The study examined patterns of cognitive ability in 57 cleft lip and palate children (ages 7 to 9) with verbal deficit, but without general intellectual retardation to evaluate whether the verbal disability displayed by these children was related primarily to a specific verbal expression deficit or a more general symbolic mediation problem.…

Among 157 rural second graders, girls' scores exceeded boys' and Whites' scores exceeded Blacks' in four language competence areas (listening comprehension, paradigmatic language, sight vocabulary, reading achievement). While White girls scored higher than White boys except in the paradigmatic language measure, Black children scored almost…

Discusses research supporting the contention that listening fluency should be taught first and oral response delayed because languaqe acquisition takes place without any overt performance. Includes extensive bibliographic references. (PMJ)

Using a group-listening test, this study examined (1) what terminology from their own vocabulary subjects would use to label music concepts and (2) if consistent terminology would be selected by elementary children and by college students majoring in elementary or music education. (Author/SJL)

Discusses communication games and activities which can be used to teach speaking and listening skills. Proposes and applies a set of criteria for evaluating such curriculum materials. Examines communication games used in referential communication research and suggests their inclusion in the curriculum. (JMF)

Discusses lack of authenticity of dialogs provided in most foreign language courses for students' listening comprehension practice and imitation. Explores the difficulties involved in obtaining authentic material for use at the elementary levels and proposes role playing as a technique for the preparation of dialogs by teachers and course…

Discusses the use of recordings from Radio Canada and Radio France in advanced high school or college French classes. Techniques for using the recordings, particularly interviews, are suggested. A 16-item selective bibliography is appended. (AM)

Three strategies of attention were investigated in two dichotic monitoring experiments. Subjects were divided into three groups, 7, 11 and 20 years of age. (CM)

This article reports on a study designed to obtain data on the first words understood and produced by eight infants. It provides a descriptive account of the earliest levels of language comprehension and allows comparison of lexical development in comprehension and production. (Author/CFM)

This article discusses various studies that deal with understanding written and oral discourse and demonstrates the implications of these studies for second language teaching. (CFM)

To restructure the language curriculum and integrate multimedia technology at the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York, instructional software was developed for a multimedia laboratory environment. This report provides information on the hardware and primary software chosen for the project, the creation of interactive…

Four ideas for French language classroom activities are described: an exercise in listening to popular songs; a film scenario rewriting exercise; a technique for teaching the subjunctive mood; and a paired or small-group activity to enhance understanding of advertising. (MSE)

Selects the major demands in the new general syllabus for second-language learning in the United Kingdom and suggests ways in which teachers and learners can successfully fulfill them. These criteria center around vocabulary requirements and writing, speaking, listening, and reading tests. (10 references) (Author/CK)

Three studies investigated the comprehension of sentences containing the focus particle "only" by children and adults. Contrary to previous findings, two of the studies found that young children made errors predominantly by failing to process contrast information rather than errors in which they failed to use syntactic information to…

Notes the challenge of teaching with multiple perspectives. Explains that studying a poem with two voices shows students how to consider multiple perspectives. Concludes that looking at different perspectives on a topic not only widens students' views, but also deepens their understanding. (PM)