Experiments compared two closed head injury (CHI) subjects with normal subject's ability to interpret indirect speech acts with the ability of uninjured individuals. The CHI individuals displayed difficulty in interpreting indirect speech or rejecting literal meanings. The results are discussed in terms of common cognitive deficits after closed…

Pilot, field, and final tests in listening and in speaking knowledge, skills, and attitudes for Alberta (Canada) students in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 were constructed, using the following steps: (1) selection and validation of high-priority measurable objectives; (2) review of existing tests and related literature; (3) pilot test construction,…

This study provided 5 weeks of direct strategy instruction about narrative elements and relations in 4 first-grade classrooms (n = 83), all with materials that made minimal decoding demands on children's reading. Two comparison classrooms (n = 40) received comparable instruction on language development and poetry. A battery of assessments given at…

Background: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common known inherited cause of intellectual disability, yet very few studies have explored the language comprehension skills of children with FXS. We examined the receptive vocabulary, grammatical morphology and syntax skills of boys with FXS (who were additionally classified as having autism,…

Foreign language learners typically experience considerable anxiety about taking listening tests. This study investigated how four forms of listening support (pre-teaching of content and vocabulary, question preview, and repeated input) affect the anxiety levels of college students in Taiwan taking a multiple-choice achievement test, which counts…

Two studies, one in Puerto Rico and one in Japan, assessed the effects of pauses and hesitation markers on listening comprehension of university students who were learners of English as a Second Language. In one, 61 students of basic English were assigned to three groups to hear monologues under three conditions: (1) normal speed; (2) with…

A study investigated whether listening effectiveness could be improved by completing a college listening class. Volunteer subjects, 14 males and 14 females enrolled in a 3-hour, 16-week college listening course for undergraduate or graduate students at a medium-sized midwestern university, were given the video version of the Watson-Barker…

The design of instructional materials for second language listening comprehension is discussed, based on the premise that such materials must reflect a view of the nature and processes of listening. Two distinct kinds of cognitive processes involved in listening are examined: bottom-up processing, or the use of incoming data as a source of…

A comparison between the second language learner and the native language learner provides the primary argument for the importance of listening without having to produce a response immediately. The fact that children listen to their native language for at least 8 hours a day implies that students need to spend more time in listening activities. In…

An intensive Russian language program emphasized listening comprehension before developing reading and speaking skills. Task performance verified comprehension in early stages. Program results included minimizing task overloading, increased student motivation. (CHK)

Pragmatic factors necessary to the understanding of colloquial expressions are called here "simpragma." Some examples are provided. (Text is in Spanish.) (DS)

Children who have a communication learning disability or who are mentally retarded need special help to comprehend verbal directions. (CL)

This article argues for the use of a cooperative listening technique and describes the steps involved in using this approach. The author describes a five-step procedure for teaching listening strategies, and then uses his own experience to show how this approach can help learners develop listening comprehension. The author also discusses his…

A self-instructional technique for developing listening fluency in foreign language laboratories is reported. (RM)

The program presented in this manual provides a structure and activities for systematic development of effective listening comprehension in typical and atypical children. The complete ENABLE kit comes with pictures, cut-outs, and puppets to illustrate the directives, questions, and narrative activities. The manual includes an organizational and…