Until the recent introduction of a dynamic interview-based process, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a Canadian development research funding agency, faced a challenge: project completion reports (PCRs) were not being completed in a timely and quality manner. This is a common problem many organizations face in completing…

Developed by the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, this fifth-grade level module teaches strategies for finding the meanings of compound words used in technical writing encountered by pipefitters. It also addresses working with words in context and finding definitions with a dictionary. Four exercises are provided. (YLB)

A study investigated attitudes toward and practices of plagiarism of Japanese college students writing in English. Data were drawn from two senior theses written in English and two in Japanese, 30 other student academic papers, interviews with students, and a questionnaire administered to 46 undergraduate and graduate students. In both…

Describing the "I-Search" as an approach to research that uses the power of student interests, builds a personal understanding of the research process, and encourages stronger student writing, this manual puts forward the I-Search process as the best tool which exists for connecting students effectively to the research process. The…

This document consists of two publications that were developed to help employees of a health system's department of food and nutrition improve their department's documentation. Included in the first publication, "Improving Department Documentation," are the following: a self-assessment designed to help employees rate their skills in completing…

In an effort to improve the management of the Georgia Department of Education innovation program, a concept paper process for selecting developmental projects was implemented in January of 1989. The first effort, in January of 1989, yielded 48 papers; the second effort, in November of 1990, yielded 56 papers. For the Novemeber effort, funding was…

A collection of essays on the comprehension of text brings together perspectives of different disciplines on discourse. Articles include: "Naturalistic Texts and Naturalistic Tasks" (Herre van Oostendorp, Rolf A. Zwaan); "Psychological Studies of Naturalistic Text" (Arthur C. Graesser, Joseph P. Magliano, Karl Haberlandt);…

This report aims to show how an emphasis on vocabulary can contribute to courses in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), using the data from two lexical studies. The first study attempts to discover to what extent there may be a general language of science, or semi-technical vocabulary. This type of vocabulary would seem to offer a useful…

A simplified method to gather and analyze cost data is presented for administrators of Handicapped Children's Early Education Programs, and specifically for members of the Technical Assistance Development System, North Carolina. After identifying benefits and liabilities associated with analyzing program costs, attention is focused on the internal…

Technical writing teachers and their students generally have a good grasp of grammar, mechanics, organization, and specific approaches to report writing for different situations. What they may lack is a procedure for educating themselves on technical subject matter. The following procedures can help without a special on-the-job training program:…

Intended for college bound students, this booklet explores textbook components to help students in their approach to studying technical information. After defining technical material and describing how to recognize it, the booklet discusses (1) symbols, (2) equations, (3) formulas, (4) theorems, (5) placement of symbols in textbooks, (6) tables,…

A professional writing course can help liberal arts students draw upon their knowledge of language, psychology, sociology, history, and humanities to develop marketable expertise. A west coast college's advanced writing class links liberal arts education and professional training in composition. Rather than emphasizing form, the course focuses on…

Focusing on the benefits derived from using plain English in business and technical writing, this document summarizes the presentations at a forum of Better Business Bureau council members. Titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "English: Number One Language of Business" (W. H. Tankersley); (2) "What Is Plain…

Many of the concepts that English teachers traditionally deal with are too "fussy" and inappropriate for the kinds of children who currently fill American schools. These minority students and latchkey kids find the archaic vocabulary and concern over grammatical niceties baffling--to them teachers are like "Doily People," people who are so nice…

The results of a study of chain compounds, heavily modified noun phrase structures, used in the language of three engineering journals are presented. The findings conlude that: chain compounds appear to be more common in American than British English; chain compounds can be classified in several groups according to their structure, the most common…