Examines individual differences in the rate of early lexical development with a specific interest in gender differences. Explored individual differences in developmental trajectories of vocabulary comprehension and production using two analytic approaches. Both techniques demonstrated that the lexical development of girls outpaced that of boys.…

The Linguistic Coding Deficit Hypothesis offers an alternative to affective explanations for second-language learning difficulties and adds another dimension to the role of aptitude. The hypothesis focuses on phonological, syntactic, and semantic components of language and assumes that the individual's control over these components is crucial to…

Research has shown that extensive reading offers a wide range of learning benefits to second language (L2) learners. However, most studies on L2 extensive reading are conducted collectively on groups of learners and do not provide a detailed picture of individual experience. Moreover, there are few studies conducted on the reading experiences of…

The ways that students learn new words when studying a foreign language is not well understood. Research in this field has commonly investigated the effectiveness of the application of certain vocabulary learning strategies. Relatively few of the studies have investigated the strategies that students use to learn new words. This paper reports the…

Identifying an effective instructional intervention for English language learners experiencing reading problems is a difficult task given the vast individual differences in language proficiency, motivation, and school experience for these students. To address this issue, this study investigated the utility of brief experimental analysis as a means…

Describes the forms of foreign language learning in adult education in England and a selection of the more common teaching, learning, and organizational factors and problems associated with them. (JOW)

Examines compensation strategies--techniques for dealing with knowledge gaps between learner and interlocutor--used by French learners of English and relates them to synoptic and ectenic learning. Suggests reasons that ectenic learners, who need conscious control of what they are learning, seem to communicate meanings of words to judges better…

Examines individual differences in the ability to integrate information from word parts and context in interpreting novel kanji compounds. Also investigated the relationship between students' beliefs about the effectiveness of using kanji and/or contextual clues and their abilities to use the clues. (Author/VWL)

A wide variety of studies have offered glimpses of how learners put their second-language knowledge and skills to use during communication. It is shown that the same empirical findings can lead to very different conclusions. (49 references) (GLR)

This article responds to MacIntyre's (1995) critique of the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), which posits that language aptitude is the primary source of individual differences in foreign language (FL) achievement. It defends the LCDH and suggests that difficulties exist with theories that attribute affective and social context…

This article responds to Sparks and Ganschow's (1995) defense of their Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), arguing that the LCDH ignores the context in which language learning occurs. It asserts that LCDH is so focused on the learning of the sound system of language that it ignores affective variables. (22 references) (MDM)

Reports on the results of a descriptive study of the noun phrase agreement behavior exhibited by three first-year Spanish language students during a series of oral interviews conducted over six months (two academic quarters).(13 references) (JL)

Analysis of the reading strategies used by Spanish-speaking students of English as a Second Language (ESL) for ESL reading comprehension tests and academic reading tasks revealed that students' knowledge of how to use a strategy effectively, rather than use of a specific strategy, led to more successful reading comprehension. (38 references) (CB)

Discusses themes that relate to the connections between first- and second-language acquisition. Specific focus is on the following issues: whether there is a language instinct; what input could and does teach the child; rules and representations (i.e., how language resides in the individual); individual differences in language acquisition; and…

Reports evidence of the extent to which Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language learners seek to adopt second language communicative norms. Examines learners self reports on attitudes toward the target language, subjective reactions to second language pragmatic norms, and motivations toward accommodating to those norms. (Author/VWL)