This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 40 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: the effect of prelistening and other activities on comprehension; minimal competencies in Florida high schools; methods of teaching manuscript handwriting; implications of the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas for teaching English; the effect of using electronic media in the language arts classroom; a comparison of three oral language systems in improving kindergarten children's receptive language; vocabulary development techniques; the Doctor of Arts degree in four departments of English; suggestions for career education; studies on spelling achievement and teaching spelling techniques; and administrator, teacher, and student attitudes on language norms, modes of language instruction, and selection of instructional materials. (AEA)