A study examined students' perceptions of an instructor's use of slang and verbal aggression in giving a presentation. The study used an experiment to investigate the relationship between these two variables and students' perceptions of credibility, affect, and immediacy. Participants, 167 undergraduate communication students at a large midwestern…

This booklet presents a collection of seven practitioner research reports conducted by individuals employed through adult basic education (ABE), Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED), and English as a second language (ESL) programs and funded by the Iowa State Staff Development Committee. The practitioner research presented in the collection gives…

This paper discusses the importance of expansion of the quantity of schooling and enhancement of the quality of schooling, both of which can be seen as directed towards the same goal, the improvement of educational outcomes for the population. Because both quantitative and qualitative investment projects in the education sector compete for the…

This book reports on conversations in which elementary schoolteachers--who have taught in urban settings for an average of 20 years each--reflect on their professional work. The conversations in the book testify to the teachers' ability to engage young people in active learning--and their stories of teaching and learning verify that difference…

This manual is intended for use by teachers using the Project Success Enrichment (PSE) program to teach language arts to elementary school students. An introduction outlines the teacher training component of the PSE, the language arts organizational model used, the curriculum sequence, and definitions of different types of expository writing. The…

This publication proposes a three-part program that combines English as a second language (ESL) and vocational considerations to move non-English speaking inmates from the ESL classroom through a sheltered vocational education classroom into the hands-on aspect of the carpentry trade. The first two sections present two requirements for the…

A study focused on a 2-year collaboration involving teachers and students from one bilingual and one English as a Second Language (ESL) class (grades 7-9) in an inner New York City middle school with a large population of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. Most of the children interviewed had adopted their parents' dream of returning to the…

A national survey of programs (N=798) for deaf students examined: (1) the organizational frameworks (theoretical or methodological) that programs use for reading instruction; (2) the extent to which "Reading Milestones," a basal series developed for deaf/hard-of-hearing (d/hh) students is used; (3) respondents' satisfaction with "Reading…

Activities of the Special Issues Analysis Center (SIAC), a technical support center providing assistance to the Department of Education in serving the needs of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students through the Bilingual Education Act of 1988, are summarized. In the third year of its contract, SIAC performed these services: creation of a…

The report summarizes information submitted by state education agencies (SEAs) on the survey of states' limited-English-proficient (LEP) persons and available educational services for the 1993-94 school year. Results indicate that enrollment of LEP students in public and private schools continued to increase, comprising 7 percent of public school…

Using the tools of systematic grammar, this case study examined 3- and 4-year-old children's experiences with storytelling and the potential effects of those experiences on the children's future success in learning to read. Subjects were students attending one of two nursery school classes held at a large primary school on the south coast of…

This serial issue examines the theme of picture books as resources for art production and art response; gives specific project descriptions; and looks at the relationship between words and pictures, and the creative connection between art and language. Articles are: (1) "Editor's View" (Sharon McCoubrey); (2) "The Creative…

A study examined the influence of an intergenerational approach on the literacy development of parents and on the practice of family literacy at home. During a 3-year period, 367 families enrolled in multilingual, multiability literacy classes for at least one instructional cycle. The adult basic education classes were held in a community center…

Noting that beyond the individual variations among humans, there is a body of mental abilities common to every human being, this book examines the debate among researchers about the extent to which humans are "preprogrammed," and suggests a new scientific psychology of human development. By examining experimental data obtained from…

A project developed a comprehensive database of Pennsylvania state adult literacy service providers that could be used to provide information on service provision to public and private organizations and individuals. The project team distributed a mailed survey to 2,911 known and potential adult literacy service-providing organizations throughout…