College students diagnosed as free of any neurological or attention deficit disorder received EEG biofeedback to enhance beta (16-22 hertz) activity while simultaneously inhibiting high theta and low alpha (6-10 hertz) activity in order to evaluate improvements in attentional measures. Following short-term treatment (mean number of sessions=20), subjects were evaluated as either learners or non...

Since 1966 when Donald Eichhorn introduced the term transescent, meaning a young person in transition from childhood to adolescence, the educational field has been replete with discussions of effective ways to educate middle level learners. This period spanning the early 1960s is generally recognized as the era that launched the modern middle school movement. Although the 1960s movement initiat...

This paper introduces some of the research behind automatic scoring of the speaking part of the Arizona English Language Learner Assessment, a large-scale test now operational for students in Arizona. Approximately 70% of the students tested are in the range 4-11 years old. We cover the methods used to assess spoken responses automatically, considering both what the student says and the way in ...

This experimental study investigated the learners’ integrative acquisition of obligatory overt subjects and subject-verb clause agreement in English as an L2. In L1 acquisition research, correlations between superficially unrelated linguistic phenomena are analyzed in terms of integrative effects. For instance, in English L1 acquisition, there is evidence for an integrative appearance of subjec...

Despite the increasing popularity of error treatment as a research subject, the effect of age as a potential learner-internal factor affecting choice of feedback is largely undertreated. Characterized by being at early stages of self-empowerment, young language learners are considerably vulnerable and in need of particular language input to meet their age-appropriate psychological demands. This...

This paper reports the design, development and evaluation of a technological framework for learning applications, named AmI Playfield, aimed at creating challenging learning conditions through play and entertainment. AmI Playfield is an educative Ambient Intelligent (AmI) environment which emphasizes the use of kinesthetic and collaborative technology in a natural playful learning context and e...

BACKGROUND The South African (SA) government has implemented comprehensive tobacco control measures in line with the requirements of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The effect of these measures on smoking prevalence and smoking-related attitudes, particularly among young people, is largely unknown. OBJECTIVE To describe the impact of a comprehensive health promotion approach to t...

PURPOSE Graduated driver licensing (GDL) has been introduced in numerous jurisdictions in Australia and internationally in an attempt to ameliorate the significantly greater risk of death and injury for young novice drivers arising from road crashes. The GDL program in Queensland, Australia, was extensively modified in July 2007. This paper reports the driving and licensing experiences of Learn...

BACKGROUND This study examines the role of decoding and vocabulary skills as longitudinal predictors of reading comprehension in young first (L1) and second (L2) language learners. METHODS Two-group latent growth models were used to assess differences in growth and predictions of growth between the 198 L1 and 90 L2 language learners. RESULTS L1 learners had better initial reading comprehens...

This paper reviews current research findings on how specific learning difficulties (SLDs) impact on the processes of multilingual language development. The review includes studies of young language learners in instructed classroom settings as well as of multilingual children in second language contexts. The paper starts with a definition of the concepts of disability and SLDs. Next, it discusse...