Since the inception of computer assisted language learning (CALL), computers have been successfully used to provide leaning and assessment opportunities for groups or individual learners. This article describes a use of computer that is fundamentally different to most CALL approaches, and yet contributes to language learning. While presenting a…

Inspection time (IT) and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) scores from 75 school children aged 6-13 years in 2001 were compared with the performances of 70 children aged 6-13 years who had attended the same primary school in 1981 ["J. Exp. Child Psychol." 40 (1985) 1.]. ITs for the 2001 sample were measured with the same four-field…

Although fundamental beginning reading skills are highly related to later reading success (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000), it remains unclear how these beginning reading skills impact the social adjustment of kindergarten through second grade children. Therefore, the purposes of this study were: (a) to examine the…

This study of 4,274 pairs of 4-year-old twins from the Twins Early Development Study explored the magnitude of genetic and environmental effects on low expressive vocabulary skill, both as a function of general cognitive ability and as a function of the severity of expressive vocabulary impairment. Assessments were conducted through parent report…

This study examines growth rates in vocabulary over an academic year for 150 Latino English language learners. In October, February, and June of kindergarten, participants completed standardized measures of receptive and expressive vocabulary. Before the second and third assessments, a third of the children watched Arthur three times a week during…

In order to evaluate the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) vocabulary item format and to determine the effectiveness of alternative vocabulary test items, this study investigated the functioning of eight different multiple-choice formats that differed with regard to: (1) length and inference-generating quality of the stem; (2) the…

A program was designed to help learning disabled junior high school students develop vocabulary skills through cooperative learning groups. Twelve students in the sixth or seventh grade spent 50% of the day in a learning disability resource program. The students were formed into mixed ability groups. Two commercially available programs designed…

This paper suggests that vocabulary knowledge is closely related to the background knowledge required for reading a text. It suggests ways in which the reading teacher can select objectives for pupils to achieve in the area of vocabulary development, emphasizing what is relevant and functional. The paper makes the following recommendations:…

This individualized inservice packet on vocabulary development in the content areas is intended to enable teachers to help students expand word meaning, using the technical vocabulary of their content areas. It is one of a nine-part series of booklets--Teaching Teen Reading--in self-instructional format intended as a practical resource for…

A practicum developed and implemented an integrated reading program to raise reading vocabulary and comprehension scores and reading attitudes in a fourth-grade classroom. A classroom of 23 students was used to implement the program. A standard diagnostic test was used to record pre- and post-test scores in vocabulary and comprehension, and a…

The results of a newly developed Haitian-Creole oral proficiency test are presented. The test is administered in Haitian-Creole to Creole-speaking and limited-speaking Haitian-origin children at two educational levels: grades kindergarten through 3 and grades 4-6. The test is designed to assess the child's language proficiency in three linguistic…

Designed to improve reading comprehension and other complex verbal functions, fertile instruction in word skill focuses on improving accuracy of word knowledge, increasing fluency of access to meanings in memory, and enriching semantic network connections among related concepts. It is particularly appropriate for teaching the high frequency words…

A study was undertaken to identify the prerequisite relations (or hierarchies among the items) existing in the item responses of a sample of 86 foreign students who took the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) vocabulary and reading comprehension test, Form 3JTF1. The form contains 30 vocabulary items and 30 reading comprehension items.…

The primary focuse of the research project reported in this paper over a five-year period has been on investigating the effectiveness of vocabulary teaching strategies, with particular emphasis on the two semantic-based instructional strategies of semantic mapping and semantic feature analysis. A series of five varied studies evaluated these…

While an extensive vocabulary in English as a second language (ESL) is important for effective communication, quantity of vocabulary alone does not guarantee effectiveness. Vocabulary quality, as contrasted with quantity, can make a great difference in the extent to which one can successfully participate in a community of native English speakers.…