This article provides commentary on "Investigating the Impact of Literacy-infused Science Intervention on Economically Challenged Students' Science Achievement: A Case Study from a Rural District in Texas" (EJ1306217) which is about the impact of educational interventions on the scientific and academic achievements of students from…

Michael Swan and Catherine Walter (see EJ1142765) take issue with the current emphasis in the teaching of listening and reading on higher-order skills-and-strategies training. They argue that L2 learners typically already possess the relevant skills and strategies necessary for listening and reading in L2, and, by implication, can and do deploy…

This article presents the authors' response to the insightful comments provided by Charles Alderson and Fred Davidson regarding their article entitled "Q-matrix construction: Defining the link between constructs and test items in large-scale reading and listening comprehension assessments" (Sawaki, Kim, & Gentile, 2009). Many issues raised by both…

Too much thinking and research views learner autonomy in an instruction-centred way, with a focus on equipping the learner to function better in the classroom or learning centre. This article argues that true learner empowerment consists of the freedom to learn outside the teaching context and the ability to continue learning after instruction has…

Examines the lack of good listening skills among children today, and discusses the advantages of book/audio cassette packages (read-alongs) for developing listening and reading skills. (MES)

Describes an assignment for students in content-based classes for English as a second language in which they read, listen, discuss, and write about a current topic in the business world. (DF)

If people can evoke mental images when listening to a story, they can extend the process by turning words on a printed page into speech and evoke images for the "speech on the page." This is an exercise for reading comprehension that does not come naturally but can be worked on deliberately. A few moments of self-observation, when…

It is argued that reading skills are neglected in the first phase of second-language instruction in secondary schools. This article develops this argument and discusses the status of reading and listening skills as well as textbook selection and utilization in different approaches to foreign-language instruction. (IAH)

Makes a case for the continued emphasis on the incorporation of reading and listening skills in the second language proficiency movement and considers ways in which this movement has advanced such skill development. (CB)

Argues for giving precedence to the development of listening and reading skills, while postponing speaking and writing, in order to acquire a solid foundation for later speaking. Emphasizes bilingual exercises comprised of listening, supported by written texts. This method also preferable for adult learners because of inhibitions and anxiety about…

There is a tendency for students studying a French lesson to lose the positive effects gained during the listening and speaking phase when they read the "Lecture" sections of their texts. A study of six beginning level French texts shows that the "Lecture" is difficult for students and not systematically graduated in difficulty. (PJM)

Responds to Michael Canale's paper, "Considerations in the Testing of Reading and Listening Proficiency." Approaches Canale's three points of discussion from a textual point of view. Discusses the kinds of language materials likely to be encountered in texts at selected proficiency levels and how this material may be tested. (SED)

Presents picture-based and listening-based lessons designed to enhance teachers' awareness of the processes that lead to comprehension and to provide a framework within which they may develop their own lessons for comprehension awareness. (FL)

Urges college educators to define their institutions' academic literacy tasks by assessing the written and oral texts students will encounter, by identifying tasks assigned by professors, by determining how professors perceive their academic domain, and by defining students' perceptions of the tasks they encounter. Suggests ways and benefits of…

Skills integration generally refers to linking two or more of the traditional four skills of language learning: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This article describes two kinds of skills integration--traditional and "real life"--and presents arguments for skills integration. Sample exercises are included. (12 references) (LB)