Reports on the effects of meaning negotiation on young children's acquisition of English-as-a-Second-Language word meanings while they listened individually and in small groups to directions containing words unknown to them and to encouragement to negotiate their understanding of the directions. Results show that the children varied in their…

A study focused on identifying the academic characteristics of 21 children and youth who have Asperger syndrome. Students had an extraordinary range of academic achievement scores, extending from significantly above average to far below grade level. Lowest achievement scores were shown for numerical operations, listening comprehension, and written…

Discusses the increased literacy emphasis in schools and how early childhood programs can provide an enriched literacy environment. Defines and provides suggestions for activities related to basic literacy concepts: listening comprehension, phonological awareness, reading motivation, written expression, letter and early word recognition, and…

Discusses the unique approaches, well-put notions, fine-tuned procedures, or insightful conclusions in 10 dissertations nominated for the 1989 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the International Reading Association. (RS)

The comprehension of 30 severely and profoundly deaf students (ages 10 to 17) was evaluated under 11 communication conditions involving individual and combined presentations of lipreading, listening, fingerspelling, and signed English. Severely deaf students scored higher than profoundly deaf students under all but one condition, and all students…

Four French language classroom activities are described: an exercise juxtaposing the imperfect and present perfect tenses; exploration of ways of perceiving and describing one's environment; study of the language use and style of a radio program moderator; and two proposed contexts (an international conference and a business) for classroom…

Examines effects of different vocal models, response modes, and grade level on pitch-matching accuracy. Studies 163 children in grades K-3 and grades 7-8. Asks participants to echo singing performed by female and male voices. Finds no significant difference in response modes but significant differences in age-level ability and ability to match…

Explores the effects of speech modification, prior knowledge, and listening proficiency on listening comprehension. Results show significant interactions between speech modification and listening proficiency and between prior knowledge and test type. The authors discuss the implications for teaching and testing of listening comprehension,…

Two studies investigated the effects of modified interaction on comprehension and vocabulary acquisition among Japanese high school students learning English as a Second Language. The studies found that interactionally modified input resulted in better comprehension and the acquisition of more new words than premodified input. (MDM)

Four ideas for French language instruction are described, including an exercise on modals, an activity focusing on the use of noises for expression, a listening comprehension exercise, and a lesson on humorous possibilities in language using material from the theater of the absurd. (MSE)

Terrell's natural approach suggests that such interactive activities as music and art induce and improve student communication in language learning. Explanation of the method's steps uses the poem "Abenamar" as an example. The teacher first presents the work in historical context, then reads the work accompanied by visual aids, then…

Provides an effective way for enhancing high schools students' listening skills in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom in Korea. Students were taught English pronunciation focused on the combinative changes, a sound change as the change restricted to certain environments. (Author/VWL)

Cantonese tertiary-level students taking a general education course taught in English at the Chinese University of Hong Kong were asked to rate their own English language skills development in relation to six specific areas. They were asked to identify what they had learned in relation to other aspects of the course. Responses indicated that…

Evaluates the International Baccalaureate (IB), a preuniversity, post-16, 2-year diploma. The IB contains four language features: communication and interaction, responsibility and transparency, language skills and contents related to the aims, and integration of program and assessment. The program compares favorably at higher levels with…

Reports a study of listening problems encountered in the English-as-a-foreign-language classroom in the English for Specific Purposes Centre at Damascus University in Syria. Looks particularly at learner strategies, features of the listening text, characteristics of the speaker, attitudes of the listener, the task to be completed as a result of…