This study examined the effects of social class background on children's oral language development. The study focused on children's oral vocabulary knowledge because such knowledge provides a good summary of language skills, is easily measured, and is very consequential for later schooling success. Using a large national data set, the study…

A total of 196 Latino bilingual students in grades 4, 6, and 8 were asked to give the Spanish equivalent for English words, some of which had derivational and inflectional suffixes. The results indicated that the students' ability to translate cognates increased with age above and beyond any increase in their vocabulary knowledge in Spanish and…

Detecting differential item functioning (DIF) on test items constructed to favor 1 group over another was investigated on parameter estimates from 2 item response theory-based computer programs--BILOG and LOGIST--using data for 1,000 White and 1,000 Black college students. Use of prior distributions and marginal-maximum a posteriori estimation is…

This document offers materials for a 40-hour course aimed at helping employees read more efficiently by increasing their comprehension, retention, and test-taking skills. The course was part of a workplace literacy project developed by Mercer County Community College (New Jersey) and its partners. The document contains the following: (1) a course…

A practicum was developed to expand written vocabulary for third graders through training in using a data base and brainstorming strategies. Individual thesauri were written and published to demonstrate the results of collecting vocabulary and applying it to specific topics. Daily process writing became an integral part of the curriculum. Class…

The proceedings of the tenth annual meeting of the College Reading Association consisted of the following papers: (1) "President's Address" (L. S. Braam); (2) "Some Second Thoughts on Teaching Speed and Flexibility to College Freshman" (D. J. Yarington); (3) "Improvement of Teachers' Reading Proficiency" (A. J.…

Designed to serve newly arrived, immigrant pupils in the Cleveland Public Schools, the English-as-a-Second-Language project aims to help participants acquire enough English proficiency for adequate functioning. The project uses a pull-out model in which, for about 30 minutes daily, small groups of students are given additional reading, language,…

Intended for use in adult basic education programs, for students whose academic performance is at a basic instructional level, this manual contains 20 readings, each followed by language activities. Both readings and activities emphasize various employment issues. The central focus is on readings thought to be effective in motivating and engaging…

Three Oregon community colleges collaborated to develop a model program to meet the learning needs of educationally disadvantaged students. The model consists of several Outcome Objectives, or goals for the program. The discussion of each objective includes background information relevant to the specific goal and a description of the methods used…

A questionnaire was designed to give content area teachers an opportunity to review 35 reading/learning skills that are necessary for vocabulary development, the comprehension of written materials, and the efficient use of study time. Over 400 secondary school teachers in seven content areas (English/language arts, social studies, science,…

This 47th Yearbook of the National Council for the Social Studies is intended to help elementary and secondary teachers improve students' capacities for making good decisions. Both background readings and learning exercises for teachers and activities which can be used in the classroom with students are provided. Chapter one discusses decision…

Intended to be used by secretarial science students in a single skills laboratory, this performance based instructional unit on spelling contains ten assignments covering the following areas: pronunciation, homonyms, often confused words, compound and hyphenated words, "ei" and "ie" words, silent "e" words, prefixes, suffixes, word endings, and…

This is a collection of comments and research on the problems of students studying at the tertiary level through the medium of a second language. It includes sections on vacabulary, reading skills, syntax, and speech. It also contains several studies of actual students and conditions at the University of Papua and New Guinea. (HW)

Examined six aspects of vocabulary instruction given to fourth and sixth graders prior to reading in two basal reading series. Found that words targeted for instruction were already known; instruction in the two series differed markedly; much of the instruction was not sufficient to improve comprehension; and instruction was not necessarily suited…

Introduces ways to assess students' reading ability and improve reading of social studies textbooks. Combines reading scores from Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and individual sessions to understand students' reading ability levels. Uses cooperative reading groups, reading labs, and whole-class oral reading to improve skills. Suggests pre- and…