Areas of contradiction and controversy over error analysis are discussed, and an interference error analysis project is described, giving a detailed definition of interference error. Several practical approaches to teaching out interference errors are outlined. (MSE)

Selected studies in three areas of second-language classroom process research are reviewed: the linguistic environment of instruction, patterns of participation, and error treatment. Also reviewed are recent applications of introspective or mentalistic research to the problem of describing the second-language classroom experience. (MSE)

The authors offer research studies and other documented evidence that teaching grammar without a meaningful context does not improve student writing, largely because that approach does not address the root causes of errors. Several resources that support this position and offer more productive strategies are summarized, including the authors'…

Summarizes information processing models of the mind based on a literature review; describes a prototypical model of college learning; examines links between mental models and cognitive errors; reviews cognitive science students; and identifies six factors contributing to cognitive error production. (104 references) (Author/MBR)

This is the second of two issues focused on teaching beginning reading skills to adults--both native and non-native English speakers. According to the latest research in reading, one of the best strategies for improving reading skills is systematic, explicit instruction in decoding skills or phonics. Although many critics have argued that the…

It is argued that dictation is a neglected technique for second-language training. Students' error patterns at three levels are presented to show how the technique can be used effectively for both teaching and testing, and to develop integrative skills and accuracy in both listening and writing. (Author/MSE)

Describes the acquisition, frequency, and function of the English articles ("a,""the," and "O"--the zero article). Explains the two types of zero article (zero and null), and shows how these occur in alternation with "a" and "the." Also provides a framework for the presentation of the articles in the classroom at the beginning, intermediate, and…

Examines a variety of mistakes found in published materials and practiced by classroom teachers. Provides examples of mistakes in reading time, place value, price notation, geometry, and language. (YP)

An analysis of the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that only 46 percent of all high school seniors demonstrated success with a grasp of decimals, percentages, fractions and simple algebra. This article investigates error patterns that emerge as students attempt to answer questions involving the ability to apply…

This article contrasts aphasic patients' performance of word naming and lexical decision with that of intact college-aged readers. We discuss this contrast within a framework of self-organization; word recognition by aphasic patients is destabilized relative to intact performance. Less stable performance shows itself as an increase in the…

Reports describing subcortical apraxia of speech (AOS) have received little consideration in the development of recent speech processing models because the speech characteristics of patients with this diagnosis have not been described precisely. We describe a case of AOS with aphasia secondary to basal ganglia hemorrhage. Speech-language symptoms…

Knowledge restructuring occurs when people shift to a new strategy or representation during learning. Although knowledge restructuring can frequently be experimentally encouraged, there are instances in which people resist restructuring and continue to use an expedient but imperfect initial strategy. The authors report 3 category learning…

The possibility of approximating a function with a linear combination of exponential functions of the form e[superscript x], e[superscript 2x], ... is considered as a parallel development to the notion of Taylor polynomials which approximate a function with a linear combination of power function terms. The sinusoidal functions sin "x" and cos "x"…

Often, students repeat the mistakes they have made in answering exam questions, even after classroom discussion of their errors. They do not appear to have "learned from their mistakes". One possible solution is to guide students through a more active process of addressing their mistakes. We will describe a classroom study focused on the…

Analysis of errors children make is modeled both with and without computers. Patterns of thinking are traced for a fifth grader, with the discussion focused on getting clues for remedial instruction by analyzing the dialog. (MNS)