Maintains that most of the claims made by Morrison, Morrison, and Keating do not undermine the data analysis and conclusion of a study reported in a 1988 paper. Discusses (1) evidence concerning a common rate of developmental change; (2) functions that characterize developmental stages; and (3) procedures for estimating parameters. (LB)

A study is reported that aimed to develop an instrument based on cues speakers use to support each other during the verbal elaboration of a topic of conversation and to test its effect on the development of writers' abilities to elaborate during revision. (Author/LB)

Investigated the extent to which form-focused instruction and corrective feedback (i.e., "input enhancement"), provided within a primarily communicative program, contribute to learners' accuracy in question formation. Study results are interpreted as evidence that input enhancement can bring about genuine changes in learners' interlanguage…

Numerous cases are used to illustrate language mistakes made by Hebrew-speaking students learning English. Teachers' and students' reactions to error correction are discussed, and some linguistic reasons for errors (e.g., mother-tongue interference) are suggested. (12 references) (LB)

Constructs a corrective learning system using the Socratic dialogue as a guide to correct mistakes in students' knowledge of subtraction. The Socratic dialog applies a dialectic method to present questions to the student and lets the student reconsider his or her own thinking. Results show that the Socratic-dialog approach is of great help to…

Argues that oral grammar correction in second-language classrooms produces overwhelming problems both in making corrections and dealing with their harmful side effects, and that the practice should be discontinued. Research evidence suggests that oral correction does not improve learners' ability to speak grammatically, and no good reasons have…

Discusses the performance of 11th-grade students from Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Trinidad (n=1216) on an Errors in Biological Labeling Test (EBLT). Concludes that performance was low in six categories of errors, and that girls performed significantly better on each category of error than did boys. Contains 15…

This study compared immediate (after each error) and delayed (at the end of each session) error correction during sight-word instruction with 4 students (ages 7-9) with developmental disabilities. Immediate error correction was superior on each of four dependent variables. (Author/DB)

Critiques a study on instruction, first language influence, and developmental readiness in second language acquisition. Agrees with conclusions of the study but argues that the study itself provided no justification for the conclusion other than what has been evident in research carried out on Quebec francophone school learners of English. The…

An 11-year-old boy presented in an outpatient clinic with a vocal habit that occurred during reading and conversation. A brief reading assessment was conducted to determine an effective intervention to decrease the habit. A modified version of the word error-correction procedure resulted in positive changes and was implemented by his mother during…

Feedback is one of the most important aspects of improving performance because it corrects, reinforces, and motivates. It can also create bonds and enable students to see that their performance is important. This article defines feedback, presents three important functions of feedback, identifies the four forms of feedback, gives examples of…

We investigated expectations regarding a writer's responsibility to proofread text for spelling errors when using a word processor. Undergraduate students read an essay and completed a questionnaire regarding their perceptions of the author and the quality of the essay. They then manipulated type of spelling error (no error, homophone error,…

This article explores 2 important aspects of metacognition: (a) how students monitor their ongoing performance to detect and correct errors and (b) how students reflect on those errors to learn from them. Although many instructional theories have advocated providing students with immediate feedback on errors, some researchers have argued that…

Few issues in second language teaching have generated as much controversy as that of error correction. In fact, one of the most discouraging experiences of L2 teachers is correcting errors especially those that recur in their students' production. A possible explanation may be the mismatch between what teachers and students consider to be…

Grading essays and research papers can be the most trying part of any writing instructor's job. Fitting corrections, suggestions, and notes between double-spaced lines of text and into margins often creates a legibility problem, which only worsens when grading stacks of papers to meet deadlines. This essay describes electronic grading, a method…