Investigates whether English teachers and teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) rate writing samples differently using both holistic (global) and analytical (multiple trait) scoring methods. Findings suggest that the analytical scoring method may be more faithful to real dissimilarities existing between these two groups than is the…

This article reports some outcomes from an exploratory study that compares children diagnosed with ADHD and without language impairment with typically developing children for aspects of language use. Discourse analysis based on a systemic functional linguistics approach is applied to spoken and written samples from three different text types that…

The current study aims at investigating the effect of a suggested CALL program on developing EFL learners' mechanics of writing in English. An unbiased simple random sample of eighty fourth-year students (2006/2007) of the English Department at the Faculty of Education in Kafr El-Sheikh has been chosen to carry out the experiment. Forty students…

An English translation of a grammar of the language used by the Roma, a group of wanderers living in many countries, united by a common language, and often called Bohemians or gypsies, begins with a translator's preface concerning the group's history and the development of the language and dialects. Preliminary material contains a brief history of…

Dictation in the language arts class most often involves lists of isolated spelling words. However, in France and in other European countries, the dictation of literary passages is a common activity in the language arts class and appears to be of great interest and benefit to students. Among the values of such dictation are the following: students…

The origins of the English Genitive Apostrophe (EGA) are relatively recent, and considerable variation in its use by native speakers is evident. A study of 45 undergraduates/postgraduates suggests overall that there continues to be a lack of accord between usage of and prescriptive rules for EGA. (Contains 37 references.) (Author/LB)

The third of three studies involving a comparative analysis of transactional and narrative writing of selected samples of students in two Ontario districts, this study addressed questions arising from the earlier studies and examined the writing skills of students in grades 5, 8, and 12. Writing samples were examined for conformity to the norms of…

Adapted for whole class use, this unit of study is aimed at helping children in England who have reached Level 3 in English at Key Stage 2 and who need further help with the skills of writing to enable them to achieve Level 4. It focuses on extending pupils' range and control of sentences in writing. The sessions include the proper use of…

Developed for use in small groups, this unit of study is aimed at helping children in England who have reached Level 3 in English at Key Stage 2 and who need further help with the skills of writing to enable them to achieve Level 4. It focuses on extending pupils' range and control of sentences in writing. The sessions include the proper use of…

This German language textbook is intended for classroom use. The theme of the text relates to the Renaissance, and the narrative is based on Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" (1516) and relates to the experiences of its central character Raphael among the inhabitants of the strange island. Each chapter touches lightly on some thought provoking…

Fifty-six Toronto (Ontario, Canada) seventh-grade and eighth-grade learning-disabled students whose handwriting was very difficult to read were randomly assigned to either an experimental or comparison group. Experimental group students were loaned a portable computer to use freely at school and at home during the course of the experiment.…

Three articles on the orthography of Australian Aboriginal Kriol include: "Aspects of Developing a Writing System with Particular Reference to the Revision of the Kriol Orthography"; "A Guide to the Kriol Writing System"; and "A Resource Guide to Kriol." In the first two papers, issues of dealing with orthography in a…

A study examined patterns of English usage in 52 Japanese university freshmen's written compositions, particularly in the use of the subordinating conjunction "because." It was found that students often fragmented sentences when "because" was involved, or used a comma to separate a trailing dependent "because" clause…

Describes the dynamics of problem solving through spoken discourse in one-to-one tutoring of second-language writing in order to determine whether these processes vary with either instructional approach or language used. Tutors' and students' cooperative efforts to solve problems in the students' draft compositions focused primarily on local…

A study examined the written English proficiency of Windsor, Ontario francophone eighth-graders being educated entirely in French and compared it to norms for English-speaking eighth-grade children educated in English or French. Results suggest that these francophone students compare favorably with anglophone groups in syntactic maturity and…