Identifying which online behaviours and interactions are associated with student perceptions of being supported will enable a deeper understanding of how those activities contribute to learning experiences. Student language is one aspect of their interaction in need of greater exploration within discourse-based online learning environments. As a…

In this article we examine the development, over 1 year, of mathematical discourse communities in 2 eighth-grade mathematics classes in a suburban public middle school. The curriculum topics included probability, functions, graphing, data analysis, and pre-algebra. The 50 students were heterogeneously placed; most were from upper-middle-class…

Studied the effect of content knowledge on learners' participation in interactions between nonnative speakers. Measures of participation included amount of talk, conversational fillers, back channels, topic moves, clarification questions, and confirmation and comprehension checks. Findings support the relationship between knowledge and…

Investigates whether children ages 1;6 just beginning to learn words can learn new words in a variety of nonostensive contexts. The results of two studies involving adults interacting with children in games of searching for objects suggest that from very early in language acquisition, children learn words through active attempts to understand…

Examines the lexical and syntactic choices made by men and women in 29 separate hour-long interactions within 29 groups, each consisting of 2 men and 2 women. Data analysis reveals that, although women use intensifiers more than men and men use more hedges, their overall language use does not reflect any difference in social power. (42 references)…

Identifies how well immigrant students can communicate among themselves. This research consists of eight steps: (1) identifying the problem; (2) investigating suitable research methods; (3) defining terms; (4) reviewing the literature; (5) doing preliminary investigations; (6) hypothesizing; (7) realizing outcomes for learners; (8) reporting. (12…

The assumption that question-answer sequences consist of two moves was examined using data from recordings of second-grade classrooms in Austin, Texas. Interactions initiated by children's spontaneous questions in informal, small group settings were evaluated. Twenty-nine dialogue samples are presented and analyzed. Four issues in the study of…