The purpose of this study was to understand how the social and cultural practices of classroom literacy instruction afforded students opportunities to make meaning with texts. Research was conducted from a sociocultural perspective that focused on students as participants in social learning, in a context of interactive relations. This study was…

Although most people acknowledge the importance of interactions in class, it is commonly seen some students still rarely actively participate in face-to-face interactions, especially those from a Confucian cultural background. Previous research focused on many factors to understand this phenomenon, yet social anxiousness has not been given enough…

This paper outlines some findings of a three-month investigation into the effects of students' interpersonal relationships on communication in two EFL classrooms in a Japanese university. Data was collected to identify and describe the various social subgroups that existed within the classes, and samples of classroom discourse were then analysed…

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)

SYMLOG, a method for capturing group members' perceptions of their interactions, is a useful research methodology which can also be used to teach group competencies. Drawing from social psychology, management, and communication disciplines, researchers using SYMLOG have captured issues of leadership, cohesion, and group processes over time. Using…

Compares findings of four similar studies that analyzed patterns of teachers' verbal and nonverbal communication with different types of student populations. (JG)

Demonstrates that there are different types of interaction in English-as-a-second-language classroom discourse, including "negotiating" and "non-negotiating" interaction which is similar to that in social exchanges in which meaning is negotiated between the interlocuters. (Author/CB)

Reports a study designed to ascertain the relationship between teacher perceived attractiveness and classroom interactions and suggests that "main effects" such as facial attractiveness of youngsters acts to determine individual potential for interactions with others. (MH)

A study surveyed 972 college students for their preferences in classroom arrangement (tradition straight-row, horseshoe, and modular) and their seating preferences within each style. Results indicated that students' arrangement preferences are influenced by both attractiveness of the course and the individual student's communication apprehension…

Reciprocal interactions between teachers and two groups of preschoolers (four autistic, four mildly developmentally delayed) were observed and recorded. Teachers or aides ignored most negative initiations. Although most neutral interactions (e.g., question-answer) were reciprocal, students (especially the autistic group) did not respond…

Background: After the failure of several important methods comparison studies in the 1960s, the influence of interaction analysis stimulated interest in foreign language classroom processes. More careful observational studies gradually revealed which process variables were of interest. Also, there has been much research on teacher talk, with a…

The correlation of verbal, paralinguistic, and kinesic features in the context of student-student and student-teacher interaction is studied in a semester linguistics course at Vanderbilt University. The purpose of the research is to delineate some of the major problems of group interaction in the college classroom and to show how the various…

This analysis considers the deep purposes of communication, communication and relationship, relationship and nonverbal communication, projective and introjective perception, emotions and learning, the theory of dramaturgy applied to teaching, and some implications for the foreign language teacher. Communication is a special combination of…