A report on an experiment testing the hypothesis that reading comprehension in a foreign language is learned more quickly and improved if reading instruction follows instruction and practice in listening comprehension. Results indicate that there is a high degree of transfer from listening to reading comprehension. A bibliography is provided. (AMH)

The Department of Germanic Languages at the University of Texas at Austin has developed a language program in which students are trained in listening and reading comprehension before practicing production. The main objective was to improve student attitudes and reduce attrition between semesters. (SW)

"Re-tell" is examined as an activity designed to involve students in an interactive process. Authentic reading and listening passages provide a context in which the student can negotiate for meaning and extract information from the surrounding environment (the real world), thus fostering language acquisition via exposure to various learning…

Explored the relative effectiveness of four modes of delivery (live, video-audio, audio, and manuscript) on content retention among Black college students. Did not find significant differences in retention among the four experimental groups. Attributes the absence of differences to the small amount retained in general. (GC)

Investigates effectiveness of three training programs for English as a Foreign Language university students in reading and listening comprehension. Finds that: students who learned rhetorical patterns of written expository texts and text mapping strategies demonstrated better comprehension of lectures than students who performed other activities;…

Describes using a model of direct instruction, called EMQA (Explanation, Modeling, Questioning, and Application), as a framework for teaching the rules of summary writing. Argues that teaching students to summarize increases their comprehension of expository text. (SR)

Examines how transmission and transaction beliefs about reading affect comprehension, engagement, and holistic understanding of narrative texts with undergraduate college students (N=247). Transaction beliefs were related positively to the type and number of reader responses as well as to the sophistication of one's holistic interpretation.…

A "Fundamentals of Speech Communication" course is required of all college students, and upon completion of such a course students should possess those basic speaking and listening skills necessary to complete successfully their college educations. With a view toward developing a new, more effective listening test, a study examined…

This article describes a language achievement test designed for French students studying English. It evaluates reading and listening comprehension, and grammatical and lexical skills. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

This is an account of some of the issues raised during 5 years of design, development and operation of the English Language Testing Service (ELTS). The measures in question are made up of five sub-tests: two general tests of reading and listening comprehension, and three modular tests of language study skills in reading, writing, and speaking. The…

A large stratified sample of university undergraduate students differing in reading ability performed a diverse set of psychometric and information processing tasks in a study exploring the role of visual information processing skill as a component in reading ability. Using a correlation analysis of individual differences, the interrelationships…

The hypothesized relationship between an individual's age, educational background, and ability to understand aspects of semantic ambiguity was investigated in this study. The 90 subjects included ten students in each of grades two, four, six, eight, and ten, as well as ten college undergraduates, ten graduate students, ten high school graduates,…

Describes study that was conducted to determine the effects of captioned television videotapes on the listening comprehension of university students studying English as a Second Language (ESL). Results indicate substantial comprehension benefits for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students who view videotaped television material with…

Comprehension for the foreign language learner is discussed, and it is claimed that comprehension is not a by-product of the other skills but should be taught and tested throughout a course of study. The channel or medium used in communication will influence the understanding of the message. Differences involved in reading and listening…

The Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH) of the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) evaluates its self-instructional program for English listening comprehension in this final report. The program was designed for students whose English language proficiency does not enable them to follow…