This paper focuses on the effectiveness of direct instruction in improving non-native student achievement in English learning. The study involved two groups in two English classes. Groups were selected from two different elementary public schools in the State of Kuwait. Study parameters were derived from a review of the literature and scientific…

A newly developed quantitative near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system was used to measure changes in cortical hemoglobin oxygenation during the Verbal Fluency Task in 32 healthy controls, 15 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 15 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The amplitude of changes in the waveform, which was…

Over the past few decades, it has become evident that the natural environment is an entity that humans need to better understand. Environmental education is defined here as the teaching and learning of, and about, nature and human interaction with nature. Traditionally, the environment has been researched and taught about in a piecemeal…

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of task type on the performance of EFL speaking tests for Taiwanese college students. The major research questions explored in the study include: (1) Will test takers perform differently on various task types of EFL speaking tests? (2) Are there any differences in the accuracy,…

The Speech Fluency Profile of fluent adolescent speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, were examined with respect to gender and neurolinguistic variations. Speech samples of 130 male and female adolescents, aged between 12;0 and 17;11 years were gathered. They were analysed according to type of speech disruption; speech rate; and frequency of speech…

Purpose: This study provides preliminary reference data for speech and articulatory rates of school-age children in conversational and narrative speaking contexts. Method: Participants included 36 typically developing children in 3 groups of 12 participants at ages 7, 9, and 11 years. Conversational and narrative speech rates were measured in…

Parental involvement at school offers unique opportunities for parents, and this school-based involvement has important implications for children's academic and behavioral outcomes. The authors used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001) to examine race and immigrant…

A PHONOLOGICAL COMPARISON WAS MADE BETWEEN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. THE PRINCIPAL REFERENCE USED FOR ENGLISH ANALYSIS WAS "AN OUTLINE OF ENGLISH STRUCTURE" BY TRAGER AND SMITH. THE PRINCIPAL REFERENCE USED FOR SPANISH ANALYSIS WAS "SPANISH JUNCTURE AND INTONATION" BY STOCKWELL, BOWEN, AND SILVA-FUENZALIDA. THE PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS COMMON TO A…

Language acquisition is a quantifiable system with the sum total of verbal inputs and outputs increasing with the age of the subject. Increases in vocabulary are positively accelerated during developmental years and become negatively accelerated or zero during adult years. Thus, older people have available a larger active and passive vocabulary.…

Reports results of a study in which the investigator attempted to identify dimensions of perceived vocal attributes, assess the specific effects of perceived vocal attributes on credibility evaluations, and compare attributes and dimensions of attributes on their contributions to variance in credibility judgments. (GW)

Subjects of moderate intelligence (IQ 40-55) were found to be significantly more creative that those of lower intelligence (IQ 20-40); the fluency trait was a better measure of creativity than flexibility. (Author)

Comparison of word fluency with seven high-functioning children with autism (ages 11-15) and controls of similar age and vocabulary level found that both groups performed equally well when generating words in response to familiar category cues, but autistic children performed significantly less well than controls when generating miscellaneous…

Discusses two experiments: the first examining multilinguals ability to maintain native language writing quality and fluency in the presence of unattended irrelevant speech while maintaining a concurrent 6-digit memory load; the second in which bilinguals reduced fluency during writing with a six-digit load only. Results are interpreted in terms…

This study confirmed the following: Fowler's (1989) finding that duration is reduced for repeated words that involve Given information; evidence that Given repetitions are restricted to intra-topic discourse; evidence that duration is increased for new repetitions under intra-topic conditions; and evidence for shortening and lengthening are…

Of 171 human resource managers in multicultural corporations, 78.9% indicated the need for employees with second language fluency, especially in Spanish (69.6%). Second language speaking skills were in higher demand than reading or writing. Second language ability is a major consideration in hiring, promotion, and retention. (SK)