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Background: Accumulating evidence shows that the home literacy environment (HLE) has a potent and early influence on children's language and literacy development. However, there is a more limited understanding of HLE and its contribution to children's outcomes for simultaneous bilingual children exposed to two languages at home, particularly in the Asian context. Methods: In this study with 801 six‐year‐old bilingual learners, HLE and language and literacy outcomes were examined in two languages. Children were assessed in their receptive vocabulary, reading and spelling abilities for English plus their ethnic Asian language (Mandarin Chinese, Malay or Tamil) for a subsample of 374 children. Results: Results from factor analyses suggest that HLE for each language within families had a different latent structure, with three to four factors for English (parent involvement, parent habit, child exploration and shared reading) and three factors for the Asian language (parent involvement, parent habit and child interest). Further path analyses show that shared reading had a negative contribution to English outcomes but a positive influence on Asian language outcomes. Conclusions: Findings extend existing understanding of HLE structure for bilingual language learners from bilingual families. HLE components contributed differently to bilingual language outcomes, with positive contributions of child exploration to English outcomes and of parent habits including shared reading to Asian language outcomes. Negative relationships for shared reading to English outcomes are also evident and suggest that further research on the long‐term effects of HLE is needed. Highlights: What is already known about this topic The home literacy environment (HLE) impacts child language and literacy development.There are similarities and uniqueness in HLE across cultural and language contexts.Informal and formal home literacy activities relate differentially to child outcomes. What this paper adds Bilingual families structure the HLE differently across their two languages.HLE factors affect bilingual children's language outcomes differentially, reflecting the broader cultural and educational context. Implications for theory, policy or practice Shared book reading may support children's language and literacy growth up to a point when they start to read independently.Home literacy activities in bilingual children's weaker or nondominant language are recommended in order to increase their proficiencies.Providing time and resources to build children's interest in independent literacy activities may further their literacy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact that a three-course series with course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) had on the development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions for teaching bilingual learners. In these teacher education courses, students conducted empirical research related to bilingual learners and their teachers. To understand the impact of this pedagogical approach teacher candidates' learning gains for becoming prepared for teaching bilingual learners, we assessed and analyzed their research projects and their reflection papers. The findings of this mixed-method study indicated that students in CUREs demonstrated higher performance in transferrable skills, such as critical thinking, informational literacy and communication, as demonstrated in their research projects compared with in non-CUREs. This learning gain was maintained throughout semesters, as their Capstone project performance indicated. In addition, their reflections indicated an increasing confidence in their research skills, knowledge, and competence for teaching bilingual learners. These findings support the systematic infusion of course-based empirical research experiences in a series of courses as learning opportunities to foster undergraduate students' readiness for the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is focused on revealing and analysis of external influences that affect the process of teaching the Russian language for specific purposes - business/professional communication to bilingual learners. The analysis is correlated with the description of external factors that cause a shift of emphasis from teaching the language of profession to teaching business communication. This comprehensive analysis makes it possible to build a uniform teaching course model based on a holistic approach. The study defines the general strategy of training, formulates tasks and outlines approaches to their solution, as well as delineates the contours of a branched out multi-component practical training course.

The present paper explores the lexical profiles of monolingual and bilingual learners acquiring English as a second and third language, respectively. Those profiles allow to get insights into learners’ lexical access and lexical organization in the new language. To shed more light in this issue, a lexical fluency task was used to gather data. Results showed lack of significant differences in all the measures taken, but some very interesting differences appear when graph theory metrics are applied. Thus, educational bilinguals show higher levels of lexical organization and stronger connections among the nodes. This can be indicative of a mental lexicon which is better organized, more compact, and more stable. Additionally, educational bilinguals’ networks display highest clustering coefficient and shortest path length. In semantic terms, this means that educational bilinguals can navigate their lexicon more efficiently and in a way that better resembles native lexical search. These findings open up new avenues for insightful studies concerning lexicon organization in different types of learners, with bilingualism being a relevant modulating factor.

There are growing populations of Korean children who studied abroad in the English as a second language (ESL) context and had to return to Korea for various reasons before reaching college age. These returnees are concerned about how to maintain (or improve) their English proficiency in the EFL (English as a foreign language) context. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate two Korean-English bilinguals who recently returned to Korea after learning English in the US for more than four years. The research questions were as follows: 1) How do Korean returnees perceive the change of learning status as Korean-English bilinguals in the US and Korea, and 2) What motivated Korean returnees to sustain their English proficiency while acquiring academic literacy in Korean? By using the case study method, an extensive and in-depth description of two Korean returnees' English language learning experiences was provided. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observation. The analysis showed that the switch from ESL to EFL learning environments, which includes the change of language, culture, and social contexts, influenced how Korean returnees maintain/improve their English proficiency, specifically with their language learning strategies (LLS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In here, I provide a description of a multiliteracies elementary classroom's ecology according to how an elementary bilingual teacher and bilingual language learners in her classroom interact and engage with traditional (linguistic) and alternative (multimodal) texts in language arts. This multiliteracies classroom ecology shows their dynamic language interactions through their biliteracy practices. I first outline some examples of biliteracy events and practices by describing traditional texts (written or oral) and the media (materials) in which the disciplinary knowledge is represented, and then show the biliteracy practices familiar in their bilingual classroom. Finally, I describe a multiliteracies approach to teaching and learning and the important reasons to include and implement this approach for the benefit of bilingual language learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of bilingual-bicultural students in the US continues to grow exponentially. With this growth, educators have an increased need for ensuring that all bilingual-bicultural students have equal language learning opportunities. It is, therefore, crucial that bilingual educators have access to valid tools that can serve as guides for determining if a speech and language referral is needed. The Receptive and Expressive Language Pre-Referral Protocol for Bilingual Learners [RELPP-BL] was developed as a data gathering tool to assist educators in the decision-making process. The purpose of this study was to explore the content validity of the RELPP-BL. The preliminary results demonstrate that the RELPP-BL is a viable, valid tool for use in the pre-referral process; it is not intended as an evaluation measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this single case design study was to examine the efficacy of using double-bubble Thinking Maps to improve the reading comprehension of middle school Spanish-English bilingual middle school students with learning disabilities. Participants included three female Spanish-English bilingual middle school students with learning disabilities. In this multiple baseline across participants single case design study, we taught students to create a double-bubble map, a type of compare and contrast graphic organizer, for 12 expository compare and contrast text passages over 12 forty-five minute sessions. We assessed performance on creating the double-bubble map and on reading comprehension measures across baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases. Each participant learned to create an accurate double-bubble map for compare and contrast expository texts within two sessions. Reading comprehension scores began to increase within two intervention sessions for each participant. Results showed the positive effect of using the double-bubble Thinking Map to improve reading comprehension of compare and contrast texts. Individual (.895–.967) and overall (.94) TAU-U effect sizes showed the intervention to be highly effective. Based on the effect sizes, the double-bubble Thinking Map was effective for improving the reading comprehension of middle school Spanish-English bilingual students with learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated Chinese bilingual learners' subject knowledge co-construction and business English language use in a Technology-enhanced Content and Language Integrated Learning (TECLIL) programe. Four intact classes of Year One University business-major students were exposed to two different learning environments – a TECLIL project-based learning environment using Knowledge Forum (KF), and a CLIL project-based learning environment. Data included student oral business presentations, written business reports, subject knowledge test results, student KF server log information, and online interaction records. The results indicated that the TECLIL project-based learning classes outperformed the comparison classes on both subject concept learning and business English language use. The quantitative analysis found that students' KF participation was associated with their content understanding and language development. Micro-level discourse analysis of students' online discussion notes further revealed bilingual students' productive discourse patterns in the TECLIL environment. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading comprehension relies on the integration of phonological, semantic, syntactic and pragmatic language abilities and early reading success is attributed to several interrelated factors. The current study investigated one of these skills, phonological awareness and its relation to six-year-old children's mastery in reading Maltese and English. The researchers recruited eighty-two bilingual participants attending bilingual schools in Malta and administered two parallel batteries comprising a word reading test and phonological tests/tasks in the two respective languages. Descriptive statistics indicated suitability for further analysis. The Bartlett's test of sphericity and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy showed that the data were suitable for multivariate exploration. Principal components analysis identified clear componential structures in both language batteries. A statistical regression analysis identified similar phonological underpinnings across the two single word reading measures. The results showed that specific measures of phonological awareness constituted common phonological underpinnings of reading performance in both Maltese and English, although to different degrees. The results support the notion of similarity in the patterns of association of skills sustaining reading across Maltese and English in bilingual children. The view that the phonological skills driving reading development across alphabetic languages may not differ substantially between different orthographies is supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of bilingual-bicultural students in the US continues to grow exponentially. With this growth, educators have an increased need for ensuring that all bilingual-bicultural students have equal language learning opportunities. It is, therefore, crucial that bilingual educators have access to valid tools that can serve as guides for determining if a speech and language referral is needed. The Receptive and Expressive Language Pre-Referral Protocol for Bilingual Learners [RELPP-BL] was developed as a data gathering tool to assist educators in the decision-making process. The purpose of this study was to explore the content validity of the RELPP-BL. The preliminary results demonstrate that the RELPP-BL is a viable, valid tool for use in the pre-referral process; it is not intended as an evaluation measure.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is an educational approach that integrates language learning with content teaching of subjects such as science. The CLIL approach regards culture a core component, however, science teachers often struggle to integrate a cultural component in their lessons. This study describes a pedagogical intervention using CLIL in a state school in Bogotá, Colombia. The first cycle of an action research project was implemented over the course of 1 year with 50 students (aged 15–19 years) and their teacher. Students used technology-enhanced CLIL-based environmental learning projects to integrate content (science) and a vehicular language (English). Questionnaires, a teacher's journal, artefacts, and interviews were used to collect data. The findings show students' positive perceptions of CLIL and highlight the value of explicitly considering a cultural component in science lessons, framed through a lens of scientific citizenship. Implications for CLIL and science education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: English is the dominant language in South African schools although it is the home language for less than 10% of the population. Many schools have yet to embrace the Language in Education Policy’s advocacy of additive bilingualism. This has led to a majority of the country’s children learning and being assessed through a language in which they lack proficiency. Aim: This article draws on second language teaching and learning theory to make a case for more systematic support for learners’ second language development and for legitimation of use of home language in mathematics classrooms where a different language is the official medium. The article shares empirical data from a South African Grade 4 mathematics teacher’s classroom to illuminate arguments in favour of additive bilingualism. Setting: A non-fee-paying public school in Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Methods: Data were collected through lesson observations, teacher interviews and assessment data generated by a professional development project initiative. Results: The ‘illuminatory’ lesson data suggest that allowing learners to use their home language alongside English facilitated their mathematical sense-making. This suggestion is strengthened by assessment data from a larger development project mandated with exploring ways for improving the quality of primary mathematics teaching and learning. Conclusion: Insights from this article add to many other calls made for more sustained and serious consideration of the pedagogical and epistemological value of multilingual approaches for South African classrooms.

Introducció. Les emocions tenen un paper fonamental en l’aprenentatge de llengües estrangeres, ja que els aprenents estan en procés d’adquirir no només una llengua, sinó també noves estructures de pensament i nous elements culturals. Mètode. En aquest estudi, setanta estudiants de Mongòlia i onze professors van respondre entrevistes semiestructurades. Les dades es van analitzar calculant els percentatges en les respostes segons el gènere dels estudiants. Per analitzar les respostes del professorat, es va aplicar una anàlisi narrativa. Resultats. Les dades suggereixen que els i les estudiants mostren emocions diferents durant l’adquisició d’un idioma estranger, segons si són nois o noies. Es va constatar que tots dos grups percebien els sentiments dels educadors similars a les seves pròpies emocions, i creien que un bon o mal professor podia alterar el seu èxit en l’aprenentatge. L’estudi mostra com els professors experimentaven diverses emocions positives, però el seu entusiasme disminuïa fàcilment quan els estudiants no els corresponien. Els professors percebien i entenien les emocions dels estudiants, però no sempre eren capaços de tenir-les en compte, o no hi estaven predisposats. Discussió i conclusió. Aquesta investigació revela que tant estudiants com professorat consideren que les emocions són fonamentals a l’aula. Les emocions positives sempre semblen estar condicionades pel comportament de l’altra part. No obstant això, la validació de les possibles emocions negatives es considera una gran eina motivadora capaç de transformar les actituds negatives en positives.

According to the Componential Model of Reading (CMR; Aaron, Joshi, Gooden, & Bentum, 2008), reading comprehension can be explained by 3 domains—cognitive, psychological, and ecological domains. We examined the direct and indirect contributions of these 3 domains to reading comprehension in bilingual learners. Participants included 124 bilingual children in Grades 4 through 6 who spoke Chinese as their first language. They were administered a battery of language and literacy measures, and motivation and acculturation questionnaires. Additionally, the participants' parents completed a home literacy environment questionnaire in Chinese. Using structural equation modeling, we found direct effects of the cognitive and psychological domains on reading comprehension. The ecological domain only had an indirect influence on reading comprehension via the cognitive and psychological domains. The findings support and extend the CMR model and advance our understanding of the nature of the relationships among the different components of the model among bilingual learners. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: This study validates the Componential Model of Reading (CMR) by examining the interactions of its 3 constituent domains, namely, the cognitive, psychological, and ecological domains in predicting reading comprehension among bilingual learners. It highlights the importance of teaching cognitive domain skills including word reading accuracy, fluency, vocabulary, and listening comprehension skills to support reading comprehension in bilingual children in upper elementary grades. Reading motivation to the mainstream culture, a component of the psychological domain, also influences Chinese-English bilingual learners' reading success. The contribution of ecological factors such as home literacy environment in both Chinese and English to English reading comprehension appears to be indirect through cognitive and psychological domains. The 3 domains should be considered in tandem to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that promote success in reading comprehension among Chinese bilingual children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines tools from policy sociology with those from Critical Race Theory (CRT) to build a framework for a CRT-based education policy analysis, based on a set of questions about the relationship between policy and racial inequalities. Drawing on a case study of assessment policy in England, the paper examines how tools from both bodies of scholarship can be used to interrogate the motivations, results, and assumptions implicit in policy. The policy used as an illustration is the introduction of Baseline Assessment, which was conducted in the first weeks of school at age four/five for the purposes of measuring progress seven years later. This policy failed to take into account the needs of bilingual learners (or children with English as an additional language in UK terminology). It is argued that this absence provides an example of how policy can serve to continue white dominance while appearing neutral and meritocratic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the power of language to either include or exclude certain groups of students from genuine opportunities for mathematical sense-making. The substantial increase worldwide in the number of students learning mathematics through a language other than their primary language makes this a particularly urgent issue. This paper focuses on the South African situation, where, because English is widely perceived as the language of opportunity, it is, by grade 4, overwhelmingly the chosen language of learning and teaching. The epistemological and pedagogical consequences of this choice are evidenced in the poor performance of the country's students on national and international assessments of mathematical proficiency. Drawing on research literature around language immersion education models and the extent to which these align with certain key principles of second language acquisition, this position paper motivates for a stronger and more sustained commitment to providing students, particularly those from marginalized and vulnerable communities, with opportunities for becoming both bilingual and biliterate. Empirical data from two South African grade 4 mathematics classrooms are used to illuminate aspects of the mathematical sense-making challenges students and their teachers face without such commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two conceptions of the linguistic system of bilinguals are in contention. The translanguaging approach supports what we call a unitary view, arguing that bilingualism and multilingualism, despite their importance as sociocultural concepts, have no correspondence in a dual or multiple linguistic system. In our view, the myriad lexical and structural features mastered by bilinguals occupy a cognitive terrain that is not fenced off into anything like the two areas suggested by the two socially named languages. But a strong critique of this view by Jeff MacSwan adopts the familiar position that, while allowing for some overlap, the competence of bilinguals involves language specific internal differentiation. According to this view, which we have called the dual correspondence theory, bilinguals possess two separate linguistic systems whose boundaries coincide with those of the two named languages. Several interdisciplinary considerations point to the lack of initial plausibility of the dual correspondence theory. And the main argument offered by MacSwan in defense of the theory, namely restrictions on code switching, lacks descriptive adequacy and theoretical coherence. The dual correspondence theory has had pernicious effects in educational practices. A much healthier educational climate is created by teachers who adopt the unitary view sponsored by translanguaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the use of bilingual constructed response science assessments in the context of a research and development partnership with secondary school science teachers. Given the power that assessments have in today's education systems, our project provided a series of workshops for teachers where they explored students' emergent reform-oriented science meaning-making in our project-designed assessments. Within the context of these workshops, we used discourse analysis to explore how three different groups grappled with the new reform-oriented relationship between science and language: (1) the research team's emergent understandings of how to create improved resources for teachers to better integrate science and language; (2) students' emergent understandings as expressed in their assessment responses; and (3) teachers' emergent understandings of how to integrate science and language in their instruction as expressed in interviews in the teacher writing workshops. Implications for curriculum designers, assessment developers, and professional learning facilitators are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition planning is particularly important for dually identified English learners with disabilities, who frequently face additional challenges to postsecondary education success. This study examined postschool expectations, transition planning experiences, and supports of a nationally representative sample of English learners with disabilities, based on secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 2012. Results demonstrated that these students' experiences were similar to other students with disabilities except that, according to parents, the transition component of the individualized education program (IEP) was likely to be developed by school personnel, with little input from students and family members, and necessary information about careers and financial aid was lacking. These findings underscore the intersectional identities and related experiences of this population and the implications for policy, transition education, and school services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the outcome of a year-long case study exploring the pattern of discourse in undergraduate English as a second language (L2) classroom in Assam, India. Following the socio-culturally based theoretical perspective that language learning in an L2 classroom occurs within the context of guided discourse patterns, this study attempts at a description of the discourse patterns and strategies adopted by the L2 instructor in the classroom under scrutiny. In doing so, the study looks at the role of the instructor in the initiation and continuation of the spoken discourse between him and the L2 learners, mostly following the Initiation-Response- Feedback (IRF) pattern, and among the L2 learners themselves. It also seeks to interpret the types and consequences of the style of questioning adopted by the instructor in terms of motivation for more oral exchanges among the L2 learners. The study shows that the high frequency of demonstrative questions from the instructor and IRF pattern of spoken discourse between the instructor and the L2 learners does not encourage the learners for longer oral interaction in the L2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alongside the increased presence of students classified as English learners (ELs) in mathematics classrooms exists a persistent pattern of the marginalization of ELs. Educators have sought research to identify how to provide ELs with high-quality mathematics education. Over the past two decades, education researchers have responded with increased attention to issues related to the teaching and learning of mathematics with ELs. In this review we analyzed literature published between 2000 and 2015 on mathematics teaching and learning with K–12 ELs. We identified 75 peer-reviewed, empirical studies related to the teaching and learning of mathematics with ELs in Grades K–12 and categorized the studies by focus (Learning, Teaching, and Teacher Education). We synthesize the results of these studies through the lens of a sociocultural perspective on language in mathematics. We then discuss avenues for future research and calls to action based on the extant body of literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study examined the experiences of one non-Latina bilingual teacher who was nominated as being an exemplary literacy educator of bilingual learners in a cross-linguistic and cross cultural learning environment. Findings demonstrated three characteristics that accompanied the focus teacher's conventional knowledge of literacy teaching. These characteristics included a) an ongoing and evolving self-reflection on language and culture; b) an unwavering commitment to understanding bilingual identities; and c) a mindset oriented in action and advocacy. The implications for teacher education programs emphasize a focus on guiding students in traversing borders, cultivating quality practices, and building capacity for equity-oriented actions. This research was conducted through sociocultural-constructivist and culturally responsive frameworks with the intent of understanding ways of educating all teachers to be effective in classrooms of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter examines how the author, a teacher educator, uses self-study to reframe and reconceptualize her teaching of Emirati preservice teachers. The author describes how conducting self-study helped her shift from using monolingual approaches to teaching Emirati preservice teachers and a focus on improving their English language proficiency, to affirming their bilingual identities, and becoming more culturally responsive. Initially, the researcher posed the question, "how do I frame and reframe my teaching to support the English language learning of my Emirati preservice teachers?" then progressed to asking and answering the question "how can I affirm the bilingual identities of my Emirati preservice teachers and support their English language proficiency?" [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of students designated as English language learners enrolled in U.S. schools is rapidly increasing, and because of this shifting cultural and linguistic landscape, it is essential that all teachers have the skills to effectively work with students who have a language other than English spoken at home. Using the framework of exemplary teacher studies in the field of literacy, the author examined the knowledge and experiences of two Latin@ teachers of emergent bilingual learners. Findings suggest that the teachers exhibited three significant characteristics as they worked to meet the language and literacy needs of their students. These characteristics included an ethic of relationship building, decision making based on shared knowledge, and a resolve to expand their discourse community. The author outlined foundational tenets for teacher educators as they reenvision the notion of the exemplary teacher in preparing all preservice teachers to be confident, exemplary teachers of linguistically diverse learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Framed in the holistic bilingual perspective that considers the entirety of students' linguistic knowledge, this paper describes the interactions that took place when a third-grade Spanish/English dual language classroom participated in a biliteracy book project. The project began with a literacy teacher's growing awareness of her students' language of "otherness" as they referenced one another. To disrupt the students' constructions of "otherness," the teacher developed and implemented a plan to engage the children in a book project that emphasized daily conversations about bilingualism and biliteracy, high levels of student participation in decision-making, and an opening up of the language space to value the whole bilingual child. Steps of the project are included, and the voices of the children in their dual language environment captured the intersection of purposeful discussions, written expression, the visual arts, and technology. Although biliteracy was the cornerstone of instruction in this setting, the biliteracy book project approach is relevant to all classrooms seeking to create environments where diversity is explored and celebrated, while communities of learners flourish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States parental involvement is an important part of a child's education, and teachers often rely on parents to boost student achievement. This qualitative analysis employs a two-step process, first examining the data with regards to parental involvement and then using critical theories in education to examine the intersections between parental involvement findings and subtractive schooling practices in order to highlight how educational praxis, teacher perspectives, and school climate impact both parental involvement and school achievement for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the socio-political dimensions of language diversity in mathematics classrooms is under-theorised and largely focuses on language choice. These dimensions are, however, likely to influence mathematics classroom interaction in many other ways than participants' choice of language. To investigate these influences, I propose that the notions ofheteroglossia, orders of indexicality and scale-jumping, can provide new theoretical tools with which to understand the links between classroom interaction and broader social patterns of marginalisation. To illustrate the utility of these ideas, I include some analysis of an episode observed in a sheltered elementary school second language mathematics classroom in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the importance of considering bilingual learners' non-linguistic forms of communication for understanding their mathematical thinking. In particular, I provide a detailed analysis of communication involving a pair of high school bilingual learners during an exploratory activity where a touchscreen-based dynamic geometry environment (DGE) was used. The paper focuses on the word-use, gestures and dragging actions in student-pair communication about calculus concepts as they interacted with a touchscreen-based DGE. Findings suggest that the students relied on gestures and dragging as non-linguistic features of the mathematical discourse to communicate dynamic aspects of calculus. Moreover, by examining the interplay between language, gestures, dragging and diagrams, it was possible to identify bilingual learners' competence in mathematical communications. This paper raises questions about new forms of communication mobilised in dynamic, touchscreen environments, particularly for bilingual learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Differential Aptitude Test Form S (DAT-S) is intended to guide learners in their subject choices and occupational direction by determining their strengths and weaknesses in different areas. The test was developed in South Africa and standardised with Afrikaans and English speaking learners. Learners in South Africa are from linguistically diverse backgrounds but the language of learning and teaching in many schools is English. The relevance of the English version of the DAT-S in the multi-linguistic context of an English medium school was investigated, to determine whether it was equally well correlated with academic achievement in English first language (EL1) and English non-first language (EL2) learners in Grade 8. The results showed significant differences in the performance of EL1 and EL2 learners on all DAT-S subtests. While the DAT-S correlated with EL2 learners' academic results, the pattern of correlations was different from that of their EL1 peers. Thus, the DAT-S may not provide accurate guidance for EL2 learners regarding their academic aptitudes. The implications of this result for English language assessment of EL2 learners are explored, among them the finding that different learning strategies seem to be employed by EL1 and EL2 learners. The results indicate that EL2 learners' academic performance is most closely associated with their aptitudes in verbal reasoning, reading comprehension and their memorisation skills – a wider variety of aptitudes than those used by their EL1 peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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