Studies the relationship between the components of dialog style and children's story comprehension. Measures children's ability to accurately retell a story when various components of dialog were manipulated. Shows that the use of questioning during initial storytelling greatly aids the recall of stories. (DSK)

Examines the effects of contextual sight-singing and ear training on pitch and rhythm error detection abilities among undergraduate instrumental music education majors. Shows that additional training produced better error detection, particularly with rhythm errors and in one-part examples. Maintains that differences attributable to texture were…

Six children were studied from the age of 6 months to 1 year and 6 months to chart their developing comprehension vocabularies from the first to the 100th word. Observational data were used in the first instance to identify newly comprehended words and then controlled testing was carried out for each word to confirm and expand the observational…

Assessed the amount of linguistic information needed by 2-year-old infants to recognize whether or not a sentence belongs to their native language. A cross-linguistic study of French and American 2-month-old infants was conducted, measuring the latency of the first ocular saccade toward a loudspeaker playing short French and English utterances.…

Camp offers teens a place to try out new things, including sexual experimentation. Two case studies illustrate challenging ways sex can come up at camp, and staff responses. Myths and misconceptions about sex, including HIV and gender roles, are discussed. Sidebars discuss guidelines for adults concerning sexual abuse symptoms and tips for talking…

Examines children's verbal responses to music listening by interviewing 33 children in kindergarten through fifth-grade. Explains that three judges categorized their responses. Indicates judge consensus over the form and content of responses; age tendencies resulted in 3 questions; similarities between development of verbal responses to music and…

Undergraduate students were asked to rank the oral communication skills identified by S. Wilmington (1992) as necessary for teachers. Responses from 296 students emphasized the importance of message and listening aspects over physical aspects. Findings are compared with those of the administrators in the Wilmington study. (SLD)

Examined the effect of regional accent on children's processing of speech. Children ages 4 to 7 were tested on their ability to repeat and define single words presented in their own and another accent. Word comprehension was significantly reduced in the other accent. Younger children performed less successfully and showed different error patterns…

Concerns the relative effectiveness of computer-assisted production (output) practice and comprehension (input) practice in second-language acquisition. In particular, the study focuses on whether the advantage of production practice over comprehension practice still remains when the target structures are relatively simple. (Author/VWL)

Examines the music listening preferences of 2,042 students from Greece, South Korea, and the United States using a survey that listed selections from art music, traditional jazz, and rock music. Finds that age, gender, and country all exerted influence, but the variables did not perform the same way in each country. (CMK)

Focuses on the benefits of participating in chamber music ensembles, such as the development of a heightened level of awareness, and considers the role of the music educator/conductor. Provides tools and exercises that teachers can introduce to chamber music players to improve their rehearsals and performances. (CMK)

Describes a team-based approach for creating Sentence Verification Technique (SVT) tests, a development procedure that allows teachers and other school personnel to develop comprehension tests from curriculum materials in use in their schools. Finds that if tests are based on materials that are appropriate for the population to be tested, the…

This article describes aspects of classroom acoustics that interfere with the ability of listeners to understand speech. It considers impacts on students and teachers and offers four possible solutions: noise control, signal control without amplification, individual amplification systems, and sound field amplification systems. (Author/DB)

Discusses fostering democratic principles in the literature classroom, moving from reader response to democratic community, listening and democracy, listening together as teachers, and democratic reading and the integration of thought and feeling--all stemming from the work of Louise Rosenblatt and applied to the classroom and teacher/student…

Describes the skills needed by teachers to work effectively with parents. Explains the use of active listening, "I" messages, correct diagnosis of problems, and synergistic problem-solving. Asserts that as these tools become part of a teacher's repertoire of skills, they begin to feel natural and teachers become proficient and…