Debaters have several poor word-choice and word-formation habits that detract from their ethos as advocates as well as from the clarity of their arguments. In many instances, debaters, to their competitive and educational detriment, employ habitual phrases, questionable redefinitions, and poorly coined new words. Many currently popular debate…

Many would-be reformers have become so entranced with educational standards that they fail to recognize accompanying problems, such as optimal generality and subordination levels. There is really no difference between instructional objectives and content standards. Other perils of content standards include inadequate descriptive vigor,…

Research is an important activity for second-language educators because it ultimately improves teaching abilities. Unfortunately recent trends in research have resulted in narrow perspectives, increased jargon, and esoteric subject matter. The goal of second-language research should be increasing communication and knowledge throughout the…

Introduces characteristics of the sublanguage found in diagnostic messages about automotive equipment failures and discusses a system for minimizing jargon. Proposes using general knowledge sources and evaluates levels of communication accuracy, robustness and efficiency. (AEF)

Multivocal literatures are comprised of all accessible writings on a common topic and embody the views of diverse authors. The exploratory case study method is proposed as a way to ensure rigor in reviews of such literatures because it addresses problems associated with the selective use of data. (SLD)

This article summarizes procedures used in translating technical jargon in the field of behavior therapy to plain English. It lists phrases translated from applied behavior analysis to public education, presents acronyms useful in remembering sequences of steps, and describes two tests to help in decision making in behavior analysis applications.…

Modern school executives have a bewildering number of management philosophies to choose from and a seemingly limitless supply of buzzwords and fads. In this poem, St. Peter (Heaven's chief executive) has trouble forming committees of subluminaries to help him decide which managerial types should enter the pearly gates. (MLH)

Two videotapes were created of a child communicating with a voice output augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. In one the child communicated using formal English only and in the other the child communicated using formal English and age appropriate informal terms. Children in grades 4 and 5 viewed either the formal English only…

Commonly-used terms in education are listed alphabetically in English with translations or corresponding terms in French. When appropriate, notes are provided for clarification or extension of the terms. The words and phrases pertain to all aspects of education, including instruction, administration, governance, and theory. The list of almost 900…

Using Texas's experience with standards and high-stakes testing, this critical sociocultural view of accountability illuminates hidden or neglected aspects of accountability-its meanings, consequences, and the processes by which it is institutionalized. Authority is moving to the state level; teachers, parents, and students have too little…

Purpose: In addition to mapping the consistency in rhetoric behind education for sustainability, despite changes in jargon over the past 30 years, this paper endeavours to estimate the degree to which these ideas have been integrated into the Australian tertiary sector. Design/methodology/approach: The results of a recent internet-based audit of…

During a (hypothetical) phone interview with a university researcher, an elementary principal reminisced about a lifetime of reading groups with unmemorable names, medium-paced math problems, patchworked social studies/science lessons, and totally "average" IQ and batting scores. The researcher hung up at the mention of bell-curved assembly lines…

The technical complexity of the language of academic journals is discussed in terms of graduate students' needs for information, especially in developing countries. An examination of problems in two articles in "Language" and one in "American Anthropologist" points out the nature of the difficulties and some of the solutions. (Author/LB)

This is a summary of some of the issues raised in a recent on-line discussion within the IATEFL Teacher Trainers and Educators Special Interest Group. The IATEFL Teacher Trainers and Educators Special Interest Group periodically organizes on-line fielded discussions on pre-determined topics that are chosen and moderated by volunteers. From time to…

In program evaluation and policy analyses, utility supplants rigor as the first and most important criterion in judging literature reviews. Although R. T. Ogawa and B. Malen emphasize rigor, a utilization-focused evaluation emphasizes purpose and audience, both of which affect the conduct of a multivocal literature review. (SLD)