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…

Argues that some important aspects of listening as an interactive skill have been neglected in second-language teaching, including the receipt tokens "yeah,""mm hm," and "mm," and that such items should be taught as part of the development of conversational skills. Characteristics of these items' placement in talk sequences, prosodic shape, pause…

Analyzes the production and perception of illocutionary forms. Using a semantic neutralization procedure, the performance of children (5, 7, and 9 years old) and adults was compared in two experiments focusing on prosodic representations in production and perception tasks. (Author/JL)

Describes the design and implementation of a CD-ROM-based German exercise package for commercial distribution and a listening and culture package using interactive multimedia based on authentic German television programs. The project demonstrates how a set of specialized authoring tools can be brought to bear upon the real-world needs and…

Describes a course that was designed to provide instruction in the methods and procedures that can be utilized to enhance student comprehension of textbooks and other printed materials that are encountered in a content area. Discusses instructor concerns, the support system, planning, course assignments, students, instructor workload, and course…

Results of two studies support the contention that teaching metacognitive strategies with the aid of software packages can enhance positive transfer of reading comprehension and writing skills in very able fifth (n=140) and seventh (n=136) grade learners in Israel. Students receiving metacognitive instruction and using writing-skills software…

Describes metacognitive processing strategies employed by nonnative readers of German who read and recalled authentic texts. Findings indicate that second-language readers of German engage in metacognition, using the following strategies: awareness of text format and attention to trivial detail, and an ability to monitor comprehension and identify…

An instructional prereading using American Sign Language (ASL) was effective in improving the ability of 7 prelingually deaf children (ages 11 and 12) to understand and retell a story after reading it in print. A six-step procedure for using the ASL technique is explained. Other applications of the technique and its appropriateness for public…

This article offers suggestions for teaching effective learning strategies to low-achieving students. It considers selecting the strategy, getting students involved, describing the strategy, modeling the strategy, remembering the strategy, practicing the strategy, and generalizing the strategy. Examples in composition and reading are offered. (DB)