This report is designed for use by policymakers and practitioners involved in issues of adult education, welfare reform, and employment training programs. The driving concerns of this report are issues associated with Spanish-speaking adults who are at risk for having learning disabilities. The focus on adults is critical, because such issues as…

This 22-country survey was conducted between 1994 and 1998. Representative samples of adults aged 16-65 were interviewed and tested at home using the same literacy tests. The main purpose of the survey was to find out how well adults use information to function in society. Another aim was to investigate the factors that influence literacy…

This chapter describes a program evaluation of cooperative learning in a private language school devoted to teaching English to Japanese students. Student resistance to cooperative learning was due to a lack of training of students, a lack of understanding of basic cooperative learning principles by administrators, and a lack of cooperative…

This paper describes a first-year English-as-foreign-language junior college reading course in Japan that utilized a combination of whole class instruction and cooperative learning techniques to encourage group discussion and language skill development. Students were randomly divided into groups of eight--a group which became the students' home…

Despite several years of English language instruction, most Japanese students remain unable to produce nor comprehend more than rudimentary English. In order to overcome this problem, students must be motivated to participate in tasks designed to get them to use English communicatively--a difficult task in a country where students typically remain…

This document is the final report describing the experiences, effectiveness, and findings of a home ownership literacy program in El Paso, Texas. It is asserted that such a program was and is necessary because the adult education programs that presently exist typically are not sufficiently addressing the practical, real-life needs of the…

This study investigated over a 3-year period the learning strategies high school students reported using for learning a second language. The learning strategies used across languages and modalities are described. The report is organized by instrument--questionnaires, small group interviews, individual think-aloud interviews--and presents the data…

This paper reports on the findings of two surveys, one year apart, that examined the experiences and attitudes of teachers in a University of Hong Kong English Centre related to the prospect of a curriculum increasingly mediated through information technology (IT). The responses bear witness to the problems teachers experienced in attempting to…

Phonological awareness is one of the strongest predictors of success in learning to read. Recent research findings indicate that the development of proficiency in the first language (L1) reading structures may significantly influence reading acquisition in a second language (L2). However, little is yet known of the predictive relationship of…

This article presents the results of a pilot longitudinal study that attempted to develop a method to take subjective, qualitative observations about the English language speaking skills of Japanese English language learners and transform them into objective, quantitative measures. The following considerations must be addressed in the course of…

This paper is a pedagogically-oriented case study of a "Gaikokugo" Communication course conducted in an intensive format. After a brief introduction and consideration of the intensive course format, the pedagogical approach guiding the course (together with samples of the materials used in the course provided in the appendix) is…

This study examined the collaboration of four adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners as they participated in a small groups to construct meaning in response to English short stories. The study investigated learners' oral responses and utterances and noted how group discussion influenced the content of their responses to short stories…

This paper discusses the establishment of a connection between cognitive concepts and knowledge acquired through English-as-a-Second-Language teaching and learning. Modern thinking focuses on effective application of common global knowledge and language skills appropriate for culturally diverse students. The article suggests that a cognitive…

This study focuses on electronic office hour consultations and investigates the presence and organization of pragmatic elements associated with negotiating the completion and evaluation of coursework in the e-mail messages of 28 American and international students to an American professor. Findings indicate a lack of negotiation skills in the…

This issue brief considers how to involve English language learners in community-connected learning, a set of strategies to engage young people in learning experiences beyond the classroom. Such strategies include internships at work sites, and project-based learning in classrooms. In successful community-connected learning strategies, students…