This report describes a study on the development of children's conceptualizations of written language, that is, their graphic sense. The study investigated three issues: (1) whether acquisition of literacy is a developmental process common to all normal children, (2) whether the levels of graphic sense tend to be associated with particular…

A study was designed to investigate the nature of language proficiency and its cross-lingual dimensions. The focus of the study was on the interdependence hypothesis, that older immigrant students whose first language (L1) cognitive/academic proficiency is better developed on arrival in Canada will acquire English cognitive/academic skills more…

This article describes a language achievement test designed for French students studying English. It evaluates reading and listening comprehension, and grammatical and lexical skills. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Describes a mixture of rigid and flexible grouping by achievement on the basis of the television course "Speak Out" in the 7th school year of a Gesamtschule offering supplementary courses. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The new call to action on foreign language competence is addressed to administrators and academic officers of higher education institutions. Based on recent reports on education, it is proposed that American colleges and universities are not succeeding in equipping students to live and communicate in an international world, and that the problem…

Problems related to the study of second language learners are described, and the factors affecting language development are discussed. Factors influential in second language learning include psychological, sociological, and affective aspects. Similarly, the measurement of language has been influenced by linguistic, psychological, and social…

The long-term pattern of language shift from Spanish to English for a national sample (N=428) of Mexican-American sophomores is documented. All students spoke Spanish as a first language and were educated entirely in the United States. The students were participants in diverse bilingual education programs during their elementary years and were…

The notion that a set of restricted-generalized abilities underlies both reading and writing is explored in this essay. Following a definition of schooled language competence (SLC), the first section asserts that knowledge and problem solving are insufficient and nonlinguistic approaches to language competence. The second section focuses on…

Traditionally, classroom instruction has been viewed as a structured, deliberately sequenced process leading to predetermined goals within given time limits. However, classroom second language instruction appears to be less efficient than non-classroom language acquisition. The reason may lie in the distinction between linguistic input (all…

The use of two types of commercially available Apple computer educational software in English for the development of accuracy and fluency in students of English as a second language is described. One type of program is aimed at the drilling and practice of grammar in English. Some of these programs have interesting formats and allow the teacher to…

A study of the communication skill needs of the foreign teaching associate (TA) in American universities focused on two questions: (1) What does a foreign TA do to communicate information in an American classroom in terms of comunication strategies and devices for cohesion and coherence of discourse? and (2) How does this compare with the way an…

A study comparing some grammatical and discourse features of the language of native-English-speaking and non-native-English-speaking parents of primary school children found that those children whose parents address them in interlanguage of English, frequently the case when the parent has not achieved native fluency, often need to repair the…

A study investigated the role of metacognitive skills and the conception of reading in the reading comprehension of adult native speakers of Spanish and English. The study differed from others in its examination of reading conceptions and comprehension in both the first and second languages. Results suggest that both first language reading ability…

A pilot study concerning the range of writing skills of intermediate students of English as a second language (ESL) is reported. The study identified the clause structures and relative low-order linguistic skills in the writing samples of 25 college students in this group. The method of evaluation of writing samples was a model of conformity to…

This paper examines the uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding student teaching supervision which may result from the individually idiosyncratic and imprecise use of language in clinical instruction and evaluative judgments. Case study methodology is used to compare the language used and the underlying images of "student teaching" and "effective…