Dialogue from 30-minute samples from "Sesame Street" and "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" was coded for grammar, content, and discourse. Grammatical analysis used the LINGQUEST computer-assisted language assessment program (Mordecai, Palen, and Palmer 1982). Content coding was based on categories developed by Rice (1984) and…

The influence of five programs of the Mt. Druitt Early Childhood Project on the development of preschool children's vocabulary and syntactical skills was assessed in a pretest/posttest design. Programs differed in the amount of structure they imposed on the language experiences of the children and in the content they specified. Different measures…

Evaluates a teaching program called TRAC (Talk, Reasoning, and Computers) that is used for scaffolding children's effective use of language as a tool for reasoning and collaborative activity. Finds that using the TRAC program can increase the amount of exploratory talk used by children working together in the classroom. (CMK)

The Model 3 communication skills lexicon consists of three lists of words developed by the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) for use in communication skills instruction in K-6. This report documents the procedures followed in the specification and generation of the second component of the Model 3 communication skills lexicon, the general…

The Model communication skills lexicon, developed by the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) for use in communication skills instruction in kindergarten through sixth grade, consists of three word lists--an entry list, a general list, and a technical list. The Model 3 entry lexicon (Rhode, 1972)--based on a predominately white sample--was…

Children should develop communication competencies related to a broad array of communication situations involving speaking and listening as well as reading and writing. Five functions of communication (controlling, sharing feelings, informing, ritualizing, and imagining) are offered as the communication focus of a language arts program. (JMF)

On overview of the Model 3 Communication Skills lexicon, consisting of three lists of words, developed by the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) for use in communication skills instruction in K-6 is presented in this document. Three components (described in three other documents) of the Model 3 communication skills lexicon are defined. The entry…

The Model 3 communication skills lexicon consists of three lists of words developed by the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) for use in communication skills instruction in K-6. This report documents the procedures followed in compiling the entry lexicon, the first component of the Model 3 communication skills lexicon. The entry lexicon is…

Describes a program adopted by five native Indian bands in British Columbia in which parents promote their children's early language and reading skills in the home. (FL)

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 34 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the influence of rhyming verses on young children's ability to repeat rhythmic phrases; (2) schools of thought in linguistics; (3) the great vowel shift in the…

A review of available research supports the observation that the young child who lives and grows in the midst of dual language opportunities may enjoy benefits of mental flexibility or may suffer burdens of mental confusion. Further research must explore the language-thought relationship, consider the effects of dual language learning on cognitive…