Describes a prototype of computer-assisted language learning software, "BUSCA," that attempts to bridge the gap between commercially available, but pedagogically unsound, Spanish Foreign Language learning programs. The article notes that "BUSCA" is designed to be integrated into a formal course to assist students to become…

Reviews research on the effectiveness of hypertext/hypermedia-based learning and concludes that presenting subject matter from different perspectives, in multiple contexts, and in multiple codes does not automatically contribute to higher performance but may when instructional scaffolding is provided. The additional cognitive load may actually…

Examine, through six experiments, the role of metaphorical knowledge in people's use and understanding of euphemisms and offensive expressions. Findings indicate that people's metaphorical conceptualization of a certain topic can influence the processing time and appropriate use of euphemistic and dysphemistic expressions. (21 references)…

Examined preschoolers' use of display rules, their outcome expectancies when managing negative affect, and parental perceptions of family emotional expressivity. Found that children reported expressing emotion most to fathers; boys regulated affect with mothers more than did girls. Also found that children expressed emotion when expecting help,…

Discusses the issue of who owns English from the perspective of non-native Englishes in Southern Africa, with a focus on the linguistic processes underpinning the owning of English there. Suggests that claiming ownership of English in the African context means to make English carry the weight of one's African experience and to alter it to suit its…

Argues for the use of poetry reading in second language classrooms. Reviews literary and linguistic theories of poetry and synthesizes these theories within a psycholinguistic model of poetry reading, according to which the central aspect of poetry reading is the conscious negotiation of the formal structures of language for comprehension…

Describes a reliability and validity study of the placement test used at the University of Surrey, England, to identify students requiring English language support while studying at the university level. The study examines administrative and logistic constraints and assesses the test's usefulness within this context. (21 references) (Author/CK)

Used the experience sampling method to examine Indian adolescents' use of free time. Found that adolescents' free time use was influenced by both tradition and modernization, and varied according to social class, urban versus rural setting, and gender. Concluded that youth activities continue to reflect the sociocultural and historical nature of…

Child development happens within the social, cultural, political, environmental, and economic contexts of a particular place, but researchers and policy makers describe best practice in the field as if one size fits all. An early interventionist's experience illustrates how ruralness and community characteristics impact practice. Collaboration…

Examines the effect of individual and contextual variables on the acquisition of Basque by adult learners in the Basque Country. Participants were learners who were attending Basque classes in nine different specialized schools for teaching Basque to adults. Participants completed questionnaires about metalinguistic awareness, anxiety, learning…

Argues that courtroom trials observed face-to-face are distinct from televised mediated trials and the different rules result in very different things being communicated to an audience. Cautions that televised trials should be approached as a media event that represents a discrete genre of television programing. (KEH)

The fact that 15 million American children, a quarter of the population under 18, are growing up without fathers is the most significant social problem facing the country. It is linked with epidemics of crime and drugs, the decline of educational attainment, and the persistence of widespread poverty. (AF)

Mary Douglas's typology, using grid and group dimensions, provides a means to classify and compare social environments in terms of their differing cultural constraints on individual autonomy. This article uses the Douglas typology to examine the grid and group characteristics of four diverse schools to determine the framework's applicability to…

Grade-12 results of the Second International Mathematics Study for Belgium, New Zealand, Thailand, and Japan suggest that when single-sex schooling is relatively scarce in a country, it influences student achievement by attracting students with unique characteristics. Achievement effects may be positive or negative depending on the function of…

Family therapists should maintain an informed perspective that balances a broadly defined cultural sensitivity (including awareness about sociocultural and spiritual issues) with sound clinical judgment based on well-founded family therapy principles. Offers recommendations for graduate school curricula and internship training programs to include…