Describes a study into what happens when academics who learned English for Special Purposes broadened their goals and attempted reading geared to those with a knowledge of "general" English. Results showed that participant comprehension increased significantly, but reading speed did not consistently increase. (Author/SED)

Investigates whether standardized tests measure the same comprehension construct as free recall assessment techniques. (FL)

A teaching technique used in a short course in reading scientific and technical Russian without previous Russian language experience is described. A special grammar-and-dictionary is used in a rule-governed manner to produce semi-automatically a sentence-for-sentence analysis of specialized texts. (MSE)

The 338 14-year-olds who participated in a study to determine effects of pictures on readability of science topics completed a cloze test during the study and an objective items recognition test afterwards. Posttest scores showed pictures made topic easier to remember although they had little effect on cloze test results. (MBR)

Discusses students' formation of concepts about energy, classifying responses as living/nonliving, human (vitalism or activity), and nonhuman (supply or demand). Observations were based on class discussions and free writing, followed by questioning to check on stability of concepts. Also collected and reported are student responses (examples of…

A test comparing two groups of beginning learners of English as a second language shows that teaching listening comprehension accompanied by prescribed gestures - "total physical response" - instead of speech production, provides better language acquisition than conventional methods, as well as less anxiety and higher motivation for…

Describes language lab listening activity designed to serve needs of the English as a second language class comprised of students at different levels of language proficiency, divergent native languages, multicultural backgrounds, and varying levels of formal education. Multilevel tasks are drawn from a common text, allowing students to do…

This guide offers a set of 13 lessons designed to help learners understand the components of reading that are part of becoming a more fluent reader, and to guide them as they work with the teacher to set their own goals for reading. The lessons can be used as an independent mini-course, or they can be integrated into an existing curriculum. The…

The term "numeracy" is used in the adult education community to include an array of mathematically related proficiencies that are evident in adults' lives and worthy of attention in adult education settings. This occasional paper attempts to describe the complex nature of numeracy as it exists today. All stakeholders--including policymakers,…

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities struggle with reading and the reasons for their struggles are not well understood owing to little knowledge about the impact of disability on language development in either the first or second language (Klingner et al., 2006). Nevertheless, this difficulty in reading achievement historically has…

This report lays out the design for the Evaluation of Reading Comprehension Interventions, which is assessing supplemental reading comprehension programs for fifth-grade students in Title I schools. The key design parameters are described. The report itself provides the rationale for these decisions and discusses design and measurement issues,…

This paper consists of four sections, each dealing with the assessment of a single language skill: Writing, Speaking, Reading and Listening. While culture includes those "everyday aspects of life within a society" which are present but not necessarily overtly expressed, Culture embraces "those aspects and artifacts of society that represent what…

This paper discusses the use of learner-authored texts to encourage conceptual change in college English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, examining the process of and conditions for conceptual change and reasons to promote the use of student-authored texts. Participants were first-year accounting majors enrolled in a comprehensive EFL course…

This study was an action research project designed to improve students' reading comprehension. Students in the targeted kindergarten, second, and third grade classes exhibited a lack of reading comprehension, which interfered with their academic achievement. Data was collected by student and parent surveys, observations, and document analysis.…

Kindergarten is a time for playful and enriching learning activities that support children's literacy emergence while enhancing their social and cognitive development. The routines of a busy, engaged, productive kindergarten classroom are vividly brought to life in this information-packed book. Demonstrated are whole-class and small group…