Written language performance of 16 11th-grade students differed significantly from their fifth grade performance. Few differences occurred between teachers and eleventh grade students for total amounts of linguistic information used. (CM)

The age of print is seen as nearly over and the age of electronic communication begun. The new technology, it is suggested, will put the simpler aspects of education in the home, and in doing so it may leave the classroom behind. (MLW)

Describes a study that tests whether the sociolinguistic differences observed in essays in German are a carry-over from the native Scottish English. A previous study is described which tested the hypothesis that social class influences linguistic behavior and could be a cause for errors in a foreign language. (AMH)

Analyzes a report by D.D. Steinberg and J. Yamada that investigated which of the different types of scripts used in Japanese writing was the easiest to learn to read. (MKM)

Offers a rebuttal to Tzeng and Singer's criticism of the authors' study of the ease of learning to read the different Japanese scripts. States that the symbols and words were taught in the ordinary situation in which they are learned. (MKM)

Surveys earlier examples of course-based software and compares them with MacZi-known as Chinese Character Tutor in the Intel format, a program designed and produced at the University of New South Wales, Australia to teach students a basic vocabulary. Also reviews a student evaluation of the software's effectiveness and discusses how the program…

Describes the implementation of peer reviews in a Hong Kong tertiary classroom: the background, classroom procedure, types of students' negotiations during peer reviews, comparisons of students' drafts before and after peer reviews and interviews with students. Results support the need to introduce peer reviews in second-language writing classes.…

Presents a procedure for making the process of writing business letters concrete, to foment development and success in second-language writing classrooms. Attention is focused on how to demystify business writing so that international students can enjoy real learning and real successes in English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms. (Auth/JL)

Examines synchronous computer-mediated communication used in a university environment. Compared the level of participation among students and contrasted their written German chatroom discourse with their oral discourse produced in small face-to-face discussion groups. (Author/VWL)

In this article, two teachers of students with hearing impairments present their understanding of semantics and how they use this understanding to informally assess students' signed, oral, and written-language samples. Describes different classroom strategies for encouraging students with hearing impairments to use rich language. (Author/CR)

A comparison of the oral and written performance of college students of French as a second language taught by traditional methods and by use of tape recordings found that the written task was performed equally well by both groups but that the oral tasks were performed better by students taught with tapes. (Author/MSE)

Develops the idea of a phonetic-access dictionary by which the isolated spoken word is looked up directly in a phonetically transcribed lexicon of either the tradlitional hard-copy or the more flexible magnetic-media form. Typical applications and benefits to the EFL learner are presented. (58 references) (Author/CK)

Compares effectiveness of action, verbal, and written communications from schools in 59 South Carolina school districts through a survey of superintendents. No significant differences are found in district evaluation of effectiveness of the three modes of communication. Existing communications are primarily composed of surface types of information…

This review of the Test of Early Written Language concludes that the test succeeds in identifying students who are below their peers in writing and in measuring long-term gains in written language achievement; but its format makes it difficult to document specific strengths and weaknesses and its reliability; and validity have not been…

Describes a play-based procedure for assessing young children's knowledge of the functions of writing. A case study highlights this discussion. (BB)