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The focus of this study is the potential reduction of first language (L1) use during group activities in the second language (L2) classroom through the introduction of L2 support phrases with the goal of enabling learners to carry out three information exchange tasks without resorting to communication in L1. Many language instructors tend to limit group interaction because learners would typically revert to the language they are comfortable with and thus receive less comprehensive input and feedback from peers or get a chance to modify their output in the target language. Group work in the second language classroom is, however, most beneficial as it maximizes the number of turns students take and their overall speech production.  In the study I conducted, the participants were 16 students, forming eight pairs, from beginning Spanish language classes. Those in the L2 support class received linguistic assistance while those in the no L2 support class did not receive any additional help during the three information-exchange activities completed by the participants four to five weeks apart. The transcribed learner-learner interactions were analyzed in order to reveal the extent to which beginning Spanish language learners use the L1 rather than the target language during group work, and to make observations about the communicative functions of the languages used.  The findings revealed that providing L2 support phrases to manage tasks and deliberate over language use did not have an impact on the amount of the use of L1. On the contrary, it demonstrates that verbalizing less in the L1 in learner-learner interactions does not produce more target language. Thus, this study contributes to the theoretical explanation for the use of an L1 during learner-learner interactions, which does not always align with pedagogical practices. / Spanish

More than a decade has passed since the United States Supreme Court made its historic decision in Lau v. Nichols on January 21, 1974. Ruling in favor of the non-English-speaking Chinese plaintiffs, the Court upheld earlier guidelines established by the office for Civil Rights for school districts with more than five percent national origin-minority group children. In delivering the Court's opinion, Justice Douglas reiterated these words of J. Stanley Pottinger, former director of OCR:

Two common forms of teaching English to English-language learners are bilingual education and sheltered English immersion. While both programs claim successful second language acquisition, other effects of the programs need to be considered. This research examines one of those effects: self-efficacy, or students' perception that they will be successful or unsuccessful in doing a specific task or acquiring a specific skill. Using archival records and semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions, this qualitative study draws on the work of Bandura (1977, 1986, 1997) to explore differences in self-efficacy between students who have participated for 5 years in a two-way Spanish-English bilingual immersion (TWBE) or an immersion/sheltered English program (SEI) at the same school. Interviews with the parents of the 11 Hispanic students allowed for comparisons of parent satisfaction with the two language programs. Findings indicated that students in both programs are similar in many ways; however there were marked differences between the two groups. Although all of the student participants considered themselves bilingual, those who were in the SEI program cannot read or write the language and use it only for social situations. Furthermore, students who have been in the TWBE program reported using practice, study, and note taking as success strategies in school, while their SEI peers used doing homework and turning it in as a success strategy. Students in TWBE reported having more successes in Spanish while their SEI peers reported struggling more in school and with Spanish. A major finding in parent interviews was that although all the parents expressed the desire that their children know Spanish, only some chose to put their children in the bilingual program. What decision processes parents use to place their children in the programs is unknown. Additionally, parents whose children were in the TWBE program reported that their children had more success experiences with home, friends, and family, the language program and with both Spanish and English. The TWBE parents also indicated that their children had more extended family members who served as models for them because their children can speak and write Spanish and thus have additional contact with extended family.

Content and language integrated learning is an approach to learning a language while studying subject matter, as well as the other way round. The intention with this dissertation has been to gather insights into teachers‘ perceptions regarding this approach and pupils’ perceived views regarding working with subject matter through the medium of English. Previous research within this area of study has shown that using this approach to learn content and language is increasing in Sweden primarily at upper secondary schools. This dissertation can be seen as twofold: firstly, a project was conducted in an 8th grade at a compulsory school in the southern part of Sweden that implement interdisciplinary work on a daily basis; secondly, data was gathered from questionnaires and interviews with both teachers and pupils who participated in the project. The results show that this approach is time-consuming and very challenging for pupils in general; it is particularly difficult for weaker pupils in English. Also, it may lead to shortcomings in the Swedish language, with terminology in particular. However, both teachers and pupils think that learning English while studying subject matter is effective, since pupils have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the English language more than otherwise. Working with subject matter in English is very different from doing it in Swedish and there are aspects that must be taken into consideration when planning, designing and implementing this approach at compulsory school level.

In the 2010-2011 school year, there were almost a quarter of a million English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in Florida public schools (Florida Department of Education, 2011), most of whom were placed in mainstream schools with segregated language remediation. Dual language education (DLE) programs offer developmental opportunities in two languages that mainstream schools cannot. The purpose of this research was to identify parental attitudes toward immersion programs and define the reasons that parents enroll their children in DLEs. Sixty participants completed a questionnaire sent home from their student's DLE. The study data included biographical information, statements depicting the reasons for enrollment rated by a Likert scale, and an area for comments. Overall, the study found that survey participants rated their child's comfort communicating with Spanish speakers (4.75 out of 5) to be the most important reason for enrollment. A difference was found in responses depending on the ethnic/language group of surveyed participants. Primarily, Spanish speakers responded more positively to the statements regarding bilingual education than any other ethnic/language group. All parents conclusively believe the dual immersion program has been a success for their children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Cambodian children who attended a native language preschool would acquire a broader linguistic and experiential base in their native language and in English than a comparable group who have not attended any preschool. Specifically the study looked at the children's native language fluency, English fluency, and academic skills in elementary school. The sample of this study consisted of Cambodian children who had attended a native language preschool and who had remained in the same school district and a control group of Cambodian children from the same school district who had not attended preschool but who were similar economically and socially. An existing database was used to measure native language fluency, English fluency, whether or not the children met grade level standards and whether they were socially/emotionally prepared for school. It was found that although there was a difference in native language fluency there was no significant difference in English fluency or in meeting grade level standards. The findings suggest that further study is needed to determine long-term success academically between the two groups.

This study provides insight into the lives of stigmatized people by describing the effects of stigma on minority identity development. The stigmatization of certain groups within the school perpetuates the physical and psychological abuse outside in society. Because gay people are more at-risk for overt displays of stigmatization than most minority groups in our society, this study chose to investigate adolescent homosexual identity and the effects of stigma in their lives. This dissertation presents the findings of a qualitative study of approximately fifty, self-identified, gay male, lesbian, and bisexual youth in an urban setting. The study was conducted by the author between July 1993 and August 1994. Analysis focused on the role of stigma and stigma-management techniques on adolescent gay male, lesbian and bisexual identity. Findings revealed variations on how gay youth experience the developmental tasks of adolescence, the stages of homosexual identity development, and membership in ethnic minority communities. The participants in the study made suggestions for reforming the educational process in order to create a more tolerant school environment for gay teenagers. Within the limits imposed by a qualitative methodology employed, these findings have several implications for teaching, education policy, and the development of new theory.

The following case study provides answers to two questions, "How do English Learners and Spanish Learners negotiate meaning in an alternative dual language environment?" (Who are they? What do they do and how do they interact together?) and "How do English Learners and Spanish Learners perceive the dual language program and working together with peers?" (How do they perceive their peer interaction and the challenges, frustrations, and rewards they may have encountered?) This study focuses on the language interaction of three dyads of English Learners and Spanish Learners from a rural middle school in Northern California who met once a week to participate in an alternative dual language program. Methodically triangulating data from student journals, interviews, and taped interactions and analysis, three stages emerged during the alternative dual language program: (1) Language Apprehension, (2) Language Initiation, and (3) Language Acquisition. Within these stages, a number of corresponding themes unfolded from the analysis of journal entries, interviews, taped interactions, and field notes. These themes include Confidence, Language Practice, Frustrations and Misunderstandings, Strategies, and Perceived Language Acquisition. The stages and themes from triangulated data reveal examples of how three different dyads of students negotiate meaning in similar yet different respects depending on their personality, willingness to learn, confidence level, and the strategies they use to move language forward. The study also reveals how the alternative dual language program being studied provided newcomers a chance to associate with mainstream students on a school campus and to engage in authentic language communication and/or language practice; the importance of assigning students to intact pairs (dyads) allowing students to "affectively" build trust, increase confidence, and perceive language acquisition through social cognition; how an alternative dual language program can be implemented in middle or high school campuses that have a plethora of second language learners; and, how such language interaction can foster cross-cultural and multicultural education.