Central to the process of reading comprehension is the use of questions and discussions in the classroom in order to direct and to evaluate a student's level of understanding of the materials read. Researchers estimate that approximately 70% of teaching involves the technique of questioning students. It is important that teachers do more than ask…

A descriptive, developmental study of children's imitation of interrogative sentences was conducted among 16 preschool and 15 kindergarten children acquiring English as either a native or a second language. A program of language activities based on four American folk rhymes (three in the form of a rhythmic dialogue and the fourth an antiphonal…

During one term at a laboratory school, reading was systematically deleted from activites in one secondary level class and replaced with film, lecture, oral reading, slides, and other audiovisual aids. The Nelson-Denny Reading Test served as pretest-posttest for the twelve-week experiment, with 19 of 25 students completing both tests. The results…

This paper describes a study which evaluates two classroom innovations directed at the problems of student motivation, academic performance, and social perceptions. These innovations, "Student Learning Teams" and "Academic Divisions," are evaluated in a two by two factorial field experiment in eight seventh grade English…

This publication includes the following articles: Introduction to Issues in Culture and Learning; The House Form as a Cornerstone of Culture; Music for Multi-cultural Students; Creative Writing in English: Problems Faced by Undergraduates in the English Department, University of Hong Kong; Re-entry/Transition Seminars for Overseas Sojourners:…

Designed to interpret and synthesize the existing research and related information about dialects for those people who are involved in teaching a standard English to speakers of other dialects, the information in this report is based on an analysis and synthesis of over 1,250 articles and reports dealing with dialects and dialect learning. The…

Teachers (N=39), administrators (N=9), and a speech therapist working with deaf students rated 240 competencies for teaching English as a symbol system. The top 38 competencies involved practical teaching skills and techniques. Competencies related to the oral-aural method, theory, and background information about deafness were not given high…

Concludes that young people are reading less and are less influenced by reading than their counterparts of almost a decade ago. (EL)

The purpose of this article was to clarify the seemingly contrary philosophies of learner centered and teacher centered teaching approaches. First, the benefits of both approaches are described. Examples of ways in which teacher centered classes using thoughtful questioning techniques or focused lectures enhance learning are presented. The…

This paper attempted to determine whether increasing technology, specifically a computer-based instructional approach, into the curriculum increases student learning, focusing on effects on student attitudes and self-efficacy. Participants were 47 fifth graders in a private school. One group received computer-based instruction in English grammar,…

Uses response journals to explore the ways fourth-grade students respond to literature. Finds factors necessary to mesh text and a reader's personal experiences: a classroom atmosphere that encourages risk-taking; daily opportunities to read and respond; a wide variety of choices in reading materials; modeling of good reading strategies; and…

A case-study methodology is used to explore the pedagogical content knowledge of three beginning secondary-school English teachers, all of whom entered teaching with strong literature backgrounds and no teacher education coursework. (IAH)

An alternative high school teacher examined whether her students could be motivated to achieve higher performance levels, testing a theory that performance would improve if students were asked to meet detailed standards rather than be rewarded for class attendance and assignment completion. The experiment had mixed results. (Author/SM)

Examines what happened when college students enrolled in an adolescent literature class met young readers encountering young adult literature in a Book Club setting. Describes this inquiry-based partnership between a university classroom and junior high and elementary classrooms, and the accompanying challenges and benefits for preservice…

The five-paragraph theme, while widely used by writing instructors, has often been criticized for its tendency to focus on a rigid formula rather than a writer's ideas. This study investigates the decision of an early-career teacher, Leigh, to teach her eighth-grade students the five-paragraph model in the context of a state-mandated writing…