Affective variables in a foreign language immersion programme: a quantitative study

La inmersión lingüística ha cobrado mucha importancia durante las últimas décadas, ya que muchos estudiantes de todo el mundo se han beneficiado de esta experiencia tan motivadora. Por tanto, el objetivo principal de este estudio es determinar si una semana de inmersión en inglés tiene una influencia positiva en los niveles de motivación extrínseca e intrínseca, ansiedad en LE y los yoes en LE (Deci Ryan 2000, Dörnyei, 2005, Horwitz, Horwitz Cope 1991). Nuestros participantes son estudiantes de educación primaria (M: 11,5) que participaron en dicho programa. Estos cumplimentaron un cuestionario cuantitativo al llegar (test) y antes de terminar la semana (retest). Con el fin de comparar los resultados obtenidos en ambos momentos se utilizaron análisis ANOVA de un factor. Los resultados indicaron que después de la experiencia, la motivación aumenta, mientras que la ansiedad disminuye y la presencia de los yoes en los participantes se debilita.

Using Coding Interviews as an Organizational and Evaluative Framework for a Graduate Course in Programming

Objective: In a Statistical Analysis System (SAS) coding interview, job applicants are typically presented with data management and data analysis problems and asked to solve them using the programming language of SAS. Interviewers not only assess technical competence, but also algorithm design and more generally how applicants approach computer programming. In the language of constructivism, the problems are designed to assess the depth and soundness of the applicant’s mental model of SAS programming. We asked whether a SAS course, embedded within a Master of Biostatistics program, could reasonably be structured using a coding interview for the final examination as its organizing framework. Methods: This is a case study, where we describe how our content delivery was structured in order to prepare students for their coding interviews. It additionally relies on the metaphor of learning a second language through immersion. Results: Using a constructivist approach enhanced with active learning exercises, a course could in fact be designed around a coding interview. Course content can be mapped to the metaphor of foreign language immersion. Student response has been positive, and the formative evaluation has been encouraging to date. Conclusions: Coding interviews are a novel and potentially promising way to design a course in SAS programming.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE IMMERSION SEBAGAI REPRESENTASI PENDIDIKAN BILINGUAL DI SD MBF AL ADZKIYA WONOSOBO

Sebagai sekolah swasta, Al Adzkiya hadir dengan jenis pembelajaran istimewa yang merupakan pendidikan bilingual. Penggunaan bahasa Inggris diterapkan hampir setiap hari yang melibatkan beberapa program khusus untuk mendukung pendidikan dwibahasa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bagaimana Foreign Language Immersion dipraktekkan di sekolah ini, dan menghasilkan hasil pemenuhan keterampilan Bahasa Inggris pada tiga program besar yang diadakan yang meliputi English Morning Menu, English Day, dan English Week. Studi ini berfokus pada program-program, guru, siswa, dan lingkungan sekolah. Studi ini menunjukkan bahwa tiga program yang dianggap sebagai bagian dari Foreign Language Immersion yang disebutkan di atas memenuhi kemampuan bahasa Inggris utama yaitu keterampilan menyimak, berbicara, membaca, dan menulis.

Review of Child Second Language Acquisition (SLA): Examining Theories and Research

ABSTRACTWithin the field of second language acquisition (SLA), there has been much less research undertaken with children than with adults, yet the two cohorts are quite distinct in characteristics and in their learning processes. This article provides a review of child SLA research, particularly the research with a pedagogical focus. We describe a series of studies, including those informed by different theoretical perspectives (interactionist and sociocultural), in different instructional settings (i.e., second language, foreign language, immersion, and content and language integrated learning [CLIL] contexts) and using different research methodologies (longitudinal, case study, experimental, and naturalistic). We begin by highlighting the importance of age as a factor in SLA research, presenting studies that have focused on the differences existing between younger and older learners. We also consider interventions that can support language learning—including form-focused instruction and the use of tasks. We finish by presenting a proposed change in the way that research with children is conducted.

Phonological development in two-way bilingual immersion

In spite of the well-documented advantage of an early age of acquisition, findings from one-way (foreign language) immersion programs suggest that this instructional context is insufficient for acquisition of nativelike articulations by child foreign language learners. It has been suggested that the lack of exposure to native speaking peers may contribute to reported non-native pronunciation. This study expands upon the previous research with child second language learners of Spanish, exploring how children, who learn academic content in Spanish, alongside native Spanish-speaking peers produce the Spanish vowels. Few differences are observed between the learner and peer native speaker groups, suggesting that the direct contact with native speakers of Spanish afforded by two-way bilingual immersion promotes phonological acquisition.

How does Short-term Foreign Language Immersion Stimulate Language Learning?

Post 9/11 military operations reinforced the reality that the DoD needs a significantly improved capability in non-western European languages and dialects and a surge capacity to expand its language capabilities. As an initial step in the process, in 2005, the DoD produced the Defense Language Transformation Roadmap (DLTR) that directed the military services to coordinate their efforts toward more cohesive and universal goals and objectives (Wolfowitz, 2005). The following article presents a study based on one hundred and forty USAFA cadets who participated in the 2008-2010 Chinese summer language immersion programs conducted at Nanjing University in Nanjing, China, and during weekend excursions at prominent historical and cultural locations around the country.