Reports findings from a study on the use of computer-mediated communication to support postgraduate second language teacher education. Findings are reported according to organizing categories of social interaction and different tasks that can effect online communicative exchanges.(Author/VWL)

A protocol analysis of second language (L2) writing of adult speakers of Japanese, English, and Spanish observed how language switching (first language (L1) switching use in L2 writing) was affected by L2 proficiency, task difficulty, and language group. Less proficient L2 learners switched to their L1 more frequently than more advanced learners,…

Used two methods to assess bilingual dominance in four groups of Italian-English bilinguals. Ratios were derived from bilinguals' self-rating of ability to speak and understand Italian compared to English. Dominance in Italian was associated with a relatively high level of performance in Italian (assessed in a translation task) and relatively poor…

Examined whether letter names, which bridge the gap between oral and written language among English speaking children, have a similar function in Hebrew. In findings from studies of Israeli kindergartners and first graders, children were found to rely on letter names in performing a number of letter saying, spelling, and word recognition tasks.…

Reports on an exploratory study that investigated the comparability of listening assessment tasks used to assess and report learning outcomes of adult English-as-a-Second-Language learners in Australia. Focused on the effects of task characteristics and task conditions on learners' performance in competency-based listening assessment tasks that…

Reviews a study that was designed to find evidence of factors influencing the kind of interaction found in small-group work in language learning among young adult English teacher trainees in a developing country. (22 references) (GLR)

Residential specialists (N=759) in public and private facilities for mentally retarded adults were surveyed to identify the skills that they consider essential for mentally retarded adults to function in different residential settings (unsupervised apartment, supervised apartment, and group home). Significant differences were found among settings…

Discusses two strategies that provide concrete-thinking students with opportunities to develop and use formal or critical-thinking skills. Describes using task analysis and long-term investigations in the classroom. (YP)

Twelve proficient peer models without disabilities demonstrated a response chain for a targeted learning task each day and described the steps to three classmates with developmental disabilities, who observed. The peer models performed the response chains accurately and quickly and the students with disabilities acquired the response chains. (DB)

The first step in engineering the instruction of dental psychomotor skills, task analysis, is explained. A chart details the procedural, cognitive, desired-criteria, and desired-performance analysis of a single task, occlusal preparation for amalgam restoration with carious lesion. (MSE)

Two task analytic instructional procedures, a traditional strategy and a strategy based on therbligs (fundamental hand motions), were compared in teaching vocational skills to three adults with severe disabilities. Both strategies led to the acquisition of the target tasks, but the therblig-based strategy was more efficient and efficacious.…

Investigated ways in which different writing tasks influence quality and quantity of foreign language composition, as well as writing strategies used by American college students when composing in Japanese as a foreign language. Study proposed to compare qualitative and quantitative differences between descriptive and narrative writing tasks; to…

Describes Spartanburg Technical College's six-step process for developing curricula that integrates job-specific content with work-related skills. Identifies skills employers want, ways of incorporating those skills, the curriculum design model, considerations for implementation, and benefits. (DMM)

The objective of this study is to identify potential sources contributing to any mismatch between teacher intention and learner interpretation by explaining learners' and teachers' perceptions of the nature, the goals, and the demands of selected language-learning tasks, and by analyzing classroom events. (three references) (JL)

Discusses three major areas in which cognitive psychology and educational technology are affecting instructional design (ID) theory: (1) analysis of information, including content analysis and task analysis; (2) the means of evaluating learners; and (3) linking learning theory with specific instructional strategies through an integrated…