Purpose: This study explored ESL learners' utilization of Online Discussion Forums (ODFs) in Interactive Reading for Academic Disciplines (iREAD) to assist reading of online scientific texts within an English for Specific Purposes course at a public university. Method: This qualitative research employed two data collection methods during lessons…

This study focuses on the effectiveness of employing Cartoon Cum Strategic Intervention Material as learning instructional techniques to improve Grade 5 learners' ability to make meaning from text. This intervention encourages students to focus on big ideas and to consider how specific details contribute to the big picture. Cartoons can be…

Pinyin is a sound-annotating system for Chinese characters using Roman letters. Teaching and learning Pinyin has been an important educational practice in Mainland China for native Chinese children, and it is also typically taught to beginning learners of Chinese as a foreign/second language in tertiary-level classrooms. However, whether it should…

Provision of multiple-choice (MC) glosses, which combines the advantages of glosses and inferring, has recently gained its share of supporters as a potential technique for enhancing L2 texts and increasing word gain for L2 learners. Upon taking an actual TOEFL, the participants underwent a vocabulary pretest to ensure that the target words were…

Several articles of interest to teachers of English as a second language (ESL) are included. "The Three-Tier Approach to Reading in the Subject Area" described by Trevor McQuinn consists of a procedure for developing lessons based on the need to teach vocabulary, comprehension, and literacy. "Teaching Beginning Reading: An Interview with Virginia…

Techniques for more effective use of foreign language periodicals intended for second language instruction are outlined from the point of view of those who prepare those publications. (MSE)

Discusses the use of authentic materials in developing the reading skills of students in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and of English for Special Purposes (ESP) classes. An example of authentic material, a magazine article, is appended along with sample exercises. (CFM)

An approach to the selection of second language reading material that is authentic but comprehensible at the lower levels begins by using materials with interesting content that are accessible to the student. The approach capitalizes on the students' prior knowledge, information resources, or supplementary information provided with the reading. It…

The papers in this "Festschrift" are theoretical and descriptive in nature as well as practical. The first section of the book contains theoretical papers dealing with the following topics: criteria for course design, logical argumentation, a taxonomic approach to scientific vocabulary, function of a type of particle in a chemistry textbook, verb…

This compilation provides abstracts of 150-200 words each for M.A. theses in Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of California, Los Angeles from the inception of that program in 1969 to the end of 1978. Each entry provides the author's name, thesis title, and name of committee chairperson. A subject index, a culture and…

Indonesia's efforts to develop new texts and revise the syllabus for English as a second language have included writing the texts with a communicative orientation but with a prominent structural component. Bahasa Indonesia is used to guarantee that the students understand the meaning of all the structures and forms as well as their functions in…

Contents of this issue are as follows: "Audio-Visual Material Development for Suggestopedic Classes" by Charles Loch (16 pages), "Suggestopedia Applied to Elementary Reading Instruction" by Allyn Prichard and Jean Taylor (5 pages), "Suggestology or Hypnosis--It's All in the Label" by Harry E. Stanton (5 pages),…

Discusses the lack of qualified teachers in South Africa to encourage reading in a second language among school children and describes a series of posters and a lectern stand developed by the Shell Education Service that provide teachers with supportive aids that increase their confidence. (LRW)

Simplification of reading materials for lower-level English for special purposes (ESP) instruction may make texts comprehensible, but it may not make them much different from texts written 50 years ago. What will make them different is their authenticity, an approach characteristic of ESP, even at the lowest levels. However, authenticity is often…

A teacher-training project was conducted in Northern Nevada to identify the needs of recent immigrants, to create materials that will meet those needs while keeping on a basic, survival level of English proficiency, and to develop techniques to retain the individuals in class once they have been attracted into the educational program. The project…