This paper reports on a study that investigated students' learning to self-assess oral performance in English by comparing student assessment with teacher assessment. Twenty-eight Chinese students at a university in southern Taiwan participated in the study. The assessment program involved training, observation, evaluation, discussion, feedback,…

Stresses that teaching writing is a very difficult task because of, among other things, the problems in changing students' lifelong habits, their general lack of reading and summarizing skills, the intuitive nature of grammar use, and the lack of instruction in logical thinking. (CRH)

The increase in numbers of international students who have English as a second language (ESL) and are studying in English-medium universities has renewed the emphasis of English language development in higher education, particularly concerning academic writing. Much of the discussion has concentrated on developing best practices in providing…

Describes the use of anonymous daily journal entries (edited and graded at the end of the semester) in a literature survey course to nurture individual inquiry without sacrificing coverage. Maintains that anonymity encourages students to take risks, raise questions, and evaluate and shape the course. (SR)

This article presents the findings of an exploratory study into the perceptions of a culturally and linguistically diverse cohort of management students (n = 236) about the use of video as a teaching and learning tool. The results show that while students are generally favorable toward audiovisual materials, the choice of content, how the medium…

Argues that the comprehension of metaphor depends on recognition of the similarities and differences in the semantic features of the words representing both sides of the metaphoric equation. Suggests that inexperienced poetry readers are usually unable to analyze these semantic features without assistance. Outlines a strategy for helping these…

Describes a writing instruction project called the "landmark method" that fosters writing skills in students with learning disabilities. Outlines specific strategies that have proven effective in teaching writing to students with dyslexia or other learning disabilities. (HB)

Reviews Moran and Lunsford's biographical contribution to the field of rhetoric/composition, which includes 16 bibliographic essays and two appendixes. Notes that the book covers cross-disciplinary concerns and pursues important secondary subjects in composition. (EL)

Discusses teaching students in the collaborative writing classroom to acknowledge influences and credit sources. Offers classroom exercises as well as options for acknowledging sources. (SR)

Japan's government has mandated a shift from traditional to communicative methodologies in secondary English classrooms (Tanabe, 2004), but it is unclear whether this has affected student beliefs about language learning. This study investigates the beliefs of 315 incoming university students at a large private university in Japan from 2006…

Suggests that technical writing courses and general writing courses should have the same goal: the development of thoughtful, communicating adults. (MKM)

Describes a writing assignment in which students write an essay employing lexical, etymological, and connotative definitions. (SR)

The benefits and shortcomings of student-teacher conferences in composition classes are analyzed. Suggestions for conference approaches are presented for more effective individual instruction. (HTH)

Between 1974 and 1976 the Two-Year College Development Center conducted a project to provide cognitive style information to faculty, counselors, and administrators at 21 two-year colleges in New York through a series of seminars and workshops. During 1976, the project focused on four questions identified as crucial to the application of cognitive…

Shows how Susan Glaspell's one-act play "Trifles" (when linked to "Antigone") illustrates the difficult moral choices that human beings face. Discusses Glaspell's social and political context; cultural influences; and parallels in situation, setting, and character. (PRA)