The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures the English language proficiency of foreign students who apply for higher education in the United States. It is administered according to a strict schedule through the International and Special Center (I&SC) testing program or at ad hoc intervals by institutional users as part of the…

In providing listening instruction in English as a Second Language, it is important to know the learner's listening needs and to match them to instruction as closely as possible. Important needs to consider are survival, tourism, social interaction, academic, business, vocational, and pleasure. Also of critical importance is the knowledge of the…

The Netherlands' secondary education system is highly differentiated, with four different school types for four scholastic ability levels. Final examinations must accommodate these four levels, and require a test-independent definition of the intended final ability levels as well as a sample-free evaluation of the range of ability levels at which…

A study examined the ability of 16 children in kindergarten, grade 2, and grade 4 to draw inferences based on the content of a narrative passage and to recognize inferences as derived from, rather than given by, text. An inference task, developed to assess the ability to make and recognize appropriate inferences, consisted of four orally presented…

To test the validity of the Watson-Barker Listening Test (WBLT), a study was conducted based on the hypothesis that there is a curvilinear relationship between receiver apprehension and listening ability. Subjects, 120 undergraduate speech students, completed the Receiver Apprehension Test (RAT) and the WBLT. Analysis of the data revealed a…

Arguing that listening is a skill that should be taught systematically in the schools, this paper presents a rationale and strategies for implementing listening instruction in the classroom. The paper first contrasts convergent and divergent thinking, noting that creativity and problem solving are in this latter mode. Next, it examines definitions…

Intended for administrators and policymakers as well as teachers, this digest explores methods of listening and speaking skills assessment. The digest first provides a rationale for teaching and assessing listening and speaking skills. It then examines definitions of oral communication and listening, noting (1) the trend toward defining oral…

Project CHIME developed and implemented strategies to promote effective mainstreaming of preschool hearing-impaired children, ages 2-5, by establishing a model demonstration program that provided, over a 3-year period, 20 hearing-impaired children with mainstreamed learning experiences in a variety of integrated settings through neighborhood…

Listening is an extremely important dimension of a counselor's vocational life. The counselor is constantly involved in the process of listening. Verbal and nonverbal messages sent by clients must be received, interpreted, and organized. Counselors need to be active in listening to clients and critical in their analysis of the messages being…

To demonstrate that a proven story mapping technique for teaching learning disabled, poor comprehenders could be used to improve the comprehension of groups of normal children as well as learning disabled and low-achieving children, heterogeneous groups of third and fourth graders, including five learning disabled and low achieving students, were…

Instructional materials designed to be used with the feature films "Old Yeller" and "The Miracle Worker" in classes of English as a second language include, for each film, general notes on film presentation, a teacher's synopsis of the film divided into segments, a student viewing guide and vocabulary preview for each segment,…

A study was conducted to assess the French language proficiency of grade 10 and grade 11 students from three different French immersion programs: early, grade 7, and grade 7/8 immersion. English and French control groups were included in the study. The results indicate that: (1) the three immersion groups scored significantly higher than the…

A teacher's guide to an English as a second language (ESL) and geography module on changing modes of transportation in Canada is presented. The guide contains suggestions for use of module components, a transcription of the audiocassette, the answer key to student worksheets, and a list of resources. The module is designed primarily for secondary…

With some imagination, songs can be used to teach all aspects of foreign language. The language teacher can take advantage of the cultural content of songs by playing holiday music during the appropriate season; explaining the traditions and history of songs; discussing songs with cultural flavor; presenting a variety of music types; and…

This study compares the ability of 37 Standard-English-speaking graduate students to comprehend Black English versions of a set of 45 utterances with the ability of 37 comparable students to comprehend Standard English versions of the same utterances. Of the two stimulus tapes used (consisting of 45 sentences each), one was recorded in Black…