Lexical tone languages like Mandarin Chinese require listeners to discriminate among different pitch patterns. A syllable spoken with a rising pitch (e.g. "b[i-acute]" 'nose') carries a different meaning than the same syllable spoken with a falling pitch (e.g. "b[i with grave]" 'arm'). For native speakers (L1) of a non-tonal…

The focus of this article is on the design and administration of an online computerized dynamic assessment of an important area of pragmatics: implicature comprehension (i.e., indirect meaning). The assessment centered on indirect acceptances, refusals, and opinions. Drawing on Vygotskian psychology, this assessment had a dual aim: (a) to evaluate…

This qualitative study uses a semi-structured interview to investigate why Saudi learners stop learning a third language and whether these reasons are permanent or temporary. The participants were six female master's degree students who had experience learning a third language outside of formal education or informal settings. This study identifies…

Researchers in the field of instructed second language acquisition have been examining the issue of how learners interact with input by conducting research measuring particular kinds of instructional interventions (input-oriented and meaning-based). These interventions include such things as input flood, textual enhancement and processing…

While the importance of considering the wide variation among language learners has been brought to the forefront in recent years, the impact of such individual differences on the process of second or foreign language writing has been largely neglected. This paper aims to explore the ways in which individual students develop and transfer strategies…

The current study examined the proficiency of Israeli adolescents in reading single words in English, which is taught as a foreign language, and what language skills predict individual variability. Parallel measures of word reading, phonology, decoding, morpho-syntax and vocabulary in Hebrew and English were administered to 217 adolescents in 8th…

Although the effectiveness of computer-mediated collaborative writing (CMCW) is confirmed by many recent studies, only a few have investigated whether linguistic knowledge and writing skills learned through collaboration can be internalized and transferred to individual writing. This study uses a pre-and post-test design to investigate the impact…

The aims of this paper are to review research literature on the role that the second language (L2) and foreign language (FL) environments actually play in the development of learners' target language (TL) pragmatic ability, and also to speculate as to the extent to which individual factors can offset the advantages that learners may have by being…

Recent studies suggest that working memory training may benefit older adults; however, findings regarding training and transfer effects are mixed. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of a process-based training intervention in a diverse sample of older adults and explored possible moderators of training and transfer effects. For…

Learning a third language (TL) brings with it particular pedagogical demands. In the pedagogy of TL learning now emerging, the development of students' metalinguistic and crosslinguistic awareness is of central importance. In particular, emphasis is placed on the benefits of cross-referencing with supporter languages. While comparisons with…

Research suggests that student enrollment in developmental level courses at the postsecondary education level increases annually. This is occurring because underprepared and/or nontraditional students' reading, writing, or math skills are inadequate to meet the challenges of college-level work. This article focuses on self-explanations as an…

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the relationships between individual difference variables and discovery vs. non-discovery instructional treatments in learning of an imaginary science. All subjects were able to learn the material, but presentation of examples and rules (non-discovery) led to more rapid learning. There was no…

Presents evidence to establish that instructional technology applications often result in transfer of training failures, which are attributed to inappropriate mixing of behaviorist and cognitive instructional design models. Specific suggestions are made for instructional design prescriptions that support different levels of transfer for different…

THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE 12 AREAS OF CHANGE IN SCHOOLS--MULTIPLE CLASSES, TEAM TEACHING, USE OF TEACHERS' AIDES, SHARED SERVICES, MODIFICATION OF EXISTING FACILITIES, USE OF PROGRAMED MATERIALS, FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING, USE OF SPECIAL MATERIALS, INSERVICE TRAINING, USE OF NONGRADING PROCEDURES, INCORPORATION OF RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS, AND…

This 647-item bibliography is limited to reports on empirical research and discussions of research reports on various aspects of foreign language learning, mostly drawn from American and British journals and Ph.D. dissertations since 1925 and from ERIC documents. Principal topics include content of teaching materials, cognitive effects of…