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Descriptors:
Minority Group Children; Preschool Education; Bilingual Education; Semitic Languages; Foreign Countries; Control Groups; Speech Communication; Bilingualism; Monolingualism; Schemata (Cognition); Role of Education; Russian; Longitudinal Studies; Native Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Linguistic Input; Preschool Children

Abstract:
The development of script schema, as a source of narrative knowledge, is an essential stage in this knowledge construction. This study focused on the role of bilingual versus monolingual preschool education in the development of script schema knowledge in Russian (L1) and Hebrew (L2) among Russian/Hebrew-speaking children in Israel. The preschool bilingual education was based on the "first language first approach" with L2 immersion around age three. The study design was longitudinal and comparative. The children's script schema knowledge was measured at three time points during one academic year. Thirty-two Russian/Hebrew-speaking bilinguals (around age three) were selected from bilingual (Russian/Hebrew) and monolingual (Hebrew) preschools. In addition, 19 Hebrew-speaking monolinguals acted as the control group. The results demonstrated that relatively late immersion in L2 and continuous development of L1 within a bilingual educational context does not impede the acquisition of script schema knowledge in L2. At the same time, in the case of the monolingual preschools, the lack of input in children's L1 within the educational curriculum seems to hinder their script schema development in this language. Finally, the research provides evidence of linguistic interdependence near to onset of script schema acquisition. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Vocational Education; Teaching Methods; Indo European Languages; Statistical Analysis; Foreign Countries; Secondary School Teachers; Cognitive Style; Secondary School Students; Learning Strategies; Case Studies; Academic Education; Student Attitudes; Mathematics Achievement; Prediction; Native Language Instruction

Abstract:
Background: Research on the relation between teaching and learning approaches has been mainly conducted in higher education and it is not yet clear to what extent the results can be generalised when it comes to secondary education. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to research how students in secondary education perceive their teachers' approaches to teaching in different disciplines, and how this relates to their own learning approaches. Additionally, differences in teaching approaches between mathematics and language teachers were investigated. Sample: The participants in this study were 128 students randomly selected at two secondary schools in two different cities in the Netherlands. Both schools are located in a city with more than 200,000 inhabitants. The students are spread across three different educational levels: lower secondary vocational education (VMBO, 12-18 years), higher secondary education (HAVO, 12-18 years) and academically oriented vocational education (VWO, 12-18 years). Design and methods: In this cross-sectional study, instead of teachers' self-reporting, teaching approaches were measured by student perceptions, which were gathered by means of a questionnaire (N=128). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to identify whether perceived teacher approaches predicted students' learning approaches. Finally, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were carried out to explore differences in how students in mathematics and Dutch-language courses perceived the teaching approaches of their teachers and which learning approaches they consequently adopted. Results: Results indicate that a teacher-centred approach predicts a surface approach to learning and a student-centred approach predicts a deep approach to learning. Next, it was found that students in Dutch-language courses perceive their teachers as more student-centred, and are hence more likely to adopt a deep approach to learning than students in mathematics courses. Conclusions: These results suggest that when schools aim to support students in developing deep-learning approaches, attention on a school level should be paid to teachers' approaches to teaching. (Contains 5 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Elective Courses; Programming; Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics Education; Second Language Instruction; Native Language Instruction; Native Language

Abstract:
In an attempt to address shortcomings revealed in international assessments and lamented in legislation, many schools are reducing or eliminating elective courses, applying the rationale that replacing "non-essential" subjects with core subjects, such as mathematics and language arts, will better position students in the global market. However, there is evidence that systematically pairing a core subject with another, complementary subject, may lead to greater overall learning in both subjects. In this paper, we analyze two subject area pairs--first and second language, and computer programming and mathematics--to demonstrate in what ways two subjects might complement each other. We then analyze the relationships between these pairs to better understand the principles and conditions that encourage what we call "convergent cognition," the synergistic effect that occurs when a learner studies two complementary subjects. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teaching Methods; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Spanish; Heritage Education; Native Language Instruction; Second Language Instruction; Grammar; Communicative Competence (Languages); Course Descriptions

Abstract:
The current debate in second language acquisition and heritage language learning is no longer about whether communicative language teaching should include a focus on form, but rather "how" and "when" this is most effective. The proposals for Spanish for heritage language learners (HLLs) courses show a marked preference for an integrated approach to syllabus design, such as content-based and community-based courses. In this article, I explore on theoretical grounds the suitability of Ellis's (2002) modular approach to syllabus design in developing Spanish for HLLs syllabi as an alternative to the integrated syllabus. I explain how some of the limitations of the integrated syllabus are even greater in Spanish for HLLs courses. I also provide a rationale for the implementation of a modular approach, based on two fundamental properties: 1) a place for isolated form focused instruction (FFI) and 2) the specific timing in which this isolated FFI is introduced. I argue here that the type of target features that need to be (re)acquired by HLLs, as well as the characteristics of the HLLs, make the presence of a component for isolated FFI particularly beneficial for Spanish for HLLs courses. (Contains 7 notes and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Self Efficacy; Cooperative Learning; Educational Experience; Vocational Education; Teaching Methods; Adolescents; Classroom Techniques; Males; Group Activities; Comparative Analysis; Mathematics Instruction; French; Instructional Effectiveness; Outcomes of Education; Native Language Instruction

Abstract:
Can teenagers' self-efficacy be improved in a short time? Previous research has shown the positive effect of cooperative learning methods, including "jigsaw classrooms" (Aronson and Patnoe, 1997), on various outcomes (e.g., the liking of school, self-esteem, and reduction of prejudices). The present practice report investigated the effects of jigsaw technique in boosting the self-efficacy of students enrolled in a vocational curriculum. Over a period of four sessions, 33 male participants studied school materials either in jigsaw groups or in a traditional class (individual work). Their academic self-efficacy in math and French was measured before and after treatment. Results indicated that students' self-efficacy increased after the four sessions, but only in the jigsaw group. This report provides additional evidence supporting the benefit of jigsaw classrooms based on a different outcome than the one used in previous research--namely, self-efficacy--and among a particular population--namely, vocational trainees. Implications for classroom practice are discussed. In particular, the present practice report demonstrates that implementing the jigsaw approach in classrooms might be an effective tool for enhancing the quality of vocational students' school experience. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Vocabulary; Sight Vocabulary; Vocabulary Development; Spanish; Native Language Instruction; English (Second Language); Second Language Instruction; English Language Learners; Hispanic American Students; Moderate Mental Retardation; Elementary School Students; Direct Instruction; Instructional Effectiveness; Comparative Analysis

Abstract:
Schools across the country are inadequately prepared to meet the educational needs of English language learners (ELLs), much less the needs of ELLs who also have an intellectual disability (ID). In this exploratory study, three Mexican American elementary students with moderate ID were given vocabulary word instruction in English and Spanish using an alternating treatments design, and the effects of the number of words correctly identified per instructional strategy were measured. Two of the students acquired a greater number of English vocabulary words in the Spanish model-lead test intervention. Vocabulary scores increased for the third student under both conditions, but there was no differential advantage by language. Implications for future research and practice related to instructional strategies for this population are discussed. (Contains 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Syntax; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Community Schools; High School Students; Student Characteristics; Korean; Second Language Learning; Heritage Education; Native Language Instruction; Second Language Instruction; Writing Evaluation; Grammar; Connected Discourse; Task Analysis; Morphology (Languages)

Abstract:
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 their second year of learning Korean as a foreign language at an Australian high school, whereas four Korean-speaking participants were learning their mother tongue in Saturday community schools and had varied experience of learning Korean and English, the language of mainstream schooling in Australia. Participants' performance on two writing tasks--one independent and one integrated--is examined in terms of two assessment categories--"forms and structures" (i.e., morpho-syntax) and "discourse" (i.e., coherence and cohesion). Results reveal that participants' performance within each group varies according to task types and that the pattern of within-group variation also differs between the two groups. It appears that the two types of learners respond differently to different types of tasks and that their learning is different in nature. It is concluded that this difference needs to be taken into consideration in teaching and assessment in languages education at the secondary school level. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures and 7 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
High School Students; Foreign Countries; Graduation Rate; Federal Legislation; American Indians; American Indian Education; Immersion Programs; Native Language Instruction; American Indian Languages; Academic Achievement; Culturally Relevant Education; Self Determination; Tribally Controlled Education; Canada Natives

Abstract:
In 1999, under federal government legislation, Mi'kmaw communities in Nova Scotia won the right to manage the education of their children for the first time in a century. With support from Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey, an education authority that provides central services, local Mi'kmaw schools deliver language immersion courses, culturally-appropriate teaching pedagogy and other initiatives to promote student success. In 2010-11, Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey reported a high school student graduation rate of 75 per cent for students in the system, twice the Canadian average. The self-governance arrangement is drawing attention as a possible model for First Nation education in Canada. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Secondary Schools; Native Speakers; Foreign Countries; Heritage Education; Japanese; Student Needs; Second Language Learning; Native Language Instruction; Educational Experience; Student Placement; Second Language Instruction; Withdrawal (Education); Questionnaires; Interviews; Teacher Attitudes; Student Attitudes; Teaching Methods; Curriculum Design

Abstract:
While heritage language learners are becoming visible in the research literature as a distinct group of language learners with specific needs, existing curriculum structures in secondary schools often focus on programs either for foreign language learners or for first language learners. The study reported here examines the experiences of heritage learners of Japanese who have been inappropriately placed in courses designed for native speakers and as a result, in some cases, have withdrawn from taking any formal program of Japanese language study. Focusing on the situation of Australian senior secondary Japanese students, this article reports the findings of questionnaire and interview data, featuring the voices of both teachers and heritage learners of Japanese. The data identify the issues that delineate heritage language learners from native speakers and highlight, through the experiences of misplaced learners, the need for appropriate placement, pedagogy and curriculum. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Public Health; Language Maintenance; Patients; Language Variation; Heritage Education; Spanish; Teaching Methods; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Native Language Instruction; Community Programs; College Students; Majors (Students); Biology; Nursing Education; Health Education; Internship Programs; Health Services; Poverty; Questionnaires; Student Attitudes; Medical Services; Native Speakers

Abstract:
Critical approaches to Spanish heritage language (SHL) pedagogy have called for more meaningful engagement with heritage language communities (Leeman, 2005). In a recent survey, furthermore, SHL students expressed a desire for more community-based activities in SHL curricula (Beaudrie, Ducar, & Relano-Pastor, 2009). This paper reports on the outcomes of a community-based SHL program for medical purposes. SHL college students majoring in biology, nursing and other health-related programs participated in a semester-long mini-internship in a community health center serving indigent patients in Hidalgo County, Texas. Faculty and clinic staff collaborated to create an integrated experience for the students. The experience was assessed through a reflection questionnaire completed by the students. An analysis of the assessment data suggests that students emerged from the experience with a heightened commitment to Spanish language maintenance, an expanded bilingual range, and an understanding and respect for language variation in Spanish. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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