This study tested the hypothesis that the reported increase in children's use of prepositional phrases when exposed to novel (inverted) prepositional phrases could be eliminated by discrimination training in two prepositional forms. (Author/MS)

This book traces the historical development of current attitudes toward language usage and, by examples and quotations, shows the steps in attitude change, including the creation and abandonment of rules. The book is based on the premise that standard English usage is open to different interpretations, and supports this premise with references to…

This study explored whether statistically significant differences exist between the (1) grammatical structures produced by high, average, and low black, inner-city elementary readers as measured by a language competency task; and (2) whether statistically significant interactions occur between reading achievement levels and the age of the child,…

This paper focuses on an information gap task that was part of a larger critical action research project that sought to expand talk opportunities for children in multilingual classrooms. Little of the previous research on tasks and language learning has focused on children learning English as an additional language in the context of diverse,…

Four French language instruction ideas are presented, including an exercise in using articles and possessive and demonstrative adjectives; student production of radio programs; a lesson in writing postcards to friends; and a young children's game focusing on recognition and assimilation of written words and structures already learned orally. (MSE)

This study compared a grammar program using a linguistic approach with one using a traditional approach to determine how each affects children's ability (1) to construct sentences which have variety in structure, and (2) to comprehend silent reading. Five experimental and five control classes of fourth-grade children were randomly selected from…

A study of the dialogue journal writing of six sixth grade students of English as a Second Language (ESL) examines the interaction with the teacher. The subjects had been in the United States for less than a year, and came from Korean, Vietnamese/Chinese, Burmese, and Italian language backgrounds. Data for the study were drawn from the students'…

In a study of the language behavior of "Head Start" preschool children, their parents, and their teachers, researchers taped and analyzed the phonology, grammar, and vocabulary of these three groups and then interviewed the teachers to determine their concepts of the children's and parent's language difficulties. Teachers recognized such problems…

This elementary school, intermediate level curriculum guide for English as a second language (ESL) contains introductory sections on the program's educational objectives and philosophy, outlines for 10 units on basic elements of grammar, and an appendix. Each unit outline includes a listing of structural items, cultural concepts, lexical items,…