RESEARCH DIGEST: TESOL TOPICS IN OTHER JOURNALS This section presents brief synopses of empirical research and theoretical discussions in peer-reviewed journals The aim is to disseminate findings and perspectives in fields related to TESOL and to provide access to the diverse conversations among scholars in the field Edited by SARA MICHAEL-LUNA New York University Predictive Accuracy of Nonsense Word Fluency for English Language Learners School Psychology Review, 37, 5–17 Mike L Vanderwood, Danielle Linklater, and Krista Healy, 2008 Is the English phonics assessment for nonsense word fluency (NWF) a predictive measure of later reading success of English language learners (ELLs)? The researchers examine the ability of NWF to identify ELLs who need literacy support They measured the literacy achievement of 134 ELLs in an urban California school district Of these students, 90% were Spanish-speaking and nearly 80% were at beginning or early intermediate ELL levels The instruction received by these students was English only Results of the NWF and the state-mandated standardized test given in Grade were compared with three Grade literacy measures: oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, and state-mandated reading tests Overall, the results indicate a clear correlation between NWF scores and Grade literacy outcomes Further analysis was conducted to assess the capability of NWF to provide early identification of students at risk as poor readers However, because of a high number of false negatives, the NWF was better able to predict students who were not at risk for later difficulties than students at risk Limitations of this study include the narrow population of ELLs and the representation of only one type of ELL literacy instruction The authors note that languages less similar to English and different ELL instruction might provide different results Future research might include the addition of a phonological awareness measure to improve the ability to predict future performance and inclusion of ELLs who speak languages other than Spanish This article is helpful for K–5 ESOL teachers, literacy specialists, and researchers interested in the effectiveness TESOL QUARTERLY Vol 43, No 2, June 2009 373 of current monolingual-normed literacy assessment measures and their application to ELL populations MEGAN GERKE New York University Who Mentors Hispanic English Language Learners? Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 7, 31–42 Yolanda De La Cruz, 2008 What role does mentoring play in supporting successful Hispanic English language learners? The author studies 10 academically successful Latino undergraduate English language learners (ELLs) who received multiple types of mentoring De La Cruz used questionnaires and personal interviews to identify the types of mentoring each of the first generation Latino undergraduates received All of the participants learned English as a second language and most attended Latino majority, English-only K–12 programs The interviews highlight four mentoring roles that contributed to the students’ success: family mentor, advisor mentor, self-mentor, and peer mentor The family mentors contributed the students’ ability to “cope with their daily realities” (p 40), which often included harsh economic limitations and personal sacrifice made by parents Additionally, all the participants described a mentor who could assist with navigating the university policies, paperwork and programs These advisor mentors, who often shared a cultural background with the student, included teachers, counselors, and family members who had some university experience All the undergraduates interviewed described self-governed strategies to help them stay “on track” (p 38) The participants also relied on peer mentors who offered advice or ways to circumvent obstacles De La Cruz’s study highlights strategies and social networks that assisted academically successful ELLs in navigating the often daunting higher education system This article would be useful to those working in higher education who are interested in finding ways to support enrolled ELLs The information provided by De La Cruz would also serve secondary teachers and councilors in helping ELLs interested in undertaking an undergraduate education The Development of ESL Provision in Australia, Canada, the USA and England, With Conclusions for Second Language Models in International Schools Journal of Research in International Education, 7, 2, 205–231 Maurice Carder, 2008 What are the best education models for international schools? Maurice Carder thoroughly reviews the educational initiatives and programs in 374 TESOL QUARTERLY Australia, Canada, the United States, and England in order to draw out lessons for international schools and their role in creating English language and literacy development in increasingly nonnative-English-speaking populations Carder highlights a “three-programme model” (p 223), which comprises (a) an ESL program, (b) mainstream teacher education that emphasizes multilingual language and literacy development, and (c) a mother-tongue program Carder’s brief, but clear, argument for teacher education around multilingual language development, multicultural awareness, academic language in both English and the mother tongue, and close cooperation between ESL faculty and mainstream teachers is a lesson that can be taken for international schools, but also for national schools systems Carder reports that teacher quality in international schools, specifically ESL teacher quality, has been recently taken up by the International Baccalaureate programs Carder also describes how the Council of International Schools (CIS) has a disconcertingly conflated ESL with special education needs in their recent edition of their Guide to Accreditation (p 225) Carder’s article addresses an interesting gap between international schools’ teacher knowledge, curriculum, and pedagogy, and second language learners needs As we prepare English language teachers to work in educational settings outside of English dominant contexts, Carder’s overview and application of national school systems knowledge provides an informative window into the world of the International Baccalaureate Additionally, those researchers and educators interested in comparative education and second language learning would garner interesting insights from Carder’s review and application Uninvited Guests: The Influence of Teachers’ Roles and Pedagogies on the Positioning of English Language Learners in the Regular Classroom American Educational Research Journal, 45, 2, 495–522 Bogum Yoon, 2008 How are teachers’ pedagogical approaches and interactions with ELLs influenced by their understanding of their teacher identity? Yoon unpacks complex classroom dynamics to illustrate how content-area teachers in mainstream classrooms interact with ELLs in ways that construct them as powerful or powerless Yoon uses a “collective case study (Stake, 1995) which examines three language arts teachers in a suburban primarily white middle school in the Northeast to uncover (a) the teacher’s stated beliefs, (b) observed teaching practices and (c) the “ELLs’ participatory behaviors” (p 505) Each case study suggests the synergy of each teacher’s perceptions and actions with the ELLs’ interactions in the classroom resulted in very different outcomes for the students Yoon suggests that RESEARCH DIGEST 375 English proficiency alone does not determine a student’s participation levels in the classroom; rather, the teacher’s use of culturally relevant teaching also works to promote the ELLs’ as “complex, cultural, social beings” (p 516) Additionally, Yoon advocates a view that content teachers should be “teachers for all children” (p 516) and should work to make all students “feel at home” (p 517) Finally, Yoon’s study uncovered that mainstream students tended to follow their teacher’s active or passive involvement with ELLs Yoon’s article would make an excellent addition to any mainstream or ESL teacher education course It might also serve as an interesting tool for in-service K–12 professional development and could serve to open up discussions around teacher knowledge and classroom interactions of ELLs in content areas 376 TESOL QUARTERLY