LINGUIST List - Paper Details

Academic Paper

Title:	Teaching Adult Second Language Learners Who Are Emergent Readers
Author:	Martha Bigelow
Institution:	University of Minnesota
Author:	Patsy Vinogradov
Linguistic Field:	Applied Linguistics; Language Acquisition; Sociolinguistics
Abstract:	Some second language (L2) learners are unique in that they bring low print literacy and limited formal schooling to the language learning enterprise. A range of personal, economic, historical, and political circumstances bring them to highly literate, industrialized societies where print literacy becomes not only desirable but necessary to earn a living and participate in a range of everyday activities. This article is a review of current research related to this population of learners for the purpose of informing educators about their particular teaching and learning needs. While the emphasis is on scholarship focused on adult L2 emergent readers, attention is also given to related research with bi- and multilingual children and monolingual adults who are not print literate. Finally, sociopolitical and historical issues are touched upon with regard to broader policy matters that may have contributed to or perpetuate low print literacy.

	This article appears in Annual Review of Applied Linguistics Vol. 31, Issue 1, which you can read on Cambridge's site or on LINGUIST .

Back Add a new paper Return to Academic Papers main page Return to Directory of Linguists main page

New from Cambridge University Press!