Study of advanced English learners' development of active vocabulary found that the need for greater vocabulary influenced subjects with sufficient communicative competence and no explicit vocabulary instruction to enrich their lexicon. (34 references) (CB)

The fragility of English for Special Purposes (ESP) is examined in the context of a particular British ESP course, European Business Administration. Issues include the characteristic ESP time pressure, the treatment of "hard" terminology in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), the nonlinguistic subject matter of EAP courses, and the use…

This study with 12 elementary school children with mild mental retardationship found that the relation between lexical knowledge and mental age depended upon the nature of the vocabulary test. Results suggested that mental age in this population was more strongly related to knowledge of abstract relational terms than to knowledge of labels for…

Illustrated cards can be used in language classes to prompt students to respond with spontaneity and free expression. A variety of games and cards such as "Concentration" are described, and it is argued that some language goals can be practiced more effectively by card games than by traditional textbook-pencil-teacher approaches. (12…

Describes VOCAB-LIT, a technique for helping students understand literary elements through vocabulary study. Finds that the VOCAB-LIT technique is an effective strategy for integrating vocabulary study and literature study. (RS)

An approach in which advanced language students construct their own dictionaries in class combines vocabulary development with development of a metalanguage. The procedures used in the classroom exercise are outlined and illustrated, and examples of students' personalized dictionaries are presented. (MSE)

Investigates the effects of purpose for reading and frequency of encounters with unknown words in written context on learning from context tasks performed by 119 sixth grade good and poor reading comprehenders. Finds no significant interactions, resulting at least partial support for Robert Sternberg's model of verbal comprehension. (MG)

Suggestions for structuring a classroom spelling program are offered, focusing on three major components: personal spelling lists, word study and vocabulary extension, and studying and mastering the core vocabulary of written English. The 300 most frequent words in New Zealand primary writing and the 100 most often misspelled words are listed.…

Investigates the effects of teaching text-specific vocabulary on eighth graders' comprehension of expository text and their ability to make causal connections. Finds that vocabulary instruction prior to reading improves comprehension, regardless of the student's reading ability and that text-specific vocabulary instruction improves subjects'…

Describes a sentence expansion technique found to be an effective and motivating way to teach sentence structure and vocabulary to elementary school students. (SR)

Describes a way to enliven vocabulary lessons by combining them with two effective teaching strategies--cooperative learning and story development by students. (SR)

The Rapid Automatized Naming Test was studied cross sectionally in a sample of kindergartners (n=342) at risk for reading disability and longitudinally in an epidemiologically normal sample of children (n=160). Findings indicate the absolute color/object naming speed was strongly related to reading level and vocabulary across grades. (Author/CR)

A study involving three adolescents with mental retardation investigated the efficacy of videotaped instruction for acquisition and generalization of functional sight words used in a community grocery store. Results indicate the intervention was effective in fostering acquisition of functional words in the classroom, as well as generalization to…

Describes total physical response storytelling, which provides the critical vehicle--storytelling--for utilizing and expanding vocabulary. High-interest stories contextualize the vocabulary, enabling students to hear and see a story and then to act out, revise, and rewrite. A brief outline of the sequence of steps for using TPR storytelling in…

Students' approaches to vocabulary learning were surveyed in two distinct learning environments: one in which English was studied as a second language (ESL), and another where it was a foreign language (EFL). A questionnaire was administered to 47 ESL and 43 EFL students about their vocabulary-learning activities. Cluster analysis identified eight…