This study compared the development (at 40 months) of 40 deaf and hard-of-hearing infants whose hearing loss was identified either before 6 months or after 18 months. Infants whose hearing loss was identified earlier scored significantly on tests of expressive language and comprehension/concepts. Results support early hearing screening for…

Discusses an effective model for improving the English listening comprehension of Korean college students. To achieve this, the focus of the experimental model is on three kinds of listening experience: pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening. (Author/VWL)

The Voice of America English broadcasts have become a very convenient and accessible resource for Chinese students to learn English in China. Discusses one third-year listening course for English majors where VOA news items have been used and have proved very effective in developing students' listening skills. (Author/VWL)

Investigated the role of phonological and orthographic processing skills in second-language reading of 60 native-Farsi-speaking English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) graduate students. Three types of ESL reading variables were used: reading and comprehension, silent reading rate, and ability to recognize individual words. Efficiency in phonological…

Investigated the effects of three aural-advance organizers on student comprehension of second-language (L2) videotaped materials. Subjects were 160 low-intermediate Chinese students of English in Taiwan. Suggests that in preparing advance organizers for English-as-a-Foreign-Language students, teachers should focus on new words rather than on video…

Examined the effects of Bright Start, an early-education program for providing children in Israel with the cognitive tools for school learning, on first graders' cognitive performance and achievement tests in math and reading comprehension. Found improvements in the test group's performance over all measures. (JPB)

Studied the impact of exposure to authentic video--a Spanish-language telenovela--on the second-language acquisition process of students studying Spanish at the university level. Measured the increase in listening comprehension that exposure to the soap opera would afford and tested the validity of the hypothesis that an increase in the quality…

Examined types of simplifications made in four authentic texts used in the second-language classroom, and investigated if there were differences in recall scores based on whether students read simplified or authentic versions. Findings indicated that a high percentage of modifications made were lexical in nature and that recall scores for…

Reports the development and validation of video-based game-understanding tests in badminton for elementary and secondary students. The tests included different sequences that simulated actual game situations. Players had to solve tactical problems by selecting appropriate solutions and arguments for their decisions. Results suggest that the test…

A review of 17 studies on computer assisted instruction (CAI) in reading interventions for students with learning disabilities found most CAI programs employed drill and practice procedures, followed by strategy instruction, then simulation. The focus was split between word recognition and reading comprehension, followed by language/vocabulary,…

Examines extent to which assessment of text comprehension involves knowledge of the properties of human cognition and the context of assessment. Shows that assessments of the quality of the answers varied based on the perceived human or artificial source of the answers. Provides copies of experimental questionnaires in the appendices. (DSK)

Contents of 800 elementary, middle, and high school textbooks published from 1919 to 1991 were analyzed with regard to their levels of difficulty. Following World War II, there was a major decline in schoolbook difficulty which may have led to the subsequent decline in SAT-verbal scores. (MAK)

Presents two activities based on the poem, "Cat in the Snow," to help beginning readers learn to decode print and develop fluency. The first activity has students look at the poet's words. The second activity has students talk about the poet's language and message. A tear-our sheet offers the poem, "Cat in the Snow." (SM)

A longitudinal study of 363 elementary school students over five years investigated the degree to which reading comprehension, vocabulary, reading pleasure, and reading frequency later in life can be predicted and the way that path models and common factor models explain these relationships. Linkages among these factors are explored. (SLD)

Examines student conceptions of their experiences with science, describes the variety of those conceptions over the years of schooling, and investigates patterns across those years. Six categories of conceptions were found, each portraying essential meanings of science. Results suggest making modern philosophical views of the nature of science…