A study of acquisition of the alphabetic principle in 64 preliterate children, aged 3 to 5 years, is reported. It appears that phonemic awareness and grapheme-phoneme knowledge are needed in combination for acquisition of the alphabetic principle. Once gained, alphabetic insight proved relatively robust. (TJH)

Concept-teaching procedures in five basal language programs for kindergarten were analyzed on the basis of 11 design-of-instruction criteria. Concepts such as position, color, shape, size, and directionality were examined. Results suggest that the programs' concept-teaching procedures failed to adhere to essential principles for designing…

Bilingualism has been defined predominantly in linguistic dimensions despite the fact that bilingualism is correlated with a number of nonlinguistic social parameters; the linguistic handle is inadequate as the single focus of educational intervention. Suggests directions for future research. (Author/BJV)

Preschool children (n=56) with mild/moderate handicaps were assigned to integrated or nonintegrated classes; social interaction was promoted in half the classes. Observation revealed a higher proportion of interactive play and higher language development in social interaction conditions, and higher ratings of social competence in the…

Examined the use by children of the Novel Name-Nameless Category principle, under the framework that lexical principles are acquired in a developmental sequence. Results indicated that the particular principle was not available at the start of lexical acquisition but that exhaustive categorization ability and a vocabulary spurt occur…

This article describes the program of the Sign Talk Children's Centre (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), a bilingual/bicultural day-care program for deaf and hearing children (ages two to five) of deaf and hearing parents. It also describes the program's systematic assessment of children's language delays in both English and American Sign Language. (DB)

The speech children spontaneously quote was examined in 2 studies involving personal narratives from 96 children aged 4 to 9 and speech in 25 children aged 1 to 5. Findings showed that frequency of reported speech increased with age and direct quotation was more common than indirect or summarized quotations at all ages. (57 references) (Author/LB)

Finds that six low-income children in two different instructional settings (skills-based and whole language) learned alphabetic concepts and skills necessary for successful reading and writing. Notes that both instructional settings provided explicit phonics instruction (albeit contextualized differently) and time for self-selected reading and for…

This paper raises concerns about use of cochlear implants with prelingually deaf children. It presents evidence questioning whether implants actually assist such children to acquire English as a Second Language and finds minimal differences in hearing improvements achieved with implants compared to conventional aids. Use of critical stage theory…

Incidental vocabulary learning from context and 2 factors that might influence it, access to a dictionary and verbal ability, were examined among 112 second-year university students. Results indicate that subjects learned more words while reading for meaning, but high verbal ability students and those using a dictionary learn more. (71 references)…

Following a brief discussion of legal and academic statements on mandatory bilingual education and mainstreaming, three models of the Planned Alternation of Languages (PAL) approach are described as a way to prepare students for mainstreaming. PAL allows for both languages to have feasible functions and support learners through acquisition of…

This study explored effects of teaching three novice trainers to teach three parents to implement milieu teaching with their preschool children who had language delays. Results demonstrated improved skills among trainers and increased use of the procedures by parents. Two of the three children showed increases in their targeted language responses…

Reviews three examples of classroom-tested multimedia technology. The titles reviewed are "Scrabble,""A to Zap!," and "Brain Quest." Reviews include hardware requirements, price, and children's book titles that can be used to expand on the software's use. (ET)

Arguments for students' use of their first language as well as English in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom are reexamined. Pedagogical and political aspects of ESL instruction are noted. (LB)

In "Vygotsky and ESL Literacy Teaching," Cazden uses examples from South Africa to discuss internalization of socially acquired language, instruction as "scaffolded assistance," and social meanings of English-as-a-Second-Language literacy. In "Cummins, EAP, and Academic Literacy," Starfield focuses on a University of…