The use of discussion about students' vacations on the first day of a third-year college level conversational German class is analyzed. The discussion imitates a common conversational situation. Many students at this level tend to fall into use of the present tense, attempting few other tenses at first, and research shows that Germans consider…

A study was conducted to examine the relationship of perceptual motor skills as measured by the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test to word recognition, oral reading, and silent reading. In addition, perceptual motor skill and auditory comprehension were compared as correlates of the three reading variables. Subjects were 60 primary grade students in…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the effectiveness of a linguistically based and a nonlinguistically based spelling program on the spelling competency of elementary pupils; (2) the effectiveness of spelling…

Competent listeners possess the knowledge and ability to listen, the positive attitudes and desire to listen, and the willingness to apply the ability and desire to listen. Having only one or two of these ingredients ensures ineffective listening. One common negative listening attitude is self-centeredness, as opposed to being other-oriented. The…

A study was carried out to assess the French language proficiency of kindergarten students enrolled in a French early immersion program and two "classes d'accueil," that is, a special program for non-French speaking immigrant children. The particular focus of the study was to investigate whether the level of proficiency in French is…

Starting with laboratory research on the suppression of visualization in reading, this study investigates effects of treatments (reading vs. listening and pictures vs. no pictures, in a 2x2 design) and aptitudes on the learning of verbal and spatial types of content. Approximately 100 fifth grade pupils were given a battery of four ability tests,…

This study examined the effects of children's cognitively based role expectations on their judgments of the grammatical acceptability of sentences. Sixty children, 12 each in grades 4 through 8, individually heard 10 sentences violating the Minimum Distance Principle (MDP). The sentences were grammatical, but linguistically complex, and violated…

The effect of ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching techniques on student learning was investigated. A group of 18 ESL teachers and their classes were observed across four lessons having a similar content. Students were pre- and post-tested over a six-month period in two measures of language performance: oral comprehension and production.…

A modern language or communicative approach to teaching Latin on the secondary level is described. The traditional content of grammar and reading from classical literature is taught, but the aspect of Latin as a medium of communication is emphasized throughout the five levels of Latin instruction. On the elementary levels, each day's lesson is…

This is a report on a project established to develop a "common yardstick" to describe performance in one or more language skills. Descriptive scales for oral interaction were prepared as well as a general outline of scale characteristics for listening comprehension and reading. Experts in the field reviewed the project proposal and recommendations…

Children aged 2;0 to 4;4, including native speakers of English, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, and Turkish, were asked to demonstrate causative statements by acting them out with toy animals and dolls. The major analysis focused on the total number of correct acting-out responses and the way this score related to several variables. Performance improved…

Recent studies in productive phonology among immigrants have supported the case for the existence of a critical or sensitive period in language acquisition. The present study proposes that the case for a sensitive period would be further strengthened by the discovery of comparable age effects for other linguistic abilities such as listening…

Twenty-eight first graders participated in a study to assess the relationship between the auditory channel and reading achievement. For purposes of the study, auditory channel was defined as the skills of auditory discrimination, auditory blending, and auditory memory. The students were administered a series of auditory tests including the…

To remedy the lack of well-planned developmental listening programs and adequate listening instruction in New Zealand schools, the New Zealand Council for Educational Research has produced this research-based teacher guide. The following materials are included: objectives for the reading program, including seven characteristics of a good listener;…

These notes are designed to accompany a series of 10 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television programs intended to give persons already familiar with French, an insight into aspects of contemporary Francophone societies. The programs revolve around various themes: (1) numbers and letters; (2) words and meanings; (3) eating patterns; (4)…