In 2004, in response to the need to revise oral practice and assessment in the second semester of Beginners French at Monash University, an eight-week group-based theatre project was developed and trialled. A specially adapted version of Tardieu's absurdist play "Le Guichet" was used to give students the opportunity to focus on oral…

Investigated effects of first language (L1) orthographic features on second language (L2) reading. Three groups of fluent (L2) readers with different L1 backgrounds were given English passages printed in either alternated case or a normal manner and asked to read them for comprehension. Results suggest that because of L1 effects on basic…

Two experiments are reported on the array-scanning characteristics of Malaysian subjects exposed to arrays of Roman and Arabic letters. Unique search patterns were found with both letters. Ways are discussed in which these patterns may be related to the underlying linguistic structure of words in Bahasa Malaysia, English, and Arabic. (13…

Three different visual skills, along with Chinese character recognition, vocabulary, speeded naming, and syllable deletion skills were tested twice over one school year among 118 Hong Kong and 96 Xiangtan, China kindergartners. Results revealed that a task of Visual Spatial Relationships [Gardner, M. F. (1996). "Test of visual-perceptual…

Engineering students in technical universities in Sweden, as probably in many other countries, tend to treat mathematics as a mechanical subject in which you do calculations and manipulations and there is very little explanation. In order to create deeper understanding, verbal or written explanations by students can be beneficial. In our study we…

"Journeys Unlimited," a piece of theater-in-education performed by Australia's Bouverie St. Theatre-in-Education team during one term in 1979 and described in this paper, formed an integral component of a larger curriculum development program undertaken in Australian primary schools. This analysis of "Journeys Unlimited" is…

The native languages of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia are reviewed in this brief summary of Indochinese refugee characteristics. General background information on each country is followed by a description of the linguistic diversity of the area and a chart showing the three principal linguistic families: Austroasiatic, Tai, and Sino-Tibetan. A…

This report summarizes information found in a survey of the literature on radio as an educational medium which covered the published literature from many areas of the world. Comments on the literature reviewed are provided throughout the text, which is organized under seven major headings: (1) Radio, Mass Medium; (2) Radio, the Medium (broadening…

A 2-year project at the University of Aberdeen focused on the production of learning materials and the planning of audiovisual based instruction. Background information on the project examines its origins, the nature of course teams, and the evaluation of the five text-tape programs produced. The report specifies three project aims: (1) to produce…

Two articles discuss Chinese libraries and materials: one reviews the role of bibliographic utilities in the bibliographic control of Chinese language materials in U.S. libraries, and one examines characteristics of administration in academic libraries in China from both historical perspective and current practice. (64 references) (LRW)

A college class project to develop a videocassette presentation of African, Caribbean, and Afro-American French poetry is described from its inception through the processes of obtaining copyright and translation permissions, arranging scripts, presenting at various functions, and reception by Francophone and non-Francophone audiences. (MSE)

Proposes a framework for writing and evaluating scripts for narrative educational television that is aimed at producers and screenwriters and addresses essential elements of effective educational program design. Motivational factors are discussed, the target audience is considered, educational objectives are described, and examples from the Open…

Results of a study of children's performance on pseudohomophone naming, similarity judgment, and lexical decision suggest that training in pinyin, a system for spelling Chinese words in Latin letters, helps child readers pronounce unfamiliar words, and makes them more responsive to visual information but less precise in word recognition.…

Language and literacy issues in India are reviewed in terms of background, steps taken to combat illiteracy, and some problems associated with literacy. The following facts are noted: India has 106 languages spoken by more than 685 million people, there are several minor script systems, a major language has different dialects, a language may use…

The document presents a series of 14 scripts focusing on families with disabled children, written in English for radio broadcast in translation to rural village areas in Pakistan. Intended to educate the public concerning disabilities and how families can help their handicapped children participate as fully as possible in community life, the…