A 15-minute interview was conducted separately with 2 5th grade boys (1 Caucasian, 1 Negro) who were matched on IQ and 4 pupil characteristics; home background, personality, social behavior, and academic ability. A semantic differential scale was constructed for the 4 characteristics, and 5 disability labels were assigned to each child:…

Some theoretical definitions of attitudes, including various assumptions that underlie most approaches to attitude mesurement, are presented, and directions and findings of attitude research approaches to attitude measurement are the Bogardus Social Distance Scale, the semantic differential, and the Likert scale, each characterized by a particular…

A study investigated the apparent inconsistency of meaning connected with the term "professor," using the problematic aspect of the term as a way of examining tacit features of a particular speech community. The "social drama" that served as a catalyst for the study centers around the presence of the national "Accuracy in…

Examines the emergence of the present perfect in the interlanguage of instructed adult learners of English as a Second Language. Findings indicate that adding a new inflection in the tense/aspect system requires establishing new form-meaning associations as well as revising existing ones. (44 references) (Author/CK)

An investigation of the stability and replicability of aptitude, attitude, and achievement factors in second language acquisition used 31 groups of over 100 second language students each from five grade levels (7-11) and seven Canadian geographic areas of varying degrees of bilinguality. The groups were administered a series of related measures…

The prerequisites of language acquisition are cognitive and pragmatic. The child's conceptual development and social needs direct his attention to particular linguistic forms. These provide an efficient selection device enabling the child to match his language learning task with his abilities. The second language learner who is cognitively and…