Linguistics is the study of language, as contrasted with knowledge of a specific language. Formal linguistics is the study of the structures and processes of language, or how it works and is organized. Different approaches to formal linguistics include traditional or prescriptive, structural, and generative or transformational perspectives. Formal…

The teaching of literature is not well understood in American schools, nor has there been any major change in conceptualizing secondary school literature instruction in the past 25 years. In addition, study of how students come to understand literature parallel to the study of the writing process is almost nonexistent. For the past few years,…

Intended for college instructors interested in promoting and developing intellectual abilities in their students, this publication details the Perry and Toulmin models of cognitive development. The first section explains the Perry model of dualistic students, who are comfortable in a framework of absolute knowledge and unquestionable right and…

Research has indicated that current information about reading and the effective teaching of reading has not yet made much impact on content area textbooks. As a result, there is much room for improvement in how textbooks are written. Recent research has yielded a great deal of information about what makes a text more understandable and supportive…

This monograph provides an overview of the field of second and foreign language reading research and theories. The intent of the monograph is to provoke thought about future directions for investigating the second or foreign language reading process, and to suggest productive reading pedagogy. In Part I, pertinent first language theory and…

Chapter 2 of a revised volume on school leadership, this chapter reviews theories of leadership style--the way a leader leads. Although most experts agree that leadership style is important, they disagree concerning style components, leaders' capabilities for changing styles, the effects of personality traits on style, and the desirability of…

The authors in this volume propose expanding the topic of motivation in the preservice teacher education program by including contemporary research. Margaret W. Cohen reviews a body of research and theory concerned with the effects of extrinsic reinforcers on intrinsic motivation. She notes that contemporary research in the area of intrinsic…

Defining readers theatre as a technique for enhancing students' appreciation of literature and spoken language by dramatizing literary works in classroom settings, this booklet explains the basic principles of that form and offers exercises for applying those principles. The booklet notes that while the exercises are intended primarily for…

This digest describes the nature and implications of scientifically based research (SBR). SBR grew out of the No Child Left Behind act of 2001, which stipulates that federally funded programs and practices must be grounded in scientifically based research. Scientifically based research is defined here as "persuasive research that empirically…

In colleges and universities business students learn about organizational communication in order to function well in the business environment of which they will become a part. Although the organizational environment or culture is inextricably interwoven with the academic discipline of speech communication, the field of organizational communication…

Although pretend play has long been part of the early childhood curriculum, recent emphasis on accountability in education seems to have led to a decline in the general understanding of the contribution that high-quality play can make to children's cognitive development in the early years. This digest defines the cluster of concepts related to…

This digest discusses what research says about learning strategies and how teachers can teach learning strategies. A learning strategy is defined as an individual's way of reorganizing and using a particular set of skills in order to learn content or accomplish other tasks more effectively and efficiently in school and nonacademic settings.…

Discusses the concept of emergent literacy, summarizing several theories and studies on children's early experiences with reading and writing. Examines the implications of this research for beginning reading and writing instruction. (MM)

Presents an annotated bibliography of 12 research articles, all related to reader response theory and its applications to the English classroom. (HB)

The first 2 of the 12 publications reviewed in this annotated bibliography use Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs to address problems, respectively, of teaching composition and of motivating students by teaching them how to set goals, formulate goal-achievement strategies, and successfully implement their plans. Subsequent reports suggest ways of…