This study examines the effects of an online workbook and a paper workbook on L2 vocabulary acquisition. Participants consisted of 549 L2 learners of Spanish enrolled in a large language program at an American state university. The participants received 4 hours of classroom instruction per week and worked with an online or a paper workbook once a…

In the componential approach to modelling reading ability, a number of contributory factors have been empirically validated. However, research on their relative contribution to explaining performance on second language reading tests is limited. Furthermore, the contribution of knowledge of syntax has been largely ignored in comparison with the…

This study investigates children's ability to utilize context cues (forward or backward), dictionary definitions (original or revised), or combinations of the two to understand unfamiliar words. Significant word gains were found for all treatments and reading skill levels. Revised definitions produced significantly greater gains than forward…

Background: Previous research on the pragmatic abilities of late talkers at 24 months of age indicates that they have difficulties initiating conversational interactions, but possess intact responsiveness skills. This study uses a parent-administered questionnaire for evaluating the conversational skills of late talkers and suggesting pragmatic…

One of the ways to investigate the mental lexicon is to use word association tests. Empirical studies comparing associations by children and adults have indicated a tendency for children to give syntagmatic responses, whereas adults give paradigmatic responses. In order to investigate lexical development in L2 acquisition of Swedish we collected…

Stacey Brown energizes high school students with "brain-twisting" writing prompts, word games to hone vocabulary and spelling skills, and art to show complex ideas. Additionally, reading aloud to her class models fluent reading, expands students' vocabularies, builds community, and stimulates student-led discussions about the novel. (Contains 1…

Technology is not currently used in EFL classrooms at King Saud University. Therefore an attempt was made to use online learning in EFL vocabulary instruction from home, as a supplement to classroom instruction. Comparisons of the pre and posttest mean scores of 53 freshman students showed significant differences indicating that online instruction…

A study investigated the effects of systematically varying the vocabulary-related instructions that students receive before reading to further understanding of the vocabulary/comprehension relationship. Subjects were 299 students from fifth- or fourth/fifth-grade classrooms, who participated in 6 different conditions which included reading…

This project was developed and implemented in a private school in southeastern Florida to assess whether different instructional strategies would improve vocabulary recall, comprehension, and long-range retention in third graders. The program uses three approaches to provide vocabulary development: (1) contextual use of vocabulary; (2) the use of…

After beginning primary of English-as-a-Second-Language students learn phonetics and are advanced into spelling, reading, writing and vocabulary development, this practical spelling dictionary is suitable for general use and is edited for special use with "The Writing Road to Reading" and "America's Spelling & Reading with…

Letting students as they read underline or highlight words they do not know allows teachers to find out the words their students do not know. This procedure also leaves a record of all the once unknown words for students to re-read later. It is an added advantage for teachers that it allows them to see how far into a book students have read, and…

Until researchers achieve a breakthrough on comprehending what comprehending is all about, teachers need help on how to help students comprehend what they are reading. According to schema theory, students must be able to pronounce almost all key words and have schemata previously instantiated (know the meanings of almost all key words) in order to…

The nature of the cognitive representations and processes involved in vocabulary learning has received little attention in the psycholinguistics and second language literature. This paper addresses the problem by proposing a model of the second-language Mental Lexicon (ML2) and the processes that construct it, as an extension of the model of the…

The workbook is an English vocabulary development text focusing on words associated with traditions, customs, and background of holidays celebrated in the United States, and in some cases also in Canada and elsewhere. The special vocabulary is presented in seventeen readings, written in repetitive style so the student can learn the definitions of…

This Spanish lesson consists of a text concerning a wedding whose preparations were chaotic, followed by exercises for learning vocabulary and testing comprehension. (Text is in Spanish.) (CHK)