Considers why the use of story in literacy education is central to critical adult literacy practice, and examines both its potential and limitations. The use of story in the form of student-written and student-produced autobiographies in general, and one student's story in particular, is explored. The value of publishing learners' stories is…

This study examined the impact of word processors on the writing of eighth grade students experienced in computer use. Four classes of students (n=111) were asked to write one expository paper on the computer and another paper on a similar theme by hand in a repeated measures research design that controlled for effects of order of writing (on or…

In order to investigate the effects of computer technology on the composing processes of students in grades 8 and 12, a study compared students' writing in two conditions (writing by pen and writing by word processor), specifically addressing the questions of whether computer use led to an increase in revision and/or an improvement in quality.…

To determine the syntactic maturity of eighth grade Canadian students' writing, all the students in four eighth grade classes were asked to write two compositions--one narrative and one argumentative--two weeks apart. The syntactic maturity level of the resulting 81 narrative compositions and 82 written arguments was compared with the syntactic…

Presents a quasi-experimental study conducted among younger immersion students that focused on determining whether an area of French vocabulary identified as problematic for these students can be successfully learned via increased exposure to such vocabulary in interesting reading material supplemented with associated analytic language activities.…

This booklet is a collection of writing by ninth-grade students taken from the 1987 and 1988 Canadian Territorial Achievement Tests. The booklet's 70 pieces of writing include essays on education in the Northwest Territory, narratives on how the best laid plans can go wrong, humorous treatments on uses for chewing gum and the best ways to keep…

Based on an examination of the organizational features of editing during collaborative computer writing in a combined first and second grade classroom in a Catholic school during the 1985-86 school year, this paper argues that there is a fundamental difference between collaborative and solo computer writing, and that collaboration during computer…

This paper describes two studies conducted with high school students doing library research and writing research papers, with the objective of examining the effectiveness of this type of assignment. The students were all in grade 11, the first group in Canada, the second in the United States. Students were observed in the classroom before they…

Aligned with its 1998 standards for first- and second-language learning, Alberta Learning has published lesson plans that aim for a closer relationship between learning and evaluation. Each volume in this series presents a specific task for students that involves planning, carrying out, and evaluating their work. The task for eleventh grade…

Presents abstracts of 10 documents and 11 journal articles representing recent research related to early childhood education, policy and educational provision in Canada, Italy, Latin America, Caribbean, Great Britain, Japan, Africa, Sweden, El Salvador, and Australia. Topics include child labor and basic education, culture and curriculum, social…

This study uses systemic functional linguistics and the related critical discourse analysis to examine intertextual links between four eighth-grade students' talk in informal conversations as they generated ideas for the characters of their narrative writing. Data sources included classroom observations, students' drafts and polished writing,…

This guide for parents of students with learning disabilities in Alberta (Canada) presents a variety of strategies parents can use to help their children in grades 1 through 9 become successful learners. Section 1 offers ideas for helping students get and stay organized such as using self-talk to create a positive attitude and organizing…

Contrasts uses of electronic mail which are contrived by teachers versus uses that are based on real educational needs. Examples based on elementary school projects in Canada, the United States, and Australia are given; and uses in distance education, in school administration, with handicapped children, and to improve writing skills are described.…

Describes a Canadian study attempting to relate the motivating power of interest to children's writing performance by supplementing background knowledge with topic relevant information. Reports that children with tutorial support on high interest subjects performed no better than others. Concludes that the motivational power of interesting topics…

Examines the sociocultural-linguistic processes involved in writing stories in English and French for 2 bilingual children, aged 10 and 11, in Quebec. Points out differences between the children in their views of play, schooling, and story creation. Proposes a unity of process across both languages that is mirrored in the writing of first- and…