This conversation manual and tapescript are part of a set of materials that have been developed to teach oral and written Afghan Pashto to English speakers. In addition to the conversation manual and tapescript, the set consists of a beginning textbook, an intermediate textbook, a reader, and a set of taped lessons that correlate with the…

Several current television series for preschool children convey stories, not through meaningful dialogue, but through visual information and intonational cues embedded within nonsensical dialogue. This study examined young children's ability to construct meaning from such materials. Participating were 135 preschoolers, 3 to 5 years old. Subjects…

A study investigated the effect of explicit instruction in notetaking on sixth-grade students' notetaking skills and comprehension of lecture information, as well as on students' attitudes towards notetaking. Subjects, 41 students enrolled in two academically gifted and 47 students in two average ability language arts classes from a middle school…

The ability of the Rasch model computer program BIGSTEPS to perform concurrent calibration and differences in the outcomes between vertical equating using a common item anchoring method and a common item concurrent calibration method was examined. The data for the investigation came from two Chinese language tests that researchers wished to…

The study summarized (in both English and French) in this report, is an evaluation of the listening comprehension and speech skills of ninth grade students in Manitoba's (Canada) French immersion programs. It is intended for parents and teachers in Manitoba involved in the French immersion program. The report consists of an overview of the study,…

The study summarized (in both English and French) in this report, is an evaluation of the listening comprehension and speech skills of sixth grade students in Manitoba's (Canada) French immersion programs. It is intended for parents and teachers in the province involved in the French immersion program. The report consists of an overview of the…

To determine whether aural enhancements, or actualities, increase either audience recall of, or interest in, radio newscasts, two versions of the same newscast were presented to different groups of university students. One group heard the control report while the other listened to an experimental report supplemented with actualities. A…

To teach listening as a discreet skill, teachers need a suitable definition of the word "skill." The author suggests defining a skill as a complex of techniques and behaviors from which performers select, depending upon the situation, to fullfill their purposes. The curricular design should be based on four components: (1) establishing attention,…

The background, research, development, and recommended use of a set of instructional materials for teaching listening comprehension to adult learners of English as a second language are outlined in detail. The materials were developed in response to a need for real-life language samples for use in teaching listening comprehension of English. A…

This annotated bibliography contains 10 items addressing speaking and listening assessment methodology. Specific topics include: (1) a national survey of state practices; (2) criteria for minimal high school requirements; (3) recommendations for instrument development; (4) the impact of listening on other language arts; (5) measuring oral…

To determine whether the impressive rates for speed reading (e.g., 500 words per minute) can be approximated in speed listening, two experiments compared the comprehension level of material heard at a normal speaking rate with that heard at accelerated rates. In the first experiment, the major demonstration experiment, three groups of college…

When English is taught as a second language in grade 4 in Israeli schools, the emphasis is on listening and speaking. Efforts are made to include varied and interesting activities using games, songs, plays, and records. (Available from English Inspectorate, Ministry of Education and Culture, P. O. Box 292, Jerusalem, Israel.) (CHK)

This article describes a language achievement test designed for French students studying English. It evaluates reading and listening comprehension, and grammatical and lexical skills. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

The rationale and methodology for using videotape recordings to test foreign language listening comprehension are discussed. First, the advantages of using video in teaching and testing listening comprehension are examined and the specific listening skills to be developed at the beginning level are outlined. Issues in the selection of video…

A study was designed to test the following experimental alternative hypotheses: (1) that the correlation between listening and reading scores would be negative, or (2) that the correlation would be positive. The study also focused on determining which of the two principal teaching modalities, aural and visual, was the more effective in promoting…