In this investigation, the differences in psycholinguistic processing of written and spoken language and the psycholinguistic deficiencies of poor readers were studied by giving meaningful, anomalous, and random word strings to 18 good readers and 18 poor readers who were reading at the fourth grade level. It was found that in both spoken and…

This study examines the effects of various combinations of teaching methods on unstructured written responses to poetry. The methods involved were studying short films related to the poems, listening to audio-tapes of the poems, and discussing poems in class. These three variables were combined in a 2 x 2 x 2 design. The subjects were 324 twelfth…

This study investigates the effect of mode of expression on the syntactic complexity of writing produced by third-grade children. Approximately 200 samples of writing in the modes of argumentation, exposition, narration, and description were collected from 50 third graders in the Atlanta school district. Syntactic complexity, as measured by length…

Using frequency, range, availability, and coverage as objectively weighted indices of utility in the development of a basic French vocabulary list, the authors describe the technical procedure used in this study and list the resultant first 153 words according to the four indices and the utility rating. Weighting factors for each index, based on…

To determine the variety of syntactic patterns that potential English teachers would normally use and the possible differences in their oral and written discourse, 1000-word oral and written language samples were collected from 21 student teachers. These samples were divided into T-units and classified according to 23 sentence patterns based on…

This investigation was concerned with five questions: (1) To what degree to children in grade 5 use the same words in speaking and writing? (2) Do they use similar sentence structure in speaking and writing? (3) Do they maintain the same quality of expression in speaking and writing? (4) Is there a difference in the language performance of boys…

Following a review of the literature, a study to provide data on the interference effects of another dialect on aspects of reading performance was carried out in Newfoundland, Canada. Subjects were presented with oral reading material in standard English form and in a form which incorporated selected, validated, morphological features of grade…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a program designed to improve the quality of written composition by teaching students the components and use of a descriptive writing scale so that they could rate their own compositions and those of other students. The study consisted of two groups, an experimental group and a…

This book traces the historical development of current attitudes toward language usage and, by examples and quotations, shows the steps in attitude change, including the creation and abandonment of rules. The book is based on the premise that standard English usage is open to different interpretations, and supports this premise with references to…

This study--a follow-up to one conducted by Giles in 1965-- compared the written compositions of fourth grade pupils who had been in Project Head Start in the summer of 1965 with those of comparable pupils not in the program to determine possible differences in their written language development. Seventy Negro students were divided by sex and…

This volume, designed as a companion to "Introducing Literary Arabic" provides basic grammatical explanations essential in first-year courses. Each of the 15 units, with the exception of the first, contains related grammatical notes, paradigms, and illustrations. The grammatical rules are intended to make explicit general underlying structures.…

The author identifies assumptions which, though not firmly validated by research, are suggested as bases for effective assessment and instruction of learning disabled adolescents. (PHR)

Indicates that, in relation to oral systems, written systems are more complex in structure, reveal more adjectival but less adverbial elaboration, show more complex verbal structures, and contain fewer indices of personal reference. (RL)

Describes a study that contrasted the abilities of special educators, vocational educators, and employers in modifying written instructions to conform to the reading abilities of mentally retarded employees. Results are reported and discussed. (CT)

Reviews some of the basic notions of semiotics to show how they can be applied to composition teaching. (FL)