A French professor teaching in Australia, and learning to cope with the distinctive features of Australian English, reflects on second-language learning processes and their implications for language teaching. Topics discussed include verbal versus nonverbal communication, authentic language situations, cultural context, developing…

A survey of 55 full-time faculty at Southeast Missouri State University examined the relationship between perceived work environment, particularly factors most frequently identified as variables influencing job satisfaction, and overall job satisfaction. Results showed a healthy faculty attitude toward the institution and its mission and positive…

Presents results of the 45th annual "Library Journal" placement and salaries survey. Highlights include professional, temporary, and part-time job outlooks; library school stability; status of traditional jobs; placement trends, including minority placements; comparison of salaries; and a sidebar that profiles a librarian in her first professional…

Reviews literature on the effects of aquatic therapy (swimming and exercise) to improve function. Research shows that aquatic therapy has numerous psychological and physical benefits, and it supports the belief that participation can provide a realistic solution to maintaining physical fitness and rehabilitation goals while engaging in enjoyable…

Describes a mispronunciation detection task, in which listeners' sensitivity to deviations in speech is measured by their pressing a button upon hearing a mispronounced word in lists or sentences. Notes that reaction times and miss rates indicate the effects of position of a misplaced phoneme in a word, the size of the phonemic deviation, lexical…

Argues that a lack of linguistic education in graduate programs purporting to have a major component consisting of foreign language study has serious repercussions for the effectiveness of teachers of second languages. Points out that dealing with misleading textbook presentations requires more time than necessary of teachers lacking a proficiency…

Describes five successful, ongoing programs that were designed to change the behavior of at-risk youths, including: Drug Free Youth in Touch; At-Risk Programs Promoting Leisure Education; Youth-in-Action; the Mayor's Night Hoops Program; and Youth Outdoor Adventures. Interviews with program managers pointed to the marketing concept as the most…

Examines a task that can be applied in a uniform fashion across different languages to compare levels of vocabulary development in foreign-language learning. Results indicate that the lexical decision task can be a useful tool for the assessment and cross-linguistic comparison of lexical development in foreign-language learning. (37 references)…

Discusses changes occurring in two-, four-, and six-month-old infants' visual attention span, through a series of experiments examining their ability to orient to peripheral visual stimuli. The results obtained were consistent with the hypothesis that infants get faster with age in shifting attention to a spatial location. (AA)

In this study, planning time was manipulated as a variable in a trial administration of a semi-direct oral interaction test. Discourse analytic techniques were used to determine the nature and/or significance of difference in the elicited discourse across two conditions in terms of complexity and accuracy. Findings suggest that planning time may…

The use of a self-monitoring strategy to increase on-task behavior was examined with a post-institutionalization 13-year-old child included in a regular school in Ireland. A functional assessment conducted prior to the intervention indicated the student engaged stereotypy unless involved in academic tasks. After implementation of the intervention,…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a 4-second time delay instructional package and language of instruction on the learning of English sight words and incidental information by 4 Puerto Rican middle school students with mental retardation. Both Spanish and English time delay conditions were equally effective and efficient for 3 participants.…

Examined the student normative support for Chickering and Gamson's (1987) seven principles of good undergraduate education. Findings from surveys of undergraduate college students indicated that there was empirical evidence of student support for three of the seven principles: faculty-student contact, cooperation among students, and high…

Five syntheses of research on teaching are reviewed, with findings relevant to middle level teacher education highlighted. Implications for teacher education are discussed. Topics include preservice field experiences, adolescent student motivation, effective use of class time, effective teaching behavior and student achievement. (IAH)

Offers educational practitioners information about terms that can be used in discussions of historical concepts with students. Discusses the development of children's understanding of historical time concepts at four age spans. Also discusses terms in social studies textbooks that teachers may need to translate for students. (BB)