Reports on a experiment examining the effect of language in scientific text reading. Twenty-five Finnish college students read a sociology textbook first in English, then in Finnish. Five students understood a basic concept as defined in the textbook after reading it in English whereas 12 understood the concept after the second reading. (JL)

Explores the effects of the use of aesthetic and efferent stances in response to literature with 43 fourth graders, 47 sixth graders, and 40 eighth graders. Finds use of an aesthetic stance is associated with higher levels of personal understanding and the level of understanding increases with grade level. (MG)

Eighteen undergraduates were given a standard manufacturing textbook and 18 a text in which major concepts were expressed as mathematical equations. The mathematical text enhanced ability to recall concepts and apply them in context. However, transfer of concepts to different concepts was not affected by type of text. (SK)

Seven poor readers (ages 11-12) were trained in reading comprehension strategies using reciprocal teaching procedures in resource rooms and were instructed to employ the strategies in their homeroom classes. The combination of reciprocal teaching and transenvironmental programing was effective in facilitating subjects' unprompted use of relevant…

Advanced-level English-as-a-Second-Language Belgian university business administration students were subjects in a study of viewing comprehension by means of the prior activation of text-relevant schemata. Findings support the idea that prior activation can enhance the comprehension and retention of the message content of authentic video materials…

The relationship of print exposure, measured by the Title Recognition Test (TRT), to word reading and reading comprehension was studied for 36 reading-disabled and 49 nondisabled students in grades 5 through 9. The power of the TRT to predict word reading and reading comprehension is discussed. (SLD)

Error frequency and language competence of bilingual grade 6 students were analyzed to determine the effect of language comprehension in errors made in solving mathematical word problems. Results provide support for the linkage of comprehension errors to measures of language competency. (29 references) (MDH)

Fifteen caregivers each glossed a simultaneously videotaped and audiotaped sample of their child with speech delay in conversation with a clinician. Comparison with a reference gloss developed for each sample indicated that caregivers accurately understood an average of 58% of the utterances and 73% of the words. (Author/DB)

A study exploring the differences between first- and second-language word recognition strategies revealed that second-language listeners used more higher level information than native language listeners, when access to higher level information was not hindered by a competence-ceiling effect, indicating that word processing strategy is a function…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of contextual organizers for subjects (n=276) of three cognitive styles (field dependent, field independent, and field intermediate) during computer-assisted instruction. Findings were advance organizers were more effective for field-dependent subjects; postorgainzers were more effective for field-intermediate…

A total of 36 mothers and their first and third grade children were questioned regarding their conceptions of listening. Mothers' and children's beliefs revealed dissimilarities in their understandings of the criteria by which listeners should regulate their behavior and their conceptions of the actions listeners should take when confused.…

Fifty-six field-dependent and 55 field-independent students in grades 6 through 8 were assessed on reading comprehension tasks varying in memory load and cognitive restructuring requirements. Field-independent readers outperformed field-dependent readers on tasks with high memory demands and requirements for efficient restructuring. (SLD)

Describes study of undergraduates that measured the effect of audiovisual channel correspondence during television news programs on attention and memory. Learning variables in multimedia presentations are discussed, reaction time with visual and auditory probes is examined, factual memory and visual memory tests are described, and implications for…

A method for making an intermediate language course at the postsecondary level responsive to the different professional needs of students is discussed. The first segment of the course focuses on the use of the language for communication, and the second teaches, through easily obtained instructional materials, the construction of specialized…

Comprehension and Picture Arrangement Wechsler subtest scores were correlated with clinician ratings of social competence and hostility for 82 children at risk for psychopathology and 62 healthy children and 124 at-risk and 113 healthy adolescents. Results do not suggest that either subtest is sensitive to social functioning. (SLD)