Processing of verbal analogies was evaluated by recording eye fixation patterns during solution of problems that represented a broad range of difficulty. Findings on easier problems replicated previous work. On difficult items, high verbal ability individuals adapted processing strategies to a greater extent then did low ability students.…

Comparison of the cue usage of English/Dutch and Dutch/English bilinguals with varying amounts of second language exposure to that of native speaker control groups reveals that, with increasing exposure, cue usage in the second language gradually shifts from that appropriate to the first language to that appropriate for the second. (Author/CB)

Discusses the sources of information in oral language. Uses converging evidence from prosody, pausing, structural and semantic parallelism, and stylistic analysis to argue for a series of hypotheses about the units that organize the construction of narrative discourse. Provides examples and appendixes. (JD)

Two explanations for text summarization deficiencies among older learners were investigated. Results of the study confirmed deficiencies documented in the literature but with some specificity for source of the deficit and for age level. Specific instructional remedies are proposed. (Author/LMO)

Verbal analogical reasoning tasks are described as potentially valuable in the assessment and management of subtle linguistic defects less easily detected by standardized language tests. Semantic and structural factors that should be considered in the development of verbal analogies as test items are cited, as well as adaptations for nonreaders.…

This study extends the previous literature by identifying different subtypes of language disability within learning disabled children. Results indicate that six language subtypes can be derived and that they are both internally consistent and externally valid, being differentially linked to reading and math achievement over a three-year period.…

Contains citations for journal articles, books, dissertations, and materials in the ERIC system on the subjects of writing, language, literature, and teacher education. (SRT)

The present experiment tested a strategy, developed from principles on general text processing, for learning technical material. The effectiveness of cooperative learning was examined as a technique for learning technical information. Results showed that cooperative learning and technical learning strategies were effective for acquiring structural…

Assesses the interrelations among the functional properties of maternal speech, the structural properties of maternal speech, and child language growth for a period of six months for 22 two-year-old children and their mothers. (HOD)

Two explanations of the levels effect in text memory were examined in two experiments. Results supported the predictions of the referential coherence formulation and failed to support the structural height account. (Author/LMO)

By focusing their attention closely on a written text, cloze passages help students learn more about how language works--the interaction of vocabulary and syntax, the influence of diction on style, the important grammatical relationships between words in a sentence, and the logical relationships between sentences in a paragraph. (HOD)

Describes a study which sought to determine the developmental stage at which children begin to differentiate specific and neutral contingent queries. The study manipulated the familiarity of the adult listener by having each of the 22 children interact both with the mother and with an unfamiliar adult experimenter. (SED)

Describes a study which sought to determine what strategies beginning and intermediate students of English as a second language used in learning a number of language tasks. Teachers were interviewed to detect their familiarity with student strategies and to determine whether they introduce strategies to their students during instruction. (SED)

A test to assess prereaders' understanding of the function of print is evaluated. Results show test reliability and validity. Correlations between the Print Awareness Test and other measures are presented. Future research is called for to clarify the role of the test in the reading acquisition process. (Author/MT)

Describes an investigation of the notion that sentence perception involves holding single clauses or propositions in a temporary buffer. Concludes that this notion is false and that, instead, more recently presented or important material may become more accessible in memory as presentation of the sentence proceeds. (Author/SED)