Examines the listening comprehension of English-as-a-second-language learners by answering the following questions: (1) How do learners acquire information when repeatedly exposed to the same material? and (2) What influence will dictation practice exert on and to what degree is dictation practice related to the acquisition of meaning? (SED)

Continuous discourse tracking, when used as a test of the effectiveness of aural rehabilitation strategies, has numerous uncontrolled variables related to the sender, the receiver, the text materials, and repeated presentations. Tracking is inappropriate for across-subject designs, and acceptable for within-subject test designs only when stringent…

Describes how the use of a simple phonetic system adapted to the local language taught English comprehension through the recognition of keywords, and the rudiments of producing direction-giving and information-giving answers to Spanish-speaking policemen in less than 10 hours. (Author/CB)

This study examines the effect of changes in the secondary education system of the Netherlands, with particular attention to MAVO as the lowest level of general education. The conclusion is made that these changes have had a negative effect on the final ability level attained by the students concerned. (LMO)

Investigates the development of awareness of conversational principles in preschool, first-, and third-grade children by presenting them with short stories ending with a verbal statement by a story character. Results suggest that children's understanding of conversational principles improves considerably between preschool and first grade.…

Investigates whether first- and fourth-grade children vary their production of redundant messages (saying more than the minimal necessary to be informative) as a function of sharing common experience with a listener. (HOD)

Examined the effect of manipulating source competence, task level, and social cues on worker attitudes. Results suggest that source competence can be affect the social information processing approach (SIPA) and the formation of worker attitudes. (SRT)

Describes a study of wait-time (the pause for thinking after questions and answers) for first-year high-school Spanish and French students in both their native and target languages. The average duration of wait-time was 1.91 seconds after questions and .73 seconds after responses. Wait-time was longer after questions in the native language. (SED)

Measures children's attention to television programs varying in pace and continuity and assesses recall of the temporal sequence of program events. Attention and comprehension covaried more in animated than in live shows. Age, continuity, and pace effects on recall were not fully accounted for by their effects on attention. (Author/AS)

Presents the history of the development of instruments to test both English proficiency and limited-English-proficient candidates to determine those most likely to successfully complete a machine shop training program. Lists the competencies required at the time of enrollment and provides samples of the tests. (SED)

"Re-tell" is examined as an activity designed to involve students in an interactive process. Authentic reading and listening passages provide a context in which the student can negotiate for meaning and extract information from the surrounding environment (the real world), thus fostering language acquisition via exposure to various learning…

This study examines the score dependability of writing and speaking assessments from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) from the perspectives of univariate and multivariate generalizability theory (G-theory) and presents the findings of three separate G-theory studies. For writing, the focus was on evaluating the impact on…

The teaching method described, developed by S.C. Mangiafico, emphasizes transcription of complete sentences early in the program as a means of reinforcing oral language skills. (RL)