shaped spectral envelopes) as either ascending or descending depending on their linguistic backgrounds (Deutsch, 1987). It is hypothesized that the native speakers of tone languages have a higher JND for pitch, and hear the two tones of the tritone paradox as ascending, whereas, native speakers of nontone languages hear them as descending. This study will indicate the importance of early musical training for the development of acute tone sensitivity. It will also underline the importance of language and culture in the way it shapes our musical understanding. The significance of this study will be in the areas of music education and pedagogy.

Gatekeepers of the American Dream: how teachers' perceptions shape the academic outcomes of immigrant and language-minority students.

PubMed

Blanchard, Sarah; Muller, Chandra

2015-05-01

High school teachers evaluate and offer guidance to students as they approach the transition to college based in part on their perceptions of the student's hard work and potential to succeed in college. Their perceptions may be especially crucial for immigrant and language-minority students navigating the U.S. educational system. Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), we consider how the intersection of nativity and language-minority status may (1) inform teachers' perceptions of students' effort and college potential, and (2) shape the link between teachers' perceptions and students' academic progress towards college (grades and likelihood of advancing to more demanding math courses). We find that teachers perceive immigrant language-minority students as hard workers, and that their grades reflect that perception. However, these same students are less likely than others to advance in math between the sophomore and junior years, a critical point for preparing for college. Language-minority students born in the U.S. are more likely to be negatively perceived. Yet, when their teachers see them as hard workers, they advance in math at the same rates as nonimmigrant native English speaking peers. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering both language-minority and immigrant status as social dimensions of students' background that moderate the way that high school teachers' perceptions shape students' preparation for college. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Impacts of Language Background and Language-Related Disorders in Auditory Processing Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loo, Jenny Hooi Yin; Bamiou, Doris-Eva; Rosen, Stuart

2013-01-01

Purpose: To examine the impact of language background and language-related disorders (LRDs--dyslexia and/or language impairment) on performance in English speech and nonspeech tests of auditory processing (AP) commonly used in the clinic. Method: A clinical database concerning 133 multilingual children (mostly with English as an additional…

Enablers and Challenges of Post-16 Education and Employment Outcomes: The Perspectives of Young Adults with a History of SLI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Catherine; Dockrell, Julie

2012-01-01

Background: Research studies have begun to investigate the post-16 outcomes for young adults with a specific language impairment (SLI). As yet only tentative conclusions can be drawn with respect to academic and employment outcomes and the factors that are associated with more positive outcomes. Evidence for these findings has relied predominantly…

Pilot Testing of a Parent-Directed Intervention (Project ASPIRE) for Underserved Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sacks, Chana; Shay, Sophie; Repplinger, Lyra; Leffel, Kristin R.; Sapolich, Shannon G.; Suskind, Elizabeth; Tannenbaum, Sally; Suskind, Dana

2014-01-01

This pilot study explored the potential for Project ASPIRE to effect behavior change in a sample of 11 parents of children with hearing loss who were from typically underserved populations, such as families from backgrounds of low socioeconomic status or families who speak English as a second language. The study consisted of one education session,…

The Messages They Send: E-Mail Use by Adolescents with and without a History of Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conti-Ramsden, Gina; Durkin, Kevin; Walker, Allan J.

2012-01-01

Background: Contemporary adolescents use e-mail for a variety of purposes, including peer communication and education. Research into these uses has focused on typically developing individuals; much less is known about the use of e-mail by exceptional youth. Aims: The present study examined the structure and form of e-mail messages sent by…

A Sociolinguistic Profile of 100 Mothers from Middle to Upper-Middle Socio-Economic Backgrounds in Penang-Chinese Community: What Languages Do They Speak at Home with Their Children?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Low, Hui Min; Nicholas, Howard; Wales, Roger

2010-01-01

This paper reports the findings of a survey of 100 mothers of Chinese children aged between 6 and 36 months from middle to upper-middle socio-economic backgrounds in Penang, Malaysia. The findings include the language backgrounds of these mothers, their contextual uses of multiple languages and their language choices with their children. Through…

Let the Music Play!--A Short-Term but No Long-Term Detrimental Effect of Vocal Background Music with Familiar Language Lyrics on Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Groot, Annette M. B.; Smedinga, Hilde E.

2014-01-01

Participants learned foreign vocabulary by means of the paired-associates learning procedure in three conditions: (a) in silence, (b) with vocal music with lyrics in a familiar language playing in the background, or (c) with vocal music with lyrics in an unfamiliar language playing in the background. The vocabulary to learn varied in concreteness…

Language Teachers: Research and Studies in Language(s) Education, Teaching, and Learning in "Teaching and Teacher Education," 1985-2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleinsasser, Robert C.

2013-01-01

The article reviews twelve of 79 articles focusing on language teachers, language(s) teacher education, teaching, and learning published in "Teaching and Teacher Education" since 1985. The twelve articles, divided into three sections, include narrative inquiry and identity, teacher education topics, and contexts. The articles provide local and…

Backgrounds in Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maxwell, John C.; Long, Barbara K.

"Backgrounds in Language," a field-tested inservice course designed for use by groups of 15 or 25 language arts teachers, provides the subject matter background teachers need to make informed decisions about what curriculum materials to use in what way, at what time, and with which students. The course is comprised of eight 2-hour sessions,…

Language Magazine: The Journal of Communication & Education, 2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Daniel, Ed.

2003-01-01

Articles are included on such issues as the following: heritage languages; the psychology of language; the Voice of America broadcasts; dual language programs; linguistic autobiography in the language classroom; pronunciation; electronic education; dialects; world languages; bilingual education; language travel; language structure; conceptual…

Education and employment outcomes of young adults with a history of developmental language disorder

PubMed Central

Durkin, Kevin; Toseeb, Umar; Botting, Nicola; Pickles, Andrew

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Developmental language disorder (DLD) presents a considerable barrier for young adults to engage in further education and training. Early studies with young adults with DLD revealed poor educational achievement and lack of opportunities to progress in education. More recent studies have provided more positive findings. Relatively sparse data exist, however, on current cohorts and the factors that predict outcomes. Aims To examine educational and employment outcomes in young adulthood in a sample of people with histories of DLD compared with an age‐matched peer group without DLD. We ask: How do educational pathways and early jobs compare between those with and without DLD? Are young adults with DLD receiving similar levels of income as their peers? To what extent are language and literacy abilities associated with outcomes? Methods & Procedures Participants included 84 individuals with DLD (67% males) and 88 age‐matched peers without DLD (56% males). Participants were on average 24 years of age. They completed a battery of psycholinguistic, literacy and nonverbal skills assessments. Data were also collected on educational qualifications, current educational status, extent of educational support received, employment status, history and support, as well as current income. Outcomes & Results Those with DLD obtained lower academic and vocational qualifications. Higher educational/vocational qualifications were associated with better language, better reading and higher performance IQ (PIQ). There were few differences between the two groups in terms of engagement with education, but the mean age at leaving education was significantly earlier in the participants with DLD. Substantially more participants with DLD reported receiving support or dispensation from their educational institution. There was no significant difference between groups in the proportion of young people currently employed, though a higher proportion of the age‐matched peers was in work full time. Participants with DLD were much more likely to be in non‐professional occupations. However, when examining pay in relation to types of occupation, the groups’ incomes were broadly comparable. Conclusions & Implications At the group level, young people with a history of DLD more commonly have less skilled employment and more rarely achieve professional roles. At the individual level there is considerable variation with smaller but not trivial proportions of young adults with a history of DLD showing good educational and employment outcomes. There are positive aspects to early adult outcomes for some young people with a history of DLD. PMID:29139196

Reciprocal Bilingualism as a Challenge and Opportunity: The Case of Cyprus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özerk, Kamil Z.

2001-07-01

Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, has never been monolingual. For over four hundred years the two main languages of the island have been Turkish and Greek. Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots met each other in the streets, but seldom in the schools. The Greek language had a place in the Turkish-Cypriots' educational system during some periods in history, but the Greek-Cypriots have never given the Turkish language a place in their school system. Until recent years, the majority of Turkish-Cypriots have had communicative competence in Greek. In contrast, there have been very few Greek-Cypriots who had communicative competence in Turkish. The history of Cyprus clearly shows that lack of policies for bilingualism on the island has weakened the good relationship between the two folk groups. The fact that the learning of the global language English is happening to the detriment of the learning of Greek among Turkish-Cypriots makes the integration of the two main cultural groups of Cypriots more difficult. Using the island's historical background, especially the intercommunal dispute during the last four decades as a basis, the author argues for a closer relationship between the economic, social, cultural, including bilingual and educational policy of the two parts of Cyprus. He sees this as the best peace policy for the island.

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.

Higher Educational Attainment but not Higher Income is Protective for Cardiovascular Risk in Deaf American Sign Language (ASL) Users

PubMed Central

McKee, Michael M.; McKee, Kimberly; Winters, Paul; Sutter, Erika; Pearson, Thomas

2013-01-01

Background Higher educational attainment and income provide cardiovascular protection in the general population. It is unknown if the same effect is seen among Deaf American Sign Language (ASL) users who face communication barriers in healthcare settings. Objective We sought to examine whether educational attainment and/or annual household income were inversely associated with cardiovascular risk in a sample of Deaf ASL users. Methods This cross-sectional study included 302 Deaf respondents aged 18-88 years from the Deaf Health Survey (2008), an adapted and translated Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) administered in sign language. Associations between the self-reported cardiovascular disease equivalents (CVDE; any of the following: diabetes, myocardial infarction (MI), cerebral vascular attack (CVA), and angina) with educational attainment (≤high school [low education], some college, and ≥4 year college degree [referent]), and annual household income (<$25,000, $25,000-<$50,000, or ≥$50,000 [referent]) were assessed using a multivariate logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and smoking history. Results Deaf respondents who reported ≤high school education were more likely to report the presence of a CVDE (OR 5.92; 95% CI 2.12-16.57) compared to Deaf respondents who reported having ≥4 year college degree after adjustment. However, low-income Deaf individuals (i.e. household incomes <$25,000) were not more likely to report the presence of a CVDE (OR=2.24; 95% CI 0.76-6.68) compared to high-income Deaf respondents after adjustment. Conclusion Low educational attainment was associated with higher likelihood of reported cardiovascular equivalents among Deaf individuals. Higher income did not appear to provide a cardiovascular protective effect for Deaf respondents. PMID:24411507

Comparing Local and International Chinese Students' English Language Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anthony, Margreat Aloysious; Ganesen, Sree Nithya

2012-01-01

According to Horwitz (1987) learners' belief about language learning are influenced by previous language learning experiences as well as cultural background. This study examined the English Language Learning Strategies between local and international Chinese students who share the same cultural background but have been exposed to different…

The Struggles over African Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maseko, Pam; Vale, Peter

2016-01-01

In this interview, African Language expert Pam Maseko speaks of her own background and her first encounter with culture outside of her mother tongue, isiXhosa. A statistical breakdown of South African languages is provided as background. She discusses Western (originally missionary) codification of African languages and suggests that this approach…

Language Background and Learners' Attitudes to Own-Language Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheffler, Pawel; Horverak, May Olaug; Krzebietke, Weronika; Askland, Sigrunn

2017-01-01

Learners' language background is one of the factors which may influence the amount and functions of own-language use in English instruction. This article reports a study in which a group of almost 400 Polish and Norwegian secondary school learners of English were asked how their own languages are used in the classroom, how they use them when they…

Variation in Second Language Learners' Strategies among Non-Native English Speakers from Three Language/Culture Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebsworth, Miriam Eisenstein; Tang, Frank Lixing; Razavi, Nikta; Aiello, Jacqueline

2014-01-01

This study explored the effects of cultural and linguistic background, L2 proficiency, and gender on language learning strategies for 263 college-level learners from Chinese, Russian, and Latino backgrounds. Data based on the SILL (Oxford, 2001) revealed that Russian students used significantly more strategies than the Chinese students in three…

Relationships between Language Background, Secondary School Scores, Tutorial Group Processes, and Students' Academic Achievement in PBL: Testing a Causal Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singaram, Veena S.; van der Vleuten, Cees P. M; Muijtjens, Arno M. M.; Dolmans, Diana H. J. M

2012-01-01

Little is known about the influence of language background in problem-based learning (PBL) tutorial groups on group processes and students' academic achievement. This study investigated the relationship between language background, secondary school score, tutorial group processes, and students' academic achievement in PBL. A validated tutorial…

Language Policy, Politics, and Diversity in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, Terrence G.; Garcia, David R.; Danzig, Arnold B.; Stigler, Monica L.

2014-01-01

"Review of Research in Education: Vol. 38, Language Policy, Politics, and Diversity in Education" explores the role of educational language policies in promoting education as a human right. There are an estimated nearly 7,000 living languages in the world. Yet, despite the extent of language diversity, only a small number of the…

Screening for oral health literacy in an urban dental clinic

PubMed Central

Atchison, Kathryn A.; Gironda, Melanie W.; Messadi, Diana; Der-Martirosian, Claudia

2013-01-01

Objective Studies show that the average person fails to understand and use health care related materials to their full potential. The goal of this study was to evaluate a health literacy instrument based on the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) that incorporates dental and medical terms into one 84-item Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALM-D) measure and determine its association with patient characteristics of a culturally diverse dental clinic population. Methods An 84-item dental/medical health literacy word list and a 48-item health beliefs and attitudes survey was provided to a sample of 200 adult patients seeking treatment for the first time at an oral diagnosis clinic located in a large urban medical center in Los Angeles, California. Results Of the total sample, 154 participants read all of list 1 correctly, 141 read list 2 correctly, and only 38 read list 3 correctly. Nonwhite participants had significantly lower REALM-D scores at each level of difficulty as well as the total scale score compared to white participants. Participants who reported English as not their main language had significantly lower REALM-D scores. REALM-D scores also varied significantly by level of education among participants where as level of education increased, oral health literacy increased. At a bivariate level, race, education, and English as a main language remain predictive of health literacy in a regression model. An interaction between education and English as a main language was significant. Conclusions The REALM-D is an effective instrument for use by medical and dental clinicians in detecting differences among people of different backgrounds and for whom English was not their primary language. PMID:20545829

Relationship between affect and achievement in science and mathematics in Malaysia and Singapore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thoe Ng, Khar; Fah Lay, Yoon; Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Treagust, David F.; Chandrasegaran, A. L.

2012-11-01

Background : The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assesses the quality of the teaching and learning of science and mathematics among Grades 4 and 8 students across participating countries. Purpose : This study explored the relationship between positive affect towards science and mathematics and achievement in science and mathematics among Malaysian and Singaporean Grade 8 students. Sample : In total, 4466 Malaysia students and 4599 Singaporean students from Grade 8 who participated in TIMSS 2007 were involved in this study. Design and method : Students' achievement scores on eight items in the survey instrument that were reported in TIMSS 2007 were used as the dependent variable in the analysis. Students' scores on four items in the TIMSS 2007 survey instrument pertaining to students' affect towards science and mathematics together with students' gender, language spoken at home and parental education were used as the independent variables. Results : Positive affect towards science and mathematics indicated statistically significant predictive effects on achievement in the two subjects for both Malaysian and Singaporean Grade 8 students. There were statistically significant predictive effects on mathematics achievement for the students' gender, language spoken at home and parental education for both Malaysian and Singaporean students, with R 2 = 0.18 and 0.21, respectively. However, only parental education showed statistically significant predictive effects on science achievement for both countries. For Singapore, language spoken at home also demonstrated statistically significant predictive effects on science achievement, whereas gender did not. For Malaysia, neither gender nor language spoken at home had statistically significant predictive effects on science achievement. Conclusions : It is important for educators to consider implementing self-concept enhancement intervention programmes by incorporating 'affect' components of academic self-concept in order to develop students' talents and promote academic excellence in science and mathematics.

Differences in weight status and energy-balance related behaviours according to ethnic background among adolescents in seven countries in Europe: the ENERGY-project.

PubMed

Brug, J; van Stralen, M M; Chinapaw, M J M; De Bourdeaudhuij, I; Lien, N; Bere, E; Singh, A S; Maes, L; Moreno, L; Jan, N; Kovacs, E; Lobstein, T; Manios, Y; Te Velde, S J

2012-10-01

The aim of this study was to explore differences in weight status and energy balance behaviours according to ethnic background among adolescents across Europe. A school-based survey among 10-12-year-old adolescents was conducted in seven European countries. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured; engagement in physical activity, sedentary and dietary behaviour, and sleep duration was assessed by child and parent-report. A distinction between native and non-native ethnic background was based on language spoken at home, and the parents' country of birth. Analyses were conducted with and without adjustment for parental education. With valid data on both indicators of ethnic background for 5149 adolescents, 7307 adolescents (52% girls; 11.6 ± 0.7 years) participated. Significantly higher prevalence of overweight, obesity, body mass index and waist circumference were observed among non-native compared with native adolescents. Non-native adolescents had less favourable behavioural patterns (sugary drinks, breakfast skipping, sport, TV and computer time, hours of sleep) with the exception of active transport to school. Similar patterns were observed for both indicators of ethnicity, and in most of the separate countries; however, in Greece, weight status indicators were better among non-native adolescents. After adjustment for parental education, most differences remained significant according to country of origin of the parents, but not according to language spoken at home. Adolescents of native ethnicity of the country of residence have, in general, more favourable weight status indicators and energy balance-related behaviours than adolescents of non-native ethnicity across Europe. © 2012 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity © 2012 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Pedagogy of Language Learning in Higher Education: An Introduction. Advances in Foreign Language Pedagogy, Volume 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brauer, Gerd, Ed.

This second volume in the series "Advances in Foreign and Second Language Pedagogy" is an introduction to the pedagogy of language learning in higher education focusing on learner motivation, classroom environments, relationships for learning, and the future of language education. The book reveals numerous links to language education on the…

Variation in Second Language Learners' Strategies among Non-Native English Speakers from Three Language/Culture Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebsworth, Miriam Eisenstein; Tang, Frank Lixing; Razavi, Nikta; Aiello, Jacqueline

2014-01-01

This study explored the effects of cultural and linguistic background, L2 proficiency, and gender on language learning strategies for 263 college-level learners from Chinese, Russian, and Latino backgrounds. Data based on the SILL (Oxford, 2001) revealed that Russian students used significantly more strategies than the Chinese students in three…

The EPDA Institute in Bilingual Education for Teachers of Spanish to the Spanish Speaking (Univ. of Arizona, June 16-August 8, 1969). Final Report of the Director.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona Univ., Tucson.

An 8-week summer institute (three weeks background and preparation, two weeks practice, three weeks summary and translation) was conducted to improve and reorient the abilities of selected high school teachers by giving advanced academic training in the areas of Mexican language, literature, and culture; and by relating these areas of experience…

Children with Developmental Language Impairment Have Vocabulary Deficits Characterized by Limited Breadth and Depth

PubMed Central

McGregor, Karla K.; Oleson, Jacob; Bahnsen, Alison; Duff, Dawna

2012-01-01

Background Deficient vocabulary is a frequently reported symptom of developmental language impairment but the nature of the deficit and its developmental course are not well documented. Aims We aimed to describe the nature of the deficit in terms of breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge and to determine whether the nature and the extent of the deficit change over the school years. Methods A total of 25,681 oral definitions produced by 177 children with developmental language impairment (LI) and 325 grade-mates with normally developing language (ND) in grades 2, 4, 8, and 10 were taken from an existing longitudinal database. We analyzed these for breadth by counting the number of words defined correctly and for depth by determining the amount of information in each correct definition. Via a linear mixed model, we determined whether breadth and depth varied with language diagnosis independent of nonverbal IQ, mothers’ education level, race, gender, income and (for depth only) word. Results Children with LI scored significantly lower than children with ND on breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge in all grades. The extent of the deficit did not vary significantly across grades. Language diagnosis was an independent predictor of breadth and depth and as strong a predictor as maternal education. For the LI group, growth in depth relative to breadth was slower than for the ND group. Conclusions Compared to their grade-mates, children with LI have fewer words in their vocabularies and they have shallower knowledge of the words that are in their vocabularies. This deficit persists over developmental time. PMID:23650887

Patient predictors of colposcopy comprehension of consent among English- and Spanish-speaking women.

PubMed

Krankl, Julia Tatum; Shaykevich, Shimon; Lipsitz, Stuart; Lehmann, Lisa Soleymani

2011-01-01

patients with limited English proficiency may be at increased risk for diminished understanding of clinical procedures. This study sought to assess patient predictors of comprehension of colposcopy information during informed consent and to assess differences in understanding between English and Spanish speakers. between June and August 2007, English- and Spanish-speaking colposcopy patients at two Boston hospitals were surveyed to assess their understanding of the purpose, risks, benefits, alternatives, and nature of colposcopy. Patient demographic information was collected. there were 183 women who consented to participate in the study. We obtained complete data on 111 English speakers and 38 Spanish speakers. English speakers were more likely to have a higher education, greater household income, and private insurance. Subjects correctly answered an average of 7.91 ± 2.16 (72%) of 11 colposcopy survey questions. English speakers answered more questions correctly than Spanish speakers (8.50 ± 1.92 [77%] vs 6.21 ± 1.93 [56%]; p < .001). Using linear regression to adjust for confounding variables, we found that language was not significantly associated with greater understanding (p = .46). Rather, education was the most significant predictor of colposcopy knowledge (p < .001). many colposcopy patients did not understand the procedure well enough to give informed consent. The observed differences in colposcopy comprehension based on language were a proxy for differences in education. Education, not language, predicted subjects' understanding of colposcopy. These results demonstrate the need for greater attention to patients' educational background to ensure adequate understanding of clinical information. 2011 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Dosage effects of X and Y chromosomes on language and social functioning in children with supernumerary sex chromosome aneuploidies: Implications for idiopathic language impairment and autism spectrum disorders

PubMed Central

Lee, Nancy Raitano; Wallace, Gregory L.; Adeyemi, Elizabeth I.; Lopez, Katherine C.; Blumenthal, Jonathan D.; Clasen, Liv S.; Giedd, Jay N.

2012-01-01

Background Supernumerary sex chromosome aneuploidies (X/Y-aneuploidies), the presence of extra X- and/or Y-chromosomes, are associated with heightened rates of language impairments and social difficulties. However, no single study has examined different language domains and social functioning in the same sample of children with tri-, tetra-, and pentasomy X/Y-aneuploidy. The current research sought to fill this gap in the literature and to examine dosage effects of X- and Y-chromosomes on language and social functioning. Methods Participants included 110 youth with X/Y-aneuploidies (32 female) and 52 with typical development (25 female) matched on age (mean~12 years; range 4–22) and maternal education. Participants completed the Wechsler intelligence scales and parents completed the Children’s Communication Checklist-2 and the Social Responsiveness Scale to assess language skills and autistic traits, respectively. Results Both supernumerary X- and Y-chromosomes were related to depressed structural and pragmatic language skills and increased autistic traits. The addition of a Y-chromosome had a disproportionately greater impact on pragmatic language; the addition of one or more X-chromosomes had a disproportionately greater impact on structural language. Conclusions Given that we link extra X-chromosomes with structural language impairments and an extra Y-chromosome with pragmatic language impairments, X/Y-aneuploidies may provide clues to genetic mechanisms contributing to idiopathic language impairment and autism spectrum disorders. PMID:22827287

“Double culturedness”: the “capital” of Inuit nurses

PubMed Central

Møller, Helle

2013-01-01

Background The health and educational systems in Greenland and Nunavut are reflections of those in Denmark and Southern Canada, with the language of instruction and practise being Danish and English. This places specific demands on Inuit studying nursing. Objective This paper discusses the experiences of Inuit who are educated in nursing programmes and practise in healthcare systems located in the Arctic but dominated by EuroCanadian and Danish culture and language. Design Research was qualitative and ethnographic. It was conducted through 12 months of fieldwork in 5 Greenlandic and 2 Nunavut communities. Methods Observation, participant observation, interviews, questionnaires and document review were used. The analytical framework involved Bourdieu's concepts of capital and habitus. Results Participants experienced degrees of success and well-being in the educational systems that are afforded to few other Canadian and Greenlandic Inuit. This success appeared to be based on nurses and students possessing, or having acquired, what I call “double culturedness”; this makes them able to communicate in at least 2 languages and cultures, including the ability to understand, negotiate and interact, using at least 2 ways of being in the world and 2 ways of learning and teaching. Conclusion There continues to be a critical need for Inuit nurses with their special knowledge and abilities in the healthcare systems of the Arctic. Inuit nurses’ experiences will help inform the education and healthcare systems and point to areas in need of support and change in order to increase recruitment and retention of nursing students and practitioners. PMID:23986889

More Delusions May Be Observed in Low-Proficient Multilingual Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

PubMed Central

Liu, Yi-Chien; Liu, Yen-Ying; Yip, Ping-Keung; Akanuma, Kyoko; Meguro, Kenichi

2015-01-01

Background Language impairment and behavioral symptoms are both common phenomena in dementia patients. In this study, we investigated the behavioral symptoms in dementia patients with different language backgrounds. Through this, we aimed to propose a possible connection between language and delusion. Methods We recruited 21 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to the DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, from the memory clinic of the Cardinal Tien Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. They were classified into two groups: 11 multilinguals who could speak Japanese, Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese, and 10 bilinguals who only spoke Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese. There were no differences between age, education, disease duration, disease severity, environment and medical care between these two groups. Comprehensive neuropsychological examinations, including Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), Verbal fluency, Chinese version of the Boston naming test (BNT) and the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD), were administered. Results The multilingual group showed worse results on the Boston naming test. Other neuropsychological tests, including the MMSE, CASI and Verbal fluency, were not significantly different. More delusions were noted in the multilingual group. Three pairs of subjects were identified for further examination of their differences. These three cases presented the typical scenario of how language misunderstanding may cause delusions in multilingual dementia patients. Consequently, more emotion and distorted ideas may be induced in the multilinguals compared with the MMSE-matched controls. Conclusion Inappropriate mixing of language or conflict between cognition and emotion may cause more delusions in these multilingual patients. This reminds us that delusion is not a pure biological outcome of brain degeneration. Although the cognitive performance was not significantly different between our groups, language may still affect their delusion. PMID:26554588

Educator Language Ideologies and a Top-Down Dual Language Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzsimmons-Doolan, Shannon; Palmer, Deborah; Henderson, Kathryn

2017-01-01

Dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs are framed to reflect pluralist discourses (de Jong, E. [2013]. "Policy Discourses and U.S. Language in Education Policies." "Peabody Journal of Education" 88 (1): 98-111) and affiliated language ideologies. The continued expansion of DLBE programs not surprisingly brings to…

Language Issues in Distance Education. Dunford Seminar Report (16th, England, United Kingdom, 1993).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

British Council, London (England).

A collection of articles from a 1993 British seminar on language issues in distance education includes: "The End of Distance Education" (Iredale); "The Logistics of Distance Language Teaching" (Turner); "The Open University and Language Issues" (Floyd); "Language Issues in Distance Education at Tertiary…

Child, family, and school characteristics related to English proficiency development among low-income, dual language learners.

PubMed

Kim, Yoon Kyong; Curby, Timothy W; Winsler, Adam

2014-12-01

Little is known about 2nd language development among young, low-income, language-minority children. This article examined the longitudinal English development of low-income, dual language learners (DLLs) in Miami (n = 18,532) from kindergarten through 5th grade. Growth curve modeling indicated that social skills, good behavior, Spanish (L1) competence in preschool, having a mother born in the United States, and attending larger schools with fewer DLLs were associated with higher initial levels of English proficiency in kindergarten and/or steeper growth over time. Survival analyses indicated that it took about 2 years for half of the sample to become proficient in English according to the school district's criterion. Higher initial proficiency in kindergarten, not receiving free/reduced lunch, not being Hispanic or Black, strong cognitive, language, and socioemotional skills at age 4, and maternal education were associated with faster attainment of English proficiency. It is important for teachers, parents, researchers, and policy makers to understand that DLL students come from diverse backgrounds and that poverty and other factors influence the speed of English language development for DLLs. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Social Justice Language Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, Margaret R.

2011-01-01

Social justice language teacher education conceptualizes language teacher education as responding to social and societal inequities that result in unequal access to educational and life opportunities. In this volume authors articulate a global view of Social Justice Language Teacher Education, with authors from 7 countries offering a theorized…

Impact of Communication on Preventive Services Among Deaf American Sign Language Users

PubMed Central

McKee, Michael M.; Barnett, Steve L.; Block, Robert C.; Pearson, Thomas A.

2011-01-01

Background Deaf American Sign Language (ASL) users face communication and language barriers that limit healthcare communication with their providers. Prior research has not examined preventive services with ASL-skilled clinicians. Purpose The goal of this study was to determine whether provider language concordance is associated with improved receipt of preventive services among deaf respondents. Methods This cross-sectional study included 89 deaf respondents aged 50–75 years from the Deaf Health Survey (2008), a BRFSS survey adapted for use with deaf ASL users. Association between the respondent's communication method with the provider (i.e., categorized as either concordant–doctor signs or discordant–other) and preventive services use was assessed using logistic regression adjusting for race, gender, income, health status, health insurance, and education. Analyses were conducted in 2010. Results Deaf respondents who reported having a concordant provider were more likely to report a greater number of preventive services (OR 3.42; 95% CI:1.31, 8.93; p=0.0122) when compared to deaf respondents who reported having a discordant provider even after adjusting for race, gender, income, health status, health insurance, and education. In unadjusted analyses, deaf respondents who reported having a concordant provider were more likely to receive an influenza vaccination in the past year (OR 4.55; p=0.016) when compared to respondents who had a discordant provider. Conclusions Language-concordant patient–provider communication is associated with higher appropriate use of preventive services by deaf ASL users. PMID:21665066

Profiles of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers of English in Terms of Language Learning Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uztosun, Mehmet Sercan

2017-01-01

This study aims to describe the language learning backgrounds of Turkish pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) with reference to their perceived language competence and satisfaction with perceived speaking ability. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a questionnaire that was administered to 365 first-year…

Predictors of English Health Literacy among U.S. Hispanic Immigrants: The importance of language, bilingualism and sociolinguistic environment

PubMed Central

Hund, Lauren; Soto Mas, Francisco

2016-01-01

In the United States, data confirm that Spanish-speaking immigrants are particularly affected by the negative health outcomes associated with low health literacy. Although the literature points to variables such as age, educational background and language, only a few studies have investigated the factors that may influence health literacy in this group. Similarly, the role that bilingualism and/or multilingualism play in health literacy assessment continues to be an issue in need of further research. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of English health literacy among adult Hispanic immigrants whose self-reported primary language is Spanish, but who live and function in a bilingual community. It also explored issues related to the language of the instrument. An analysis of data collected through a randomized controlled study was conducted. Results identified English proficiency as the strongest predictor of health literacy (p < 0.001). The results further point to the importance of primary and secondary language in the assessment of heath literacy level. This study raises many questions in need of further investigation to clarify how language proficiency and sociolinguistic environment affect health literacy in language minority adults; proposes language approaches that may be more appropriate for measuring health literacy in these populations; and recommends further place-based research to determine whether the connection between language proficiency and health is generalizable to border communities. PMID:27127416

Predictors of English Health Literacy among U.S. Hispanic Immigrants: The importance of language, bilingualism and sociolinguistic environment.

PubMed

Jacobson, Holly E; Hund, Lauren; Soto Mas, Francisco

In the United States, data confirm that Spanish-speaking immigrants are particularly affected by the negative health outcomes associated with low health literacy. Although the literature points to variables such as age, educational background and language, only a few studies have investigated the factors that may influence health literacy in this group. Similarly, the role that bilingualism and/or multilingualism play in health literacy assessment continues to be an issue in need of further research. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of English health literacy among adult Hispanic immigrants whose self-reported primary language is Spanish, but who live and function in a bilingual community. It also explored issues related to the language of the instrument. An analysis of data collected through a randomized controlled study was conducted. Results identified English proficiency as the strongest predictor of health literacy (p < 0.001). The results further point to the importance of primary and secondary language in the assessment of heath literacy level. This study raises many questions in need of further investigation to clarify how language proficiency and sociolinguistic environment affect health literacy in language minority adults; proposes language approaches that may be more appropriate for measuring health literacy in these populations; and recommends further place-based research to determine whether the connection between language proficiency and health is generalizable to border communities.

A Proposal for a CA-Integrated English Language Teacher Education Program in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sert, Olcay

2010-01-01

This study proposes a comprehensive framework for a Conversation Analysis (CA) informed English language teacher education program in Turkey. By reviewing recent studies in CA, Critical Reflective Practice, Teacher Language Awareness and language teacher education in general; the author calls for a more effective language teacher education program…

Participant Perspectives and Critical Reflections on Language Teacher Education by Distance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knox, John S.

2017-01-01

Language teaching is a profession which is international in character. Language teachers often work and study in foreign countries, and distance education has become very important in the education of language teachers. Drawing on two international surveys, this paper explores language teacher education by distance from the perspective of students…

The Language-in-Education Politics in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Igboanusi, Herbert; Peter, Lothar

2016-01-01

Against the backdrop of the rejection of mother tongue-based bilingual education in Southern Nigeria and in Northern linguistic minority areas, this study investigates the micropolitics of language education by interrogating everyday language practices of education stakeholders which are at variance with language-in-education policy. It relied on…

Reframing Language Allocation Policy in Dual Language Bilingual Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sánchez, María Teresa; García, Ofelia; Solorza, Cristian

2018-01-01

This article addresses language allocation policies in what is increasingly called "Dual Language Education" (DLE) in the U.S., offering a challenge to the strict language separation policies in those programs and a proposal for flexibility that transforms them into "Dual Language Bilingual Education" (DLBE). The article offers…

Intensity of Multilingual Language Use Predicts Cognitive Performance in Some Multilingual Older Adults

PubMed Central

Keijzer, Merel; de Bot, Kees

2018-01-01

Cognitive advantages for bilinguals have inconsistently been observed in different populations, with different operationalisations of bilingualism, cognitive performance, and the process by which language control transfers to cognitive control. This calls for studies investigating which aspects of multilingualism drive a cognitive advantage, in which populations and under which conditions. This study reports on two cognitive tasks coupled with an extensive background questionnaire on health, wellbeing, personality, language knowledge and language use, administered to 387 older adults in the northern Netherlands, a small but highly multilingual area. Using linear mixed effects regression modeling, we find that when different languages are used frequently in different contexts, enhanced attentional control is observed. Subsequently, a PLS regression model targeting also other influential factors yielded a two-component solution whereby only more sensitive measures of language proficiency and language usage in different social contexts were predictive of cognitive performance above and beyond the contribution of age, gender, income and education. We discuss these findings in light of previous studies that try to uncover more about the nature of bilingualism and the cognitive processes that may drive an advantage. With an unusually large sample size our study advocates for a move away from dichotomous, knowledge-based operationalisations of multilingualism and offers new insights for future studies at the individual level. PMID:29783764

Within- and Cross-Language Relations between Oral Language Proficiency and School Outcomes in Bilingual Children with an Immigrant Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prevoo, Mariëlle J. L.; Malda, Maike; Mesman, Judi; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H.

2016-01-01

Sixteen meta-analyses were conducted to examine relations of typically developing bilingual immigrant-background children's oral language proficiency in their first and second language with the school outcomes of early literacy (k = 41), reading (k = 61), spelling (k = 9), mathematics (k = 9), and academic achievement (k = 9). Moderate to strong…

Using Academic Language to Level the Playing Field for English-Language Learners in Physical Education: Part 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Constantinou, Phoebe; Wuest, Deborah A.

2015-01-01

With the common core emphasis on English language art and mathematics skills, physical educators are faced with a challenging task. Educators, in general, are expected to identifying the language demands of their discipline and develop academic language skills within each disciplinary area. In other words, educators are expected to prepare…

"Foreign Language Activities" in Japanese Elementary Schools: Negotiating Teacher Roles and Identities within a New Language Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horii, Sachiko Yokoi

2012-01-01

In 2008, a new language education policy called "Gaikokugo Katsudou" [Foreign Language Activities] was issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science, and Technology (MEXT) in Japan. Effective 2011, foreign language education became mandatory in all Japanese public elementary schools for the first time. With this dramatic…

Minority Language Abandonment in Welsh-Medium Educated L2 Male Adolescents: Classroom, Not Chatroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Abigail Ruth; Tamburelli, Marco

2016-01-01

The education system has played a crucial role in Welsh language maintenance, with Welsh-medium education providing a central locus of language transmission. However, language transmission through education is not without pitfalls. This paper discusses the impact of top-down minority language transmission and the growing issue of formal domain…

Language Outcomes at 7 Years: Early Predictors and Co-Occurring Difficulties.

PubMed

McKean, Cristina; Reilly, Sheena; Bavin, Edith L; Bretherton, Lesley; Cini, Eileen; Conway, Laura; Cook, Fallon; Eadie, Patricia; Prior, Margot; Wake, Melissa; Mensah, Fiona

2017-03-01

To examine at 7 years the language abilities of children, the salience of early life factors and language scores as predictors of language outcome, and co-occurring difficulties METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study of 1910 infants recruited at age 8 to 10 months. Exposures included early life factors (sex, prematurity, birth weight/order, twin birth, socioeconomic status, non-English speaking background,family history of speech/language difficulties); maternal factors (mental health, vocabulary, education, and age); and child language ability at 2 and 4 years. Outcomes were 7-year standardized receptive or expressive language scores (low language: ≥1.25 SD below the mean), and co-occurring difficulties (autism, literacy, social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment, and health-related quality of life). Almost 19% of children (22/1204;18.9%) met criteria for low language at 7 years. Early life factors explained 9-13% of variation in language scores, increasing to 39-58% when child language scores at ages 2 and 4 were included. Early life factors moderately discriminated between children with and without low language (area under the curve: 0.68-0.72), strengthening to good discrimination with language scores at ages 2 and 4 (area under the curve: 0.85-0.94). Low language at age 7 was associated with concurrent difficulties in literacy, social-emotional and behavioral difficulties, and limitations in school and psychosocial functioning. Child language ability at 4 years more accurately predicted low language at 7 than a range of early child, family, and environmental factors. Low language at 7 years was associated with a higher prevalence of co-occurring difficulties. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Towards a National Strategy for Capacity-Building in Heritage Languages and Spanish: A Response to "America's Languages: Investing in Language Education for the 21st Century"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carreira, María M.

2018-01-01

The year 2017 saw the publication of one of the strongest endorsements of language education on record: "America's Languages: Investing in Language Education for the 21st Century" (henceforth "America's Languages"). Commissioned by a bipartisan group of members of Congress and authored by the Commission on Language Learning of…

Japan-U.S. Joint Ventures in Higher Education: Language Education in an Uncertain Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clayton, Thomas

1991-01-01

Examines Japanese-U.S. joint venture language or U.S.-style education programs in Japan. These programs offer language and cultural education classes for those interested in English and for students who have failed in the Japanese education system. Problems facing these programs and the need to explore new, English-language education markets are…

Impacts of an In-Service Education Program on Promoting Language Development in Young Children: A Pilot Study with Early Childhood Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scarinci, Nerina; Rose, Tanya; Pee, Jerrine; Webb, Kylie

2015-01-01

Early childhood educators (ECEs) play an important role in fostering language development in young children. In-service education, led by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), has a potential role in educating ECEs about language development. In this pilot study, 42 ECEs attended an in-service education program and completed pre- and…

New Perspectives and New Directions in Foreign Language Education. The ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birckbichler, Diane W., Ed.

The five essays in this volume address broad trends and issues in foreign language education. "Bandwagons Revisited: A Perspective on Movements in Foreign Language Education" (Frank M. Grittner) suggests that the bandwagons flourish because of lack of standardization and centralized authority in American education. Characteristics and results of…

Literacy achievement of children with intellectual disabilities and differing linguistic backgrounds.

PubMed

Verhoeven, L; Vermeer, A

2006-10-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the literacy achievement of 10- to 12-year-old native and non-native children with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in the Netherlands. An intriguing question within this context was whether the second language learning non-native children with ID would show a double disadvantage when compared with their monolingual Dutch peers with no ID. Dutch literacy scores in the domains of word decoding, vocabulary, syntax and text were therefore compared for: (1) intellectually disabled native Dutch children; (2) intellectually disabled non-native children; (3) normally developing native Dutch children; and (4) normally developing non-native children. The interrelations between literacy subskills were also compared for native vs. non-native children with ID. The native and non-native students diagnosed as intellectually disabled produced substantially lower literacy scores than their non-disabled peers. The differences between the native (L1) and non-native (L2) children in regular vs. special education were found to depend on the aspect of literacy considered. Word decoding and language skills turned out to significantly predict the children's reading comprehension, although some differences in the strength of relationships could also be evidenced. The literacy achievement of intellectually disabled children with differing linguistic backgrounds generally falls behind that of their non-disabled peers. For word decoding, the non-native children in regular and special education were generally able to keep up with their native peers. For higher-order literacy abilities closely related to the mental lexicon, sentence processing and text processing, however, significant differences in the performances of the native (L1) and non-native (L2) children in regular vs. special education were found, suggesting a double disadvantage for the non-native children in special education.

The Australian Language Levels (ALL) Project--A Response to Curriculum Needs in Australia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scarino, Angela; McKay, Penny

Australia has a unique range of language communities and language education needs. A variety of languages is currently offered to different groups of learners through diverse programs. Language teaching may be provided through bilingual education, limited-exposure programs, or compulsory language instruction. Federal and state education agencies,…

An Integrative Approach to Foreign Language Teaching: Choosing Among the Options. ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series, Vol. 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, Gilbert A., Ed.

This volume on foreign language teaching and learning concerns the following topics: lifelong learning, small-group learning, the minicourse, student attitudes toward foreign languages, problems in secondary schools, humanistic education, curricula in uncommonly taught languages, foreign languages in elementary and adolescent-centered education,…

Science as a Second Language: Acquiring Fluency through Science Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shope, R. E.

2012-12-01

Science Enterprises are problems that students genuinely want to solve, questions that students genuinely want to answer, that naturally entail reading, writing, exploration, investigation, and discussion. Engaging students in personally-relevant science enterprises provides both a diagnostic opportunity and a context for providing students the comprehensible input they need. We can differentiate instruction by creating science enterprise zones that are set up for the incremental increase in challenge for the students. Comprehensible input makes reachable, those just-out-of-reach concepts in the mix of the familiar and the new. We explore a series of science enterprise tools that have been developed and implemented in the context of informal science education projects that have reached over 10,000 urban youth in the Greater Los Angles area over the past six years. 1) The ED3U Science Inquiry Model, a learning cycle model that accounts for conceptual change; 2) The ¿NQUIRY Wheel, a compass of scientific inquiry strategies; 3) Inquiry Science Expeditions, a way of laying out a science learning environment, emulating a field and lab research collaboratory; 4) The Science Educative Experience Scale, a diagnostic measure of the quality of the science learning experience; and 5) Science Mimes, participatory enactment of science understanding. Practical examples of Science Enterprises will be presented, including a range of projects: Watershed Ecology; Astrobiology; Mars Rovers; Planetary Science; Icy Worlds. BACKGROUND: Language Acquisition is an informal process that occurs in the midst of exploring, solving problems, seeking answers to questions, playing, reading for pleasure, conversing, discussing, where the focus is not specifically on language development, but on the activity, which is of interest to the participant. Language Learning is a formal education process, the language arts aspect of the school day: the direct teaching of reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and speaking. Fluency results primarily from language acquisition and secondarily from language learning. We can view the problem of science education and communication as similar to language acquisition. Science Learning is a formal education process, the school science aspect of the school day: the direct teaching of standards-aligned science content. Science Acquisition is an informal process that occurs in the midst of exploring, solving problems, seeking answers to questions, playing, experimenting for pleasure, conversing, discussing, where the focus is not specifically on science content development, but on the inquiry activity, driven by the curiosity of the participant. Comprehensible input refers to the premise that we acquire language in the midst of activity when we understand the message; that is, when we understand what we hear or what we read or what we see. Acquisition is caused by comprehensible input as it occurs in the midst of a rich environment of language activity while doing something of interest to the learner. Providing comprehensible input is not the same as oversimplifying or "dumbing down." It is devising ways to create conditions where the interest of the learner is piqued.

Science As A Second Language: Acquiring Fluency through Science Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shope, R.; EcoVoices Expedition Team

2013-05-01

Science Enterprises are problems that students genuinely want to solve, questions that students genuinely want to answer, that naturally entail reading, writing, investigation, and discussion. Engaging students in personally-relevant science enterprises provides both a diagnostic opportunity and a context for providing students the comprehensible input they need. We can differentiate instruction by creating science enterprise zones that are set up for the incremental increase in challenge for the students. Comprehensible input makes reachable, those just-out-of-reach concepts in the mix of the familiar and the new. EcoVoices takes students on field research expeditions within an urban natural area, the San Gabriel River Discovery Center. This project engages students in science enterprises focused on understanding ecosystems, ecosystem services, and the dynamics of climate change. A sister program, EcoVoces, has been launched in Mexico, in collaboration with the Universidad Loyola del Pacífico. 1) The ED3U Science Inquiry Model, a learning cycle model that accounts for conceptual change: Explore { Diagnose, Design, Discuss } Use. 2) The ¿NQUIRY Wheel, a compass of scientific inquiry strategies; 3) Inquiry Science Expeditions, a way of laying out a science learning environment, emulating a field and lab research collaboratory; 4) The Science Educative Experience Scale, a diagnostic measure of the quality of the science learning experience; and 5) Mimedia de la Ciencia, participatory enactment of science concepts using techniques of mime and improvisational theater. BACKGROUND: Science has become a vehicle for teaching reading, writing, and other communication skills, across the curriculum. This new emphasis creates renewed motivation for Scientists and Science Educators to work collaboratively to explore the common ground between acquiring science understanding and language acquisition theory. Language Acquisition is an informal process that occurs in the midst of exploring, solving problems, seeking answers to questions, playing, reading for pleasure, conversing, discussing, where the focus is not specifically on language development, but on the activity, which is of interest to the participant. Language Learning is a formal education process, the language arts aspect of the school day: the direct teaching of reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and speaking. Fluency results primarily from language acquisition and secondarily from language learning. We can view the problem of science education and communication as similar to language acquisition. Science Learning is a formal education process, the school science aspect of the school day: the direct teaching of standards-aligned science content. Science Acquisition is an informal process that occurs in the midst of exploring, solving problems, seeking answers to questions, playing, experimenting for pleasure, conversing, discussing, where the focus is not specifically on science content development, but on the inquiry activity, driven by the curiosity of the participant. Treating Science as a Second Language shifts the evaluation of science learning to include gauging the extent to which students choose to deepen their pursuit of science learning.

Approaches to enhance the teaching quality of experimental biochemistry for MBBS students in TSMU, China.

PubMed

Yu, Lijuan; Yi, Shuying; Zhai, Jing; Wang, Zhaojin

2017-07-08

With the internationalization of medical education in China, the importance of international students' education in medical schools is also increasing. Except foreign students majoring in Chinese language, English Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBSS) students are the largest group of international students. Based on problems in the teaching process for experimental biochemistry, we designed teaching models adapted to the background of international students and strengthened teachers' teaching ability at Taishan Medical University. Several approaches were used in combination to promote teaching effects and increase the benefit of teaching to teachers. The primary data showed an increased passion for basic medical biochemistry and an improved theoretical background for MBSS students, which will be helpful for their later clinical medicine studies. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(4):360-364, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Diskriminierung ausländischer Kinder im Unterricht? Darstellung und Wege zu ihrem Abbau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luchtenberg, Sigrid

1984-12-01

The situation of migrant children in German multicultural primary schools is considered with the help of an example of a Turkish boy (6+). This consideration shows that such children are poorly prepared to follow the conventional lessons because of their sociocultural contents. In addition, it demonstrates that German children get to know nearly nothing about the cultural background of the migrant children in their class. Both groups of children remain foreign to each other. Such a situation may give rise to discrimination. The article continues by examining various problems of such different subjects of instruction as, e.g., German language, environmental education etc. Proposals are made as to how the situation may be improved already by simple modifications of current habitudes of education. Knowledge of each other's cultural background will not only avoid subsequent discrimination, but will also lead to more tolerance which is an important factor in a multicultural society.

The Invisible Multilingual Teacher: The Contribution of Language Background to Australian ESL Teachers' Professional Knowledge and Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Elizabeth M.

2004-01-01

English as a second language (ESL) is taught in Australia to adult learners of mixed language backgrounds through the medium of English, and there is currently no requirement that ESL teachers speak another language. This paper reports on a study which asked what advantages there may be for ESL teachers to have proficiency in two or more…

One service, many voices: enhancing consumer participation in a primary health service for multicultural women.

PubMed

Lee, Susan K; Thompson, Sandra C; Amorin-Woods, Deisy

2009-01-01

Consumer participation in primary health care is important in providing quality consumer-focused care, but challenging when working with disadvantaged groups of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Women's Health Services (WHS) works with women from over 60 different nationalities, including many newly arrived migrants and refugees. New arrivals access a wide range of WHS programmes including medical services, counselling, information, community talks and workshops, referral, and outreach, but few ethnic women attended the alcohol and other drug (AOD) services offered by the organisation. To establish an active consumer reference group to assist understanding and reducing the barriers to AOD services for a heterogeneous disadvantaged group that includes individuals from different cultural, language and educational backgrounds. Leaning heavily on experiences from the mental health field, WHS overcame many practical and philosophical considerations which included: agreeing upon the purpose of the group and how it would operate within the structure of the organisation; the level of English language required by participants for the group to function; issues of resourcing the group; and ensuring an appropriate, workable demographic mix in terms of age, language, and migration experiences. The process and the outcome of establishing a consumer reference group (CRG) in a primary healthcare setting has been valuable for consumers' and health service providers within the organisation.

Cross-cultural variation in symptom perception of hypoglycemia

PubMed Central

Kalra, Sanjay; Balhara, Yatan Pal Singh; Mithal, Ambrish

2013-01-01

Background: Cross-cultural differences in attitudes and practices related to diabetes are well-known. Similar differences in symptom reporting of endocrine conditions such as menopause are well documented. Minimal literature is available on the cross-cultural variation in reporting of hypoglycemic symptoms. Aims: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the symptoms of hypoglycemia encountered by diabetologists who deal with patients from different language groups from various states of North and West India and Nepal. Materials and Methods: Eighty three doctors from six Indian states and Nepal, attending a continuing medical education program were requested to fill a detailed, pre-tested, Likert scale based questionnaire which assessed the frequency and symptoms with which patients presented with hypoglycemia in their clinical practice. Data were analyzed based on geographic location of the diabetologists and language spoken by their patients (Hindi vs. Gujarati). Results: Gujarati-speaking patients tended to report to their doctors, a greater inability to work under pressure and a higher frequency of intense hunger during hypoglycemia. They were less likely to report specific adrenergic (inward trembling), neuroglycopenic (feeling down over nothing), and nocturnal (crumpled bedsheets upon waking up) symptoms. Conclusion: Significant cross-cultural differences related to the symptomatology of hypoglycemia are noted. Indian diabetologists should be aware of the varying presentation of hypoglycemia based on language and ethnic background. PMID:24672191

Teacher Educators' Personal Practical Knowledge of Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swart, Fenna; de Graaff, Rick; Onstenk, Jeroen; Knezic, Dubravka

2018-01-01

This paper describes teacher educators' understanding of language for classroom communication in higher education. We argue that teacher educators who are aware of their personal practical knowledge of language have a better understanding of their students' language use and provide better support for knowledge construction. Personal practical…

Language Learning as Linguistic Entrepreneurship: Implications for Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Costa, Peter; Park, Joseph; Wee, Lionel

2016-01-01

The growing emphasis on accountability, competitiveness, efficiency, and profit demonstrates how language education has been impacted by neoliberalism. To bring out the implications of neoliberalism on language education, we explore how language learning is increasingly constructed as a form of linguistic entrepreneurship, or "an act of…

Language-Related Values, Reading Amount, and Reading Comprehension in Students with Migration Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Khechen, Wahiba; Ferdinand, Hanna D.; Steinmayr, Ricarda; McElvany, Nele

2016-01-01

Background: Although various studies on general language performance have investigated determinants of students' reading comprehension (e.g., reading amount), they have paid insufficient attention to how students perceive parental values influence their language-related values and behaviour--and, as a consequence, their performance. This is…

Progress, Proficiency and Motivation among British University Language Learners. CLCS Occasional Paper No. 40.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, James A.

A study of over 3,000 British college and university students investigated the relationship of student language proficiency and student demographic and background characteristics. Proficiency levels were assessed by means of C-Tests, while associated questionnaires sought to explore biographical data, language learning background, residence…

Possibilities and Limits of Integrating Science and Diversity Education in Preservice Elementary Teacher Preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bravo, Marco A.; Mosqueda, Eduardo; Solís, Jorge L.; Stoddart, Trish

2014-08-01

In this paper we present findings from a project that documented the development of preservice teachers' beliefs and practices in delivering science instruction that considers issues of language and culture. Teacher candidates in the intervention group ( n = 65) received a science methods course and teaching practicum experience that provided guidance in teaching science in culturally and linguistically responsive ways. Comparisons between a control group of preservice teachers ( n = 45) and those involved in the intervention yielded stronger beliefs about the efficacy in promoting collaboration in science teaching than the intervention group. Observations of these preservice teachers during their teaching practicum revealed differences in favor of the intervention group in: (a) implementing science instruction that addressed the language and literacy involved in science; (b) using questions that elicited higher order thinking and; (c) providing scaffolds (e.g., purposeful feedback, probing student background knowledge) when confronting abstract scientific concepts. Implications for preservice teacher education are addressed.

Facility with the English language and problem-based learning group interaction: findings from an Arabic setting.

PubMed

Mpofu, D J; Lanphear, J; Stewart, T; Das, M; Ridding, P; Dunn, E

1998-09-01

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), United Arab Emirates (UAE) University is in a unique position to explore issues related to English language proficiency and medical student performance. All students entering the FMHS have English as a second language. This study focused on the issues of students' proficiency in English as measured by the TOEFL test, student background factors and interaction in problem-based learning (PBL) groups. Using a modification of Bales Interaction Process Analysis, four problem-based learning groups were observed over four thematic units, to measure the degree of student interaction within PBL groups and to compare this to individual TOEFL scores and key background variables. The students' contributions correlated highly with TOEFL test results in the giving of information (range r = 0.67-0.74). The female students adhered to interacting in English during group sessions, whereas the male students were more likely to revert to using Arabic in elaborating unclear phenomena (p < 0.01). The educational level of the student's mother was highly predictive of TOEFL scores for the male students, but not for female students. Multivariate analysis was undertaken to analyse the relative contribution of the TOEFL, parental education and years of studying in English. The best predictor of students' contributions in PBL groups was identified as TOEFL scores. The study demonstrates the importance of facilitating a locally acceptable level of English proficiency prior to admission to the FMHS. However, it also highlights the importance of not focusing only on English proficiency but paying attention to additional factors in facilitating medical students in maximizing benefits from interactions in PBL settings.

Language in Early Childhood Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cazden, Courtney B., Ed.

Eight articles about oral language education for preschool children are presented. They are: (1) a point of view on oral language education--"Suggestions from Studies of Early Language Acquisition,""Language Programs for Young Children: Notes from England and Wales," and "The Issue of Structure," by Courtney Cazden; (2) suggestions for curriculum…

Culture for Language Learning in Australian Language-in-Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liddicoat, Anthony J.

2005-01-01

Australia's language-in-education policy documents have consistently included references to the place of "culture" in language teaching. This paper seeks to examine how the major national policies conceptualise culture and interculturality in relationship to languages education. For each policy, this study will analyse the language…

Perfecting the Partnership: Revitalising the Maori Language in New Zealand Education and Society 1987-2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benton, Richard A.

2015-01-01

This paper looks at aspects of Maori language revitalisation since the passage of the Maori Language Act, 1987 which gave official status to the language. It is a sequel to an article on Maori language in education published in this journal the following year [Benton, R. A. (1988). "The Maori language in New Zealand education."…

Deaf Education Policy as Language Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Sweden and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hult, Francis M.; Compton, Sarah E.

2012-01-01

The role of languages is a central issue in deaf education. The function of sign languages in education and deaf students' opportunities to develop linguistic abilities in both sign languages and the dominant language(s) of a society are key considerations (Hogan-Brun 2009; Reagan 2010, 53; Swanwick 2010a). Accordingly, what Kaplan and Baldauf…

School performance and wellbeing of children with CI in different communicative-educational environments.

PubMed

Langereis, Margreet; Vermeulen, Anneke

2015-06-01

This study aimed to evaluate the long term effects of CI on auditory, language, educational and social-emotional development of deaf children in different educational-communicative settings. The outcomes of 58 children with profound hearing loss and normal non-verbal cognition, after 60 months of CI use have been analyzed. At testing the children were enrolled in three different educational settings; in mainstream education, where spoken language is used or in hard-of-hearing education where sign supported spoken language is used and in bilingual deaf education, with Sign Language of the Netherlands and Sign Supported Dutch. Children were assessed on auditory speech perception, receptive language, educational attainment and wellbeing. Auditory speech perception of children with CI in mainstream education enable them to acquire language and educational levels that are comparable to those of their normal hearing peers. Although the children in mainstream and hard-of-hearing settings show similar speech perception abilities, language development in children in hard-of-hearing settings lags significantly behind. Speech perception, language and educational attainments of children in deaf education remained extremely poor. Furthermore more children in mainstream and hard-of-hearing environments are resilient than in deaf educational settings. Regression analyses showed an important influence of educational setting. Children with CI who are placed in early intervention environments that facilitate auditory development are able to achieve good auditory speech perception, language and educational levels on the long term. Most parents of these children report no social-emotional concerns. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Migration and self-esteem: a qualitative study among internal migrant girls in Turkey.

PubMed

Altinyelken, Hulya Kosar

2009-01-01

This article examining the impact of migration experience on self-esteem of girls enrolled at primary schools in Turkey. It is based on a broader study that explored educational and coping strategies of internal migrant girls living in a suburban town in the western part of Turkey. The study showed that students encountered a variety of challenges in their new school environment including adaptation, language, low socioeconomic background, peer relations, discrimination, and bullying. These challenges seemed to have a direct or indirect influence on the educational experiences of migrant girls, undermining their self-esteem in multiple and complex ways.

A Study of Problems and Responses in the Development of Dual-Language Education Models in Tibetan Regions: Taking Xiahe County in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture as an Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hongzhi, Long

2017-01-01

Dual-language education models are theoretical and practical systems formed through the process of dual-language education and centered on study and teaching. The language environment is the basis for developing and reforming dual-language education models. The author takes Xiahe County in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture as an example and…

Language Education in Elementary Schools: Meeting the Needs of the Nation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubio, Fernando

2018-01-01

This article briefly reviews the social, political, and economic context that explains the present status of elementary language education in the United States and addresses the challenges identified by recent reports on the state of language education in the United States. Different curricular models of world language education--exploratory,…

Language Educators' Understanding of Authenticity in Teaching and Its Impacts on Their Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramezanzadeh, Akram

2017-01-01

This grounded theory study explored the conceptualization of authenticity in language education. The participants were 30 Iranian English language educators, who were studied as adult learners. The findings revealed that authenticity was conceptualized by language educators as a social and reflective practice under the influence of the…

Medical education in a foreign language and history-taking in the native language in Lebanon - a nationwide survey.

PubMed

Abi Raad, Vanda; Raad, Kareem; Daaboul, Yazan; Korjian, Serge; Asmar, Nadia; Jammal, Mouin; Aoun Bahous, Sola

2016-11-22

With the adoption of the English language in medical education, a gap in clinical communication may develop in countries where the native language is different from the language of medical education. This study investigates the association between medical education in a foreign language and students' confidence in their history-taking skills in their native language. This cross-sectional study consisted of a 17-question survey among medical students in clinical clerkships of Lebanese medical schools. The relationship between the language of medical education and confidence in conducting a medical history in Arabic (the native language) was evaluated (n = 457). The majority (88.5%) of students whose native language was Arabic were confident they could conduct a medical history in Arabic. Among participants enrolled in the first clinical year, high confidence in Arabic history-taking was independently associated with Arabic being the native language and with conducting medical history in Arabic either in the pre-clinical years or during extracurricular activities. Among students in their second clinical year, however, these factors were not associated with confidence levels. Despite having their medical education in a foreign language, the majority of students in Lebanese medical schools are confident in conducting a medical history in their native language.

Do Effects of Center-Based Care and Education on Vocabulary and Mathematical Skills Vary with Children's Sociocultural Background? Disparities in the Use of and Effects of Early Childhood Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burger, Kaspar

2012-01-01

Using data from a survey on cognitive proficiency levels of first graders in Switzerland (N = 1.830), this study analyzes (1) who has access to institutional childcare, (2) whether institutional childcare affects cognitive skills of children who differ in terms of socioeconomic status, home literacy, native country, and home language, and (3) how…

Reforzando a los Alumnos Diversos Culturalmente y Linguisticamente con Aprendizaje. Traduccion de ERIC EC Digest #E500. (Empowering Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Learning Problems). Translation of ERIC EC Digest #E500.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummins, Jim

This digest describes ways in which professionals who work with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can create an educational climate that accepts and respects the language and culture of its students and empowers them to feel confident enough to risk getting involved in the learning process. Methods of creating such an…

34 CFR 669.1 - What is the Language Resource Centers Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the Language Resource Centers Program? 669.1... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM General § 669.1 What is the Language Resource Centers Program? The Language Resource Centers Program makes awards, through grants or...

34 CFR 669.1 - What is the Language Resource Centers Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is the Language Resource Centers Program? 669.1... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM General § 669.1 What is the Language Resource Centers Program? The Language Resource Centers Program makes awards, through grants or...

Language Policy and Planning in Language Education: Legacies, Consequences, and Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, Terrence G.; García, Ofelia

2016-01-01

This article considers the relevance of language policy and planning (LPP) for language education in the United States in relation to the country's longstanding and continuing multilingualism. In reflecting on the U.S. context, one striking feature is the absence of a guiding overarching explicit national educational language policy. Language…

Integrating Intercultural and Communicative Objectives in the Foreign Language Class: A Proposal for the Integration of Two Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borghetti, Claudia

2013-01-01

The "intercultural turn" of the 1990s brought about the introduction of the terms "Foreign Language Education" and "Intercultural Foreign Language Education" (IFLE) in place of "language teaching". These terms broaden the aims of language education to include students' intercultural competence (IC),…

Additional Language Education and Language Development Goals: The Example of Gaelic (Learners) Education in Highland Council, Scotland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrowski, Lindsay Milligan

2014-01-01

Language shift is the process whereby one language becomes increasingly lesser used in place of the use of another language. In Scotland, language shift is occurring for Gaelic, as English takes its place for a variety of functions in the home and wider community. Extensive literature has argued the important role that education can play in the…

Language Matters in Rural Schools in South Africa: Are Educators Making the Implementation of the Language in Education Policy (1997) Work?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sookrajh, Reshma; Joshua, Jenny

2009-01-01

In July 1997, the Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) was introduced in South Africa. While the intention of this policy was to promote all 11 official languages and give individuals the right to choose the language of learning and teaching, the practical implementation has generally been fraught with challenges. However, language policy…

Some Aspects of Developing Background Knowledge in Second Language Acquisition Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zashchitina, Galina; Moysyak, Natalia

2017-01-01

The article focuses on defining how background knowledge impacts on second-language acquisition by giving a brief overview of schema theory, the interaction of the basic modes of information processing. A challenge of dealing with culturally specific texts in second language acquisition is also touched upon. Different research-supported views on…

Tonal Language Background and Detecting Pitch Contour in Spoken and Musical Items

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Catherine J.; Keller, Peter E.; Tyler, Michael D.

2013-01-01

An experiment investigated the effect of tonal language background on discrimination of pitch contour in short spoken and musical items. It was hypothesized that extensive exposure to a tonal language attunes perception of pitch contour. Accuracy and reaction times of adult participants from tonal (Thai) and non-tonal (Australian English) language…

Perceptual Judgments of Accented Speech by Listeners from Different First Language Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Okim; Vo, Son Ca Thanh; Moran, Meghan Kerry

2016-01-01

Research in second language speech has often focused on listeners' accent judgment and factors that affect their perception. However, the topic of listeners' application of specific sound categories in their own perceptual judgments has not been widely investigated. The current study explored how listeners from diverse language backgrounds weighed…

Cultural Backgrounds and Textual Appropriation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shi, Ling

2006-01-01

This study examines interviews with 46 undergraduates to explore if participants with differing language and cultural backgrounds view plagiarism or textual appropriation primarily as a) a language problem because of a lack of words of one's own, or b) a cultural challenge as a result of either some first language (L1) cultural training to…

Second Language Comprehensibility Revisited: Investigating the Effects of Learner Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowther, Dustin; Trofimovich, Pavel; Saito, Kazuya; Isaacs, Talia

2015-01-01

The current study investigated first language (L1) effects on listener judgment of comprehensibility and accentedness in second language (L2) speech. The participants were 45 university-level adult speakers of English from three L1 backgrounds (Chinese, Hindi, Farsi), performing a picture narrative task. Ten native English listeners used…

Minority Language Education in Malaysia: Four Ethnic Communities' Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Karla J.

2003-01-01

Discusses minority language education in Malaysia, a multilingual and multicultural country. Looks at four language minority groups and what they have done to to provide beginning education programs for their children that use the children's native languages. (Author/VWL)

Striving for the Third Place: Intercultural Competence through Language Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo Bianco, Joseph, Ed.; Liddicoat, Anthony J., Ed.; Crozet, Chantal, Ed.

Essays concerning second language teaching as a means of promoting intercultural competence include: "Intercultural Competence: From Language Policy to Language Education" (Chantal Crozet, Anthony J. Liddicoat, Joseph Lo Bianco); "Linguistic Diversity, Globalisation and Intercultural Education" (Jagdish Gundara); "French…

Language Education for Intercultural Communication. Multilingual Matters 96.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ager, Dennis, Ed.; And Others

Essays address the relationship between second language education and intercultural communication in several countries. Following an introduction are the following papers: "Second Language Learning in Belgium" (Ludo Beheydt); "Foreign Language Education in Bulgaria: Present-Day Situation and Future Tendencies" (Madeleine…

Foreign Language Teacher Education. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, Gilbert A.; Bernhardt, Elizabeth B.

Foreign language education professionals agree that the profession lacks an established theory and methodological consistency. Foreign language teacher education has not changed much since the 1960s. Most programs consist of subject-matter content, general education requirements, and specialized education courses. Teacher trainee supervisors do…

Early Language and Reading Development of Bilingual Preschoolers From Low-Income Families.

PubMed

Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Miccio, Adele W

2006-01-01

Learning to read is a complex process and a number of factors affect a child's success in beginning reading. This complexity increases when a child's home language differs from that of the school and when the child comes from a home with limited economic resources. This article discusses factors that have been shown to contribute to children's success in early reading, namely-phonological awareness, letter-word identification, oral language, and the home literacy environment. Preliminary evidence suggests that bilingual children from low-income backgrounds initially perform poorly on phonological awareness and letter identification tasks, but appear to acquire these abilities quickly in kindergarten once these abilities are emphasized in early reading instruction. In addition, the findings show that bilingual preschoolers' receptive language abilities in English and Spanish positively impact their early letter-word identification abilities at the end of kindergarten. A positive relationship between bilingual preschoolers' home literacy environment and early reading outcomes has not been found to date. Educational implications for serving young, bilingual children from programs such as Head Start are discussed.

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.

Misinterpreting School Reform: The Dissolution of a Dual-Immersion Bilingual Program in an Urban New England Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warhol, Larisa; Mayer, Anysia

2012-01-01

This article explores local state bilingual-education policy vis-a-vis pervasive dominant-language ideologies about language-education policy and practice. State-level language-education policy, especially for English Language Learners (ELs), spans a wide range, from states that through policy legally require some form of bilingual education to…

Language Teacher Education in Finland and the Cultural Dimension of Foreign Language Teaching--A Student Teacher Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larzen-Ostermark, Eva

2009-01-01

The increasing importance attributed to the cultural dimension of foreign language (FL) education has entailed new demands for teachers and teacher educators. This paper explores the cultural agenda in Finnish language teacher education from a student teacher perspective. The focus is on the students' perceptions regarding how effectively cultural…

Socioeconomic Patterns and Educational Performance Based on Language-of-Instruction Models in the Basque Autonomous Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elosua, Paula; Egaña, Maria

2017-01-01

One of the focuses of language revitalisation policies is to incorporate minority languages into education. Evaluation of new language-of-instruction models is usually based on the increase of minority language speakers. However, it is also important from an educational perspective to study the possible relationship between performance and…

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…

Linguistic Capital: Continuity and Change in Educational Language Polices for South Asians in Hong Kong Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fang, Gao

2011-01-01

Language-in-education policies within post-colonization, nationalism, and globalization are currently key concerns of the sociology of language as they impact language teaching and learning in multilingual contexts. Despite these concerns, studies of educational language policies for ethnic minorities, in this case, those of South Asians in Hong…

Project Adopsys as an example of international collaboration in the field of photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoric, Nenad; Livshits, Irina; Urbach, Paul

2015-01-01

Tendencies of international cooperation in engineering education became very visible during recent years. We demonstrate this statement on one currently running EU project ADOPSYS in the field of optical design, which is an important part of engineering education in photonics. This example shows the importance of the input from different countries and organizations - both from industry and academia. Seven universities and eight optical companies are involved in the project ADOPSYS. Sharing experience of Academia education activity we provide new international type of education "free-of borders". We are going to discuss the key enable technology - PHOTONICS, which is widely used in modern society. Engineering science became very international. For communicating between people from different countries the English language is now used almost exclusively. For a fruitful collaboration between people from different nations, in multi-national projects, tolerance and respect are required between people of different political, cultural, educational backgrounds.

Multilingualism in Southern Africa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peirce, Bonny Norton; Ridge, Stanley G. M.

1997-01-01

Reviews recent research in multilingualism in Southern Africa, focusing on the role of languages in education, sociolinguistics, and language policy. Much of the research is on South Africa. Topics discussed include language of instruction in schools, teacher education, higher education, adult literacy, language contact, gender and linguistic…

Using Plain Language and Adding Communication Technology to an Existing Health-Related Questionnaire to Help Generate Accurate Information: Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Welbie, Marlies; Wittink, Harriet; Westerman, Marjan J; Topper, Ilse; Snoei, Josca; Devillé, Walter Ljm

2018-04-23

Low-educated patients are disadvantaged in using questionnaires within the health care setting because most health-related questionnaires do not take the educational background of patients into account. The Dutch Talking Touch Screen Questionnaire (DTTSQ) was developed in an attempt to meet the needs of low-educated patients by using plain language and adding communication technology to an existing paper-based questionnaire. For physical therapists to use the DTTSQ as part of their intake procedure, it needs to generate accurate information from all of their patients, independent of educational level. The aim of this study was to get a first impression of the information that is generated by the DTTSQ. To achieve this goal, response processes of physical therapy patients with diverse levels of education were analyzed. The qualitative Three-Step Test-Interview method was used to collect observational data on actual response behavior of 24 physical therapy patients with diverse levels of education. The interviews included both think-aloud and retrospective probing techniques. Of the 24 respondents, 20 encountered one or more problems during their response process. The use of plain language and information and communication technology (ICT) appeared to have a positive effect on the comprehensibility of the DTTSQ. However, it also had some negative effects on the interpretation, retrieval, judgment, and response selection within the response processes of the participants in this study. No educational group in this research population stood out from the rest in the kind or number of problems that arose. All respondents recognized themselves in the outcomes of the questionnaire. The use of plain language and ICT within the DTTSQ had both positive and negative effects on the response processes of its target population. The results of this study emphasize the importance of earlier recommendations to accompany any adaption of any questionnaire to a new mode of delivery by demonstrating the difference and equivalence between the two different modes and to scientifically evaluate the applicability of the newly developed mode of the questionnaire in its intended setting. This is especially important in a digital era in which the use of plain language within health care is increasingly being advocated. ©Marlies Welbie, Harriet Wittink, Marjan J Westerman, Ilse Topper, Josca Snoei, Walter LJM Devillé. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 23.04.2018.

Language Teaching in the Indian Ocean: Policy and Pedagogy in Three Developing Nations. A Study of the Formation of National Language Policies and Related Educational Programs in the Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richmond, Edmun B.

The findings of a study of language and language education policy in each of the three independent nations of Comoros, Mauritius, and the Seychelles are reported in this book. Each country is discussed separately, focusing on the linguistic and educational history, the existing educational system, and current language policies and programs.…

Effects of tonal language background on tests of temporal sequencing in children.

PubMed

Mukari, Siti Zamratol-Mai S; Yu, Xuan; Ishak, Wan Syafira; Mazlan, Rafidah

2015-01-01

The aims of the present study were to determine the effects of language background on the performance of the pitch pattern sequence test (PPST) and duration pattern sequence test (DPST). As temporal order sequencing may be affected by age and working memory, these factors were also studied. Performance of tonal and non-tonal language speakers on PPST and DPST were compared. Twenty-eight native Mandarin (tonal language) speakers and twenty-nine native Malay (non-tonal language) speakers between seven to nine years old participated in this study. The results revealed that relative to native Malay speakers, native Mandarin speakers demonstrated better scores on the PPST in both humming and verbal labeling responses. However, a similar language effect was not apparent in the DPST. An age effect was only significant in the PPST (verbal labeling). Finally, no significant effect of working memory was found on the PPST and the DPST. These findings suggest that the PPST is affected by tonal language background, and highlight the importance of developing different normative values for tonal and non-tonal language speakers.

Teaching Creole-Speaking Children: Issues, Concerns and Resolutions for the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wigglesworth, Gillian; Billington, Rosey

2013-01-01

There are now significant numbers of children who speak a language other than English when they enter the formal school system in Australia. Many of these children come from a language background that is entirely different from the school language. Many Indigenous children, however, come from creole-speaking backgrounds where their home language…

Language and Literacy in Bilingual Children. Child Language and Child Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oller, D. Kimbrough, Ed.; Eilers, Rebecca E., Ed.

This collection of papers reports research on the effects of bilingual learning on the ability to speak two languages and the ability to acquire full literacy in both. There are 12 chapters in 4 parts. Part 1, "Background," includes (1) "Assessing the Effects of Bilingualism: A Background" (D. Kimbrough Oller and Barbara Zurer…

Achievement goal profiles and developments in effort and achievement in upper elementary school.

PubMed

Hornstra, Lisette; Majoor, Marieke; Peetsma, Thea

2017-12-01

The multiple goal perspective posits that certain combinations of achievement goals are more favourable than others in terms of educational outcomes. This study aimed to examine longitudinally whether students' achievement goal profiles and transitions between profiles are associated with developments in self-reported and teacher-rated effort and academic achievement in upper elementary school. Participants were 722 fifth-grade students and their teachers in fifth and sixth grade (N = 68). Students reported on their achievement goals and effort in language and mathematics three times in grade 5 to grade 6. Teachers rated students' general school effort. Achievement scores were obtained from school records. Goal profiles were derived with latent profile and transition analyses. Longitudinal multilevel analyses were conducted. Theoretically favourable goal profiles (high mastery and performance-approach goals, low on performance-avoidance goals), as well as transitions from less to more theoretically favourable goal profiles, were associated with higher levels and more growth in effort for language and mathematics and with stronger language achievement gains. Overall, these results provide support for the multiple goal perspective and show the sustained benefits of favourable goal profiles beyond effects of cognitive ability and background characteristics. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Education Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

International Education and Foreign Languages: Keys to Securing America's Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Mary Ellen, Ed.; Norwood, Janet L., Ed.

2007-01-01

"International Education and Foreign Languages" reviews the Department of Education's Title VI and Fulbright-Hays Programs, which provide higher education funding for international education and foreign language programs. This book offers a timely look at issues that are increasingly important in an interconnected world. It discusses the…

Pedagogy and Practice for Online English Language Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawan, Faridah; Wiechart, Kelly A.; Warren, Amber N.; Park, Jaehan

2016-01-01

Pedagogy--not technology--drives effective online instruction. The authors of "Pedagogy and Practice for Online English Language Teacher Education" discuss foundational theories of pedagogy and link those theories with their own practices in online courses for language teacher education and language teaching. This book discusses and…

Language Travel or Language Tourism: Have Educational Trips Changed So Much?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laborda, Jesus Garcia

2007-01-01

This article points out the changes in organization, students and language learning that language trips, as contrasted with educational trips (of which language trips are a subgroup) have gone through in the last years. The article emphasizes the need to differentiate between language trips and language tourism based on issues of additional…

A Year-Round Professional Development Model for World Language Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steele, Tracy M.; Peterson, Margaret D.; Silva, Duarte M.; Padilla, Amado M.

2009-01-01

The Bay Area Foreign Language Program (BAFLP), one of nine regional sites of the California Foreign Language Project, offers ongoing, year-round professional development programs for world language educators. In addition, its leadership program prepares selected educators to assume leadership positions at their school sites, building capacity for…

Early Field Experiences in Language Teacher Education: An Ecological Analysis of a Program Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez Arroyo, Sandra

2009-01-01

Language teacher education (LTE) has received increased attention over the last several decades. Language teacher educators, university researchers, classroom teachers, and future teachers have contributed immensely to existing knowledge on how language teachers learn to teach. Researchers and practitioners have finally acknowledged that future…

Supporting In-Service Language Educators in Learning to Telecollaborate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Dowd, Robert

2015-01-01

The importance of teachers' capacity to integrate and exploit computer mediated communication (CMC) in the foreign language classroom has been recognised by many of the leading publications in foreign language teacher education, including the European Profile for Language Teacher Education (2004) and the European portfolio for student teachers 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…

Language-in-Education Policies in the Catalan Language Area

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vila i Moreno, F. Xavier

2008-01-01

The territories where Catalan is traditionally spoken as a native language constitute an attractive sociolinguistic laboratory which appears especially interesting from the point of view of language-in-education policies. The educational system has spearheaded the recovery of Catalan during the last 20 years. Schools are being attributed most of…

Linguistics in Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, Rajesh; Yunus, Reva

2014-01-01

This article looks at the contribution of insights from theoretical linguistics to an understanding of language acquisition and the nature of language in terms of their potential benefit to language education. We examine the ideas of innateness and universal language faculty, as well as multilingualism and the language-society relationship. Modern…

Early Heritage-Language Education and the Abrupt Shift to a Dominant-Language Classroom: Impact on the Personal and Collective Esteem of Inuit Children in Arctic Quebec

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bougie, Evelyne; Wright, Stephen C.; Taylor, Donald M.

2003-01-01

This research explored the impact of the abrupt shift from heritage-language to dominant-language education on Inuit children's personal and collective self-esteem. Specifically, the following question was addressed: will early heritage-language education serve as an inoculation against the potential negative impact of being submerged in a…

Endangered Languages and Education. Proceedings of the Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) Conference (3rd, Maynooth, Ireland, September 17-19, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostler, Nicholas, Ed.

The theme of the third annual Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) Conference was Endangered Languages and Education, focusing on how education can be used to promote, resist, and reverse the decline of a language. The conference papers are broken into several sections covering the topic from a variety of aspects and perspectives.…

Self-Concept and Native Language Background: A Study of Measurement Invariance and Cross-Group Comparisons in Third Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niehaus, Kate; Adelson, Jill L.

2013-01-01

This study examined the measurement and interpretation of self-concept among the growing population of children who are English Language Learners (ELLs). More specifically, a 3-group analysis was conducted comparing native English-speaking children, Spanish-speaking ELLs, and ELLs from Asian language backgrounds. Data were drawn from the Early…

Growth in Reading-Related Skills of Language Minority Learners and Their Classmates: More Evidence for Early Identification and Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kieffer, Michael J.; Vukovic, Rose K.

2013-01-01

This longitudinal study investigated growth in reading-related skills between Grade 1 and 4 for language minority (LM) learners and their native English-speaking classmates from similarly low socioeconomic backgrounds (N = 166). Growth trajectories were compared by language background and by Grade 4 reading difficulties, with the goal of informing…

Elite Bilingualism? Language Use among Multilingual Teenagers of Swedish Background in European Schools and International Schools in Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rydenvald, Marie

2015-01-01

This article explores the language use and language attitudes as reported by a number of multilingual teenagers with a Swedish background in European Schools and international schools in Europe. Special attention is given to the concepts of Third Culture Kids and elite bilingualism in relation to teenagers' multilingualism. This study is based on…

A Critical Analysis of the Language Background Other than English (LBOTE) Category in the Australian National Testing System: A Foucauldian Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creagh, Sue

2016-01-01

This article presents a Foucauldian analysis of the political rationalities of national testing and accountability practices in Australia, and their inconsistencies for students for whom English is a second or additional language. It focuses on a problem associated with the statistical data category "Language Background Other Than…

Are Alphabetic Language-Derived Models of L2 Reading Relevant to L1 Logographic Background Readers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehrich, John Fitzgerald; Zhang, Lawrence Jun; Mu, Jon Congjun; Ehrich, Lisa Catherine

2013-01-01

In this paper, we argue that second language (L2) reading research, which has been informed by studies involving first language (L1) alphabetic English reading, may be less relevant to L2 readers with non-alphabetic reading backgrounds, such as Chinese readers with an L1 logographic (Chinese character) learning history. We provide both…

A minority perspective in the diagnosis of child language disorders.

PubMed

Seymour, H N; Bland, L

1991-01-01

The effective diagnosis and treatment of persons from diverse minority language backgrounds has become an important issue in the field of speech and language pathology. Yet, many SLPs have had little or no formal training in minority language, there is a paucity of normative data on language acquisition in minority groups, and there are few standardized speech and language tests appropriate for these groups. We described a diagnostic process that addresses these problems. The diagnostic protocol we have proposed for a child from a Black English-speaking background characterizes many of the major issues in treating minority children. In summary, we proposed four assessment strategies: gathering referral source data; making direct observations; using standardized tests of non-speech and language behavior (cognition, perception, motor, etc.); and eliciting language samples and probes.

Socioeconomic status, parental education, vocabulary and language skills of children who stutter.

PubMed

Richels, Corrin G; Johnson, Kia N; Walden, Tedra A; Conture, Edward G

2013-01-01

The purpose of this project was to investigate the possible relation between standardized measures of vocabulary/language, mother and father education, and a composite measure of socioeconomic status (SES) for children who do not stutter (CWNS) and children who stutter (CWS). Participants were 138 CWNS and 159 CWS between the ages of 2;6 and 6;3 and their families. The Hollingshead Four Factor Index of Social Position (i.e., Family SES) was used to calculate SES based on a composite score consisting of weighted values for paternal and maternal education and occupation. Statistical regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relation between parental education and language and vocabulary scores for both the CWNS and CWS. Correlations were calculated between parent education, Family SES, and stuttering severity (e.g., SSI-3 score, % words stuttered). Results indicated that maternal education contributed the greatest amount of variance in vocabulary and language scores for the CWNS and for participants from both groups whose Family SES was in the lowest quartile of the distribution. However, paternal education generally contributed the greatest amount of variance in vocabulary and language scores for the CWS. Higher levels of maternal education were associated with more severe stuttering in the CWS. Results are generally consistent with existing literature on normal language development that indicates maternal education is a robust predictor of the vocabulary and language skills of preschool children. Thus, both father and mothers' education may impact the association between vocabulary/language skills and childhood stuttering, leading investigators who empirically study this association to possibly re-assess their participant selection (e.g., a priori control of parental education) and/or data analyses (e.g., post hoc covariation of parental education). The reader will be able to: (a) describe the influence of socioeconomic status on the development of vocabulary and language for children who do and do not stutter; (b) discuss the contribution of maternal education on vocabulary and language development; (c) describe possible reasons why paternal education contributes in unique ways to the vocabulary and language development of children who stutter as well as stuttering severity; and (d) explain possible reasons why socioeconomic status is an important variable for describing language related findings in young children. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teacher Language Awareness Education and Pedagogy: A New Discursive Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pomphrey, Cathy; Burley, Suzanne

2009-01-01

This article attempts to recontextualise the dimensions of teacher language awareness (LA) highlighted by Svalberg ((2007) "Language awareness and language learning." "Language Teaching," 40, 287-308) by emphasising the role of pedagogy in achieving coherence in language education across the subjects of English (L1) and Modern…

English Language Learners: A Case Study on Educators' Perceptions of English Language Learners as They Relate to Special Education Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greaney, Leonard V.

2016-01-01

This qualitative study investigated the reasons why educators initiate referrals of ELLs for special education services in a sample of three educational organizations near a major city in a mid-Atlantic state. This study addressed how and why educator perception influenced the referral process and identification of English language learners into…

Laterality across languages: Results from a global dichotic listening study using a smartphone application

PubMed Central

Bless, Josef J.; Westerhausen, René; Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Gudmundsen, Magne; Kompus, Kristiina; Hugdahl, Kenneth

2015-01-01

Left-hemispheric language dominance has been suggested by observations in patients with brain damages as early as the 19th century, and has since been confirmed by modern behavioural and brain imaging techniques. Nevertheless, most of these studies have been conducted in small samples with predominantly Anglo-American background, thus limiting generalization and possible differences between cultural and linguistic backgrounds may be obscured. To overcome this limitation, we conducted a global dichotic listening experiment using a smartphone application for remote data collection. The results from over 4,000 participants with more than 60 different language backgrounds showed that left-hemispheric language dominance is indeed a general phenomenon. However, the degree of lateralization appears to be modulated by linguistic background. These results suggest that more emphasis should be placed on cultural/linguistic specificities of psychological phenomena and on the need to collect more diverse samples. PMID:25588000

Laterality across languages: Results from a global dichotic listening study using a smartphone application.

PubMed

Bless, Josef J; Westerhausen, René; von Koss Torkildsen, Janne; Gudmundsen, Magne; Kompus, Kristiina; Hugdahl, Kenneth

2015-01-01

Left-hemispheric language dominance has been suggested by observations in patients with brain damages as early as the 19th century, and has since been confirmed by modern behavioural and brain imaging techniques. Nevertheless, most of these studies have been conducted in small samples with predominantly Anglo-American background, thus limiting generalization and possible differences between cultural and linguistic backgrounds may be obscured. To overcome this limitation, we conducted a global dichotic listening experiment using a smartphone application for remote data collection. The results from over 4,000 participants with more than 60 different language backgrounds showed that left-hemispheric language dominance is indeed a general phenomenon. However, the degree of lateralization appears to be modulated by linguistic background. These results suggest that more emphasis should be placed on cultural/linguistic specificities of psychological phenomena and on the need to collect more diverse samples.

Equity in Education: Signed Language and the Courts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snoddon, Kristin

2009-01-01

This article examines several legal cases in Canada, the USA, and Australia involving signed language in education for Deaf students. In all three contexts, signed language rights for Deaf students have been viewed from within a disability legislation framework that either does not extend to recognizing language rights in education or that…

The Language of Formal Education and the Role of Libraries in Oral-Traditional Societies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

John, Magnus

1984-01-01

This essay addresses the effect of introducing a foreign language into the formal education of oral-traditional societies. Highlights include the nature of such societies, language in formal education, reading and language acquisition, developing a theory of high retention and recall, and overall implications for national development and…

Sociological Implications of English as an International Language in Music Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kertz-Welzel, Alexandra

2016-01-01

Internationalization and globalization have created a global music education community which is not only linked by similar ideas, but also shares a common language. English functions as a global language and facilitates the international discourse in music education. While it is good to have a common language supporting international dialogue, it…

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…

Language Education Policies and Inequality in Africa: Cross-National Empirical Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coyne, Gary

2015-01-01

This article examines the relationship between inequality and education through the lens of colonial language education policies in African primary and secondary school curricula. The languages of former colonizers almost always occupy important places in society, yet they are not widely spoken as first languages, meaning that most people depend…

Linguistic Pluralism or Prescriptivism? A CDA of Language Ideologies in "Talento," Peru's Official Textbook for the First-Year of High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de los Heros, Susana

2009-01-01

Educational Reforms in Peru indicate a shift toward a more tolerant view of language diversity. For instance, the Education Law #28044 (Ministry of Education, 2005) establishes the teaching of respect for indigenous languages and language diversity as a main goal in the area of language. This law is important, but it does not imply a real…

An Economic Analysis of Instructional Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lien, Donald; Wang, Yaqin

2013-01-01

This paper constructs a simple two-tier education framework to analyze the effectiveness of multiple language instruction. Suppose that the government attempts to maximize the average post-education productivity. It is shown that the optimal education policy requires different languages of instruction be adopted in the education system. The…

Performance of Low-Income Dual Language Learners Attending English-Only Schools on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition, Spanish.

PubMed

Barragan, Beatriz; Castilla-Earls, Anny; Martinez-Nieto, Lourdes; Restrepo, M Adelaida; Gray, Shelley

2018-04-05

The aim of this study was to examine the performance of a group of Spanish-speaking, dual language learners (DLLs) who were attending English-only schools and came from low-income and low-parental education backgrounds on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition, Spanish (CELF-4S; Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2006). Spanish-speaking DLLs (N = 656), ages 5;0 (years;months) to 7;11, were tested for language impairment (LI) using the core language score of the CELF-4S and the English Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test (Dawson, Stout, & Eyer, 2003). A subsample (n = 299) was additionally tested using a Spanish language sample analysis and a newly developed Spanish morphosyntactic measure, for identification of children with LI and to conduct a receiver operating characteristics curve analysis. Over 50% of the sample scored more than 1 SD below the mean on the core language score. In our subsample, the sensitivity of the CELF-4S was 94%, and specificity was 65%, using a cutoff score of 85 as suggested in the manual. Using an empirically derived cutoff score of 78, the sensitivity was 86%, and the specificity was 80%. Results suggest that the CELF-4S overidentifies low-income Spanish-English DLLs attending English-only schools as presenting with LI. For this sample, 1 in every 3 Latino children from low socioeconomic status was incorrectly identified with LI. Clinicians should be cautious when using the CELF-4S to evaluate low-income Spanish-English DLLs and ensure that they have converging evidence before making diagnostic decisions.

Grievability of First Language Loss: Towards a Reconceptualisation of European Minority Language Education Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Priven, Dmitri

2008-01-01

This paper presents the root causes of the resistance of mainstream European educational institutions to implementation of minority language programmes (bilingual programmes with both an official/dominant language and an immigrant minority language as media of instruction). Differential treatment of different minority languages in the mainstream…

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…

Language Planning Orientations and Bilingual Education in Peru.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hornberger, Nancy H.

1988-01-01

Considers the status and corpus planning aspects of three of Peru's Quechua policies in light of the language planning orientations of language-as-problem, language-as-right, and language-as-resource. Current Quechua/Spanish bilingual education recognizes the rights of Quechua speakers and the role of the language as a national resource.…

Language Management and Language Problems in Belarus: Education and Beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giger, Markus; Sloboda, Marian

2008-01-01

This article provides an overview of the sociolinguistic situation in Belarus, the most russified of the post-Soviet countries. It summarizes language policy and legislation, and deals in more detail with language management and selected language problems in Belarusian education. It also contributes to the work on language planning by applying…

Twelve tips for effective body language for medical educators.

PubMed

Hale, Andrew J; Freed, Jason; Ricotta, Daniel; Farris, Grace; Smith, C Christopher

2017-09-01

A significant proportion of human communication is nonverbal. Although the fields of business and psychology have significant literature on effectively using body language in a variety of situations, there is limited literature on effective body language for medical educators. To provide 12 tips to highlight effective body language strategies and techniques for medical educators. The tips provided are based on our experiences and reflections as clinician-educators and the available literature. The 12 tips presented offer specific strategies to engage learners, balance learner participation, and bring energy and passion to teaching. Medical educators seeking to maximize their effectiveness would benefit from an understanding of how body language affects a learning environment and how body language techniques can be used to engage audiences, maintain attention, control challenging learners, and convey passion for a topic. Understanding and using body language effectively is an important instructional skill.

Towards a Dynamic Educational System for Change and Progress: Language Policy and Praxis in Educational Development in Nigeria.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odumuh, Adama Emmanuel

A discussion of the current state of education in Nigeria looks at two systems of education introduced in different post-colonial administrations (universal primary education and the 6/3/3/4-year scheme) and examines language policy in education, particularly the provisions concerning use of native language as the medium of instruction under the…

Beyond Methods: Components of Second Language Teacher Education. The McGraw-Hill Second Language Professional Series. Directions in Second Language Learning and Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bardovi-Harlig, Kathleen, Ed.; Hartford, Beverly, Ed.

This collection of essays gives an overview of the different disciplines that inform language teaching and language teacher education. They include the following titles: "The Case for Psycholinguistics" (Bill VanPatten); "The Place of Second Language Acquisition Theory in Language Teacher Preparation" (Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig); "Why Syntactic…

Short Message Service (SMS) Language and Written Language Skills: Educators' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geertsema, Salomé; Hyman, Charene; van Deventer, Chantelle

2011-01-01

SMS language is English language slang, used as a means of mobile phone text messaging. This practice may impact on the written language skills of learners at school. The main aim of this study was to determine the perspectives of Grade 8 and 9 English (as Home Language) educators in Gauteng regarding the possible influence of SMS language on…

Combat Simulation Using Breach Computer Language

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-09-01

simulation and weapon system analysis computer language Two types of models were constructed: a stochastic duel and a dynamic engagement model The... duel model validates the BREACH approach by comparing results with mathematical solutions. The dynamic model shows the capability of the BREACH...BREACH 2 Background 2 The Language 3 Static Duel 4 Background and Methodology 4 Validation 5 Results 8 Tank Duel Simulation 8 Dynamic Assault Model

Intercultural bilingual education in Nicaragua: Contextualisation for improving the quality of education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valiente Catter, Teresa

2011-12-01

For the past 35 years, various models of intercultural bilingual education (IBE) have been implemented in Latin American schools and adult education. While Spanish is the official language in Nicaragua, many indigenous languages, such as Miskito and Sumo-Mayangna, are also spoken - especially in the Atlantic coastal region. The Nicaraguan Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport recognises the need for a flexible curriculum that reflects individual local and regional linguistic and socio-cultural characteristics, through the use of mother tongue and second language learning. The contextualisation model applied in the Atlantic coastal region of Nicaragua is therefore based on the use of a languages strategy in preparing textbooks and basic technical materials with an IBE approach, as part of the process of improving the quality of education. Thus intercultural communication is enhanced, and the need to strengthen the systematic teaching of languages, differentiating between mother tongue, second language and foreign language, is recognised. As well as explaining the contextualisation process in detail, this article discusses the conceptual differences between intercultural bilingual education (IBE) and bilingual intercultural education (BIE). The paper concludes with several recommendations for the further development of BIE in Latin America.

Language Learning in Higher Education: Portuguese Student Voices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinto, Susana; Araújo e Sá, Maria Helena

2016-01-01

This paper begins by reviewing European language education policies in higher education and relating these to the bottom-up language provision practices currently applied in higher education institutions. The paper then focuses on a case study at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) that sets out to identify students' social representations…

Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farhady, Hossein; Hezaveh, Fattaneh Sajadi; Hedayati, Hora

2010-01-01

This article reflects upon foreign-language education in Iran. Contrary to its political and historical reputation in the world, Iran has not been well presented regarding its educational system in general and its foreign-language education in particular. Of course, a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the Iranian education…

The Role of Language in Adult Education and Poverty Reduction in Botswana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagwasi, Mompoloki

2006-05-01

This study examines the role of language in reducing poverty in Botswana through adult-education programs. Because language is the medium through which human beings communicate and grow intellectually and socially, it should form the basis of any discussion involving the relation between development and education. In order best to respond to societal changes and bridge the gap between the less privileged and the more privileged, adult-education programs should be guided by language policies that are sensitive to this pivotal role that language plays. Language is important in any discussion of poverty reduction because it determines who has access to educational, political and economic resources. The author recommends that adult-education programs in Botswana take account of the multilingual nature of society and so allow learners to participate freely, make use of their indigenous knowledge, and enhance their self-esteem and identity.

Language Learning: A Worldwide Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christian, Donna; Pufahl, Ingrid U.; Rhodes, Nancy C.

2005-01-01

Numerous reports and articles have decried the mediocrity of U.S. students' foreign language skills and have called for improved language education. One study that looked at foreign language education in 19 countries suggests several characteristics of successful foreign language programs: starting early, providing an articulated framework,…

Language-Through-Literature; A Literary Language/Language Arts Program for Bilingual Education, ESL and Other Activities in Early Childhood. Books 1 and 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Paul; King, Eva

This language-through-literature program is designed to be used as a native language program (language arts/reading readiness), as a second language program, or as a combined native and second language program in early childhood education. Sequentially developed over the year and within each unit, the program is subdivided into 14 units of about…

The Effect of Culture Integrated Language Courses on Foreign Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Omer, Kocer; Ali, Dincer

2011-01-01

When examined carefully, it is seen that there is not an available and detailed curriculum designed for the aim of foreign language teaching with integrated cultural items of the target language in the programs of the schools under authority of the Ministry of Education and Turkish higher education institutions. In recent years, the specialists…

Language Choices and Identity in Higher Education: Afrikaans-Speaking Students at Unisa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bornman, Elirea; Potgieter, Petrus H.

2017-01-01

Worldwide globalisation has led to the anglicisation of higher education. This is also the case in South Africa since the advent of a new dispensation. Whereas theorising and research on language issues in higher education focuses predominantly on instrumental functions of language, this study investigates the symbolic functions of language as an…

ESL through Content-Area Instruction. Language in Education: Theory and Practice 69.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crandall, JoAnn, Ed.

The concept of integrating language instruction with subject matter instruction is not new to language educators. It has been attempted for many years in adult education, in university programs for foreign students, and in specialized language courses for scientists, businessmen, and other professionals. To some degree, it has also been a part of…

Rights to Language: Equity, Power, and Education. Celebrating the 60th Birthday of Tove Skutnabb-Kangas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillipson, Robert, Ed.

This collection of papers brings together scholarship on language, education, and society from all parts of the world, situating issues of minorities and bilingual education in broader perspectives of human rights, power, and the ecology of language. Part 1, "Language: Its Diversity, its Study, and Our Understandings of It," includes…

Language Choice and Education Quality in Eastern and Southern Africa: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trudell, Barbara

2016-01-01

In 2014, UNICEF commissioned a review of language policy and education quality in the 21 countries of UNICEF's Eastern and Southern Africa Region. This paper examines findings from the review, related to the role of English and local languages in current education practice in the region. National language policies and implementation practices are…

Unlocking the Grid: Language-in-Education Policy Realisation in Post-Apartheid South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plüddemann, Peter

2015-01-01

This paper reflects on the state of educational language policy two decades into a post-Apartheid South Africa caught between official multilingualism and English. The focus is on the national language-in-education policy (LiEP) that advocates additive bi/multilingualism, and a provincial counterpart, the language transformation plan (LTP). Using…

Art Education, Literacy, and English Language Learners: Visual Arts Curriculum to Aid Literacy Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renish, Angela J.

2016-01-01

Nineteen students whose first language is not English (English Language Learners, ELL) participated in an action research study that focused on the marriage of an art education curriculum and literacy practice. The study introduced students to the consistent use of language in art education as a means to discuss, inform, explain, and demonstrate…

Language-in-Education Policies, Immigration and Social Cohesion in Catalonia: The Case of Vic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Catrin Wyn

2016-01-01

This paper analyses the language-in-education policies implemented to integrate international immigrants into the Catalan language community in Vic, Catalonia. It focuses on the Catalan Government's "Languages and Social Cohesion Plan" (LIC) plan, Vic city council's local education plans, which were adopted as part of LIC plan, and the…

Content and Language Integrated Learning: Teachers' and Teacher Educators' Experiences of English Medium Teaching. Publication No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sjoholm, Kaj, Ed.; Bjorklund, Mikaela, Ed.

The publication on the integration of content area and second language instruction, focusing on the situation in Finland, consists of nine essays and a bibliography. The essays include: "Education in a Second or Foreign Language. An Overview" (Kaj Sjoholm); "Foreign Language Content Teaching in Teacher Education at Abo Akademi…

Comparing the Language Policies and the Students' Perceptions of CLIL in Tertiary Education in Spain and Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsuchiya, Keiko; Pérez Murillo, María D.

2015-01-01

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has been widely implemented in educational systems in Europe since the mid-1990s based on their multilingual education policy. CLIL integrates acquisition of subject knowledge with language learning, either a second or foreign language, simultaneously. Recently, CLIL in English has been introduced in…

The Decline of Academic Bilingualism in South Africa: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Lloyd B.

2009-01-01

Language policies in South African higher education were formalized between 2000 and 2002, just prior to a major restructuring of the higher education system. During this period institutions of higher learning were expected to formulate both a language policy and a detailed language plan. National policies on language in education are intended to…

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…

Reading Proficiency and Comparability of Mathematics and Science Scores for Students from English and Non-English Backgrounds: An International Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ercikan, Kadriye; Chen, Michelle Y.; Lyons-Thomas, Juliette; Goodrich, Shawna; Sandilands, Debra; Roth, Wolff-Michael; Simon, Marielle

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research is to examine the comparability of mathematics and science scores for students from English language backgrounds (ELB) and non-English language backgrounds (NELB). We examine the relationship between English reading proficiency and performance on mathematics and science assessments in Australia, Canada, the United…

Ethnic differences in informed decision-making about prenatal screening for Down's syndrome.

PubMed

Fransen, Mirjam P; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; Vogel, Ineke; Mackenbach, Johan P; Steegers, Eric A P; Wildschut, Hajo I J

2010-03-01

The aim of this study was to assess ethnic variations in informed decision-making about prenatal screening for Down's syndrome and to examine the contribution of background and decision-making variables. Pregnant women of Dutch, Turkish and Surinamese origin were recruited between 2006 and 2008 from community midwifery or obstetrical practices in The Netherlands. Each woman was personally interviewed 3 weeks (mean) after booking for prenatal care. Knowledge, attitude and participation in prenatal screening were assessed following the 'Multidimensional Measure of Informed Choice' that has been developed and applied in the UK. In total, 71% of the Dutch women were classified as informed decision-makers, compared with 5% of the Turkish and 26% of the Surinamese women. Differences between Surinamese and Dutch women could largely be attributed to differences in educational level and age. Differences between Dutch and Turkish women could mainly be attributed to differences in language skills and gender emancipation. Women from ethnic minority groups less often made an informed decision whether or not to participate in prenatal screening. Interventions to decrease these ethnic differences should first of all be aimed at overcoming language barriers and increasing comprehension among women with a low education level. To further develop diversity-sensitive strategies for counselling, it should be investigated how women from different ethnic backgrounds value informed decision-making in prenatal screening, what decision-relevant knowledge they need and what they take into account when considering participation in prenatal screening.

Pragmatic Language Impairment and Associated Behavioural Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ketelaars, Mieke P.; Cuperus, Juliane; Jansonius, Kino; Verhoeven, Ludo

2010-01-01

Background: Specific language impairment (SLI) is diagnosed when a child shows isolated structural language problems. The diagnosis of pragmatic language impairment (PLI) is given to children who show difficulties with the use of language in context. Unlike children with SLI, these children tend to show relatively intact structural language skills…

Citizenship and Race in Second-Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Douglas

2015-01-01

This article explores the links between citizenship and race in second-language education through an examination of the ways in which citizenship is linked to English language proficiency within a key Canadian federal adult English as a Second Language assessment document, the "Canadian Language Benchmarks" ("CLB"). It uses…

Researching English in the Philippines: Bibliographical Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bautista, Ma. Lourdes S.

2004-01-01

The academic literature on issues related to the Philippine English language and literature is substantial. This bibliography surveys relevant work on such related fields as the sociology of language and language planning, Bilingualism, bilingual education, and languages in education, language attitudes, code-switching and code-mixing, Philippine…

Conflicting Views on Language Policy and Planning at a Colombian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miranda, Norbella; Berdugo, Martha; Tejada, Harvey

2016-01-01

The current internationalization trends in higher education and educational language policies impel universities to plan their provision of foreign languages. Often, universities are developing language policies, redesigning their foreign language programs and seeking to foster bilingual or multilingual strategies within graduate and undergraduate…

Defining Content and Language Integrated Learning for Languages Education in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, Russell

2014-01-01

While there is much that Australia has done well with respect to languages education, many problems still persist in terms of mainstream provision of quality languages programs, attaining real outcomes and gains in language learning, and in relation to retention of students studying languages through to the senior years of school. The success of…

Students' Home Languages and the Struggle for Space in the Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liddicoat, Anthony J.; Curnow, Timothy Jowan

2014-01-01

Although the importance of using students' home languages in education has been recognised for many years, home languages that are not official languages often struggle to find space in school curricula. This paper examines the ways that language-in-education policies influence the space available for non-official languages in the curriculum. It…

Everywhere and Nowhere: Invisibility of Aboriginal and Torres Strain Islander Contact Languages in Education and Indigenous Language Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sellwood, Juanita; Angelo, Denise

2013-01-01

The language ecologies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland are characterised by widespread language shift to contact language varieties, yet they remain largely invisible in discourses involving Indigenous languages and education. This invisibility--its various causes and its many implications--are explored through a…

Cultural Perspectives Toward Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Li-Li

2008-01-01

Cultural conflicts may be derived from using inappropriate language. Appropriate linguistic-pragmatic competence may also be produced by providing various and multicultural backgrounds. Culture and language are linked together naturally, unconsciously, and closely in daily social lives. Culture affects language and language affects culture through…

Use of Online Machine Translation for Nursing Literature: A Questionnaire-Based Survey

PubMed Central

Anazawa, Ryoko; Ishikawa, Hirono; Takahiro, Kiuchi

2013-01-01

Background: The language barrier is a significant obstacle for nurses who are not native English speakers to obtain information from international journals. Freely accessible online machine translation (MT) offers a possible solution to this problem. Aim: To explore how Japanese nursing professionals use online MT and perceive its usability in reading English articles and to discuss what should be considered for better utilisation of online MT lessening the language barrier. Method: In total, 250 randomly selected assistants and research associates at nursing colleges across Japan answered a questionnaire examining the current use of online MT and perceived usability among Japanese nurses, along with the number of articles read in English and the perceived language barrier. The items were rated on Likert scales, and t-test, ANOVA, chi-square test, and Spearman’s correlation were used for analyses. Results: Of the participants, 73.8% had used online MT. More than half of them felt it was usable. The language barrier was strongly felt, and academic degrees and English proficiency level were associated factors. The perceived language barrier was related to the frequency of online MT use. No associated factor was found for the perceived usability of online MT. Conclusion: Language proficiency is an important factor for optimum utilisation of MT. A need for education in the English language, reading scientific papers, and online MT training was indicated. Cooperation with developers and providers of MT for the improvement of their systems is required. PMID:23459140

The Relation of Socioeconomic Status and Parent Education on the Vocabulary and Language Skills of Children who do and do not Stutter

PubMed Central

Richels, Corrin G.; Johnson, Kia N.; Walden, Tedra A.; Conture, Edward G.

2013-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this project was to investigate the possible relation between standardized measures of vocabulary/language, mother and father education, and a composite measure of socioeconomic status (SES) for children who do not stutter (CWNS) and children who stutter (CWS). Methods Participants were 138 CWNS and 159 CWS between the ages of 2;6 and 6;3 and their families. The Hollingshead Four Factor Index of Social Position (i.e., Family SES) was used to calculate SES based on a composite score consisting of weighted values for paternal and maternal education and occupation. Statistical regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relation between parental education and language and vocabulary scores for both the CWNS and CWS. Correlations were calculated between parent education, Family SES, and stuttering severity (e.g., SSI-3 score, % words stuttered). Results Results indicated that maternal education contributed the greatest amount of variance in vocabulary and language scores for the CWNS and for participants from both groups whose Family SES was in the lowest quartile of the distribution. However, paternal education generally contributed the greatest amount of variance in vocabulary and language scores for the CWS. Higher levels of maternal education were associated with more severe stuttering in the CWS. Conclusion Results are generally consistent with existing literature on normal language development that indicates maternal education is a robust predictor of the vocabulary and language skills of preschool children. Thus, both father and mothers’ education may impact the association between vocabulary/language skills and childhood stuttering, leading investigators who empirically study this association to possibly re-assess their participant selection (e.g., a priori control of parental education) and/or data analyses (e.g., post hoc covariation of parental education). PMID:23906898

Cuban Voices: A Case Study of English Language Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Steven John

2016-01-01

This case study uses qualitative research methods and a postcolonial paradigm to listen to the voices of Cuban teacher educators describing how they educate and prepare English language teachers in Cuba. English language teacher education in Cuba includes features that are considered innovative, contemporary and good practice in the Western world.…

Innovating Education with an Educational Modeling Language: Two Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sloep, Peter B.; van Bruggen, Jan; Tattersall, Colin; Vogten, Hubert; Koper, Rob; Brouns, Francis; van Rosmalen, Peter

2006-01-01

The intent of this study was to investigate how to maximize the chances of success of an educational innovation--specifically one based on the implementation of the educational modeling language called EML. This language is both technically and organizationally demanding. Two different implementation cases were investigated, one situated in an…

The Struggle to Maintain Identity in Higher Education among Zulu-Speaking Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngcobo, Sandiso

2014-01-01

The 2002 Language Policy for Higher Education (LPHE) identifies the currently dominant language of instruction--English--as being a possible barrier to many African students in accessing and successfully completing studies at higher education level. The LPHE thus requires that black African languages be developed at Higher Education Institutions…

Micro Language Planning for Multilingual Education: Agency in Local Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liddicoat, Anthony J.; Taylor-Leech, Kerry

2014-01-01

This paper overviews some of the domains of application of micro-level language planning approaches to foster multilingual education. It examines the language planning of local agents and the contexts in which their work contributes to multilingual education, either to expand or limit educational possibilities. It identifies four broad contexts of…

Language Policy, Language Ideology, and Visual Art Education for Emergent Bilingual Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Beth A.

2017-01-01

In 1968 the Bilingual Education Act marked the first comprehensive federal intervention in the schooling of language minoritized students by creating financial incentives for bilingual education in an effort to address social and educational inequities created by poverty and linguistic isolation in schools. Since that time federal education…

A Randomised Controlled Trial to Test the Effect of Promoting Caregiver Contingent Talk on Language Development in Infants from Diverse Socioeconomic Status Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGillion, Michelle; Pine, Julian M.; Herbert, Jane S.; Matthews, Danielle

2017-01-01

Background: Early language skills are critical for later academic success. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) children tend to start school with limited language skills compared to advantaged peers. We test the hypothesis that this is due in part to differences in caregiver contingent talk during infancy (how often the caregiver talks about what is…

Globalization, Corporatism, and Critical Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luke, Allan; Luke, Carmen; Graham, Phil

2007-01-01

This article explores the impacts of economic and cultural globalization on language and language education. It acknowledges the spread of English and the negative impacts of this upon other languages and language communities. The case is made that new conditions of economic dominance by multinational corporations raise the stakes for schooling…

Innovative Second Language Education: Bilingual Immersion Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snow, Marguerite Ann

Bilingual immersion programs combine second language immersion for language majority children and bilingual education for language minority children. The programs are based on the underlying assumption of the immersion model: that a second language is best learned as a medium of instruction, not as the object of instruction. However, they are not…

34 CFR 300.29 - Native language.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true Native language. 300.29 Section 300.29 Education... DISABILITIES General Definitions Used in This Part § 300.29 Native language. (a) Native language, when used with respect to an individual who is limited English proficient, means the following: (1) The language...

Composing Alternatives to a National Security Language Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wible, Scott

2009-01-01

President Bush's National Security Language Initiative focuses narrowly on gearing language education to security and military needs. English educators should work with their counterparts in foreign language departments to promote a broader view, one that encourages study of the multiple language groups that currently exist within the United…

Framing Indigenous Languages as Secondary to Matrix Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meek, Barbra A.; Messing, Jacqueline

2007-01-01

Reversing language shift has proven to be difficult for many reasons. Although much of the literature has focused on educational practices, little research has attended to the visual presentation of language used in educational texts aimed at reversing shift. In this article, we compare language materials developed for two different language…

Action for the '80s: A Political, Professional, and Public Program for Foreign Language Education. The ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, June K., Ed.

This volume deals with issues in foreign language education that have come to the fore since the publication of the Report of the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies. It contains the following articles: "Action or Inaction: An Editorial Opinion," by June Phillips; (2) "ACTFL's 1980 Agenda: Intention…

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…

Language and Literature Division, Faculty of Education, Hong Kong University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qin, Xie; Andrews, Stephen

2010-01-01

The Language and Literature Division (LLD) is the largest of the six divisions of the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong (HKU). It is currently home to 34 academic staff, who specialize either in the fields of Chinese Language, English Language and/or Literature Education, and to 60 full-time and 28 part-time doctoral students, who are…

Communication and Gamification in the Web-Based Foreign Language Educational System: Web- Based Foreign Language Educational System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osipov, Ilya V.; Volinsky, Alex A.; Nikulchev, Evgeny; Prasikova, Anna Y.

2016-01-01

The paper describes development of the educational online web communication platform for teaching and learning foreign languages. The main objective was to develop a web application for teaching foreigners to understand casual fluent speech. The system is based on the time bank principle, allowing users to teach others their native language along…

Language Policy, Indigenous Languages and the Village School: A Study of Bilingual Education for the Tarahumara of Northern Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paciotto, Carla

2004-01-01

In 1991, the Bilingual Bicultural Education Program (BBEP) was launched in Chihuahua, Mexico, as a way of responding to the educational needs of the indigenous Tarahumara populations and the growing threat to their language and culture. Using a conceptual framework based on the literatures of curriculum inquiry, language shift and maintenance,…

Numbers Talk--Words Count: Language Policy and Adult Numeracy Education in Wales and New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coben, Diana; Miller-Reilly, Barbara

2014-01-01

In this paper we review and compare language policy in relation to adult numeracy education in Wales and New Zealand with respect to the Maori and Welsh languages in the latest stage of our international comparative study of adult numeracy education. While much has been written about the relationship between language and literacy, the relationship…

Europe versus Asia: Foreign Language Education Other than English in Japan's Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kobayashi, Yoko

2013-01-01

The era of Asia has been felt in foreign language education in Japan, with more and more youth reportedly opting to study Chinese and Korean as the second foreign language. The shift in popularity, from European to Asian languages, not only reflects the societal demand for the institutional rearrangement of academic staff but also stirs teachers…

Critical Review of Language Education Policies in Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education in Serbia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filipovic, Jelena; Vuco, Julijana; Djuric, Ljiljana

2007-01-01

In this paper a comparative analysis of the status of four types of languages present in the Serbian compulsory education system is presented: (1) Serbian as L1; (2) Serbian as L2 (for ethnic minorities); (3) minority languages; as well as (4) traditionally designated "foreign languages", such as English, French, Russian and German,…

The Comparison of the View of "Communicative Language Teaching" in Abant Izzet Baysal University, Turkey and Sussex University; UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metin Tekin, Bilge

2017-01-01

For language teachers, the study of education from international and comparative points of view, which is undertaken by comparative education, is essential because of the international nature of language education. For language teachers, working abroad to widen their experience is very common. Therefore, knowing the latest and common approach is…

A multi-site review of policies affecting opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to become bilingual.

PubMed

Pesco, Diane; MacLeod, Andrea A A N; Kay-Raining Bird, Elizabeth; Cleave, Patricia; Trudeau, Natacha; de Valenzuela, Julia Scherba; Cain, Kate; Marinova-Todd, Stefka H; Colozzo, Paola; Stahl, Hillary; Segers, Eliane; Verhoeven, Ludo

This review of special education and language-in-education policies at six sites in four countries (Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and Netherlands) aimed to determine the opportunities for bilingualism provided at school for children with developmental disabilities (DD). While research has demonstrated that children with DD are capable of learning more than one language (see Kay Raining Bird, Genesee, & Verhoeven, this issue), it was not clear whether recent policies reflect these findings. The review, conducted using the same protocol across sites, showed that special education policies rarely addressed second language learning explicitly. However, at all sites, the policies favoured inclusion and educational planning based on individual needs, and thus implied that students with DD would have opportunities for second language learning. The language-in-education policies occasionally specified the support individuals with special needs would receive. At some sites, policies and educational options provided little support for minority languages, a factor that could contribute to subtractive bilingualism. At others, we found stronger support for minority languages and optional majority languages: conditions that could be more conducive to additive bilingualism. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Remedial early numeracy education: can children identified as having a language deficiency benefit?

PubMed

Van Luit, Johannes E H; Toll, Sylke W M

2015-01-01

Growing attention has been paid to the possibility of supporting early numeracy in at-risk kindergartners. Furthermore, it is assumed that language proficiency is an important prerequisite in early maths skills. To examine whether remedial early numeracy education in kindergarten, which has been proven to be effective in general, is also beneficial for children with a language deficiency. Based on intensive selection, four different conditions were included: two groups received remedial education, one consisting of children being language proficient (N = 86) and one of children with a language deficiency (N = 26), and two groups followed the regular curriculum, one consisting of children being language proficient (N = 51) and one of children with a language deficiency (N = 24). Remedial education was for 1.5 school years (90 sessions, 30 min per session, twice per week), following the programme 'The Road to Mathematics'. During this period, the children receiving remedial education did not attend the regular maths lessons in the classroom, which were offered for at least 1 h per week. Effects were assessed for early numeracy and mathematical skills (operationalized as basic calculation fluency) in kindergarten and first grade. Three analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) revealed that, when accounting for achievement at pre-test, children with a language deficiency who received remedial numeracy education performed better on early numeracy skills in kindergarten and first grade than kindergartners with a language deficiency that followed the regular curriculum. Furthermore, they were able to catch up with their language proficient peers in early numeracy. However, children with a language deficiency who received remedial numeracy education did not differ from children who followed the regular curriculum on mathematical skills, suggesting that benefits for numeracy did not generalize to more advanced skills of addition and subtraction. Since, in general, it can be concluded that early numeracy education is indeed effective for kindergartners with a language deficiency, this study finds evidence that intensive support is desirable for children with delayed or impaired language development. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Parents' and Speech and Language Therapists' Explanatory Models of Language Development, Language Delay and Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Julie; Goldbart, Juliet; Phillips, Julie

2007-01-01

Background: Parental and speech and language therapist (SLT) explanatory models may affect engagement with speech and language therapy, but there has been dearth of research in this area. This study investigated parents' and SLTs' views about language development, delay and intervention in pre-school children with language delay. Aims: The aims…

Home and Community Language Proficiency in Spanish-English Early Bilingual University Students.

PubMed

Schmidtke, Jens

2017-10-17

This study assessed home and community language proficiency in Spanish-English bilingual university students to investigate whether the vocabulary gap reported in studies of bilingual children persists into adulthood. Sixty-five early bilinguals (mean age = 21 years) were assessed in English and Spanish vocabulary and verbal reasoning ability using subtests of the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised (Schrank & Woodcock, 2009). Their English scores were compared to 74 monolinguals matched in age and level of education. Participants also completed a background questionnaire. Bilinguals scored below the monolingual control group on both subtests, and the difference was larger for vocabulary compared to verbal reasoning. However, bilinguals were close to the population mean for verbal reasoning. Spanish scores were on average lower than English scores, but participants differed widely in their degree of balance. Participants with an earlier age of acquisition of English and more current exposure to English tended to be more dominant in English. Vocabulary tests in the home or community language may underestimate bilingual university students' true verbal ability and should be interpreted with caution in high-stakes situations. Verbal reasoning ability may be more indicative of a bilingual's verbal ability.

Brain-based individual difference measures of reading skill in deaf and hearing adults.

PubMed

Mehravari, Alison S; Emmorey, Karen; Prat, Chantel S; Klarman, Lindsay; Osterhout, Lee

2017-07-01

Most deaf children and adults struggle to read, but some deaf individuals do become highly proficient readers. There is disagreement about the specific causes of reading difficulty in the deaf population, and consequently, disagreement about the effectiveness of different strategies for teaching reading to deaf children. Much of the disagreement surrounds the question of whether deaf children read in similar or different ways as hearing children. In this study, we begin to answer this question by using real-time measures of neural language processing to assess if deaf and hearing adults read proficiently in similar or different ways. Hearing and deaf adults read English sentences with semantic, grammatical, and simultaneous semantic/grammatical errors while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The magnitude of individuals' ERP responses was compared to their standardized reading comprehension test scores, and potentially confounding variables like years of education, speechreading skill, and language background of deaf participants were controlled for. The best deaf readers had the largest N400 responses to semantic errors in sentences, while the best hearing readers had the largest P600 responses to grammatical errors in sentences. These results indicate that equally proficient hearing and deaf adults process written language in different ways, suggesting there is little reason to assume that literacy education should necessarily be the same for hearing and deaf children. The results also show that the most successful deaf readers focus on semantic information while reading, which suggests aspects of education that may promote improved literacy in the deaf population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning To See: American Sign Language as a Second Language. Language in Education: Theory and Practice 76.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Sherman; Wilcox, Phyllis

During the last decade, the study of American Sign Language (ASL) as a second language has become enormously popular. More and more schools and universities recognize the important role that ASL can play in foreign language education. This monograph provides a comprehensive introduction to the history and structure of ASL, to the Deaf community…

Global Flows in Local Language Planning: Articulating Parallel Language Use in Swedish University Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hult, Francis M.; Källkvist, Marie

2016-01-01

In this paper, the language policies of three Swedish universities are examined as instances of language planning in local contexts. Although Sweden has the national Language Act of 2009 (SFS 2009:600) as well as a general Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 1993:100; SFS 2014:1096), language planning for higher education is left to the purview of…

Issues in English Language Development. Proceedings of a Conference on Issues in English Language Development for Minority Language Education (Arlington, Virginia, July 24, 1985).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

InterAmerica Research Associates, Rosslyn, VA.

Papers presented in this conference report include: "Overview of Theories of Language Learning and Acquisition" (Diane Larsen-Freeman); "A Theory of Strategy-Oriented Language Development" (Michael Canale); "Motivation, Intelligence, and Access: A Theoretical Framework for the Education of Minority Language Students" (Edward De Avila); "Second…

How Do I Satisfy the General Education Language Requirement? University Students' Attitudes toward Language Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Juan Antonio

2010-01-01

This study aims to identify the two principal reasons why college students choose a certain language to satisfy a general education second language requirement by polling 172 students enrolled in first-year language courses in 13 languages at a large Northeastern research university. Students answered a questionnaire and chose the two main reasons…

Rhetorical meta-language to promote the development of students' writing skills and subject matter understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelger, Susanne; Sigrell, Anders

2016-01-01

Background: Feedback is one of the most significant factors for students' development of writing skills. For feedback to be successful, however, students and teachers need a common language - a meta-language - for discussing texts. Not least because in science education such a meta-language might contribute to improve writing training and feedback-giving. Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore students' perception of teachers' feedback given on their texts in two genres, and to suggest how writing training and feedback-giving could become more efficient. Sample: In this study were included 44 degree project students in biology and molecular biology, and 21 supervising teachers at a Swedish university. Design and methods: The study concerned students' writing about their degree projects in two genres: scientific writing and popular science writing. The data consisted of documented teacher feedback on the students' popular science texts. It also included students' and teachers' answers to questionnaires about writing and feedback. All data were collected during the spring of 2012. Teachers' feedback, actual and recalled - by students and teachers, respectively - was analysed and compared using the so-called Canons of rhetoric. Results: While the teachers recalled the given feedback as mainly positive, most students recalled only negative feedback. According to the teachers, suggested improvements concerned firstly the content, and secondly the structure of the text. In contrast, the students mentioned language style first, followed by content. Conclusions: The disagreement between students and teachers regarding how and what feedback was given on the students texts confirm the need of improved strategies for writing training and feedback-giving in science education. We suggest that the rhetorical meta-language might play a crucial role in overcoming the difficulties observed in this study. We also discuss how training of writing skills may contribute to students' understanding of their subject matter.

Qualitative Aspects of Developmental Language Impairment Relate to Language and Literacy Outcome in Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehouse, Andrew J. O.; Line, E. A.; Watt, Helen J.; Bishop, Dorothy V. M.

2009-01-01

Background: Developmental language disorder is a heterogeneous diagnostic category. Little research has compared the long-term outcomes of children with different subtypes of language impairment. Aims: To determine whether the pattern of language impairment in childhood related to language and literacy outcomes in adulthood. Methods & Procedures:…

Language Profiles of Monolingual and Bilingual Finnish Preschool Children at Risk for Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westman, Martin; Korkman, Marit; Mickos, Annika; Byring, Roger

2008-01-01

Background: A large proportion of children are exposed to more than one language, yet research on simultaneous bilingualism has been relatively sparse. Traditionally, there has been concern that bilingualism may aggravate language difficulties of children with language impairment. However, recent studies have not found specific language impairment…

The Importance of Principals Supporting Dual Language Education: A Social Justice Leadership Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMatthews, David; Izquierdo, Elena

2018-01-01

Recent calls for social justice to be a key aspect of principal preparation have been made, but content related to the efficacy of dual language education has been a neglected area of educational leadership research, coursework, and principal preparation standards. We draw on scholarship focused on dual language education, social justice…

Affective Education and Foreign Language Learning. The Challenge of Communication. ACTFL Review of Foreign Language Education, Vol. 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Disick, Renee S.; Barbanel, Laura

The affective education movement and applications to foreign language learning are surveyed. Affective, or humanistic, education seeks to include self-knowledge, improved interpersonal communication, and clarification of one's values. Research studies show that thinking and feeling are intertwined. Emotion is present in the classroom and cannot be…

U.S. Spanish and Education: Global and Local Intersections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

García, Ofelia

2014-01-01

The author of this chapter argues that the failure of Spanish language education policies in the United States to educate both Latinos and non-Latinos has to do with the clash between three positions--(a) the English language, characterized by U.S. educational authorities as the unique and powerful lingua franca; (b) the Spanish language, as…

Paradigm Shift: Understanding and Implementing Change in Second Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, George M.; Farrell, Thomas S. C.

2001-01-01

Change seems to be a constant in education. We can better understand and implement change in second language education if we look for connections between changes. The concept of paradigm shift offers one means of making such connections. This article describes eight changes that fit with the paradigm shift in second language education toward what…

Re-Examining the Fluctuations in Language in-Education Policies in Post-Independence Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ansah, Gladys Nyarko

2014-01-01

Language-in-education policy in Ghana has been in a flux since British colonial rule but particularly so after independence. A close examination of post independence language in education policies shows these fluctuating policies have moved from one form of bilingual education policy to another. Many tensions and paradoxes that arise from…

English Language Learner Education Finance Scholarship: An Introduction to the Special Issue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiménez-Castellanos, Oscar

2017-01-01

In this article, I introduce the special issue on education finance and English Language Learners, with the purpose to disseminate timely and relevant education finance scholarship with a particular focus on English Language Learners (ELLs). Here, I provide an analytical argument for why this topic is of great importance for our educational system…

News for assimilation or integration? Examining the functions of news in shaping acculturation experiences of immigrants in the Netherlands and Spain

PubMed Central

Alencar, Amanda; Deuze, Mark

2017-01-01

This study investigates the functions of news media in shaping acculturation experiences of new economic and refugee immigrants in the Netherlands and Spain. Focus group data revealed that consumption of host country news media was mainly connected to immigrants’ deliberate strategies to assimilate the culture, politics and language of the host society, while exposure to transnational news was viewed in terms of strategies of integration in both countries. We also observed that participants’ educational background and language skills combined with their perceptions of the host country’s news have an impact on the use they make of news for assimilating and/or integrating into the host society. Finally, important sociopolitical conditions of the context influenced the ways participants use the news media in their process of acculturation. PMID:28579663

News for assimilation or integration? Examining the functions of news in shaping acculturation experiences of immigrants in the Netherlands and Spain.

PubMed

Alencar, Amanda; Deuze, Mark

2017-04-01

This study investigates the functions of news media in shaping acculturation experiences of new economic and refugee immigrants in the Netherlands and Spain. Focus group data revealed that consumption of host country news media was mainly connected to immigrants' deliberate strategies to assimilate the culture, politics and language of the host society, while exposure to transnational news was viewed in terms of strategies of integration in both countries. We also observed that participants' educational background and language skills combined with their perceptions of the host country's news have an impact on the use they make of news for assimilating and/or integrating into the host society. Finally, important sociopolitical conditions of the context influenced the ways participants use the news media in their process of acculturation.

Evidence-based interventions for reading and language difficulties: creating a virtuous circle.

PubMed

Snowling, Margaret J; Hulme, Charles

2011-03-01

BACKGROUND. Children may experience two very different forms of reading problem: decoding difficulties (dyslexia) and reading comprehension difficulties. Decoding difficulties appear to be caused by problems with phonological (speech sound) processing. Reading comprehension difficulties in contrast appear to be caused by problems with 'higher level' language difficulties including problems with semantics (including deficient knowledge of word meanings) and grammar (knowledge of morphology and syntax). AIMS. We review evidence concerning the nature, causes of, and treatments for children's reading difficulties. We argue that any well-founded educational intervention must be based on a sound theory of the causes of a particular form of learning difficulty, which in turn must be based on an understanding of how a given skill is learned by typically developing children. Such theoretically motivated interventions should in turn be evaluated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to establish whether they are effective, and for whom. RESULTS. There is now considerable evidence showing that phonologically based interventions are effective in ameliorating children's word level decoding difficulties, and a smaller evidence base showing that reading and oral language (OL) comprehension difficulties can be ameliorated by suitable interventions to boost vocabulary and broader OL skills. CONCLUSIONS. The process of developing theories about the origins of children's educational difficulties and evaluating theoretically motivated treatments in RCTs, produces a 'virtuous circle' whereby theory informs practice, and the evaluation of effective interventions in turn feeds back to inform and refine theories about the nature and causes of children's reading and language difficulties. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

Culture, language, and patient safety: Making the link.

PubMed

Johnstone, Megan-Jane; Kanitsaki, Olga

2006-10-01

It has been well recognized internationally that hospitals are not as safe as they should be. In order to redress this situation, health care services around the world have turned their attention to strategically implementing robust patient safety and quality care programmes to identify circumstances that put patients at risk of harm and then acting to prevent or control those risks. Despite the progress that has been made in improving hospital safety in recent years, there is emerging evidence that patients of minority cultural and language backgrounds are disproportionately at risk of experiencing preventable adverse events while in hospital compared with mainstream patient groups. One reason for this is that patient safety programmes have tended to underestimate and understate the critical relationship that exists between culture, language, and the safety and quality of care of patients from minority racial, ethno-cultural, and language backgrounds. This article suggests that the failure to recognize the critical link between culture and language (of both the providers and recipients of health care) and patient safety stands as a 'resident pathogen' within the health care system that, if not addressed, unacceptably exposes patients from minority ethno-cultural and language backgrounds to preventable adverse events in hospital contexts. It is further suggested that in order to ensure that minority as well as majority patient interests in receiving safe and quality care are properly protected, the culture-language-patient-safety link needs to be formally recognized and the vulnerabilities of patients from minority cultural and language backgrounds explicitly identified and actively addressed in patient safety systems and processes.

Language Ideologies: Critical Perspectives on the Official English Movement. Volume 1: Education and the Social Implications of Official Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Roseann Duenas, Ed.

This collection of essays addresses the complicated and divisive issues at the heart of the debate over language diversity and the English Only movement in United States public education. Blending social, political, and legal analyses of the ideologies of language with perspectives on the impact of the English Only movement on education and in…