This study explored the effects of a combination of student and feedback characteristics on the postfeedback performance of Southwest Missouri State University undergraduate students in a classroom-like situation. The subjects were 26 male and 43 female students enrolled in 3 large sections of Introductory Psychology with all sections taught by…

A study investigated whether a change in focus, viewing student writing as a process rather than a product, would have a significant positive effect on writing skill development. Secondarily, the study examined the effectiveness of actual teaching techniques, including a series of writing tasks interspersed with student-teacher interaction and the…

A computer-based method of communicating syntactic knowledge to deaf students was designed, building on the visual orientation of deaf students and employing such American Sign Language techniques as visualization and directionality. The computer-based instructional treatments were presented as an educational game called the "Yes-No Game," with…

Building on the results of a small-scale survey which investigated the general use of dictionaries by university English majors in Hong Kong using a questionnaire survey and their specific use of dictionaries using an error correction task, this article discusses the tactics these students employed and the problems they encountered when using a…

Instructors of Composition I at Lansing Community College (LCC) in Lansing, Michigan, are required by the Department of Communication to grade a paper in four areas: content, structure, style, and mechanics. The policy, in effect in its present form since 1982, places heavy emphasis upon the conventions or "mechanics" of writing Edited…

A classroom technique for English-as-a-Second-Language instruction using comparative (first- and second-language) sentence analysis is described. The goal is to enhance acquisition of English through internalizing a certain number of sample sentences in English that contrast with the learner's first language (L1). The sentences consist of about…

Formative evaluation of language learning is recommended, using as an example a coding method for correcting errors and indicating progress made on written assignments. The technique focuses on student self-correction and has the additional advantage of helping the teacher monitor instructional needs. (MSE)

Discusses routine classroom language teaching techniques and conventional teacher behaviors that are resistant to change and that may inhibit the use of more effective language teaching strategies. Makes suggestions for alternatives, such as emphasis placed on discourse rather than grammar, and self-evaluation as an alternative to normative…

Discusses the nature and causes of a common problem encountered by elementary English-as-a-Second-Language learners in Hong Kong--the placement of the intensifying adverb "very" in sentences involving a degree expression. Suggests an algorithmic approach to error correction to help students overcome the problem. (Author/VWL)

Studied the relationship between parents' correcting of childrens' sentences and children's subsequent grammaticality. Found that parent's language corrections are related to children's subsequent grammaticality but that recasts of incorrect sentences serve as negative leading indicators of grammaticality. Also shows that correction and negative…

This paper examines the teacher-student relationship in the foreign language classroom, focusing on how the teacher runs the class, the kinds of control required, and the rules governing the delegation of control. It reviews research on teacher talk, error correction, questioning of students, and wait time for student responses. (MDM)

This study analyzed error recovery patterns based on eye movement measures of sentence parsing, across reading level and error type, in 10 adolescents with reading disabilities and 10 controls. The groups' error recovery strategies were similar in pattern and frequency; patterns were largely organized, strategic, and efficient; and multiple…

Seven students (ages 10-13) with learning disabilities were introduced to the write-say method, which provides immediate visual and auditory feedback following the administration of a daily spelling test. Compared to studying words on one's own, the write-say method significantly enhanced subjects' spelling accuracy in a brief period of time.…

Presents an activity applicable at the beginning of the year to review necessary algebra concepts that are often misunderstood by students. Presents a true/false worksheet made up of examples illustrating common algebra and trigonometry errors made by students. (MDH)

Discusses the role of academic librarians as mediators between the scholar and the information system. Censorship through academic peer review is described; censorship and suppression that takes place during academic controversy is addressed; and examples of suppression and censorship, including the correction of errors and conflicts of interest,…