Methods to contextualize tests in the four skill areas of listening, reading, writing, and speech are described. The roles of grammatical and lexical cues, recording semantic details, cloze adaptation, comprehensive questions, logical continuation items, global classification, and sociolinguistic factors are examined in relation to test formats.…

Argues that writing promotes engagement with a text, leading to better comprehension, and that writing tasks should vary depending on the nature of the reading task. (RAE)

Describes lessons that build students' critical thinking skills through improving class discussions, distinguishing between comprehension and critical reading, and involving students in writing while reading. (AEA)

In an effort to assess community college students' knowledge of the liberal arts, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges developed and field-tested a student survey and General Academic Assessment (GAA) instrument. The GAA was completed by a sample of 8,024 students at four large, urban community college districts. The scores were cross…

The wealth of information available on the Web affords teachers and learners access to language learning resources like never before. Online journals, listservs, newspapers, and magazines provide authentic material for language learners, while teachers can find lesson plans and ideas, exercises, assessment tools, and other materials for use in…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: the effect of vocabulary instruction on the comprehension of poor readers; contextual methods of teaching sight words to elementary remedial readers; the effects…