One of the biggest challenges seasoned English language teacher Mina Gavell has faced in the classroom is how to liven up reading classes. Not only is reading inherently a quiet and solo task, but the standard skills teachers are trying to build in their students--skimming, scanning, making predictions and inferences, guessing vocabulary meaning…

This position statement affirms the need to develop accessible and effective reading pedagogies in college writing classrooms so that students can engage more deeply in all of their courses and develop the reading abilities that will be essential to their success in college, in their careers, and for their participation in a democratic society.…

In cultures where there is a danger of losing face by making a mistake, students prefer activities in which their errors may not be so apparent. The speaking skill is challenging for language learners, necessitating activities that support oral interaction in the classroom. The adaptable radio drama activities presented in this article promote…

In order to successfully complete any college-level courses, English Language Learner (ELL) students must be able to read and comprehend a large volume of academic information. However, many instructors are completely overwhelmed in teaching their respective subject areas and are academically unprepared to teach ELL students appropriate reading…

Reasons are examined as to why students are reluctant to complete assigned textbook readings on a timely basis. Prior research suggested that lack of student motivation, lack of student knowledge of effective study habits, competing demands on student time, and lack of congruency between student objectives for the course and professor objectives…

Comprehension in textbooks, scholarly books, and research journal articles, along with identification of important information can be problematic for college students. Reading is fundamental in all academic disciplines. Many college instructors do not see that teaching students reading skills as part of their job, and that reading required…

This study investigated degrees of mutual intelligibility among 3 structurally related languages in South Africa: Sepedi, Sesotho, and Setswana. To compare reading proficiency of mother-tongue speakers who enrolled for freshman courses at the University of Limpopo, 4 reading experimental conditions, in the 3 languages and 1 in a harmonized text,…

Reviews research demonstrating a relationship between the use of comprehension monitoring strategies and improved reader proficiency; investigating the characteristics of unskilled college students; and supporting direct, explicit instruction in reading strategies and comprehension monitoring. Summarizes studies of the most effective methods of…

The activity of summarization relates discourse comprehension and production in a particularly striking way: it derives writing from reading, in that the rendering of a text depends on its previous interpretation. There are two very different kinds of summaries including: abbreviated versions and brief accounts. An abbreviated version is the…

Describes a study conducted to determine whether the relationships between reading and writing can serve as the basis of a functional pedagogy to improve the reading comprehension of academically underprepared college students. The study also examined the effects of integrated reading and writing instruction on students' skills and attitudes. (PAA)

This study skills workshop guide, for the college level, is designed to help students assess their study skills and personal behavior goals for becoming academically effective and confident. Seven consecutive, 2-hour, weekly sessions emphasize learning as an active process and concentrate on specific skills: objectives and goals; time management;…

This paper focuses on the development of EAP methodology within an African EAP context. I describe the setting up and implementation of an EAP study skills programme at the University of Asmara, Eritrea, over the period 1994-1998 and its subsequent development up to 2002. The unique social and political context of the EAP programme served as a…

A study compared the effectiveness of two methods of second language instruction, video-based and text-based, during one academic year of college-level French instruction. Experimental and control groups each had 14 subjects. Results showed some difference in achievement in listening, and little in reading, speaking, writing, or grammar. (MSE)

This book is a general introduction to the performed culture approach, which trains students how to express themselves in a way that native speakers of the target culture feel appropriate in given situations. Target readership includes Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language teachers and graduate students. Chapters of this book include: (1)…