"Edinburgh Working Papers" is intended to show a yearly cross-section of current work in Edinburgh's Department of Applied Linguistics and to elicit reactions and criticism. Articles in this volume include the following: "MSC Common Room Conversations: Topics and Terms" (Joan Cutting); "Speculation and Empiricism in Applied Linguistics" (Alan…

A large percentage of practicing teachers has not had courses in urban education or multicultural studies. This volume attempts to fill the void for teachers who find themselves teaching minority students but are unsure about how to best meet their needs. An overview is provided of many issues that are essential in teaching minority students.…

Growing interest in adult literacy has encouraged research and innovative programming in the field. This paper examines several pieces of software created by the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy at Pennsylvania State University and explains their underlying conceptual foundations and the integration of visual materials. The Penn State…

A study compared four tests of English as a Second Language (ESL) used for placement of students of varying language backgrounds and skill levels in an intensive ESL program. The tests were a text-based listening and reading test, a listening dictation, a self-assessment questionnaire, and a self-reported vocabulary size test. All measures were…

This report discusses the findings of a study that examined the participation and performance of students with disabilities in the 1996 Minnesota Basic Standards Tests in reading and mathematics. Results indicated that approximately 70 percent of Minnesota's 8th grade students with disabilities participated in the Basic Standards Tests during the…

This course is designed to enhance reading and writing skills. It is tied to an interactive computer program (The New Reading Disc) that provides opportunities for reading, hearing sentences read, and writing letters and memos. Special emphasis is placed on workers' understanding of the importance of their jobs and how they fit into the total…

Project Atlantans Learning Employment Responsibilities Together (ALERT) was conducted by the Atlanta (Georgia) Public School System, in 1991, for the ninth consecutive year. Project ALERT is an education component of the Summer Youth Employment Program that represents a concerted effort to address problems associated with the high unemployment…

An overview of the salient issues in adult English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) literacy is presented as reported in the literature on adult education and applied linguistics. Emphasis is on programs that have implemented promising practices and effective approaches to help ESL students develop their literacy skills. Characteristics of effective…

The study described in this report examined the characteristics of eighth-grade students who were at risk of school failure. The study used data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, which is a large-scale, national longitudinal study begun in the spring of 1988 when 25,000 eighth graders attending public and private schools…

This guide is designed to provide essential background material about the College Board's Computerized Placement Tests (CPTs). It is recommended for administrators and staff alike. It contains the theory on which the tests are based, information concerning how to administer them, and discussions of the reports produced and how to interpret the…

Mt. Hood Community College (Oregon), International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Union Local 162, Fred Meyer, Inc., and Oregon Trucking Association, Inc. offered training to improve study, test taking, and basic and critical reading skills and prepare drivers to pass the Commercial Driver's License test before April, 1992. Training was targeted for…

The Massachusetts Basic Skills Testing Program, mandated by Chapter 188 of the Acts of 1985, seeks to identify students who have not mastered basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. Because the Massachusetts Department of Education does not mandate any post-test action, it has not been possible to prescribe any method of providing help…

This course in reading and study skills developed especially for hospital employees is intended to be taught onsite and to complement a hospital's other training and staff development efforts. It is designed to help adults who want to go back to college to get advanced vocational or technical training. It consists of a list of course goals,…

Intended to influence parents to play an important role in their child's education, this guide is an educational how-to book written in simple, easy-to-understand language, showing parents how to engage in activities with their children at home that will upgrade academic performance at school. The book covers 77 concepts, each presented as a…

The Cognitive Education Project centered at the University of Alberta undertook a 3-year longitudinal evaluation of two cognitive education programs aimed at teaching thinking skills. The critical difference between the two experimental programs was that one, Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment (IE) method was taught out of curricular content,…