The effects of a language versus a dialogue emphasis and a structured versus an unstructured follow-up in intensive language instruction were assessed using eighty-three students destined for missionary work in Spanish-speaking countries. A 2 X 2 analysis of variance design was employed, with students assigned to one of four treatments: language…

This document outlines an approach to collecting and processing data for both professional development and course improvement. The approach, which combines elements of evaluation and research, is referred to as an instructional audit. Data collected during the audit addresses the following basic questions: (1) What does the teacher intend to…

This study asserts that international university students need a reading program which stresses (1) the student's understanding of and adaptation to the political, social, and economic forces of the United States and (2) the development of communication skills in standard American English. In developing a program of competency-based instruction…

This report describes comparative evaluations of the Distar I (first grade) and Distar II (second grade) programs which were carried out in 1972-1973. Results showed: (1) the Distar program for first grades had no conclusive advantage over traditional instruction for the development of oral language or reading achievement; and (2) second grade…

This course guide provides a survey of reading instruction and a description of the skills necessary for teaching reading in the elementary classroom. The purpose of the course is to help the student develop into a competent teacher of reading at the elementary school level through a competency-based approach to teacher education. Each…

The test-development process used to develop criterion-referenced tests in reading for a large-city school district's system-wide testing program is described. Two types of instruments were developed: (a) a measure of students' ability to read text-books at their assigned grade levels and (b) tests of enabling skills emphasized in the basal…

The effect of dialect mismatch and possible interference in performing certain reading tasks was the focus of this study. One hundred twenty black, Gullah-speaking, fourth- and fifth-grade students who were approximately two years below grade level in reading comprised the subject group. Two groups of 30 subjects each were given a Standard English…

This study was conducted in an attempt to provide an alternative to the long-established method of tape listening and repetition drills, a method that has had disappointing results. It is suggested that the rate of speed of phonic presentation is not commensurate with the rate of comprehension. The proposed method seeks to prevent cognitive…

An experiment which measures the foreignness of selected languages with reference to each other, to native languages of listeners, and to listeners' language experience is described. The procedure involves the tape recordings of 50 sentences in the native languages of 10 selected speakers. The second major stage involves playback to listener…

Reading programs in the Fresno City Unified School District are evaluated as part of PROJECT DESIGN, funded under ESEA Title III. This report includes the following phases: (1) the development of a comprehensive scope and sequence outline of skills, attitudes, and knowledge in the area of reading; (2) an analysis of the schools, the students, and…

This book offers an "organic" approach to teaching based on the recognition of the opposing human forces of destructiveness and creativity. The experience of teaching in a Maori school in New Zealand for 24 years provides the background of this personal story. With much of the content presented in anecdotal fashion, the quality and…

An investigation was made of the effects of the removal of certain grammatical categories from standardized reading comprehension test paragraphs on the reading comprehension of 180 third, fourth, and fifth graders enrolled in a rural Georgia school system. Each grade level contained a high and low reading ability group, based on standardized…

This study was designed to compare two teaching methods in order to determine which one would better result in (1) increasing reading speed, accuracy, vocabulary, and comprehension among sixth-grade pupils living in a culturally disadvantaged neighborhood; (2) decreasing regressions and fixations and improving reading comprehension; and (3)…

This collection of six articles on oral language is a product of the cooperative efforts of the National Conference on Research in English, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the International Reading Association, the Association for Childhood Education International, and the National Council of Teachers of English. It is…

Presented in the second of a two volume series is a language training program for developmentally delayed children from infancy to development of grammatically appropriate sentences. The second volume is said to have been developed in the Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Research and Intervention Project (Tennessee) and to focus on training the…