Academic language is the linguistic glue that holds the tasks, texts, and tests of school together. If students can't use this glue well, their academic work is likely to fall apart. According to the author of this article, "academic language" is defined as the set of words and phrases that (1) describe content-area knowledge and procedures; (2)…

This research investigates the usefulness of two major types of interactional feedback (elicitation and reformulation) in dyadic interaction. The focus is on the different ways in which each feedback type is provided and their relationship with learner repair. The participants were 42 adult intermediate English as a second language learners and…

This report has two sections: an account of the meeting on autodidaxy, or self-directed learning; and a collection of studies and papers on the subject. The first part considers the following: (1) the conceptual domain of autodidaxy; (2) the constitutive elements of autodidaxy, and the plurality of definitions attached to it; (3) aspects of…

Criticizes the philosophy and management of several research projects of the 1960's. The procedures employed by second language learners unconstrained by group arrangements, teacher presentation, or other major interventions in their learning opportunity need to be studied. Only then can a theory of second language learning be constructed.…

Despite the impact of communicative approaches to language teaching methodology, most of the world's second language learners continue to learn from materials in which organization and presentation are grammatically based. Language testing research has contributed greatly to understanding the role of grammar in language proficiency. This research…

This volume, intended for use in basic courses in language arts methods or in in-service training situations, presents a program of instruction based on Piaget's views of learning and the psycholinguistic perception of language acquisition and development. Throughout the discussion, language and intellectual development are related to children's…

This study concerns a moment in the learning process which is considered crucial, namely, that point when the learner is confronted with the necessity of discovering from the models already learned and stored in memory elements that will be useful in constructing a new utterance or solving a new problem. The emphasis is on the point of connection…

This paper, in reviewing four different studies, discusses the influence of some basic parameters or aspects of a sign on the accuracy of perceiving that sign. This information can aid the teaching of signs to the mentally retarded, the autistic, the cerebral palsied, and the hearing adult. A series of studies was conducted in which the aim was to…

An alternative method of language learning is proposed based on the theory of "Personal Construct Psychology." It is suggested as a resolution of the impasse that seems to exist between linguistic and psychological theories of learning. Certain techniques are offered to enable learners to exteriorize their cognitive categories and their…

A small set of vocabulary development exercises was tried out in four classes in each of grades four, six, and eight. The instruction was derived from three general content areas: subject-area vocabulary, alternative language, and vocabulary from context. The tryout consisted of extensive pretesting, instruction, and posttesting. It was generally…

THIS IS A FINAL REPORT OF RESEARCH IN THE TEACHING OF THE ARABIC WRITING SYSTEM, CONDUCTED IN THE HARVARD SUMMER SCHOOL IN 1962. A CONTROL GROUP WAS TAUGHT ARABIC IN THE TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD, FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 HOURS, WHILE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP USED A SET OF SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ACCOMPANIED BY TAPES FOR THE SAME…

The state of the art of research in second language acquisition is reviewed. A framework is first established for the examination of second language learning. The concept of proficiency is addressed with respect to its theoretical basis, rating scales, formal tests, and interlanguage studies. The social context of second language acquisition is…

Contracts awarded during the 13 fiscal years of the National Defense Education Act of 1958 in the Language and Area Development Program are listed in this bibliography. The program, authorized to support research, studies, surveys, and the preparation of specialized materials to strengthen instruction in modern foreign languages, awarded 618…

The evidence for the efficacy of sentence-combining exercises is not as persuasive as it has been represented. (JH)

Reports on an experiment, conducted on 664 beginning French students at a university, designed to measure the advantages of illustrations in the development of reading comprehension skills. (Author/AM)