It has already been affirmed that power and control embedded in questions varies according to question type (Luchjenbroers 1999, Rigney 1999 etc). The paper ranges question types according to their degree of control and observes that those with high degree of control lost their power and control through the process of interpreting. It is further…

A teacher's reactions to students' mathematical contributions have critical implications for shaping both teaching and learning. We present a framework for describing reacting moves that resulted from a comparative analysis between two existing frameworks; one developed by secondary teachers for parsing instructional practice and the other…

This article is an early step in the development of a methodological approach to the study of language deriving from an enactivist theoretical stance. Language is seen as a co-ordination of co-ordinations of action. Meaning and intention cannot easily be interpreted from the actions and words of others; instead, careful attention can be placed in…

Using the methods of conversation analysis, the opening sequences of a map task in the interactions of sixteen children aged seven to twelve were analyzed. The analytical concerns driving the study were who started, how they started, and how children dealt with differential access to information and the identification of phases within the opening.…

In classroom settings, students' competence is regularly evaluated through a default practice named Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF) or Initiation-Response-Evaluation (IRE). In the feedback or evaluation turn, the teacher normally uses acknowledgement tokens (such as uhm, yeah, okay). These tokens perform an active role of maintaining…

There is extensive research evidencing the value of developing early oral literacy skills within sociocultural experiences. However there is a lack of research examining first-grade students engaged in dialogic learning using Internet communication technology. The purpose of this study was to analyze the collaborative peer-talk process of…

This paper describes how early childhood teachers' incorporation of pauses raises the quality of talk-in-interaction during play-based mathematics activities. Responses of both children and teachers are shown to be more contingent and expansive when conversations include protracted pauses than during interactions in which pauses are largely…

Family dinnertime conversations are key settings where children learn behavior regulation, narrative skills, and knowledge about the world. In this context, parents may also model and socialize gender differences in language. The present study quantitatively examines gendered language use across a family dinnertime recorded with 37 broadly…

This work explores the use of multimodal communication in a community of expert "World of Warcraft"® players and its impact on politeness, identity, and relationships. Players in the community regularly communicated using three linguistic modes quasi-simultaneously: text chat, voice chat, and face-to-face interaction. Using the…

The primary intention was to explore the nature and content of preschoolers' conversations during lunchtime in their classroom. Secondary goals included discovering how eating at school framed the children's conversation and play, and the influence of gender on children's conversations and forms of play. Participants were 65 primarily…

Explores the relationship between interaction involvement as a traitlike dimension of communicative competence and the use of grammatical cohesive devices to create explicit ties within conversation. Presents three dyad types and argues that the patterned use of cohesive devices is sensitive to the nature of the dyad type. (MM)

Outlines a model of the speech act of apologizing that ranges apologies along a continuum from the most situational to the most personal. Analyzes 252 occurrences of apologies in 62 telephone interviews. Shows how most apologies are functions of discourse task management tactics. (HB)

Investigates the pragmatic input of parents and the ways it contributes to preschoolers' acquisition of pragmatic competence (the appropriate use of language in social situations). Analyzes audiotapes of five families' interactions over a one-year period. Discusses results of research and offers insight into preschoolers' growth in pragmatic…

Argues that fragmentation of American culture has resulted in communication role reversal, making interpretation the primary task of speakers and writers and text construction the primary task of audiences. Suggests audiences must be provided with dense, truncated fragments which cue them to produce a finished discourse in their minds. (KEH)

Uses William B. Stiles' discourse analysis system to determine whether there are general differences in the way individuals varying in construct system development use their utterances to establish understanding with each other. Finds that construct system development was positively correlated with edification and question response mode use, and…