This paper presents a field study carried out with learners who used a grammar checker in real writing tasks in an advanced course at a Swedish university. The objective of the study was to investigate how students made use of the grammar checker in their writing while learning Swedish as a second language. Sixteen students with different…

In the service of accountability, educators have been emphasizing the student as consumer, client, customer. Consequently, assessment is asking the wrong questions of the wrong people. Outcome measures are often intended to evaluate student and teacher performance rather than to assess teaching and learning. Anthony Petrosky's study of literacy in…

This booklet is part of a series of articles, reviews, and conference reports issued by Goldsmiths Association for Early Childhood (GAEC). This issue focuses on parents as partners from the point of view of parents, teachers, and childminders, discussing how the partnership between home and school continues to become a more equal one by…

A study investigated the use of specific error correction and writing instruction techniques in a composition course designed for foreign graduate students. Weekly in-class student essays on assigned topics were returned to them ungraded but containing explanations of grammar points, confusing vocabulary, content, and organization. A conscious…

As part of a larger project, a ninth-grade class participated in a year-long exchange of writing with students in an inner-city London classroom. The larger project involved 10 San Francisco Bay Area sixth- through ninth-grade classes exchanging writing with nine inner-city London classes and a Swedish class. Students and teachers in each of the…

Discussion of one form of pragmatic competence, projecting a sense of stylistic voice into texts, explores how writing in a non-native language affects the ability to express stylistic voice and enter into social dialogue with readers. Using the published reflections of authors writing professionally in a non-native language, the analysis shows…

This study investigated the correlation between noncognitive variables and academic success in a freshman composition course. A sample of 257 freshmen taking an introductory English course completed a survey assessing their attitudes and achievement expectancies. The questionnaire measured self-ratings of overall academic ability, drive to…

A study at Purdue University (Indiana) investigated three English-as-a-Second-Language students' understanding of and attitudes toward teachers' written feedback on compositions. All were enrolled in an expository prose class for non-native speakers of English, and all were freshmen of varied ages and backgrounds. Data were gathered in videotaped…

To evaluate the implementation of the Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, the Houston Independent School District (Texas) studied the participation and academic achievement of limited English proficient (LEP) students who participated in these programs in the 1995-96 school year. The Fall 1995 database reported…

The relationship between test preparation and academic performance on a high school graduation test was studied using data from the 1995-96 Louisiana Graduation Exit Examination (GEE). Test preparation was measured based on students' responses concerning whether they prepared well for the test or not. Academic performance was measured through five…

This information booklet for parents answers some of the questions parents often ask about their children's participation in basic skills improvement programs. It suggests ways in which parents can support and reinforce the school's role and offers suggestions for parent involvement and ideas for at-home activities to support skill development.…

This compilation presents materials associated with the 5-week summer session of the Samford University Writing Project, 1994. The compilation begins with curriculum vitae of staff, teacher consultants, and guest speakers. The compilation also presents lists of group and committee members. Summaries of 14 presentations (on such topics as…

This annotated bibliography contains 32 citations of journal articles, book chapters, and books that focus on the teaching of writing in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classrooms. (MDM)

Developed by educators from the Emily Griffith Opportunity School for a workplace literacy program for a large county agency, this teacher's guide integrates collaborative learning techniques and research into teaching the writing process. Techniques include whole group activities and discussions, partner activities, team activities, and peer…

As part of a series of documents on assessment of student learning in various school curriculum areas, this report describes assessment of student learning in the foreign language classroom in South Carolina. The report begins with an overview of current curriculum goals in foreign language education and the status of assessment practices in this…