This student workbook is a component of "Beginning Pashto," a set of materials (including a textbook, teacher's manual, tapescripts, and a glossary) that teaches the Pashto language. The workbook provides background information on Pashtun culture, discusses grammar, and includes information on individual vocabulary items. The workbook unit…

Basic theoretical assumptions support the contention that writing has an important role to play in the teaching of reading and learning processes. E. M. Forster focused on the product of writing as an embodiment of either finished or evolving thought, and Ann E. Berthoff emphasizes the capacity of language to generate itself and, in so doing,…

A study sought to create and pilot a reasonable method for estimating reading rate by grade level and level of reading proficiency within grade level, and to identify reasonable estimates of reading rate at independent, instructional, and frustration levels of reading. Data were elicited from 66 third grade and 64 fifth grade students attending…

Intended for teachers of English as a second language, this paper treats the common problems instructors encounter in helping students improve their English language reading skills and offers practical exercises designed to enhance the reading experience for foreign students. Following an introductory section that discusses the particular…

A study examined the use of time reserved for formal reading instruction in elementary schools. Subjects were 36 elementary classroom teachers--12 each from grades 1, 3, and 5--in 8 suburban schools. Specific reading instruction behaviors for each teacher were observed during two complete periods of the regularly scheduled reading classes. Teacher…

Numerous comprehension strategies can be used successfully with both children's literature and a basal reading series to help children focus on written text during reading. One of the most important techniques is developing background knowledge prior to reading--the overall purpose of which is to help readers relate their existing schemata to the…

A series of studies conducted to examine deficits in reading comprehension skills of low ability, young adult readers and to evaluate computer-based systems that have been designed to improve skills deficiencies in comprehension are described in this report. The studies described in the first section of the report: (1) examined readers' use of…

Impromptu speech is characterized by the simultaneous processes of ideation (the elaboration and structuring of reasoning by the speaker as he improvises) and expression in the speaker. Other elements accompany this characteristic: division of speech flow into short segments, acoustic relief in the form of word stress following a pause, and both…

Analysis of several texts simplified to teach reading comprehension to college second language students shows that simplification affects both textual cohesion and coherence. Moreover, simplification restricts the amount of significant semantic information and creates a more transparent pattern of reference. The use of cohesive conjunctions varies…

Recall data from eight eleventh-grade students were analyzed to determine the effects of writing tasks on recall of content and relationship units at three levels of importance in the content structure of 21 prose passages. The data were colelcted as part of an earlier study of the effects of three writing tasks (notetaking, answering study…

Francis P. Robinson's 1946 text, "Effective Study," first presented his Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review (SQ3R) study system, which is held to be the most widely advocated textbook study system. This paper traces the development of the ideas behind the SQ3R. SQ3R's theoretical foundation began with work in…

The development of interactive video materials for developing listening comprehension in beginning learners of Hebrew as a second language is described. Initially, videotapes presenting stories in the form of interviews set in Israel were designed and produced according to current instructional design theory. These were viewed by the prospective…

To discover whether increased exposure to and understanding of figurative uses of language would result in improved performance on a metaphorical language comprehension test, gains were measured on a figurative language test that was administered twice, approximately four months apart, to a total of 319 elementary school children in Harlem, New…

The document describes the development and use of skill sequences in individualized education programs (IEPs) for mildly handicapped students. Developed to standardize format and terminology among teachers and parents, the sequences promote the continuity of instruction and the maintenance of consistent records. Sequences were developed for use…

A folk theory of the effect of language on thought underlies decisions made in U.S. courts regarding language law. Previous work on folk theory has shown an internal structuring by which a premise entails subsequent terms, consistent within the framework of the folk theory's logic. An analysis of metapragmatic statements in U.S. case law materials…