Resumen de Immersion principles in second language programs—research and policy in multicultural Australia
This paper deals with the setting‐up and evaluation of a primary school German program in Melbourne using modified immersion principles. 5 to 5½> hours of instruction are given through the medium of German. During the evaluation, this program was compared to a more traditional second language program and one in which immersion principles operated to a lesser extent. The paper shows how the evaluation was able to contribute to policy. The German program has acted as a model for the more general introduction of languages other than English in primary schools in the state of Victoria and contributed a ‘bilingual education’ perspective to the development of Australia's National Policy on Languages.
