This article describes the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, a comprehensive measure of achievement for individuals in grades K-12. Eight subtests assess mathematics reasoning, spelling, reading comprehension, numerical operations, listening comprehension, oral expression, and written expression. Its administration, standardization,…

The study investigates strategies and contexts for supporting the literacy development of young, augmented speakers, whose difficulties in literacy learning are not explained by their levels of cognition alone. Indeed, quantitative and qualitative differences exist in their literacy experiences at home and school. In this study, four primary…

Utilizing a pre- and posttest research design, with an instructional intervention of good practices in notetaking, the notes taken by examinees during a computer-based listening comprehension test prior to and following the instructional intervention were examined for particular notetaking strategies. Questionnaires probed perceptions of the…

Efforts to improve the educational achievement of children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are at the heart of current government policies in the United Kingdom. The Peers Early Education Partnership (PEEP) is an intervention that, since 1995, has worked directly with parents and caregivers of children from infancy to 5 years of…

Papers on aspects of second language teaching include: "Cognitive Approaches to Listening Comprehension" (James S. Noblitt); "Popular Music in a Whole Language Approach to Foreign Language Teaching" (Sue Barry, Sidney Pellissier); "Language Maintenance: Bridging the Gaps in Foreign Language Education" (Jean W. LeLoup,…

Six conference papers are presented in this volume. They include: "Living Civilization: a Theoretical Model for Using Task-Based Activities To Combine the Teaching of Language and Culture" (Sharon Gwinn Scinicariello); "Foreign Language Reading versus Understanding: Using Think-Aloud Protocols To Identify L2 Reading Problems"…

A study investigated how students of English as a second language (ESL) improved their use of learning strategies through awareness-raising in group interviews and informal training. Subjects were 68 Taiwanese university students in two freshman English classes. Subjects responded to an English learning strategy questionnaire in the beginning and…

A university teacher of English as a Second Language describes the use of CNN Newsroom materials to teach listening skills. The basic news broadcast materials, including video and audio tapes, are provided by CNN, and have been developed by the teacher into instructional units. A classroom guide is available on the Internet. The instruction is…

California has developed a new series of credential examinations for foreign language teachers to make it possible to test the competence of teachers in six languages less frequently taught than Spanish and French. These languages are German, Japanese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, and Vietnamese. Each assessment is based on the specifications…

Based on data collected during site visits in March 1978 to four Wisconsin school districts (Freedom, Pulaski, Seymour, and West DePere), this document evaluates a state project on Oneida language instruction. The project evolved from an expressed interest by Oneida Tribal members, elementary school children, and university students in learning…

This guide communicates the increasing need in California for young people to develop skills in languages other than English, and to direct attention to assessing these skills in terms of language use competency in realistic situations rather than in terms of courses taken or units earned. The guide recognizes successive stages of competency and…

This paper describes the Foreign Language Alternative Program (FLAP) of Bellevue Community College, in Washington state. The program is designed to provide students with alternative choices best fitted to their individual needs, and is thus individualized and equipped to deal with both academic and vocational programs. The first year of a given…

This study explores several research questions. Of primary concern was the identification of variables that might be employed to predict the potential of students to succeed in monolingual English classrooms following transition from bilingual programs. Although consideration was given to various background and demographic factors, the principal…

As part of International technical assistance, international aid organizations frequently sponsor candidates for advanced training programs in other countries. Because these programs are most often offered in English, the candidate needs to acquire a certain degree of English language knowledge. Therefore, English language training plays an…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: the relationships between reading achievement and such factors as dependency, attitude toward reading, mastery of word attack skills, reaction time on selected…