This is the first edited volume dedicated to both teachers and learners of second/foreign language (L2) pragmatics. It comprises a collection of studies that explore how teachers background and practices, and individual learners differences contribute to the teaching and learning of L2 pragmatics. Also included are chapters that present…

Providing a comprehensive survey of cutting-edge work on second language learning, this "Handbook," written by a team of leading experts, surveys the nature of second language learning and its implications for teaching. Prominent theories and methods from linguistics, psycholinguistics, processing-based, and cognitive approaches are…

Concerned with the writing and designing of computer manuals that enable users to remember the information presented within them, this study addresses two key questions: (1) whether people remember material longer if they are tested on it immediately after they learn it; and (2) what material they remember (and forget) after a week or month…

This study investigates whether the use of Superlearning to teach rare English words produces retention scores significantly different than Ebbinghaus's 'normal' forgetting curve. Superlearning techniques are adaptations by Ostrander and Schroeder of Lozanov's Suggestopaedic methods to tap reserve human potential. Six course sections of University…

Describes an experiment exploring the effectiveness of four teaching methods: formal teaching, guided discovery, free discovery, and play. Concludes that all methods except free discovery are effective as long as memory is emphasized. Includes the tests used for the experiment in four appendices. Relates present results to previous research. (DK)

Describes the theoretical models which suggest different "levels" in memory processing, corresponding to the short-term and long-term storage of information. Reviews studies substantiating this perspective and outlines strategies for the use of "levels" in developmental education design, as an alternative to rote memorization. (PAA)

Investigates the impact and relationship of notetaking techniques, notetaking functions, and measures of working memory on learning in an introductory college economics course. Compares conventional (taking notes in the customary fashion) with the outline method (recording notes in spaces on an instructor-provided outline). Includes suggestions…

This paper reviews major stidues in metacognitive research relating to education and discusses their implications for educators and teacher education. Metacognition generally refers to self-awareness, or self knowledge of one's thought processes. Two types of research are discussed: (1) descriptive or correlational data on the natural development…

An overview of theory and research in memory as it relates to developmental differences is offered in this paper, which is intended to provide background information for the staff of the Skills Essential to Learning Television Project (a multi-level series of video and print resources for classroom use). A model for viewing information processing…

This study with 56 learning-disabled adolescents found that intensive generalization training specific to the development of complex mnemonic strategies was demonstrably more effective in recall at 1-day and 2-week intervals than a rehearsal condition. No added advantage was gained by adding attribution training to the mnemonic generalization…

The idea of potential and usable processing space is explored, and consequent teaching strategies are discussed. Simultaneous studies of the effect of working memory space and field-dependence on science performance at secondary and tertiary levels are reviewed. How students filter out "signal" from "noise" during various…

Examines the psychology of learning and its application to work in the laboratory. States that the working memory capacity of students is limited; therefore the amount of information they can process needs to be controlled and "recipe following" in the laboratory is perfectly reasonable. (RT)

This working paper, which reviews the experimental literature on learning skills to provide background information to the staff of the Skills Essential to Learning Television Project (a multi-level series of video and print resources for classroom use), covers four areas: study skills, instructional development and design, cognitive psychology,…

Forty learning-disabled fourth graders learned to use a spelling study strategy, studied words under varying conditions, and predicted their scores on a subsequent test. Results indicated that, even without inclusion of specific metacognitive training components, strategy training produced important metacognitive improvement and that metacognitive…

Evaluation of a classroom mnemonic instructional method to teach science content to 19 mildly disabled students (grades 6-8) found mnemonic instruction resulted in improved initial content acquisition, higher delayed-recall scores than traditional instructional procedures, and generalization of mnemonic strategies to novel content. Students…