This paper presents a novel methodology to determine textbook readability. The method mainly relies on students' lexical coverage to determine the readability level of textbooks, taking into consideration that readability depends primarily on vocabulary knowledge and that it is a function of lexical coverage in teaching English as a Foreign…

The ability to make effective use of technology is becoming increasingly important for prospective language teachers. As a result, many teacher preparation programs include some form of training in computer assisted language learning (CALL). This study focuses on one component of such training, the textbooks used in methods courses, and employs…

This study examined the instances of a representational toolkit (RT) in one reform-oriented algebra textbook developed in the United States. The majority of RT uses were active (66%) as opposed to passive and connected (63%) in that the technology results were used in some other manner by either the textbook authors or students as they solved…

As blended language learning environments evolve within tertiary foreign language institutions, issues of power with regards to the privileging of electronic technologies come to the fore. Blended learning, or the principled mix of online and classroom-based activities, challenges the practices of traditional CALL and face-to-face teaching within…

The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of scaffolding interactive activities in developing the English listening comprehension skills of sixth grade elementary schoolgirls in Jeddah. The subjects in this study were 50 sixth grade pupils at an elementary school in Jeddah. They were assigned to two groups--control and…

This study investigated potential differences in learning between two instructional activities: reading from a text and using a computer simulation. Participants were undergraduate students with limited knowledge of the domain topic (project management). Participants in both conditions (Simulation and Text) improved equally on a decontextualized,…

Frequently writing is now no longer the central mode of representation in learning materials--textbooks, Web-based resources, teacher-produced materials. Still (as well as moving) images are increasingly prominent as carriers of meaning. Uses and forms of writing have undergone profound changes over the last decades, which calls for a social,…

Discussion of the educational effectiveness of textbooks focuses on a model of a virtual textbook that relies on hypermedia. Highlights include changing roles of teachers, students, and content; systemwide features of the virtual textbook, including interface and object-oriented design; classroom environment; sequencing; and a prototype. (Contains…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…