This study investigated the effects of two instructional components, literature logs and instructional conversations, on the story comprehension and thematic understanding of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners. Subjects were 5 teachers and 116 fourth- and fifth-grade students; slightly over half were ESL learners in their first or second…

Distance education occurs when distance and/or time prevents the learner and instructor from meeting face to face. Ways of providing distance learning opportunities include traditional materials by mail (print materials, audio and video support materials, audio and video lectures) and electronic materials (faxed information, telephone, electronic…

This paper proposes a framework for supporting the authoring process of distance learning courses. An overview of distance learning courses and the World Wide Web is presented. The proposed framework is then described, including: (1) components of the framework--a hypermedia design methodology for authoring the course, links to related Web sites,…

This document consists of six issues of the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Newsletter, covering the year 1998. Each issue of the newsletter includes some or all of the following sections: "Current Issues," reports from the Coalition for Networked Information and the Office of Scholarly Communication, Office of Leadership and…

This paper demonstrates how jointly planned activities can provide an integrated system in bridging the quality gap between urban and rural education in Australia. A national communications policy and delivery system would provide a cost-effective way of improving services to rural areas. Rural schools and colleges can be transformed by developing…

This guide is designed to provide information on planning assistance and available options to schools that are preparing for the use of technology for curricular improvement. The information presented here is current as of March 1, 1992, and is most relevant to school districts in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The first of six…

Materials are presented for conducting a workshop on increasing participants' awareness of how to integrate assessment options into a comprehensive plan. A typology for assessment options is provided that includes: (1) paper-and-pencil tests; (2) performance assessments; and (3) personal communications options. Assessment options are discussed in…

A discussion of environmental variables in children's language development focuses on the impact on the child of his/her surroundings, and especially the adults (parents and other caregivers) with whom the child interacts. The paper reviews the related literature with attention to the following: the parents' responsibility for child language…

An external evaluation was made of the Competitive Skills Project, a National Workplace Literacy Program carried out in partnership between El Camino College and BP Chemicals. Among the problems identified were the following: (1) because the original director and his successor left the project, the original evaluation design could not be…

The second volume on reading authentic Polish is the continuation of a supplementary textbook to be used either in the classroom or in independent study. The materials included in it are unaltered authentic texts from Polish newspapers, magazines, and other mass media that provide exposure to the context and format of everyday reading matter. The…

Research on sex differences and language includes the following (many titles are English translations): "Language--The Child, the Women, the Family"; "Woman and Man"; "In Society's Words"; "The Life of Words"; "Verbs and Women"; "Lines from a Ladies Luncheon"; "The History of the Danish Language"; "How Sex Roles Are Represented and Conserved in…

A practical guide for language teachers to make the best use of television is presented. The focus is on the establishment of a "portfolio of good practice" with concrete ideas for using the medium, illustrated with examples from British programs. Also included are a chapter to set the scene, some thoughts on organizational alternatives, and a…

A study was done to examine the lived experience of conflict among students in a transitional class for returning long-term absentees in Walker Hill High School (a pseudonym), an inner city New York City high school. The project was a substudy of the New York City Dropout Prevention Evaluation Project. The theoretical framework of the study began…

A study examined the collaboration between vocational teachers and their colleagues in vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) or English as a second language (ESL) on behalf of limited English proficient (LEP) students in mainstream vocational classrooms. Visits were made to three secondary and three postsecondary sites nationwide. Data…

A two-part study examined the use of communication strategies by two types of international teaching assistants (ITA) in the classroom, and cultural perceptions of teaching and teachers. Two representative kinds of ITAs were hypothesized to exist: (1) a type "X" ITA who has tight control of discussion in class, calls on students instead…