Corpus-based instruction, also referred to as corpus-based linguistics, is essentially the study of genre texts for the production of materials that fit a specific group of second language learners. For example, if a group of students is learning the language in order to read medical articles, a specific teaching program can be set up based on the…

The first of three papers from this symposium, "If We Can't Define HRD in One Country, How Can We Define It in an International Context?" (Gary N. Mc Lean, Laird D. McLean), questions the possibility of defining human resource development (HRD) in a worldwide context. Several factors were found that influence a country's and an individual's…

In responding to multicultural literature, high school students may have difficulty interpreting characters' practices because they are not familiar with the cultures portrayed in these texts. One reason for the challenges in teaching multicultural literature is that high school students have difficulty interpreting the larger cultural or…

An analysis is presented of an electronic mail conversation that took place in a Finnish scholarly electronic mailing list. The data is analyzed within the framework of systemic-functional oriented discourse and the theory of register, which attempts to explain the ways language use varies according to the type of situation. The electronic media…

This paper examines how some women successfully manage gender, power, and authority. It opens with a brief description of useful theoretical frameworks and the study design. These are followed by a section that presents and analyzes preliminary findings. The findings begin with a description of the political and personal context of the…

This paper is a preliminary examination of historical shifts in U.S. discourses of school architecture as they relate to curricular reforms and inventions on new pedagogical techniques. The paper begins by sketching the current parameters of discourses on school architecture and notes some of the key arguments of reform taken up by educators and…

One of the purposes for providing children with multiethnic books is to promote acceptance of diversity, yet the results of this exposure have rarely been empirically studied. The purpose of this study was to explore the story-related topics of discussion initiated by eleven 4- and 5-year-olds as they used multiethnic books during small group…

It is not news that managerial discourses have dominated government educational policy and programs in Australia since the mid 1980s. During this period there has also been a proliferation of discourses about literacy. The common sense view is that literacy empowers disadvantaged people and assists failing economies. The last decade and a half has…

Author offers a study of listening processes and a framework for approaching the study of the spoken language. (RK)

The implications that cognitive approaches to the study of reading can have for the assessment of reading achievement are discussed. Research in word decoding, semantic access, sentence processing, and discourse analysis is summarized with emphasis on processing efficiency required in one area affecting performance in another area. (Author/CM)

Suggests that children's use of social scripts for the production of sustained dialog in peer interaction depends on the nature of role play and that their attempts at script expansion are precursors to adults' recognition of the potential of conversation for self-expression. (FL)

Investigated two methods of segmenting text based upon phrase boundaries in an attempt to make social studies textbooks more readable for elementary school students. Concludes that phrasing the passages for students improved their reading comprehension by approximately one grade level. (FL)

Reports on research that reviewed 142 current middle and secondary school content materials to discover the organizational patterns used in each. Concludes that four such patterns are commonly used: enumeration, relationship, persuasive, and problem solving. Discusses each pattern and how it affects comprehension. (FL)

Concludes that children could attend to texts selectively when reading or listening to expository prose, and when reading, but not in listening to narrative prose. (FL)