NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
ERIC Number: ED462243
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 17
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Assessing Lakota Language Teaching Issues on the Cheyenne River Reservation.
BlueArm, Marion
A study examined community attitudes concerning Lakota language instruction in the schools on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Surveys were completed by 88 Native American, Caucasian, and mixed-heritage households. Results indicated agreement with the establishment of intensified Lakota language education for all school levels on the reservation. The majority of respondents who agreed with expanded Lakota language education were 40-50 years old--the age group that holds most decision-making positions within the tribal government. Respondents indicated a slight preference for bilingual education over immersion programs. Research suggests that immersion classrooms result in the quickest and most complete language learning in young children. Therefore, it is suggested that residents be informed of these findings to ensure increasing support for immersion programs. As the second choice, immersion still received enough positive responses to make a pilot project in Head Start and the lower elementary level a likely success. Re-vernacularizing Lakota will require tremendous effort by every community member in addition to implementing immersion programs in schools. English should be inaccessible in certain contexts. Ideally, there should be whole buildings and events where only Lakota is spoken. People should voluntarily ban television and other forms of modern media from their homes, at least for certain hours or contexts. Other language maintenance strategies are suggested. An appendix presents the survey. (TD)
For full text: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ILAC/.
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A