This experiment tested the hypothesis that language skills of seven- to eight-year-old children could be improved if parents were involved in the program. Three groups of 15 children were exposed to identical, single term programs. In two groups, parents worked in the classroom with the children. Findings supported the hypothesis. (AM)

Defines the concepts underlying the semiotics of written texts and emphasizes the distinction between literary production (discourse) and technical writing (message), the former stressing the poetic and expressive functions, the latter the referential function. Describes the language of "messages" as based on unambiguous terms that reflect the…

Scholastic Aptitude Test verbal, reading comprehension, and vocabulary scores are similar to the Nelson-Denny total, reading comprehension, and vocabulary scores. Correlation coefficients developed from these comparisons, when viewed as validity coefficients, are moderately high. (Author)

Reports that vocabulary choice and linguistic virtuosity are closely tied to levels of writing skill, to cognitive development, and to self-concept. (RL)

The purpose of this research was to further study the breadth and depth dimensions of the WAIS similarities and vocabulary subscales by factor analyzing several measures of intelligence: a comprehension index, SAT scores, and grade point average (GPA). (Author/SJL)

Reports an investigation of the effectiveness of "Speedway: The Action Way to Read" in increasing the reading rate and efficiency of adult readers. (FL)

This paper discusses some of the results of a study conducted in Papua New Guinea on students' comprehension of 45 non-technical words used in science classes. Four words, "component,""devise,""exert," and "random," are considered in detail. (CW)

Examines the utility of informal reading inventories (IRI) and acknowledges four limitations of the research. Indicates that no validity-enhancing measures were implemented in conjunction with the three IRIs analyzed. Suggests that IRI vocabulary questions do not appear to be useful. (MG)

Discusses seven books on vocabulary instruction in second language classrooms: (1) "Working With Words" (Gairns and Redman); (2) "Crossword Puzzles for Beginners" (Mollica); (3) "Vocabulary Posters" (Mollica); (4) "Vocabulary" (Morgan and Rinvolucri); (5) "Teaching and Learning Vocabulary"…

Investigated simple, appearance-predicted, and reality-predicted labelling in 36 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds. An age-related appearance-reality shift was observed in simple labelling. It is argued that younger children maintained the one-label-per-predicate pattern because of inflexible encoding; older children did so because of better understanding…

Picture naming in children was assessed as a function of two stimulus characteristics: the number of correct names for a picture and the degree to which a picture realistically represents the object. Two experiments showed that children named low-uncertainty objects faster than high-uncertainty objects with multiple correct names. Contains 50…

Performance on a battery of tests of vocabulary words by 72 college students was compared as a function of whether the prior instruction involved presenting material in an organized or scrambled fashion. Organizing vocabulary words during study facilitated performance in categorizing, processing for understanding, or producing a word. (SLD)

Addresses three questions to language teachers concerning vocabulary development: (1) Why is it important to have a rich vocabulary? (2) How does vocabulary development take place? and (3) What can happen in class to foster vocabulary growth? (MG)

A study assessed the effectiveness of a computer software program in teaching a list of unfamiliar words to eleventh graders, by comparing the program's instructional approach, which incorporates definitional and contextual word knowledge, with approaches that use definitional or contextual information only. A modified mixed approach proved most…

This replication study demonstrated that Jordanian college students studying English recognized the meanings of new words and built associations between them after comprehension-focused extensive reading. Controlled book-length reading generated more incidental word learning and a higher pickup rate than shorter tasks. Word frequency did not make…