Examined how child and family factors influence individual differences in the language development of African-American children between 18 and 30 months of age. Found that vocabulary and utterance length increased linearly. Children from more stimulating and responsive homes had larger vocabularies, used more irregular nouns and verbs, and had…

Items missed on the PPVT were analyzed according to race and sex; results indicated that an alternative form of the test might use stimulus words other than those missed by a disproportinate number of subjects in this study. (MM)

This book is the second to present the results on a study of how children's practice of speech, as shaped by family interaction, affects learning to talk. Participating in the study were 42 diverse families with young children. Each month for 2.5 years the interactions between 42 one- to two-year-olds and their parents were recorded as the…

After taking base rate measures of verbal behavior, using a specially devised Story Telling Test and selected sub-tests from the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, 34 children with a mean age of 4-4, attending a year-round Head Start program, were assigned to matched experimental and control groups. The children in the experimental group…

Data from 278 children (ages 18-35 months) were used to norm the Language Development Survey (LDS) and the Child Behavioral Checklist. Vocabulary scores increased markedly with age, were higher in girls, and were modestly correlated with socioeconomic level. Correlations between LDS scores and checklist problem scores were low. (Contains…

Examined the role of exposure to speech in children's vocabulary growth. Characterized vocabulary growth rates for children from 14 to 26 months of age. Found a relation between individual differences in vocabulary acquisition and variations in the amount of a mother's speech to her children. (BC)

Analyzing the studies of the vocabulary of children, it was found that one aspect of vocabulary has not been studied in Great Britain--the availability of words. The main aim of the investigation described here was to find out the availability of the basic words from 11 centers of interest. As the length of time allotted to each center of interest…

The 28 essays in this journal issue focus on methodology, interpretation, and classroom application of research in the language arts. Following a preface on the role of research in English instruction, the topics discussed include the following: (1) a research base for a large-scale evaluation of writing; (2) implications of teaching writing as…

The Conceptual Learning and Development (CLD) Model specifies four levels of concept attainment (concrete, identity, classificatory, and formal) and three uses of concepts (problem solving, subordinate-supraordinate, and principles). Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of concept attainment may be conducted. The results of this study of 300…

This research investigated the effects of self-reported imagining ability, mnemonic images as prepared by the teacher or the student, and sex of subject on the learning of rare English words. Available from: Society for Suggestive-Accelerative Learning and Teaching, 2740 Richmond Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. (Author/CFM)

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.…

Contends that there are far more terms associated with war and conflict than terms about peace in the English language. Asserts that this circumstance is both a product of and a contribution to national values. Recommends using more emotional words and speech to talk about peace. (CFR)

This study was aimed at providing statistical and experiential descriptive data of value to those concerned with the type of elementary school organizational structure and facility that best serves individualized learning. Test subjects consisted of 70 boys and 62 girls enrolled in or graduated from a nongraded open plan elementary school program…

This study was designed to learn more about relationships between sex and the expressive and comprehensive language development of the kindergarten child. Thirty-four kindergarten children (17 males and 17 females) were given the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and the Vocabulary Subtest of the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children…