Describes two special-purposes English programs for Egyptian economists. One consisted of conversation sessions and extensive writing, and the other focused on developing listening and reading. The group that concentrated on listening and reading had greater gains in writing ability than the group that concentrated on speaking and writing. (SED)

Describes research findings from a three-year curriculum research and development project involving developing English language materials for science education students at Ains Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. Materials concentrate on comprehension skills of listening and reading and are taught by a cassette tape player in conjunction with…

Explains that the speech compressor/expander is a piece of electronic equipment useful in second language learning laboratories. Considering the relationship between technology and its use as an aid in achieving fluency in comprehension, the theory of rate alteration in second language learning is supported as a viable tool to enhance any…

The findings from research on written and oral summarization are discussed under three headings: summarizers' strategies, improving summarizers' performance, and the assessment of summary quality. Objective measures of summary quality used by researchers are described, and ways these measures could be adapted for use in higher education assessment…

Discusses the process of native language learning and explores the relationship between it and second language learning. It is suggested that in a language curriculum, the initial emphasis should be on receptive skills. Accuracy, appropriateness, and fluency in communication are discussed, as well as instructional modes for training in these…

Investigates the role of kanji in second language learners' reading comprehension of Japanese text. Explores how two subgroups of Japanese learners, with Chinese and non-Chinese backgrounds, approach text. (Author/VWL)

Ways in which the language laboratory may supplement classroom recitations of university students in the intermediate level of English as a foreign language at Bar Ilan University in Israel are presented here. The goal is to increase reading comprehension for bibliographies in students' major courses of study. (CHK)

Focuses on logical connectives as catalysts for interactive reading. Clarifies how text comprehension can be affected by the types of logical relations and by the levels of proficiency in English as a Second Language, using Japanese university students as the subjects for experimentation and focusing on three logical connectives: "for…

Presents a procedural model for discretely testing several of the multiple ways second-language readers comprehend and express themselves about the content and implications of reading passages, reviewing existing measures, illustrating the procedural model, discussing ways to scale the procedural item, and summarizing the practical advantages of…

Reading comprehension is an important means of increasing the learners' involvement. Texts should be used as stretches of real language rather than broken down into isolated units. In teaching foreign languages to non-language students, care should be taken in selecting, analyzing and presenting texts. (SC)

An approach to teaching grammar to university students in a reading comprehension course in English as a foreign language is presented. It is argued that the material and the method of teaching should be determined by the special aim of the course. (Author/RM)

Describes a strategy for guessing meanings from context and suggests ways of practicing this strategy. The strategy involves four steps: (1) determining the part of speech of the word, (2) looking at the immediate grammar, (3) studying the wider context (usually the conjunction relationships), and (4) guessing the word and checking the guess.…

The value of open-ended responses for computer-assisted-language-learning lessons and language tests is asserted. Results from a study in which students' notes and recall protocols of computerized reading passages were scored by both people and computers indicate that computer programs can score reliably with people, and in less time. (45…

An experiment in second language reading comprehension tested the hypothesis that similar surface and deep structures in L1 and L2 imply a similar means of passing from surface to deep structure. Dutch learners of French were the subjects. (CHK)

Some 226 Hong Kong students in grades 7-9 benefited from a 4-week summer program on reading comprehension, reading speed, and writing development. Results are discussed in the context of the local sociolinguistic environment. (15 references) (Author/LB)