A method was devised for interskill comparative evaluation of instructional programs, termed growth-referenced evaluation. The method focuses on comparative rate of improvement and provides empirical indication of areas for program intervention and reform. It is explained with reference to a sample of 485 adult EFL students in a baccalaureate…

Techniques and lesson types used in foreign language courseware on the PLATO IV system at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign are outlined. The emphasis is on developing reading, writing, and listening skills to the extent possible on a computer, and on using existing courseware to develop new techniques and materials. (Author/MSE)

Advisors must beware of communication barriers with the students they serve and should develop specific skills in writing, speaking, listening, and nonverbal behaviors. (MSE)

Suggests eight guidelines for faculty members to use in counseling students informally. Suggests by listening carefully and being alert to student problems professors can aid students in thinking through their difficulties. Professors can also give career information and suggest professional counseling when needed. (Author/JAC)

In 1979, the state of Massachusetts identified 11 listening and 14 speaking skills as part of a basic skills program in elementary/secondary schools. The authors were asked to recommend methods of assessing these skills. The article summarizes their decision process and includes the recommendations. (PD)

Reports on the development of an assessment instrument to test basic communication skills necessary for students' success in college. Covers the instrument's conceptual foundation, administration procedures, development, and analysis. (PD)

Examines characteristics of the mental processes required for writing, compares and contrasts the nature of processing required for other cognitive activities, and reviews recent research on children's writing that reveals the advantages as well as disadvantages of superimposing writing skills over well-developed language skills. (HOD)

Discusses the process of native language learning and explores the relationship between it and second language learning. It is suggested that in a language curriculum, the initial emphasis should be on receptive skills. Accuracy, appropriateness, and fluency in communication are discussed, as well as instructional modes for training in these…

Elementary school children's understanding was assessed after they read or listened to brief texts that described a scene, explained a sequence of events, or told a story. Results indicated that effectiveness in understanding depends on the fluency with which component processes of perceptual recognition, comprehension, and memory are coordinated.…

Verbal coding and listening comprehension ability differed among skilled and less skilled readers in second, third, and fifth grades. As verbal coding speed increased, comprehension skill became the more important predictor of reading skill. Apparently, verbal coding processes, which are slow, inhibit other reading processes. (Author/CP)

Describes the work of the Speech Communication Association Task Force on Minimal Speaking and Listening Competencies for High School Graduates and provides recommended minimal speaking and listening competencies and implications for further curriculum development and research. (JMF)

The behavior of 32 mothers during an object-retrieval game was analyzed in terms of the hints and clues they used to direct their children's attention; age-related differences were found in the type of information offered. (Author)

Provides guidelines for the selection of audio materials for developing listening comprehension in beginning French. (AM)

Describes techniques used for teaching French language students to recognize, discriminate between, and pronounce the four French nasal vowels. Includes twenty tongue-twisting sentences exemplifying the different vowels. (MSE)

Reports on a classroom-based, longitudinal study of the effect of learner strategy instruction on listening comprehension. The hypothesis that systematic instruction in the use of strategies will result in the improvement of listening comprehension was confirmed. (Author/JL)