Children exhibiting a referential orientation seem more likely to acquire new object names than nonreferentially oriented children. Also, children's selection of words may be influenced by the phonological structure of the words. (Author/RH)

Laments the trend toward the simplistic and plain styles of writing. Offers English teachers reasons for endorsing elegance as an alternative to stark plainness. (RL)

Looks at the general effects of bilingualism on cognitive development and highlights the specific effects of bilingualism on third language acquisition. Examines effects of bilingualism on cognitive development, metalinguistic awareness, and communicative skills, then focuses on the specific effects of bilingualism on third language proficiency by…

A model is proposed to explain when communication in the manual modality will assume grammatical properties and when it will not. An experiment with 16 hearing adults suggests the necessity of segmentation and combination in all communication. Manual communication need not be characterized by grammatical properties only when it accompanies speech.…

Analysis of panel data on immigrants to Germany 1984-94 focused on the relationship of language proficiency and productivity. Results show how time-varying measurement errors can lead to downward bias on the effect of fluency on earnings. Language proficiency is thus far more important than studies have suggested. (Contains 30 references.) (SK)

Considers computerized adaptive testing from the perspective of graphical modeling (GM). GM provides methods for making inferences about multifaceted skills and knowledge and for extracting data from complex performances. Provides examples from language-proficiency assessment. (SLD)

Reviews research into the role of gender in computer-mediated communication (CMC) interactions. Criticizes the frequent claim that CMC is free of gender-based inequalities because of the lack of face-to-face cues and emphasizes the important role of social context in providing and limiting opportunities for instructional interactions. (SLD)

Attempts to stimulate research and discussion of the social and affective variables that may impact language development in the adult second language immersion experience, because they may be noticeably different from the social factors at play in primary and secondary school-age learners' experiences. (Author/VWL)

Most previous studies on topic prominence in second language (L2) acquisition have investigated interlanguage from the direction either of topic prominence to subject prominence or subject prominence to subject prominence. The role of topic/subject prominence typology in L2 acquisition cannot be fully explained until additional studies are…

That the contemporary university is exceedingly "user friendly" is beyond any reasonable doubt. While chancellors reaffirm their commitment to inclusiveness sans intellectual boundaries, lowly teaching assistants award gentleperson's C's to functional illiterates. Such odious requirements as foreign language proficiency or familiarity with…

The study investigated native language verbal skills among low and highly proficient bilinguals, using the WISC III verbal subtests. Highly proficient bilinguals showed a superiority for almost all verbal subtests. This finding lends support to Threshold Theory which maintains that bilinguals need to achieve high levels of linguistic proficiency…

This study investigated the relative frequency of seven TW strategies among Iranian EFL students to find out probable relationship(s) between test-wiseness, proficiency and gender. To do so, out of 138 participants, a total number of 80 undergraduate EFL students from Shahid Chamran University were chosen and divided on the basis of their…

The intent of the present study was to examine the strength of the relationship between language proficiency in English and the 9 types of intelligences. As such, the objectives of this study were three-folded. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between multiple intelligences and language proficiency among the…

This paper presents the 2008 Maryland School Performance Report. It shows the academic performance results of the State and its 24 school systems. This report includes the results from the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) given in spring 2008, information about the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measures required by the federal No Child Left…

Our recent review of content assessments revealed that language expectations and proficiencies are often implicitly embedded within the assessment criteria. Based on a review of performance assessments used in high school biology settings, we have found a recurring discrepancy between assessment scoring criteria and performance expectations. …