Many people with the diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (AS) show poorly developed skills in understanding emotional messages. The present study addressed discrimination of speech prosody in children with AS at neurophysiological level. Detection of affective prosody was investigated in one-word utterances as indexed by the N1 and the mismatch…

The correlation between the communicative intent of parents, in terms of their expectation of a response and the response patterns of young children aged 23-25 months during parent-child interactions, was investigated. An Observational Framework was used to code these parameters in interactions between 36 children and their mothers. The children…

In this case study, we investigate three Chinese boys' self-efficacy beliefs learning English as a second language across English language learning tasks and home-based and school-based contexts. Participants reported higher self-efficacy to complete listening and speaking activities than during reading and writing activities. All participants…

Everyday speech is littered with disfluency, often correlated with the production of less predictable words (e.g., Beattie & Butterworth [Beattie, G., & Butterworth, B. (1979). Contextual probability and word frequency as determinants of pauses in spontaneous speech. "Language and Speech, 22," 201-211.]). But what are the effects of disfluency on…

Language and social interactions were examined between a father and mother and their twin children, one with Down syndrome and one developing typically. Systematic observations were made of videotaped segments and coded in real time using a computerized behavior coding program. Codes for the parents' interactions consisted of total vocalizations,…

In this article I introduce the concept of "acknowledgement" and explore the role which it plays in facilitating teacher learning. Acknowledgement is the validation or recognition of the teacher, which comes about when teachers have the space to present their own perceptions of their teaching without judgement. I trace the development of a teacher…

This article argues that testimonial novels are an important curricular addition in classrooms that take seriously the responsibility to educate students about social justice and civic responsibility in a global context. The addition of testimonial novels to our literature courses lets us internationalize our curriculum by including courses and…

The purpose of this study was to explore Vygotsky's notion of private speech as a cognitive self-regulatory process and how it related to creativity measures among at-risk children. Thirty-two Head Start and state-funded Pre-K children completed the Torrance creativity test Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM). The children's private…

Very few studies have directly compared reading acquisition across different orthographies. The authors examined the concurrent and longitudinal predictors of word decoding and reading fluency in children learning to read in an orthographically inconsistent language (English) and in an orthographically consistent language (Greek). One hundred ten…

This paper describes the development and validation of the Cognate Awareness Test (CAT), which measures cognate awareness in Spanish-speaking English Language Learners (ELLs) in fourth and fifth grade. An investigation of differential performance on the two subtests of the CAT (cognates and noncognates) provides evidence that the instrument is…

This research project examines students' reactions to in-class discussion as an instructional technique by investigating the effect of participation practices on communication-based skill development. The findings provide evidence that active preparation and participation in class discussion can be linked to students' reports of improved oral and…

This article considers the impact of a technique of structured conversation to enhance a student-centred approach to tutorial time. It is suggested that the development of such an approach can provide enhanced learning support in the current challenge of widening diversity in the learner population. Many students in modern tertiary education show…

According to the Medical Council of Malawi, one of the conditions for a licence to be granted to an individual who wants to practise medicine in Malawi is the practitioner's ability to speak and write English fluently. This means that the expatriate medical practitioner is not required by law to demonstrate fluency in Chichewa (the national…

This paper highlights the dynamics that led to the narrowing of the achievement gap between students in the Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking schools in Israel. Instead of looking at one point of time (Zuzovsky, 2005), this paper examines changes between 1999 to 2003 in certain school/class-level variables and relates them to the uneven increase…

The social scientific research focus of major United States universities places the forensics programs at these institutions in a unique position. Three areas of tension between forensics and research based communication departments are as follows: research quality/utility, applicability of forensic training, and resource conflicts. Solutions to…