The emerging field of literacy education for speakers of English as a Second Language (ESL) is examined. First, four general goals of ESL literacy education are outlined: practical reading/writing skills; reading skills for building further learning; second language training when needed; and orientation to print as a source of meaning. Four kinds…

Quality-improvement principles are a sound means to respond to customer needs. However, when various quality and productivity theories and methods are applied, it is very difficult to consistently deliver quality results, especially in quasi-monopolistic, non-competitive, and regulated environments. This book focuses on quality-improvement methods…

This collection of 15 essays is designed to help improve college instruction through reflection that results in better practice, to make teaching more student-centered, and to further a more connected view of teaching and learning. It includes: (1) "Why Scholarship Is the Bedrock of Good Teaching" (Maryellen Weimer); (2) "Teaching and Today's…

A collection of essays on pronunciation instruction theory and practice includes: "Teaching Pronunciation as Communication" (Marianne Celce-Murcia); "Learner Variables and Prepronunciation Considerations in Teaching Pronunciation" (Rita Wong); "Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension" (Judy B. Gilbert); "Pronunciation Tutorials for Nonnative…

A study investigated differences in the speech styles used in making requests among five native speakers of Japanese (JJ), five American learners of Japanese (AJ), and Americans speaking English (AE) and their implications for intercultural communication. All subjects were adults. Data were elicited in role-plays of a scenario including the…

Themes of the 24th Annual International Association of School Librarianship conference included: "School Librarianship"; "Children's Literature"; "Technology"; and "Children's Literature, Literacy, and School Librarianship." The following presented papers are assembled in this proceedings: (1) "For…

Research on beliefs about second language learning based on a model designed by Elaine Horwitz is reviewed. The model is incorporated in the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) developed for students of English as a Second Language, college students of commonly taught languages (French, German, Spanish), and college teachers of…

This book reviews pertinent theories about writing in English, English as a Second Language (ESL), and foreign languages for teachers at secondary and postsecondary levels, to provide insight into the teaching and learning processes. Five hypotheses about the nature of foreign language (FL) writing serve as points of departure for analyzing…

A case study analyzed the echolalia behavior of an autistic 11-year-old boy, based on recordings made in his home and school. Focus was on the subset of immediate echolalia referred to as pure echoing. Using an approach informed by conversation analysis and descriptive phonetics, distinctions are drawn between different forms of pure echo. It is…

Using a comparative rhetoric model, a study examined the discourse behavior of native speakers of American English conducting peer review discussions in English and that of native speakers of Chinese performing the same task in Chinese. Data are drawn from audiotape recordings of peer review discussions of eight college students, conducted in…

A study compared the topical structure (TS) of Arabic and English in order to determine whether Arab learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) transfer potential differences between Arabic and English in their English writing, or whether they use an altogether different TS indicative of developmental factors. Four sets of data were compared…

This work probes the confines of traditional approaches to teaching about diversity, and it explores the possibilities for redefining links between theory and practice, thereby presenting an alternative repertoire for teacher education that emphasizes the relationship between ideology and pedagogy. The publication is in 3 sections. Part 1,…

This report describes two studies prompted by research on rates of research use and attitudes toward research among preservice and inservice teachers enrolled in graduate programs in teacher education. The first study asked prospective and inservice teachers to rate the importance of various research skills and to provide a verbal exposition that…

This paper reviews the background of and compares three particular approaches to reflective professional development, specifically as used by Far West Laboratory: case methods, the Peer Assisted Leadership process, in which peer partners observe each other, conduct reflective interviews, construct leadership models, and explore alternate ways to…

In this book, an experienced elementary school teacher recounts how she and three other teachers of grades 4, 5, and 6 decided to relax the compartmentalization of learning into subject areas and shuffle subject matter into new patterns to offer students a voice in their education. The book describes how the teachers created a multiage…