The effects of early bilingual schooling on first language skills

1986 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Harley ◽  
Douglas Hart ◽  
Sharon Lapkin
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
French Immersion ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Language L ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Longitudinal Comparison ◽  
English Program

ABSTRACTIn this study, the development of first language (L1) skills among native English-speaking students enrolled in early French immersion programs in Canadian schools is explored. It is hypothesized that the early bilingual schooling received by those majority children will serve to enhance their performance on various kinds of L1 tasks. Some preliminary evidence consistent with this hypothesis is found in a longitudinal comparison of English language test scores obtained over a six-year period by 22 immersion students and 22 regular English program students. Analysis of specific test items where the immersion students clearly outperform their regular program counterparts leads to the development of more specific hypotheses, which are tested via new measures on a larger sample of students in grade 6.

Strategies for building social connection through English

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Taylor-Leech ◽  
Lynda Yates
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Language Programs ◽  
Communication Challenges ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
English Program

This article draws on ethnographic data from a longitudinal study of newly-arrived immigrants of non English-speaking background in the Australian Adult Migrant English Program to investigate their opportunities for using English and the language learning strategies (LLS) they used to make the most of these opportunities. Analysis of their reports of spoken interactions in and beyond the classroom suggests that many participants had little awareness of the strategies they could use to increase their opportunities to interact with other English speakers. Most participants did not use any LLS and those they did use were largely social in nature and motivation. With a particular focus on social strategies, we consider participants’ use of LLS to improve their English. We identify some constraints on their use of social strategies and some ways in which contextual and individual factors interacted for learners at different levels of proficiency. We conclude with some practical implications for LLS instruction in English language programs for new arrivals. The findings suggest that explicit instruction particularly in social talk and interaction could help learners increase their contact with Englishspeakers. Families and communities could also benefit from information to promote understanding of the communication challenges facing newly arrived immigrants of non English-speaking background.

scholarly journals English as Lingua Franca and First Language Comfort Zones at an Internationalized University in Warsaw

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-65
Author(s):  
Lucyna Aleksandrowicz-Pędich
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Student Community ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
English As Lingua Franca ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study has been to analyse the use of English as lingua franca at an internationalised university in a non-English speaking country, the challenges caused by the need to use English for academic and social purposes as well as the use of other languages by a multicultural student community. Methodology: The methodology was based on qualitative research and involved open-ended interviews with students of 14 nationalities as well as staff members, both local (Polish) and from English-speaking countries. Findings: The main findings indicate: a degree of mismatch between the self-perception of English language competence and the actual ability to use it; the key function of language for social bonding; frequent recourse to first language comfort zones rather than the use of the lingua franca. Value Added: The research focuses on English language issues in a non-English speaking country, an understudied area in higher education. It draws attention to the use of Russian as a secondary lingua franca among students for whom it is their other language of fluent communication. Recommendations: University level educators should be more aware of the specificity of the problems in the use of English by international students, including such as underestimated listening comprehension issues, tensions connected with the use of polite forms and the mismatch between communication skills in English and the academic needs. The impact of language identity on international students social networking should be taken into account as well.

scholarly journals Reading Experiences of Nonnative-English-Speaking Students Majoring in English Language Teaching

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Sri Fatmaning Hartatik ◽  
Hernina Dewi Lestari
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
The Other ◽  
Thinking Aloud ◽  
Reading Experience ◽  
Reading Material ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Reading Activities

This study attempts to synthesize the findings of an Indonesian case study on reading experiences of nonnative-English-speaking ELT students. The researchers examined 36 students of bachelor program students using a descriptive qualitative design. The finding revealed that 55.6% of the students spent 2-3 hours reading, 27.7% spent 1-2 hours reading, while the rest 16.7% spent less than an hour reading. In term of genre, 69.4% of the students preferred scientific reading genre while 30.6% preferred fiction. Regarding the mode of reading materials, 86.1% of the students used printed material and the other 13.9% used digital reading material. The finding of this study presented that 75% of the students liked to read materials in their first language while the rest 25% preferred to read reading materials in English. About the students’ preference of reading activities, the data showed that 63.89% of the students chose activities such as a combination of doing preview, giving keywords, scanning, skimming, giving clarification, asking and answering questions, and making conclusions while 36.11% preferred reading activities involving a combination of brainstorming, conducting survey, reciprocal teaching, doing evaluation, making inference, re-reading, thinking aloud, and having discussion as the reading activities. In term of the place to read, 50% of the students read at home, 27.8% read in the classroom, and 22.2% read at the library. About the reading experience, 63.89% of students were satisfied while the other 36.11% thought that their reading experience was insufficient.

scholarly journals Coherence in Thai Students’ Essays: An Analysis using Centering Theory

MANUSYA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-130
Author(s):  
Saranya Pathanasin
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Discourse Coherence ◽  
Word Repetition ◽  
Thai Students ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Centering Theory ◽  
Published Research

The contributions of centering theory (CT) have been widely accepted in linguistics, but there has not yet been much published research applying the theory to first language (L1) interference. This study applies CT to investigate L1 interference in discourse coherence in essays written in English by Thai university students. A corpus compiled from 50 essays is analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Statistical results suggest that CT is more reliable than human raters in measuring coherence, since the data shows no influence of subjective measurement. Further analysis by CT shows that word repetition is the most common form of Cb (focus of attention) in the continuation states (56.6%), and pronouns are the second most frequent form (39.6%). These findings conflict with the predictions of CT, which assert that pronouns are usually preferred over noun phrases. Results of qualitative analysis pointed out that this discrepancy is caused by L1 interference in writing, since word repetition is commonly used in Thai discourse. The Thai students’ English-language writing abilities were at pre-intermediate levels of competence. However, this aspect is not considered negative L1 interference since the use of repetition in the students’ compositions helped the raters follow the ideas in the writing. The results also show that the students were not aware of issues of cohesion and were not confident in using pronouns. The L1 interference in discourse coherence, specifically word repetition, was recognized by Thai raters but not by native English-speaking (NES) raters.

scholarly journals Native vs. non-native EFL teachers: Who are better?

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-147
Author(s):  
Kurniawati Kurniawati ◽  
Dini Rizki
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
First Language ◽  
Quality Teachers ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers

This paper discusses possible advantages of having Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) to teach English as a Foreign-Language (EFL) especially in Asian countries when they are often regarded as inferior to their Native English-Speaking Teachers (NESTs) counterparts. A native speaker fallacy has emphasized that NESTs are better teachers of EFL and have put NNESTs at a disadvantage. Actually, NNESTs possess advantages that can make them better teachers for teaching English in an EFL/ESL setting connected with their own EFL learning experiences and with sharing the same first language and cultural background with their students. While considered to have lower English language proficiency and lower self-confidence compared to NESTs, NNESTs who have made the effort to become quality teachers can position themselves as ideal English teachers in their own environment.

scholarly journals English Speaking Skill and Language Component Practice: englisch-hilfen.de in Assistance

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (02) ◽  
pp. 210-223
Author(s):  
Husnul Hotimah
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

English Foreign Language (EFL) students, most of the time, face difficulties in learning English, especially in mastering speaking skills. One of the most common problems faced in the teaching and learning process for speaking skills is the lack of motivation and students tend to use their first language. As the development of technology, the teacher is required to involve digital teaching, especially related to the use of computers. Employing computer or Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in the teaching and learning process is highly recommended for a fun and exciting learning. In this particular case, englishch-hilfen.de serves as an answer for those seeking such a learning process. A qualitative study was involved to identify how the use of englishch-hilfen.de can improve and give a significant effect on students’ English performance, especially for speaking and vocabulary aspects. The result of this study suggested that the content within englishch-hilfen.de is very beneficial for it provides such meaningful and stimulating activities for English language students.

Predictors of Theory of Mind performance in bilingual and monolingual children

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milijana Buac ◽  
Margarita Kaushanskaya
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
English Language ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Dual Immersion ◽  
Card Sort ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
English Speaking

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: The goal of the current study was to examine whether language and Executive Function (EF) skills predict Theory of Mind (ToM) performance in bilingual and monolingual children. Design/methodology/approach: Participants included 44 monolingual English-speaking children ( MAge = 7.03, SD = 1.23), 44 simultaneous English-Spanish bilingual children ( MAge = 7.36, SD = 1.18), and 27 English first language (L1) bilinguals (native English speakers learning Spanish through dual immersion programs; MAge = 7.58, SD = 1.24). In the second-order false belief task, children were asked to reason about one character’s thoughts about another character’s thoughts. Three components of EF were measured: inhibition (via a flanker task); updating of working memory (via a Corsi blocks task); and shifting (via a card sort task). The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals 4th Edition indexed omnibus English language skills. Data and analysis: Separate logistic regression models were constructed to analyze the predictors of ToM performance for each group controlling for age, socioeconomic status, and non-verbal IQ. Findings/conclusions: Language ability, but not EF skills, predicted ToM performance in simultaneous bilinguals. In contrast, EF skills but not language predicted ToM performance in monolinguals and in English L1 bilinguals. Originality: This is the first study to show that children with distinct language acquisition histories approach verbal ToM problems differently. Significance/implications: It appears that the linguistic demands of the ToM task take priority for children with lower levels of target-language ability, while the cognitive demands of the task take priority for children with higher levels of target-language ability.

Morphological awareness and word reading in English language learners: Evidence from Spanish- and Chinese-speaking children

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
GLORIA RAMIREZ ◽  
XI CHEN ◽  
ESTHER GEVA ◽  
YANG LUO
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
First Language ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
English Speaking

ABSTRACTThis study examined the effects of first language characteristics on the development of two aspects of English morphological awareness: derivational and compound awareness in English language learners (ELLs) with Chinese or Spanish as their first language. It also assessed the contribution of derivational and compound awareness to word reading in the two groups of ELLs as well as in monolingual English-speaking children. Participants included 89 Spanish-speaking ELLs, 77 Chinese-speaking ELLs, and 78 monolingual English-speaking children from Grade 4 and Grade 7. Results showed that Chinese-speaking ELLs performed similarly to monolingual English speakers on English compound awareness, and monolingual English speakers outperformed Spanish-speaking ELLs. Spanish-speaking ELLs and monolingual children, in contrast, both outperformed Chinese-speaking ELLs on derivational awareness. Another key finding was that in all three groups of children, morphological awareness made a unique contribution to word reading after controlling for nonverbal ability, maternal education, and other reading related variables. These results underscore the influence of first language structure on the development of second language morphological awareness, and the similar contribution of morphological awareness to word reading across monolinguals and ELLs.

scholarly journals Professional Communication Skills in English for Non-native English Speaking Engineers: Challenges and a Proposed Teaching Framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2S10) ◽  
pp. 595-599
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Professional Communication ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Written Form ◽  
English Speaking

Communicating effectively in English does not come naturally to undergraduate engineering students in India and presumably everywhere where English is not the first language or the mother tongue. In India, English is used as official language in most of the states. It is also the medium of instruction in most educational institutes. Teaching methods and objectives to be achieved while imparting knowledge of English language mainly focus on ability of students to reproduce the learned facts in written form in the examination. Focus on the oral communication and development of English as a medium to share and express original ideas is not really observed at school or university level. Employers worldwide have acknowledged that the conventional engineering curriculum that is focused on imparting technical knowledge has proved to be inadequate in equipping engineers with the adequate employability skills. The objective of this paper is to present a framework for design, teaching and evaluation of a course on communication skills/professional communication for engineering students. A proposed pedagogical framework has been discussed and illustrated as appendices. Guidelines regarding improving communication skills have been made keeping in mind that rather than emphasizing upon incorporating a course on communication skills in the engineering education, communication should be made an integral part of the curriculum

scholarly journals The First Language Interference toward Students’ English Speaking as Foreign Language

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Tania Syafutri ◽  
Andri Saputra
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Course Design ◽  
First Language ◽  
Parallel Structure ◽  
Verb Agreement ◽  
Allophonic Variation ◽  
Phonological Interference ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Lexical Interference

This research aims at analyzing the first language interference toward students’ English speaking as foreign language made by sixth semester students in course design subject, such as phonological interference (pronunciation), grammatical (morphological and lexical), and lexical interference (vocabulary), and the factors that caused interference of the first language. This research is descriptive qualitative. The findings of the research explained that students made three types of interference categorized as phonological interference such as pronounce the word incorrectly (vowel, diphthong, consonan, and allophonic variation), grammatical interference such as in morphological (singular-plural agreement) and syntactical (subject-verb agreement, phrase, comparative adjective, possessive adjective, and parallel structure),  and lexical interference such as in vocabulary (combining between Indonesian and the English language). The data showed that students often make error in phonological aspect. The factors that caused first language interference are lack of knowledge, Indonesian transfer, and lack of vocabularies of foreign language that mastered by students or respondents.

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