This investigation proposes to apply the methods of training creativity in the natural sciences to teaching a foreign language for specific purposes. This approach is based on the testing of foreign language competencies in different countries, on the task of training higher education specialists, including foreign language training, on the…

Heather Fearn was intrigued by the factors that might have led her higher-performing students to talk in historically mature ways about unseen sources without any prior knowledge of the topic in hand. She began to wonder if what she was hearing was not best accounted for by a content-free disciplinary aptitude, but rather that it might be the…

The quality of the home environment, as a predictor, is related to health, education, and emotion outcomes. However, factors influencing the quality of the home environment, as an outcome, have been understudied--particularly how children construct their own environments. Further, most previous research on family processes and outcomes has…

Research suggests that a central difficulty in dyslexia may be impaired rapid temporal processing. Good temporal processing is also needed for musical perception, which relies on the ability to detect rapid changes. Our study is the first to measure the perception of adults with and without dyslexia on all three dimensions of music (rhythm, pitch,…

An enduring question is whether language learning aptitude is a stable trait or is one influenced by experience, such as living with two languages. We investigated aptitude in bilinguals and treated their bilingual experience as an aggregate of variables, focusing on how individual differences in (a) language experience variables of proficiency,…

The children of teen mothers are at elevated risk for becoming teen parents themselves. The current study aimed to identify how levels of mothers' education were associated with risk of teenage childbearing for children of teen versus nonteen mothers. Through structural equation modeling, we tested whether children's environmental and personal…

One of the stated purposes of this Special Issue is to "discuss when and why intelligence has disappeared" in education. In this paper, I argue that intelligence is still heavily involved in public education in the United States due to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Moreover, due to several factors, including…

Pragmatic markers perform important communicative functions, but they can be difficult to learn in a second language because of their multifunctionality and lack of salience during communicative events. This study has two goals: (1) to describe the communicative functions of the pragmatic marker "I mean" in academic discourse; and (2) to…

Students at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) are required to study a foreign language. In order to place students into appropriate language courses, especially less commonly taught languages defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), effective language placement policies are essential. The author…

Language education has long been considered a female domain across many countries, with girls outnumbering and outperforming boys. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the nature and structure of gender stereotypes favouring girls among EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. In the quantitative strand, 60 teachers from six…

This paper details a systematic process that links industry and competency-based institutions' ability to create a more diverse talent pipeline while connecting learners to high-demand jobs. To remain competitive, competency-based institutions must closely align with industry and the government to keep their content up to date and relevant to…

Language abilities in preschool years, including those measured with letter knowledge, are predictors of reading development in later school years. The aim of this study was to investigate variation in children's language abilities before they started school in relation to gender and neighborhood level socioeconomic status (SES). Schools from…

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) are developmental disorders in children with 3 symptom clusters, namely hyperactivity, attention deficit and impulsivity, and a combination. We investigated the prevalence of the 3 symptom clusters and their association with learning-related skills among children aged 6 to 7 years in Bloemfontein,…

Human language and cognition do not develop independently of each other but are intricately intertwined in various ways. This contribution presents the interplay between linguistic and cognitive abilities of learners at the individual level and relates them to the level of external contextual factors in social and educational environments. In…

The Algebra II Variable explores state-level mathematics policies on Algebra II, with specific examinations of graduation requirements and assessment policies and alignment to postsecondary expectations. This brief explores inconsistencies that exist both within and across states and reflects on the role and purpose of Algebra II as the Launch…