Based on the questions of second language teachers concerning classroom practice, generated by survey, research on aspects of second language teaching and learning was reviewed and is summarized here. In each case, a question or questions are posed and a brief discussion follows, in layman's language and based on relevant research, with a brief…

Part of a series exploring how language influences and is influenced by educational processes, this book describes difficulties boys and girls experience in learning to read and write due to gendered divisions of labor. The book draws on an ethnographic study that followed 13 children from kindergarten through second grade and found that, in…

A study of second language learning processes had three goals: to establish a grounded theory on the role of tension, both euphoric and dysphoric, in the formal language learning process; to provide a comprehensive ethnography of the 7-week intensive beginners' class in the French School of Middlebury College (Vermont); and to demonstrate how a…

A discussion of the role of developmental psycholinguistics in second language instruction begins by examining the nature of communicative intentions, their classification, and their role in the language classroom, drawing parallels between first language acquisition and second language learning. Stages in the progression from single words to…

This book contains 40 papers from an international symposium on improving the quality of higher education teaching and learning. Part 1 contains three papers on using research to improve student learning covering some Canadian projects, the use of research on student learning, and ways to evaluate and improve learning. Part 2 contains 10 papers on…

Using collaborative learning activities means structuring student interaction in small, mixed-ability groups, encouraging interdependence, and providing for individual accountability. By taking part in cooperative experiences, students are encouraged to learn by assimilating their ideas and creating new knowledge through interaction with others.…

This independent learning packet, which is intended for adult literacy tutors, reviews the literature regarding adults with learning disabilities. The packet begins with a learning disabilities pretest. Presented next is the literature review, which includes information on the following aspects of learning disabilities: definition and historical…

The early childhood education field is changing rapidly, and the theories and methods used in preschools and kindergartens--such as child-centered, hands-on learning--are now influencing the way primary school is taught. This book is designed to be a brief overview of the field of early childhood education. Chapter 1 describes the historical and…

Using reading and writing to learn, inquire, construct, and examine ideas across the curriculum is central to an integrated curriculum. Too many middle school students do not view writing as a communication process that permeates the curriculum, nor reading as an active, constructivist process whereby various perspectives can be examined and…

Intended to influence school districts that have the opportunity to build new schools, this document provides new designs for comprehensive high schools that would overcome the mismatch between school and life, the inequity of educational outcomes, and the lack of organizational effectiveness that plague many contemporary high schools. The designs…

The study of native language influence in Second Language Acquisition has undergone significant changes over the past few decades. This book, which includes 12 chapters by distinguished researchers in the field of second language acquisition, traces the conceptual history of language transfer from its early role within a Contrastive Analysis…

It is proposed that research on neurological organization, cognitive psychology, and artificial intelligence can contribute to understanding the relationship between second language learning processes and academic achievement. Relevant research in these areas and in the field of neurolinguistics is reviewed, with several themes or topics…

This report describes the background, program implementation, student development evaluation, and recommendations of SuperStart Plus, in New York City. SuperStart Plus, a comprehensive integrated prekindergarten program that serves general education and special education children in the same classroom, is designed to provide a developmentally…

Attitudes toward learning in the United Kingdom were examined by studying 2 populations: a sample of 1,043 adults from 130 sampling points throughout England, Scotland, and Wales and a sample of 4,245 school-age pupils in England and Wales. Both samples were representative from the standpoints of age, sex, geographic location, social class, and…

A study undertaken by the American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR) and National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) is described. The project was designed to examine the process and results of language study abroad. The first phase of the project was a statistical analysis of the relationship between student characteristics (demographic and…