Although programs for teaching and testing of English as a second language (ESL) are often evaluated for their attention to communicative competence, there is no consensus on the nature of the communicative competence construct(s) and little empirical support for the various explanatory models. The theoretical literature related to communicative…

Designed to be a resource to help educational practitioners, researchers, and other interested persons in the national and international community to understand terms used in contemporary and historical writings about literacy, this dictionary provides authenticated definitions of the technical terminology of the nature, study, and practice of…

Recent debate about immigration policy has focused on whether or not immigrants' contributions to public revenues cover the costs of the public services they use, and if not, should the federal government reimburse state and local governments for those net costs. Findings of recent studies have varied widely, because of differences in data…

Developed by the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, this fifth-grade level module teaches different kinds of vocabulary words encountered in work-related texts used by pipefitter trainees. The module covers the following topics: differences between general, specialized, and technical words; learning new words; drills for…

The dictionary for Central and E-Saan varieties of Thai is designed as a reference for use by Peace Corps volunteers assigned to northeastern Thailand. An introductory section gives an overview of the dictionary's content and design. Most of the words included are functional vocabulary, and the usage is illustrated in sample sentences written in…

The dictionary for Central to Southern varieties of Thai is designed as a reference for use by Peace Corps volunteers assigned to southern Thailand. An introductory section gives an overview of the dictionary's content and design and some notes on tone patterns and spelling variation in the Central and Southern varieties. Most of the words…

Agencies funding early childhood education projects, policy analysts, and research consumers have created a demand for research tools generating data with applied reliability. This paper examines the focus group as a social science research tool which meets this demand. Part 1 defines a focus group as a carefully planned discussion designed to…

This resource manual presents information on mediation practices in special education disagreements between the school and parents. The manual provides an overview of requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and gives definitions for alternative dispute resolution processes, such as arbitration and litigation. A chart…

This report presents the results of a review of state funding for research and public service in the Florida State University System (SUS), focusing on the policy basis for research and public service, the types of SUS research and public service programs and their sources of funding, funding approaches used by other states, expenditure patterns…

This paper proposes that mild learning disability may often be more the result of teaching which ignores individual differences in learning style than the result of psychological processing and/or central nervous system disorders that are characteristic of true learning disabilities. A brief overview of learning disability identification explains…

This paper reviews definitions and issues in selective mutism in children and summarizes results of interventions conducted and published since 1982. Definitions and diagnostic criteria of the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (1994)" and the World Health Organization's…

This report provides an overview of the use of functional assessment in the evaluation of individuals with psychiatric disabilities. It begins by discussing the difficulties with traditional forms of assessment and the development of functional assessment, particularly in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation. The need to not rely on any single…

This theme issue of a Texas journal on gifted education focuses on future challenges and options. "A Thoughtful Look at the Concept of Talent Development" (Francoys Gagne) discusses definitions of giftedness and talent and describes a differentiated model of giftedness and talent that includes five aptitude domains: intellectual, creative,…

A discussion of second language learning strategies (LLS) first reviews research on defining, classifying, and listing LLS, then looks at studies on factors affecting learners' LLS choices, and finally examines their application in second language teaching. A definition of LLS as "specific action taken by the learner to make learning easier,…

This encyclopedia is a comprehensive explanation of the study and teaching of English and language arts at all levels of education. It includes media, technology, curriculum, learning, and assessment in composition, literature, reading, drama, and language study. Designed to be used as a major resource by administrators, teachers, and students,…