In order to understand variability in second language (L2) acquisition, this study addressed how individual differences in cognitive abilities may contribute to development for learners in different contexts. Specifically, we report the results of two short-term longitudinal studies aimed at examining the role of cognitive abilities in accounting…

This paper outlines a novel approach to studying children's singing that enables a more accurate and global picture to be drawn of children's actual level of singing achievement across a range of tasks. It enables predictions to be made about their potential singing development in a formal school setting. It draws on a two-year longitudinal field…

This paper argues that teachers' recognition of children's cultural practices is an important positive step in helping socio-economically disadvantaged children engage with school literacies. Based on 21 longitudinal case studies of children's literacy development over a 3-year period, the authors demonstrate that when children's knowledges and…

Regardless of individual differences at kindergarten entry, schools have a mission to promote reading achievement for all students. Within-class ability grouping is an instructional strategy that has received attention for its potential benefits to students. The authors assessed the effects of within-class ability grouping on kindergarten reading…

Presents a longitudinal study of teacher talk that examines the use of affective particles in the language of the university-level elementary Japanese as a foreign language classroom. Results reveal that affective particles are used far less frequently in the classroom language analyzed than in ordinary conversation and that significant…

This study investigates the effects of alternate types of curriculum and counseling treatment on elementary school children categorized into six temperament-attitude clusters. Through a second-order factor analysis of a multi-trait multi-source assessment instrument (The Barclay Classroom Climate Inventory), six cluster groups of characteristics…