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Descriptors:
Immigrants; Foreign Countries; War; Educational Change; Self Concept; Second Language Learning; Second Language Programs; Classification; Citizenship; Acculturation; Social Integration; Discourse Analysis

Abstract:
The study presented in this paper focuses upon conceptualisations of language and identity in the institutionalised arena that emerged in the post-Second World War period with the specific intention of teaching Swedish to adult immigrants in the nation-state of Sweden. Our analysis focuses upon the development of the educational programme "Swedish for immigrants" over time. Our specific interest relates to how categorisations are framed and what, if any, kinds of labels--pertaining to language and identity--emerge in national and local policy documents from the 1960s onwards. Taking a sociohistorical perspective as a point of departure, our analyses indicate discursive changes with regards to the categories and aims of the educational programme, making certain identity positions more accessible than others at specific times. Focusing upon categories from sociohistorical perspectives helps to reveal the social organisation and institutional means that enable society to process citizenship issues. The complex relationship between the empowerment of the immigrants, on the one hand, and the need for integration or assimilation into society on the other, becomes visible through the analysis of empirical data that spans half a century. (Contains 4 tables, 3 figures and 12 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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Descriptors:
English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Speech Communication; Language Planning; Standard Spoken Usage; Creoles; Sociolinguistics; Second Language Programs

Abstract:
The paper Languages in Contemporary Anglophone Caribbean Societies examines how language is treated in Jamaica and other Anglophone Caribbean societies and the effects of a haphazard approach to language planning on the social dynamics of the society as well as the individual. It briefly explores how Language is handled in Francophone or Spanish-speaking environments and suggests a systemic approach to language planning where the centrality of language to the social and physical aspects of development is advanced as the starting point to such planning. The importance of language to every aspect of social experiences and the effect of media practices in changing attitudes in the use of Creole versus Standard English further amplifies the need for clear Language planning in Anglophone Caribbean societies. The discourse of students from Creole-speaking environments is used as a referent point in analyzing the pedagogical concerns and directions in terms of planning a viable language curriculum for Jamaican High Schools and Anglophone Caribbean societies. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (68K)

Descriptors:
Reading Comprehension; Reading Lists; Content Area Reading; Second Languages; Second Language Programs; Bibliographies; Information Sources

Abstract:
This feature offers an archive of articles and books published in other venues during the past year and serves as a valuable tool to readers of "Reading in a Foreign Language" ("RFL") treating topics within the scope of "RFL" and second language reading. The articles are listed in alphabetical order by author, each with a complete reference as well as a brief summary. The editors of this feature attempt to include all related articles that have appeared in other venues. However, undoubtedly, this list is not exhaustive. 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:
Learning Disabilities; Immigrants; Children; Special Education; Student Placement; Risk; Early Intervention; English (Second Language); Second Language Programs

Abstract:
Prior theory and research suggest that children of immigrants would be at especially high risk for special education placement with learning disabilities. However, their longitudinal special education placement patterns have received scant attention. This study examines temporal patterns of special education placement among children of immigrants, focusing on the timing of special education placement for learning disabilities among first- or second-generation children compared with their third-plus generation peers. Results provide evidence that children of immigrants face comparatively lower odds of receiving early special education intervention services, but demonstrate an increasing risk as the school years progress. This relationship is explained by children of immigrants' frequent participation in English as a second language programs in the early grades. 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:
Educational Technology; Electronic Learning; French; German; Technology Integration; Technology Uses in Education; Structural Unemployment; Influence of Technology; Online Courses; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Programs; Teaching Methods; Intermode Differences; Teacher Role; Dislocated Workers; Advocacy; Labor Problems; Collective Bargaining; Job Security; Employment Practices

Abstract:
Of all the recent budget cuts made by the Eagle County, Colorado, school district--the loss of 89 staff jobs through attrition and layoffs, a 1.5 percent across-the-board pay cut, and the introduction of three furlough days--none sparked as much anger or faced the same scrutiny as the decision to cut three foreign-language teaching positions and replace them with online instruction. At a spring school board meeting, supporters of the targeted programs in French and German, as well as the affected teachers, railed against the 6,200-student district for replacing face-to-face instructors with a digital option they argued would not be as rich or as meaningful. The highly charged response reflects the fear many teachers are beginning to feel that technology could push them out of their jobs, especially in an era of persistently tight budgets. Emerging management models that rely on a smaller number of highly paid teachers supported by new technology and a larger roster of relatively low-paid paraprofessionals are also fueling such fears. Those worries seem likely to grow, even though younger teachers and many veterans appreciate the teaching potential of the Internet and digital devices, and educational technology advocates insist the teacher is still essential to any technology-based effort to improve schools. It's unclear whether the concerns dramatized by the action in Eagle County, about 120 miles west of Denver, are justified on a broad scale. Most administrators say decisions such as the district's move to offer students online French and German courses are more reflective of extraordinary budget circumstances than an institutional desire to cut staffing. Further, developers of even the most sophisticated learning technologies insist their goal is to help make teaching a more efficient and effective profession, not a less relevant one. Teachers' unions and other teacher advocates also appear to vary greatly in their openness toward technology initiatives according to the policy and economic climates in different states and districts. 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:
English (Second Language); Second Language Programs; Computer Simulation; Internet; Second Language Learning; Electronic Learning; Pretests Posttests; College Students; Student Surveys; Interviews; Electronic Publishing; Web Sites; Program Effectiveness; Quasiexperimental Design; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
This paper reports on the effects an experimental English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program in Second Life (SL) had on Chinese student EFL learning. The study took an evaluative approach using quasi-experimental design with participants from one Chinese university and one American university in the southeastern United States. Results indicated significant main effects between a control group and the SL group on EFL measures, as well as significant gains in total score and several subcomponents between pre-test and post test. Further analysis using a post study survey, students' blog posting, and interview transcripts revealed that the SL_EFL Program had a positive impact on students' EFL learning. 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); Foreign Countries; Distance Education; English Instruction; Technology Integration; Nonformal Education; Program Effectiveness; Second Language Learning; Second Language Programs; Handheld Devices; Open Education; Delivery Systems; Communicative Competence (Languages); Educational Media; Program Descriptions; Educational Strategies

Abstract:
The program entitled "English in Action (EIA)", 9 year period DFID funded project in Bangladesh, was launched in 2008, for the desire to bring a change in the learning of English language. EIA works to reach a total of 25 million primary and secondary students and adult learners through communicative language learning techniques and the use of ICT, textbooks and supplementary materials in an innovative way. The project has been running, with the help of BBC World Service Trust and BBC Learning English, the program entitled "BBC Janala", an initiative that is providing English language lessons to citizens via their mobile phones as part of the wider English in Action program in Bangladesh. Survey research found that women are particularly interested in learning by mobile (especially given its "any time, any place" nature). That means, it is absolutely being implemented as a non-formal education (NFE) under the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode what is known as Open Non-formal Education (ONFE). BBC Janala allows Bangladeshis to access short (2-3 minute) audio lessons through a simple voice call by calling a four digit short code. The program has been a real challenge as it has the ability to address the need of students with an effective integration of ICT to support learning. This paper discusses how one increasingly ubiquitous ICT device--the mobile phone--has become increasingly relevant to learners in Bangladesh, in various ways and contexts. 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; Outcome Measures; Program Effectiveness; Adult Basic Education; Adult Learning; Adult Students; Family Literacy; Program Implementation; Labor Force Development; Annual Reports; English (Second Language); Second Language Programs; Transitional Programs; Performance Based Assessment; Competency Based Education; Behavioral Objectives; Educational Needs; Enrollment Trends; Geographic Location; Organization Size (Groups); Grants; Funding Formulas; Educational Finance; State Legislation; Skill Analysis

Abstract:
The Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) provides funding for states and territories to provide instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), Adult Basic Education (ABE), and Adult Secondary Education (ASE) to adults in need of these literacy services. California State Budget Act language for fiscal year 2010-11 (Item 6110-156-0890, Provision 3) requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to report on the implementation of the WIA, Title II. Fiscal year 2010-11 represents the twelfth year of WIA, Title II implementation. Two major implementation goals are to: (1) increase performance outcomes and (2) increase student success in transitions to postsecondary education and to the workforce. The WIA, Title II multiyear grants are funded on a pay-for-performance basis. California's federal funding allocation plan is based on documented student performance and goal attainment in educational programs. Each year California uses the student performance data to negotiate performance goals with the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) for 11 literacy levels within the program areas of ABE, ASE, and ESL, and the four core follow-up outcome measures of: (1) entered employment; (2) retained employment; (3) entered postsecondary education or training; and (4) attained a GED certificate or high school diploma. The literacy level performance goals are based on the percentage of all enrollees who complete a literacy level within the program year. The core follow-up outcome measures are based on the percentage of adult learners who identify specific goals for their enrollment and achieve their goals after exiting the program. Appended are: (1) Progress Measures; (2) WIA Title II Enrollments and Performance; (3) CASAS Skill Level Descriptors for ABE and ASE; and (4) CASAS Skill Level Descriptors for ESL. (Contains 1 footnote.) [For the 2010 edition of this report, see ED540985.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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 ERIC Full Text (1532K)

Descriptors:
English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Policy Analysis; Benchmarking; Educational Policy; Graduation Requirements; College English; College Programs; Program Implementation; Policy Formation; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Second Language Programs

Abstract:
To nudge students to study English and to improve their English proficiency, many universities in Taiwan have imposed an English graduation benchmark on their students. This article reviews this policy, using the theoretic framework for education policy analysis proposed by Haddad and Demsky (1995). The author presents relevant research findings, and concludes that this policy does not achieve the intended goals. It is suggested that policymakers reconsider this English graduation benchmark. (Contains 4 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:
Foreign Countries; Immigrants; Public Schools; Enrollment; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; English Language Learners; Second Language Instruction; Population Growth; Population Trends; Second Language Programs; Program Implementation; Parent School Relationship; Civil Rights; Social Discrimination; Family Literacy; Administrator Responsibility

Abstract:
As thousands of communities--especially in the South--became booming gateways for immigrant families during the 1990s and the early years of the new century, public schools struggled with the unfamiliar task of serving the large numbers of English-learners arriving in their classrooms. Instructional programs were built from scratch. Districts had to train their own teachers to teach English to non-native speakers or recruit teachers from elsewhere. School staff members had to figure out how to communicate with parents who spoke no English. But even as immigration has slowed or stopped in many places, and instructional programs for English-learners have matured, serving immigrant families and their children remains a work in progress in many public schools, especially those in communities that are skeptical, or sometimes hostile, to the newcomers. Communicating with parents who do not speak English is proving to be a big challenge for districts facing immigrant influxes for the first time. The author reports on how schools falter at keeping ELL families in the loop. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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