Contemporary reform in mathematics education emphasizes interaction among students as a source of learning. There are several insights that sociological theory and research can supply to researchers, staff developers, and curriculum developers in mathematics education who are using small groups. This paper investigates four questions concerning…

A series of studies of elementary schools in the San Francisco Bay area revealed a number of the causes and consequences of collaborative instruction (teaming). The most recent study, a two-year panel analysis, found that complexity of instructional methods and the physical structure of open space schools are the significant predictors of…

Reports studies of bi-racial groups of schoolboys working on tasks of cooperative problem-solving in an integrated setting, designed to determine if status can be based on contributions to the task in terms of motivation and competence regardless of race. (JM)

Involving 307 primarily Hispanic children with varying levels of English and Spanish language proficiency and 9 teacher-aide teams from grades 2-4 bilingual classrooms in schools located in 5 districts in the San Jose (California) area, the study examined whether classroom social status affected the frequency of study interaction and whether…

Examines the connection between the classroom as an organizational and social system and the learning outcomes of a class of students. Makes hypotheses concerning lateral communication. Finds that interaction among students is particularly valuable in heterogenous classrooms in which many children have difficulty understanding the teacher's…

This paper offers a synthesis of research on cooperative learning in small groups. The main challenge for teachers who utilize cooperative learning is to stimulate the type of interaction desired according to their teaching objective. A generalization regarding student interactions is that if students are not taught differently, they will tend to…

In this study, the status ordering of a four-man group working on a task requiring discussion and decision was predicted on the basis of status characteristic theory. Two of the group members were white; two were black. They were matched as to age, height, and also on a combined index of socioeconomic status and attitude toward school. The…

This report is based on the results of a field experiment in three racially integrated elementary schools. The study reports that groupwork is an effective strategy to produce equal status behavior among racial groups of different socioeconomic background and different levels of academic skills. It also reports that small groups are of critical…

Group participation by Israeli youth is examined in light of the Theory of Status Characteristics and Expectation States. This theory maintains that social and/or group status influences expectations of competence and triggers self-fulfilling prophecies of performance. An experiment designed to prevent unwanted dominance of high status…