Drawing upon research on the composing process and schema theory, a study explored the effects of a generative writing task presented prior to reading on the delayed recall of fourth grade students. The purpose of the study was to determine if a writing task that required the learner to identify with events in a text to be read later would assist…

This study is the 11th and last report from the Reading-to-Write Project, a collaborative study of students' cognitive processes at one critical point of entry into academic performance. The report consists of an Introduction and seven essays, each of which discusses ways to teach a variety of aspects of reading and writing which have been tried…

A study investigated transfer effects of training below average high school readers in the use of graphic organizers and summary writing on their recognition of compare/contrast text structure. Subjects, 32 high school students with below-expectancy standardized test scores, were placed in two groups: an experimental group (five males and 11…

A description of the standardized, multiple-choice Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and how to use it is offered. Medical school admissions officers medical educators, college faculty members, and practicing physicians are active participants in selecting content, drafting test specifications, and authoring questions for the exam. The MCAT is…

The portfolio assessment process at Thomas A. Edison State College is described in this report. Through portfolio assessment, the school helps students identify and gain credit for college-level skills and knowledge acquired through work, volunteer activities, independent reading, military or corporate training, and life experiences that may be…

A study was conducted to examine the influence of topic familiarity on good and poor readers' ability to identify and use important information in expository texts. Subjects were 56 eighth grade students and 37 adults. After indicating their familiarity with the topics of eight experimental passages using J. P. Guilford's method of paired…

Many students have difficulty in science because they are passive readers, readers who receive information without understanding. Passive readers begin reading assignments without thinking about the subject. Their counterparts, known as active readers, interact with text to construct meaning. They make predictions, ask questions, generate…

The Assessment of Prior Learning Program at Humboldt State University, California, is described. The program enables students to gain at least token recognition, through elective units, for prior learning by taking a course and writing a portfolio that is assessed by faculty and awarded up to 10 additional units. The program began by offering…

The strategies of active surveying and active skimming are previewing techniques that may enable high school students to discover independently the macrostructure of expository materials. Research has indicated that advanced knowledge of overall discourse structure improves reading comprehension by serving as a framework for organizing new,…

Since its first year of operation, Coastline Community College (CCC) has granted students credit based on military experience, licensure, occupational training, credit-by-examination, and assessment of prior learning. In spring 1982, a study was conducted to compare the cost-effectiveness of granting credit for experience with that of the…

Competency scales were developed for 10 direct-entry occupations and 10 vocational education programs as part of Project ACCESS, a project to assess women's life experience learning for entrance into employment and for advanced placement in vocational education programs. Development of the occupational scales involved employer interviews, followed…

The following papers are included: (1) "Some Common Goals for Second and First Language Acquisition Research" by Kenji Hakuta; (2) "Research on the Measurement of Affective Variables: Some Remaining Questions" by John W. Oller, Jr.; (3) "The Effects of Neurological Age on Nonprimary Language Acquisition" by Thomas…

CPCS at the University of Massachusetts-Boston meets the needs of the emerging professions in a competency-based program. Objectives and innovations at CPCS are described and guidelines for developing similar programs are offered. (LBH)

This study of college students in business administration classes compares attitudes toward office computer use of students with typing or word processing skills to those of students without those skills. Results show typing and/or word processing skills were associated with greater degree of conceptual understanding of future office computer use.…

Teaching organizational strategies to language-disordered children can improve comprehension and formulation of written language. The semantic organizer approach involves activating and organizing prior knowledge, understanding text structure, and developing organizational strategies with both a verbal component and a graphic-structure component.…