For many years there has been concern about whether sex bias exists in various assessments. A literature review reveals little if any sex bias in UK national assessments at GCSE. Oxford, Cambridge and RSA examiners, for three case study subjects, completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory, a self-report inventory that measures the extent to which…

This study attempts to reconcile viewpoints on the role of errors in the design of computer-based training (CBT) systems. From one perspective, errors are detrimental to learning; from another, they can be beneficial. The results of an experiment are presented and discussed. When a CBT system is designed to allow learners to correct their own…

This paper describes one teacher's use of a videotaped mystery series to stimulate students' entries in dialogue journals. Students are shown an episode of the mystery in class and are then asked to write a personal response to it. The aim of the journals is to enhance student confidence and writing skills. Results of an analysis of the journal…

This book provides a comprehensive collection of 66 teaching strategies and ideas to help overcome problems with number, each linked to a specific kind of error described in the related manual. Most of these strategies are classroom-ready and easily implemented. Some are notes for the teacher to read and then plan activities accordingly, and many…

The manual for English pronunciation instruction is designed for use in intensive language courses for Southeast Asians learning English as a Second Language. An introductory section suggests classroom presentation and lesson planning techniques and gives background information on English phonology and pronunciation instruction. A variety of…

Tests are intended to assess performance of students. However, tests can also be used as an educational tool. Current patterns in education have produced a group of students with weak learning skills, limited confidence in their own abilities, an underlying hostility or distrust of the educational system, and an inhibited attitude towards…

A computerized grammar checker was developed to assist teachers of English as a Second Language in editing student compositions. The first stage of development consisted of an error analysis of 125 writing samples collected from students. The 1,659 errors found were classified into 14 main types and 93 subtypes. This analysis served as the basis…

A study investigated the responses of students of English as a Second Language (ESL) to teachers' written comments on essay drafts. Subjects were 15 students in intensive college ESL courses. The students wrote essay drafts, which were turned in to teachers for graded comments. The students were then interviewed within three days after receiving…

This study was designed to measure and bridge the mismatch in perceptions of error correction (EC) between a teacher and his students. The participants were 32 students in two intact, beginner-level Spanish classes at a mid-size university in the Southwest of the US. The treatment consisted of two learner training (LT) sessions (see Reiss, 1981)…

This study investigated the effects of teacher feedback on changes in the spoken language performance of a group of advanced learners of English in the Netherlands. Participants were medical researchers attending a course entitled English for Medical Congresses. The course included a sequence of speaking tasks and culminated in a conference. Tasks…

A study assessed whether community college students revise their writing more effectively if they are supported during the revision learning process by comments that point out the writing flaws in their texts and then provide suggestions on how to revise these flaws. Subjects, 28 first- and second-year students enrolled in an Introduction to…

This paper discusses the interlanguage conversation as a process in an institutional setting. The interaction type in question is language proficiency interview and the material discussed is a series of interviews of French second language learners whose mother tongue is either Finnish or Swedish. These interviews are compared to non-evaluative…

The process oriented approach to English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction has spurred such new ideas as student instruction and the whole language approach. New thinking justifies the validity of qualitative research, which lets researchers view subjects' learning processes from previously impossible angles. This paper examines ESL writing…

A coding system expediting grading of student reports in a marketing class is described. The system uses twelve codes corresponding to constructive criticisms of content and form, allowing the teacher to comment while reading and to read more efficiently. A brief summary can also be included. Most frequent codes are recorded in the gradebook to…

Discusses the nature of good writing strategies, illustrates principles of correction and evaluation, and describes the elements of a writing curriculum for college students of Italian. The author suggests a series of writing activities and evaluation criteria to assess writing proficiency at beginning and intermediate levels. (26 references) (CK)