Investigates French and German undergraduate engineering and computer science students' comprehension of phrasal verbs. Concludes that phrasal verbs may make texts less accessible to non-native speakers of English. Indicates there are features of Plain English that are less applicable when the intended audience consists of non-native speakers of…

Provides an overview of the mission, structure, and resource base of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC). Highlights include problems in meeting the information needs of a wide variety of educational practitioners as part of the mission; structure, based on organizational decentralization; and resources that are limited by…

Tests widely-held associations among script types, genres, writers, and target readers via statistical analysis in popular Japanese fiction. Subjects texts to lexical analysis to see whether choice of vocabulary can account for variability in script selection. Finds that Japanese writers fashion their script type choices to specific contexts, as…

States that participants in a qualitative case study of nonacademic R&D authors thought their reports were more informative than persuasive. Describes how three definitions of "persuasion" emerged. Concludes that most of the participants felt they owed a greater debt to their subject matter rather than the audience; some participants…

Examines two recent films--"Scent of a Woman" and "Strictly Ballroom"--that project stereotypical negative portrayals of educational institutions and their limited capacity for reform. Both films bring their audiences to view educational institutions as worthy of destruction and, by focusing on "quick fixes," fail to address the difficulties of…

Describes the author's approach to a MBA writing course functioning to connect the writing and oral presentation assignments to the students' current jobs. Notes that most international students lack an understanding of American business practices. Develops the assignments around what the students do know. Notes three assignments including a…

According to recent research studies, watching television has become the number one leisure activity among both children and adults. The effect of excessive television viewing on the cognitive development of children is reported. Solutions and suggestions for parents and teachers to help children integrate television into their lives in the most…

Studies five preschoolers' response to four genres of picture books: fantasy, realistic, poetic, and information. Finds (1) distinct patterns of response for each genre; and (2) personal associations to the characters, events, images, and topics seemed to form the basis for interpretation. (NH)

Discusses the incorporation of cases to help students understand the issues inherent in corporate communication. Finds that the cases significantly improve the quality of education gained by the students. Concludes that cases provide a variety of contexts and examples for professional writing that enlighten students as to the range of documents,…

Discusses worldwide Web-based training (WBT) and cautions that WBT is not good for all training goals, not all audiences are technically prepared, and not all organizational cultures are ready. Describes a variety of WBT delivery methods and recommends a cross-functional international team to design and implement international WBT. (LRW)

Analyzes three novels by three authors and conducted interviews to gain insights about their work. Explores with the authors their perceptions of their protagonists as role models or heroes. Discusses with the authors whether or not they would describe their protagonists as conformists or non-conformists. Gains insights from the authors regarding…

Discusses how language arts skills are prerequisite for nearly every occupation. Considers the problem that many prerequisite skills remain hidden until the worker is actually on the job. Notes that for students, the link between school and work is unclear. Looks more in-depth at the language arts demands of police work. (SG)

Through reading and reflecting on the words of Atwell, Rief, Moffett, and Graves, Maltese began to think like a teacher-researcher, and questioned her writing workshop practices. Once she began to consider audience as a motivating factor, writing became more meaningful for her students, encompassing a wide range of possibilities. Working from a…

Research suggests that the educational value of a media format depends upon the ways in which its representational affordances interact with complex features of the learning environment, including learner characteristics, content domains, pedagogical strategies, and cognitive and social processes. In the current study, we sought to understand some…

A community college teacher emphasizes the dynamic aspects of language correctness and helps his students understand that achieving correctness is not simply a matter of following a set of rules. His students write letters and speeches in which they demonstrate the relationships among language, power, purpose, and audience.