This presentation focuses on how foreign language study may be used to motivate hearing-impaired adolescents and to improve their English proficiency skills. Research on foreign language acquisition as it relates to self-concept development in hearing-impaired youth is reviewed, and a pilot project involving students at the Tennessee School for…

An evaluation of Manitoba's French immersion programs at the levels of grades 3, 6, and 9 focused on program effectiveness in teaching listening comprehension and speech skills. The results for grade 9 are presented here. The first section describes the framework of the immersion curriculum and the listening and oral skills targeted in it. The…

The development and preliminary evaluation of the Computerized Adaptive Testing System (CATSYS), a new testing package for IBM-compatible microcomputers, are described. CATSYS can be used to administer and score operational adaptive tests or to conduct on-line computer simulation studies. The package incorporates several innovative features,…

Single word oral reading was systematically examined in a 6-year-old hyperlexic boy with mental retardation, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity. Reading performances were compared to those of normally developing readers and to those of patients with adult-onset alexias to test three hypotheses regarding the mechanisms of reading in…

To explore the suggestion that subjects modulate their reading strategies in accordance with how they expect to be tested, several test expectancies (multiple-choice, true/false, essay, and cloze) were implemented in addition to a non-specific test expectancy as a control. Subjects were 124 students at Purdue University (Indiana). After reading…

Six annotated bibliographies prepared by graduate students address topics related to methodology for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Each bibliography defines a topic area, gives pedagogical criteria for selecting entries, and provides brief annotations for relevant recent citations. The six…

An oral language continuum designed to help elementary students develop techniques for a variety of speech situations, learn to listen, and learn to be aware of the responsibility of the speaker is presented. The continuum is divided into four sections. Student needs, implications for teaching, and suggested activities are arranged sequentially.…

Much of the computer software currently available for English teachers fails to assess adequately computer strengths and weaknesses. Labeled "wimpy software," these products are often little more than animated textbooks whose lesson formats exercise little higher-order reasoning. The future for good quality software, therefore, rests with English…

Intended for elementary school teachers who want to incorporate language skill-building activities into their subject area instruction, this booklet provides practical teaching strategies based on research about how children learn to read and communicate. The three major sections of the booklet deal with (1) teaching comprehension and study skills…

The inferential operations of mildly retarded students reading at the intermediate level were investigated using methods based on discourse comprehension theory. It was hypothesized that problems encountered in reading by these students were related to difficulties in generating logical inferences. Mildly retarded junior high school students and…

A survey of 25 international students studying in Massachusetts colleges gathered information on 4 specific aspects of their American college experience (recruitment, orientation, adaptation, and acculturation) as well as about their experiences with English. In interviews, nine students said they had had no problems with the English language;…

Designed for use in junior high school language arts classes, this learning activity packet introduces students to North American folklore. Selected readings cover Indian tales, real folk heroes (Davy Crockett and John Henry), imaginary folk heroes (Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill), Black folk stories (Brer Rabbit), and tales of Washington Irving. Each…

To compare the effects of two different comprehension treatments on the reading of university students enrolled in a developmental reading laboratory, 74 students were administered pretests measuring reading achievement and reading attitudes and were given five weeks of instruction in text organizing strategies and vocabulary development. After…

Process comprehension helps students both to see why they make comprehension errors and to develop techniques to correct these problems. Keeping journals of their behavior while reading magazine articles helps students recognize relationships between their rate, comprehension, interests, and personal reading habits. Once students have developed an…

An analysis of Korean language textbooks currently used by Korean children and of nationally-administered reading comprehension test items for high school graduates reveals a text-oriented reading comprehension approach in South Korea. Text orientation--seeing individual words, phrases, and sentences as semantically unified into a meaningful…