| Classroom Practices |
| There are many practices that are believed to be particularly
useful in ESOL classrooms, but whose effectiveness has
not been empirically demonstrated. Many of these are being
investigated in the Lab School. The areas of particular
interest are: techniques that facilitate various kinds
of student interaction; activities that facilitate literacy
development; and the learning gains associated with various
types of reading instruction. |
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| Second Language Acquisition |
| There have been many calls for longitudinal research
in second language acquisition. The Lab School provides
an opportunity to conduct such research. Among the areas
for research are: 1) the relationship between first language
education and second language acquisition; 2) the role
of student interaction in language development; 3) and
the development of learners' language over time. |
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| ESL Program Persistence |
Typical research in adult education programs involves
only those adults who are able to persist in their studies.
Missing is the study of those adults who are not able
to persist. The Lab School research will be able to address
the issues involved in ESL program retention including:
the reasons that some students persist while others do
not; aspects of ESL programs that promote retention; life
events that influence attendance; and life events that
promote second language acquisition.
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