In this paper, we examine the influences of two settings--home and child care--on the development of children's speaking and listening skills before they begin formal schooling. We propose that a developmental assets approach, one that focuses on strengths of these settings, can help our understanding of the development of young children's…

This article argues in favor of a receptive vocabulary component in foreign language courses through consideration of: productive vs. receptive vocabulary knowledge; misconceptions in receptive vocabulary instruction; and classroom-tested approaches and activities for receptive vocabulary development. (CB)

Discusses "hermeneutics" and "inner speech" in an attempt to broaden the current theoretical basis for describing foreign language listening as a dynamically interpretive language process. A pedagogical model is proposed for the teaching of academic listening skills in the foreign language classroom. (Author/CB)

Tracking as a technique for training and evaluating speechreaders' reception of connected discourse is redefined, and some of its modifications are presented. Also noted are issues in the use of tracking, such as verbatim response, talker learning, and material selection, and recommendations for preparing speechreaders for the tracking task. (JDD)

Attempts to overcome methodological problems in studies of vocabulary size. Problems occur when trying to answer the following three questions: (1) how do we decide what to count as words; (2) how do we choose what words to test; and (3) how do we test the chosen words? (31 references) (Author/VWL)

Focusing on educational settings, this paper examines receiver apprehension (anxiety associated with the decoding, interpreting, and/or adjusting psychologically to messages sent by others). The first section, in a review of the literature, discusses the theoretical basis for receiver apprehension. A summary of educational consequences is…

This review of research examines investigations that have focused on the effect of reinforcer specificity on the acquisition of both language comprehension and production skills by learners with severe handicaps. Issues regarding the use of intervention strategies that employ reinforcer specificity are discussed. (Author/JW)

This paper reviews the literature on grammatical knowledge in language comprehension in the preschool years from the perspective of sensitivity to structural contrasts. Studies of both direct and indirect evidence of sensitivity to structural contrasts were evaluated and showed that there may be a developmental sequence of increasing sensitivity…

A literature review of listening comprehension research covers five areas: text characteristics; interlocutor characteristics; task characteristics (variation in listening purpose); listener characteristics; and process characteristics (variation in the listener's cognitive activities and the nature of the speaker/listener interaction). (Contains…

Discusses the assessment of children's early language comprehension by the use of (1) parent reports; (2) preferential-looking models; and (3) event-related brain potentials. Examines recent findings on dissociations between language comprehension and production in normal, late-talking, and brain-injured children and considers the implications of…

Technical (e.g., the need for more audiologists) and educational (e.g., the need for personnel preparation) considerations are examined in terms of maximizing the use of residual hearing with hearing impaired students. Historical and current approaches to auditory training are discussed, as is the role of prosody in spoken language comprehension,…

This article is a one-year review of available research and an appraisal of the Revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-R). This instrument consistently demonstrates adequate alternate form equivalence across samples and consistently evidences significantly lower standard scores than its earlier version and traditional cognitive tests…

This review focuses on methods used to identify language impairment in 72 published research studies from 1983-88. Test data were most frequently used, and expressive and receptive language were routinely assessed. Research problems included the lack of clarity regarding the specific number and identity of tests used and use of incomplete tests.…

This paper identifies characteristics of poor speechreaders, defines developmental dyspraxia in profoundly hearing-impaired children, and outlines the speechreading process. An active training method is described in which expressive and receptive skills are integrated, by having hearing-impaired people speechread their own speech via videotape…

Current thinking about language, learning, and literacy are discussed, focusing on such themes as: literacy as a part of language learning, understanding text and written language modes, the "metas" in language and cognition, and maintaining a clinical focus in classroom contexts and beyond. Four researcher-clinicians offer observations about…