Presents a review of literature on programing in Logo, including prerequisites of programing, cognitive effects of programing, stages of programing, and levels of programing expertise. An analysis of the literature establishes the need for operationalizing problem solving with Logo, and a research strategy to meet this need is suggested. (32…

Studied 18 deaf and 18 hearing childrens' (aged 6.8 to 16.6 years) performance on short-term memory tasks involving production of action responses to previously paired visual stimuli. Deaf children showed superior performance on the simultaneous presentation-free recall task and inferior performance on the serial presentation-serial recall task.…

Applies theories about organizational information processing to better understand the influences on method of access and on effects of using online information. Explores the extent to which organizational differences also influence these variables, what the positive and negative outcomes from using online commercial databases are, and how those…

Studied methods for structuring a performance domain for a certification test in emergency nursing based on task frequency ratings from 659 emergency nurses or task similarity ratings from 21 experts. A 125-job analysis survey was used. Similarity judgment results are more easily interpreted and adequately modeled by multivariate analysis. (SLD)

Design, analysis, and use of an interview task to identify preservice teachers' conceptions of teaching science are discussed. A copy of the task ("Interview-about-instances of science teaching") is included, and selected interview responses are presented and discussed. Results are discussed with regard to implications for research and…

This study provides insights into the nature of second-language (L2) reading on the World Wide Web based on direct observation of L2 learners performing reading tasks in this medium. The article highlights the importance of various aspects of computer and language knowledge, particularly in the area of vocabulary, that the learner must bring to…

Schwa epenthesis and schwa deletion are two types of phonological variation that occur frequently in Dutch. In this study, a series of picture-naming experiments investigated whether schwa epenthesis and schwa deletion are arbitrary processes or whether they are contextually driven and take place in speech-planning process. Findings are discussed…

Discusses development of a battery of tasks that were used to assess phonological processing skills in Panjabi-English bilingual children in West Birmingham, United Kingdom. Results support the notion that at least some tasks of phonological awareness may be language specific. (Author/VWL)

Reports on a study that investigated the effect of different amounts of planning time on the speech performance of second-language speakers. Subjects were four groups of learners of German performing two tasks each. The study employed various general and specific constructs for measuring fluency, complexity, and accuracy of speech; the…

Native and experienced nonnatives listened to a text while performing a concurrent task. Half of each group was given the topic of the passage. Scores on the concurrent task were compared with baseline to index working memory (WM) consumption. Results showed greater WM consumption for nonnatives than natives when the topic was unavailable,…

Focuses on the uses of the first language (L1) made by 22 pairs of Grade 8 French immersion students as they complete one of two different tasks: a dictogloss and a jigsaw. The outcome of each task is a story written by each pair. Proposes a coding scheme for the uses made of the (L1) and reports on an exploratory analysis intended to describe…

Describes a framework for examining the effects of the cognitive complexity of tasks on language production and learner perceptions of task difficulty, and for motivating sequencing decisions in task-based syllabuses. Results of a study of the relationship between task complexity, difficulty and production show that increasing the cognitive…

Addresses issues relating to performance-based learning and serves as a guide to the process of developing a performance task. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on the increase in discourse-based studies of oral proficiency assessment techniques. Discusses research carried out on a number of factors in the assessment setting, including the role of interlocutor, candidate, and rater, and the impact of tasks, task performance conditions, and rating criteria. (Author/VWL)

Reviews current views about the status of grammar learning through task work and suggests that grammar learning can be addressed at different stages during task performance: prior to the task, during the task, and after the task. Examples are given of how this can be achieved in materials' design and in the classroom.(Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on…