Browsing by Subject "foreign language"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Effects of first-language training on second-language word learning: Roles of conceptual and lexical knowledge
    (2015-05) Cole, Caitlin
    Previous research has shown that young children are able to learn words in a foreign language (e.g., Koenig & Woodward, 2012). Among children learning words in a foreign language, familiarity with objects (Sera et al., 2014) and L1 vocabulary (Koenig & Woodward, 2012) are related to foreign word learning. Among children learning words in their first language, knowledge of object functions is related to children's learning of and memory for object labels (Kemler Nelson et al., 2008; Booth, 2009; 2015), as well as object categorization and generalization (Graham et al., 2012; 2013; Twomey et al., 2014). In the present work, I examined the relative contributions of children's experience with novel objects, knowledge of object labels in their first language, and their knowledge of those objects' functions on their ability to learn foreign words for those objects and generalize those foreign words to other exemplars of the object categories. In Study 1, 52 monolingual English-speaking two- and three-year-old children were trained with novel objects on L1 labels or speaker preferences, or received no training. All three groups then learned Spanish labels for the novel objects. I measured children's initial learning of the foreign labels as well as their long-term retention. I found that children who had previous experience with the novel objects, whether or not they learned words in L1, learned and remembered foreign words better than children who had no experience with the objects. In study 2, 96 monolingual English-speaking two- and three-year-old children were trained with novel objects on L1 labels, object functions, or both, before learning foreign words for the objects. I measured children's learning of foreign words and their willingness to generalize those words across object categories. I found that children in all conditions learned foreign words, but did not generalize those words. Additionally, I found some evidence that learning English labels benefitted children's foreign word learning and generalization.
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    Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM: Minnesota Mandarin Immersion Collaborative Year 1
    (Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, 2010) Dretzke, Beverly; Rickers, Susan; Wahlstrom, Kyla; Werner, Jessica
    In 2009, a 5-year Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to the Minnesota Mandarin Immersion Collaborative (MMIC) for the project Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM. The grant supports immersion instruction in Mandarin Chinese that begins at the kindergarten level and the development of a curriculum that has a content focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The schools in the MMIC will add a grade level each year, with the intent of creating the capacity to continue Chinese immersion to grades 7-12. The MMIC has contracted with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota to serve as the evaluator of the project. This year 1 evaluation report presents enrollment and retention data as well as the results of a teacher survey, teacher interviews, principal interviews, and a parent survey.
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    Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM: Minnesota Mandarin Immersion Collaborative Year 2
    (Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, 2011) Dretzke, Beverly; Rickers, Susan; Wahlstrom, Kyla
    In 2009, a 5-year Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to the Minnesota Mandarin Immersion Collaborative (MMIC) for the project Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM. The grant supports immersion instruction in Mandarin Chinese that begins at the kindergarten level and the development of a curriculum that has a content focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The schools in the MMIC will add a grade level each year, with the intent of creating the capacity to continue Chinese immersion to grades 7-12. The MMIC has contracted with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota to serve as the external evaluator of the project. This report presents CAREI’s evaluation of the second year of the grant-funded project. The report includes enrollment and retention data as well as the results of principal interviews, teacher interviews, and a parent survey.
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    Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM: Year Three Evaluation Report (2011-2012)
    (Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, 2012-12) Dretzke, Beverly; Miron, Chloe O
    In 2009, a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to the Minnesota Mandarin Immersion Collaborative (MMIC) for the project Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM. The funding was expected to continue for a total of 5 years contingent upon annual renewal approved by Congress. However, in 2011, Congress voted to discontinue all FLAP funding. The 3 years’ of funding received by the MMIC supported early elementary immersion instruction in Mandarin Chinese that begins at the kindergarten level and the development of a curriculum that has a content focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The schools in the MMIC have added a grade level each year, with the intent of creating the capacity to continue Chinese immersion to grades 7-12. The MMIC contracted with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota to serve as the external evaluator of the project. This report presents CAREI’s evaluation of the third year of the grant-funded project. The report includes enrollment and retention data as well as the results of a parent survey and a survey of English teachers (i.e., instructional staff whose positions were in the regular, non-immersion program).
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    Saint Paul Public Schools Chinese Articulation Project
    (Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, 2009-11) Dretzke, Beverly; Jordan, Kelly
    In 2006, Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) received grant funding from the Department of Education’s Foreign Language Assistance Program to support its Chinese Articulation Project (CAP). The three-year funding period started on September 15, 2006, and ended on September 14, 2009. SPPS established four main goals for the project: 1. Expand the Chinese program. 2. Articulate and align the Chinese language curriculum and instruction to provide continuity of student experience, standards-based programming, and district-wide structure. 3. Enrich the Chinese language program to provide a comprehensive rigorous academic experience. 4. Develop a national model and demonstration site of the articulated Chinese language program. CAREI was asked to evaluate the projects impact in each of these areas.