Maternal responsive and directive speech to children at ages 0;10 and 2;0 was investigated by applying a procedure frst introduced by Flynn and Masur (2007) to a new language community (Finnish). The issues examined were consistency and stability over time, and also the role of responsiveness and directiveness in child linguistic development at…

This study explored how to integrate cooperative skills training into learning tasks in the area of writing. Cooperative learning sessions, aimed at developing both cooperative and cognitive skills, were created and conducted in two elementary school classes (Grade 2, age 7-8). Pupils' teamwork interactions were videotaped and analysed.…

Both critical thinking (CT) and knowledge management (KM) skills are necessary elements for a university student's success. Therefore, this study developed a co-creation blended KM model to cultivate university students' CT skills and to explore the underlying mechanisms for achieving success. Thirty-one university students participated in this…

With dual language learners falling behind their same-age peers at the beginning of kindergarten, understanding how school experiences can enhance language learning is critical. This study demonstrates how play among preschool-aged children can foster English language learning. Using an ethnographic approach, one classroom composed of two teachers…

An educator working in a toddler-group (children aged 1-3) took part in an in-service program using a "Learning Study" design within the broader theoretical frame of the "Variation Theory of learning". The purpose of this study is, in qualitative terms and in the context of explorative play, to describe how the educator develops strategies where…

This paper explores the pedagogical and conceptual issues that accompany the integration of intercultural communication skills into the secondary curriculum by analyzing the interactions of 102 adolescents in Spain and the USA during a 15-week, classroom-based, international online exchange. Focusing on the skills of discovery and interaction…

This classic paper, first published in 1964, discusses communication problems involved in a simple guessing game involving a deck of cards, describes a three-person experiment based on the game which used various control procedures to facilitate communications, and considers the effects of these controls on the investigation. Twelve references are…

Three seven-year-old males with autism included in social skills groups with nonhandicapped peers were successfully trained in such social skills as initiating, responding, keeping interactions going, greeting, conversing, giving and accepting compliments, taking turns and sharing, asking for help and helping others, and including others in…

This study investigated effects of social interactive strategies (such as, contingent imitation, natural reinforcement contingency, and time delay) in promoting early social-communicative skills of a preschool child with developmental disabilities during daily classroom activities. Results indicated that the child's eye contact, joint attention,…

Microethnographic techniques are used to study and describe the salient aspects of the social competence acquired by children in a kindergarten or first-grade classroom. The role of the school and the teacher in the socialization process is examined through investigation of both verbal and nonverbal communication and interaction patterns. (LH)

The objective of the study was to (1) systematically study the process by which small group cooperation develops and to (2) produce guidelines that will be useful to teachers. The sample consisted of 84 seventh grade boys and girls of middle class families. Three randomly assigned samples (rotating, solid, and control) comprised the experimental…

The effects of a training manual designed to decrease dating discomfort and increase social skills were investigated. Males (n=22) who saw themselves as socially anxious and lacking in social and dating skills volunteered to take part in a program designed to increase dating frequency, communication skills, and comfort in male-female interactions.…

Background: To overcome the "teacher bandwidth problem" in supporting large groups of students, both automated process support (cueing) and face-to-face feedback by peers during small group work (collaboration) can be provided to students. Aim: The purpose of this experimental study was to examine whether a multimedia practical…

A single-subject design utilized three mainstreamed hard-of-hearing students in middle school to evaluate whether cooperative learning was effective in encouraging conversational interaction with hearing peers and teachers. Results indicated that cooperative learning positively influenced the conversational turns, initiations, moves, and mean…

In this monograph research results of studies on the teaching of basic skills in elementary schools is synthesized with emphasis on the practical implications for actual practice in the classroom. Development of skills in reading and mathematics in the early grades is the focus. Four major factors in basic instruction are discussed. The importance…