Measures the effects of two oral reading instructional routines (the Oral Recitation Lesson and Shared Book Experience) on second-grade students' reading development (including word analysis skills, oral reading errors, self-correction rates, oral retellings, vocabulary gains, and fluency). Finds that the Shared Book Experience was superior or…

Data from Think Aloud protocols were used to determine how two groups of adult subjects approached reading. Analysis indicates that vocabulary proficiency has a power impact on psychological processing of second-language reading by novices but also that culturally determined literacy practices may be a factor. (Contains 34 references.) (LB)

Ideas and guidelines are offered for teachers interested in creating a simulated French village for French language instruction. The discussion includes the rationale and process of inventing a village scenario and its necessary components, educational objectives, and linguistic content of the exercise. (MSE)

A variety of classroom activities using songs to enhance French language learning are described. Strategies include sensitizing learners to aspects of the music; looking at themes, key words, and symbols; and manipulating music and language in relation to current cultural issues. A list of singers and themes is offered. (MSE)

A variety of exercises based on manipulation of a single text are described. The activities involve replacing words or phrases in the text with synonyms or opposites, transposing gender, changing tenses, filling in blanks, and answering multiple-choice questions about linguistic forms. Three brief sample texts are offered. (MSE)

Relates how C. A. Boneau's research identified the Top 100 terms and concepts of psychology. Describes a computer-assisted exercise for introductory college-level classes to teach these terms through computer tutoring. Discusses the development of the program, its implementation, and its evaluation. (CFR)

The University of Hartford's International Summer Business Program provided French college students with perspectives on U.S. business and culture, improved English fluency, and real-world experience. The intensive one-month program led to significant improvements in business vocabulary and comprehension of business concepts. (SK)

This study tested the hypothesis that children as young as two years use what adults tell them about meaning relations when making inferences about new words. Subjects (n=18) learned two new terms, with instructions to treat one term as superordinate to the other or replace one with the other, and with no instructions. Children used both kinds of…

Studies beginning readers' response to phonological skills using specific computer programs. Observes three different training programs: training in blending separate letter sounds into words using computer programs; training in vocabulary also using computer programs; and training provided by teachers performing activities to promote phonological…

Presents the ALEXIA system, a lexical-learning environment for French as a second or foreign language, and describes its network module, which can automatically build graphs of certain lexical semantic relations. (Author/VWL)

Reviews speech-interactive learning activities in selected commercial products: activities for vocabulary development, conversational practice, and pronunciation. Suggests the effectiveness of speech-interactive computer-assisted language learning is determined less by capabilities of the speech recognizer than by (a) design of language-learning…

Investigates the assumption that pseudowords repetition accuracy may be highly associated with vocabulary abilities. Subjects were junior high school students learning English as a second language. (Author/VWL)

Examines the composition of the early productive vocabulary of eight Korean and eight English-learning children and the morpho-syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic characteristics of their caregivers' input in order to determine parallels between caregiver input and early lexical development. (Author/VWL)

This study tested the predictive validity of the Communication Composite of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales with 58 children (ages 17 to 34 months) functioning at the prelinguistic stage of language development. Evaluation of expressive vocabulary 1 year later found that the Communication Composite and all tested clusters were…

Examined the roles of learning method, word frequency, and cognate status in the learning of 80 Italian words by 56 adult Dutch learners previously unfamiliar with Italian. Two learning methods were contrasted: word learning, where the Italian word was presented with its translation in Dutch, and picture learning, where it was presented with a…