Extensive research in the area of vocabulary development revealed a very limited amount of information on elaboration for writing. Only one article was found that substantiated the need to connect vocabulary with elaborative writing. This topical bibliography and commentary summarizes the findings in that article. The bibliography/ commentary…

Describes research, practice, and resources for giving students writing activities in several rhetorical contexts and to various audiences. (RL)

It is important that teachers help students to realize that writing is not simply a product, or a means to an end, but an exploratory, cyclical process. Research has shown that skilled writers conceptualize the effect of their writing as a whole, as a generative process, whereas unskilled writers are distracted by surface-level features and are…

Research on the relationship between syntactic complexity and quality of written composition was reviewed to test the assumption that these two concepts are positively related. The studies reviewed, which have appeared during the past 15 years, fall into two broad categories: (1) intervention studies designed to increase syntactic complexity and…

As an alternative to waiving foreign language requirements for students with learning disabilities or learning problems, a policy of inclusion in foreign language programs is proposed, based on research suggesting that alternative language teaching methods can be effective with these populations. The rationale for such a policy and the theoretical…