Language and Literacy Development in Bilingual Settings

Grounded in state-of-the-art research, this book explores how English language learners develop both the oral language and literacy skills necessary for school success. Chapters examine the cognitive bases of English acquisition, and how the process is different for children from alphabetic (such as Spanish) and nonalphabetic (such as Chinese) language backgrounds. The book addresses a key challenge facing educators and clinicians: identifying students whose poor English skills may indicate an underlying impairment, as opposed to still-developing language proficiency. Implications for diagnosis, intervention, and instruction are highlighted throughout.

Aydin Yücesan Durgunoglu, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She has worked as a high school teacher and as a college instructor of English as a foreign language. Her research addresses child literacy development in different languages as well as in bilingual contexts, adult literacy, and English literacy development of recent immigrants to the United States. Since 1995, as a consultant for the Mother Child Education Foundation in Istanbul, Dr. Durgunoglu has led the efforts to create an innovative adult literacy program in Turkey, which has now reached about 100,000 individuals across the country.

Claude Goldenberg, PhD, is the Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. A native of Argentina, he conducts research on promoting academic achievement among language minority students. He is a recipient of the Albert J. Harris Award from the International Literacy Association and the Best Research Award from Learning Forward. He currently directs a randomized control trial in Rwanda evaluating an early literacy intervention created by Save the Children.