Much of the computer software currently available for English teachers fails to assess adequately computer strengths and weaknesses. Labeled "wimpy software," these products are often little more than animated textbooks whose lesson formats exercise little higher-order reasoning. The future for good quality software, therefore, rests with English…

This handbook is designed to help vocational teachers promote the development of student writing skill in vocational programs. Covered in the first section are methods of evaluating writing assignments. The next six sections are organized around the following major areas of writing: sentences, paragraphs, composition, correspondence, summary, and…

Information is presented on remedial education activities of California postsecondary institutions. A survey was conducted of 98 percent of the campuses of the University of California, the California State University, and the California community colleges. In addition, site visits were made to 14 campuses and interviews were conducted with over…

One of a series of Australian publications on social studies skill development, this booklet helps secondary students develop their communication skills. Following notes to the teacher, the booklet is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1 provides students with an introductory topic and activities for preparing a visual presentation of that…

A variety of sources, including writing samples and videotapes of writing sessions, were examined to determine what speech events underlie the written compositions of students from fourth through twelfth grades. Findings revealed a correlation between different levels of writing competency and four types of speech events: encoding, conversation,…

Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet describes several classroom-based studies that have examined children's writing development and synthesizes what they have shown about the process. The first section of the booklet analyzes the term "writing…

Addressing the need for developmental or remedial reading and writing courses at the college level, this paper provides a broad perspective on the strengthening of such programs for students deficient in these skills. The paper first enumerates various reasons for developing reading-writing courses for pre-college students, then provides evidence…

This descriptive, longitudinal study investigated the emergent literacy skills of 45 children 4 and 5 years of age who were enrolled in an enrichment program for the gifted and talented. In two 10-week sessions conducted in subsequent years, children were requested to write a story and then read it aloud. Of central interest were four questions:…

In the early summer of 1988, 12 faculty members from 7 different departments of the Community College of Philadelphia participated in a faculty development program called the Summer Content Institute. The faculty members chose to take part because each wanted to revise a course which would be taught in the fall and to integrate into this course…

Examines the early literacy experiences of a bilingual Chicano student, focusing on how these experiences affected the students' reading and writing skill development. For a period of 6 months, research elicited information about the student's relationships with teachers, memories of school experiences, and resulting self concept and behavior in…

Noting that two-year college students view writing instruction with suspicion because they do not perceive a tangible link between developing writing skills and their post-graduate activities, a survey was conducted to distinguish between the functions and forms of graduates' writing and to explore writing performed in contexts other than work.…

Many essayists on writing believe that a student's level of cognitive development determines the organization of thought expressed by the student's writing and that an individual cannot use language at a level that goes beyond his or her stage of cognitive development. Without the maturation of formal operational structures, students cannot easily…

One of a series in reading, writing, and mathematics intended to acquaint teachers with the skills tested in each content area on the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test, this booklet on writing presents material that can be used in lesson planning, skills review, and practice testing. Following a report of the writing committee convened to…

A replication of a previous study assessed the construct validity of a national test for academically oriented Swedish upper secondary students. The analysis consisted of a comparison of test results of 10 percent of the Swedish test population to results obtained from a sample of native English speakers of the same age. Analyses of the Swedish…

This study investigated the effects of heuristically based assignments and tests on adolescents' written responses to literature. In order to examine both tests and instruction, two separate but related experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 investigated whether the inclusion of guided prewriting on essay tests for two poems and two short…