This study examined the talk of 20 university level learners of Mandarin as a Second Language in three instructional modes: teacher-led (TL), unstructured group work (UGW), and structured group work using a cooperative learning technique (SGW), in this case, Jigsaw. Statistical analyses showed that more learner talk (in terms of turns and c-units)…

All languages change (Fromkin and Rodman 1993). Language educators must be aware of these changes and help keep their students up to date with them. One area of change in the English language is the controversial shift from gender-exclusive language, such as "Everyone should do his duty" and "Man has done great damage to the…

This study evaluated whether the addition of a writing section to the SAT Reasoning Test™ (referred to as the SAT® in this study) would impact test-taker performance because of fatigue caused by increased test length. The study also investigated test-takers' subjective feelings of fatigue. Ninety-seven test-takers were randomly assigned to three…

This bulletin aims to describe the administrative practice and experience of the correspondence-study departments of the universities of the United States. Correspondence-study secretaries and extension division directors may find this experience and practice of use in meeting their own problems and in evolving their own administrative systems.…

Discusses the need to polish the foreign language skills of second-language teachers during their professional training. This training should concentrate primarily on the improvement of confidence in spontaneous target language use and grammatical accuracy and should also emphasize pedagogical development and reflection. (one reference) (CK)

Describes the findings of a questionnaire and interviews to determine the level of understanding, attitudes, and involvement in environmental education and action. Also measured environmental teaching experience, explored perceived needs and demand for future environmental courses, and the involvement of management in responsible decision-making…

Describes a series of eight project activities designed to increase student communication and assess student understanding during a unit on functions and relations. Discusses different methods of evaluation and students' reactions to the activities. (MDH)

Describes a study that compared faculty use of computer networks in the fields of science and engineering and business, and examined the extent to which individual and professional factors affected use. Gender, age, frequency of use, types of use, and general feelings of expertise in using the networks are discussed. (LRW)

Describes an innovative Japanese elementary school foreign language (FLES) program introduced at the Laboratory School of the University of Pittsburgh. Lessons focused on thematic vocabulary presented within a context, a language function associated with the context, and some attention to the grammatical or syntactic structure necessary for…

A survey of 1,720 students in 71 university science laboratory classes in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Israel, and Nigeria investigated student and teacher perceptions of dimensions of classroom environment (student cohesiveness, open-endedness, integration, rule clarity, material environment). Results and the utility of the…

Describes a study of a large urban public library system that compared levels and sources of stress and job satisfaction between public service and technical service employees. Relationships among work load, job content, and job satisfaction are examined, working relationships among employees are discussed, and the organizational climate is…

This study applied social psychological constructs to examine the linguistic attitudes and motivations of 301 Hungarian high school students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Factor and correlational analyses of the results of a survey questionnaire revealed that xenophilic, sociocultural, instrumental, and media-use reasons were most…

Describes a project at Stanford University Library that was initiated to enhance user access to government documents collections by developing a prototype natural language computer-based aid. The development of an expert system, Government Documents Reference Aid (GDRA), is explained, and the application of expert systems in libraries is…

Compares relationship between family size and academic achievement of children from broken and intact families among Black African Xhosa-speaking children between the ages of 13 and 17. Results indicate a negative relationship between family size and academic achievement, regardless of broken or intact families. (Author/NL)

Evaluates the effectiveness of a course using a constructivist approach in reducing Dutch secondary school students (n=190) misconceptions about force. Concluded that the lessons were effective in changing students' ideas in regard to forces in rest situations and frictional forces and that learning effects were equally distributed over student…