A computational framework is presented for the generation of elementary speech acts to establish conceptual alignment between a computer system and its user. This article clearly distinguishes between 2 phases of the alignment process: message interpretation and message generation. In the interpretation phase, presuppositions are extracted from…

This study examines children's social responses to gender cues in synthesized speech in a computer-based instruction setting. Eighty 5th-grade elementary school children were randomly assigned to one of the conditions in a full-factorial 2 (participant gender) x 2 (voice gender) x 2 (content gender) experiment. Results show that children apply…

Three sixth-grade students with language learning disabilities performed better on learning vocabulary words when using computer-aided instruction (CAI) with speech output than CAI without speech. Two students did better using CAI with digitized speech, and one student made greater gains using CAI with synthesized speech. (Author/JDD)

The use of talking microprocessors and terminals in helping blind, visually impaired, speech impaired, and other handicapped people receive an education is described. The process of creating synthetic speech is examined, as well as how it helps in the classroom. The federal government's promotion and funding of synthetic speech research is also…

This study investigated the role of online reading and simultaneous DECtalk (a text-to-speech computer system) auding in helping 192 above-average and below-average readers comprehend expository prose. Results showed significant differences among grades, reading levels, and modes of responses to the reading passages, but not for the experimental…

This article reviews studies of computer-assisted reading programs, both with and without synthesized speech. It then describes a pilot study that used a reading program with computer-synthesized speech with 14 adolescent readers having severe reading disabilities. The study found no evidence that addition of synthesized speech improved word…

A serious drawback in introducing sound into computer programs for teaching foreign language speech has been the lack of an algorithm to turn off the cassette recorder immediately to keep screen text and audio in synchronization. This article describes a program which solves that problem. (SED)

Consistent with social agency theory, we hypothesized that learners who studied a set of worked-out examples involving proportional reasoning narrated by an animated agent with a human voice would perform better on near and far transfer tests and rate the speaker more positively compared to learners who studied the same set of examples narrated by…

Although approximately half of the six million students receiving specialized services for an identified disability are learning disabled, research shows that assistive technologies are far more commonly used with students who manifest physical or sensory disabilities than they are with those with learning disabilities. Assistive technology can…

Factors inhibiting more widespread use of computer-assisted instruction and computer-assisted language learning include: start-up costs of computer hardware; dearth of quality courseware; skepticism regarding its effectiveness; and the educational system and the teacher. However, the promise of cost-efficiency and versatility, plus the potential…

A strategy for using computers in remediating dyslexia is illustrated, drawing on the relationship between phonological skills and word recognition. Dyslexic students (n=83) who underwent computer training with speech feedback gained more in reading and spelling performance than did students in conventional special education settings (n=59).…

Evaluates the intelligibility of computer speech (Supertalker, Codec) by having 47 Australian children, ages six-seven, identify speech sounds in isolation, as initial sound in words, and as final sounds in words. Since Codec more closely approximates normal speech, it is recommended for computer-assisted instruction with beginning readers.…

Questions of "quality" in the use of technology with children with learning disabilities are discussed, focusing on the need for basic pedagogical considerations; the impact of the computer on the learning process relative to factors of learner control, motivation, feedback type, graphics, and screen design; and use of computerized speech feedback…

Considers issues that need to be addressed when incorporating audio in courseware design. Topics discussed include functions of audio in courseware; the relationship between auditive and visual information; learner characteristics in relation to audio; events of instruction; and audio characteristics, including interactivity and speech technology.…

Discusses types of sound-production equipment used for realization of interactive audio within computer assisted instruction (CAI) environments (speech synthesis systems, and speech/sound-recording, retrieval, and playback equipment); describes several authoring systems in which sound processing plays a predominant role; and presents an overview…