Teachers play a vital role in the classroom environment. Interaction between teacher and students is an essential part of the teaching/learning process. An educator, Flanders originally developed an instrument called Flanders Interaction Analysis (FIA). The FIA system was designed to categorize the types, quantity of verbal interaction and direct…

Perceived student-teacher interpersonal similarity/dissimilarity (homophily/heterophily) was explored as a possible construct for deciphering the determinants of teaching effectiveness and for gauging teaching effectiveness. (MJB)

These materials will help the educator develop an awareness of nonverbal behavior, which is complimentary to and independent of the verbal realm, to give a complete picture of the classroom. The purpose of the manual is to enable the teacher to identify nonverbal components of behavior, including dimensions other than behavioral of the teacher's…

This study investigates the nature and stability of verbal behaviors for different contextual purposes in classrooms with varying structures, from traditional to open, utilizing the RCS interaction analysis system modified to code for contextual purpose (cognitive, procedural, social, affective, and behavioral). Eighteen observations were made in…

In this paper, it is suggested that reading instruction can be improved by studying the interactions of students and teachers in beginning reading classes. Such research could identify effective environments for learning to read, providing teachers with alternative and effective ways of adapting reading instruction to the students' needs. The…

A study was carried on for 2 years in a predominantly Italian-American suburb near Boston. During the period of data-collection, the researchers observed both classroom interaction in a kindergarten/first grade and the interactions of two members of that class at home with their families. The analysis is an attempt to discover what factors in…

The goal of this panel was to develop the means to improve the reliability, validity, and utility of analyses of human interaction in learning settings. Research on interaction itself, as well as its association with the variables of student learning, student characteristics, setting characteristics, and teacher education were all concerns of this…

This paper reviews selected findings from two traditions of educational research--process-product research and sociolinguistic research. The first research method generally focuses on the teacher and identifies teacher behaviors (processes) that correlate with student outcome measures (products). Sociolinguistic research focuses on communicative…

Noting that teachers' nonverbal behaviors are frequently inconsistent with their verbal messages, a situation that detracts from student learning, this paper offers an activity for focusing prospective teachers' attentions on the frequency and impact of discrepant verbal-nonverbal messages occurring in the classroom. The step-by-step process is…

Four combinations of teacher verbal and nonverbal evaluative behavior were studied within a controlled microlesson. Two male and two female teachers presented each of the four combinations--(a) verbally and nonverbally positive; (b) verbally positive and nonverbally negative; (c) verbally negative and nonverbally positive; or (d) verbally and…

An inservice teacher education minicourse using programed materials is described. The course is intended to develop skills in studying verbal teaching-learning interactions for the purpose of increasing student participation, initiative, and motivation, and uses the Flanders Interaction Analysis Categories (FIAC) to analyze teaching. Information…

This document describes the construction, implementation, and implication of selected high inference measures applied in a study of teacher effectiveness in the third, fourth, and fifth grades. Selected independent variables served as hypotheses regarding which behaviors are likely to occur during concept instruction and which are likely to be…

This study investigated the effect of locale, grade, and subject on instructional quality. Rural and urban teachers were observed teaching grades 4, 5, and 6 in social studies, mathematics, and language arts. It was hypothesized that teacher verbal behavior in a classroom predicated the quality and quantity of cognitive behavior of pupils. Rural…

This paper abstracts more than thirty sources selected for their usefulness in providing contexts and specific illustrations for understanding observation and analysis. Some Reasons for Classroom Observation and Analysis, includes seven selections that deal with factors related to the rationale for observing and analyzing classroom behavior.…

Techniques for observing the classroom behavior of teachers and students are examined. These techniques provide a framework for analyzing and understanding classroom interaction, for making decisions about what should be happening, and for changing instructional behavior when it is necessary. The observation methods allow collection, analysis, and…