Employing membership categorization analysis and conversation analysis, we uncover how students performing classroom discussion tasks for language learning locally ascribe themselves and others to various identity categories within single discussion activities. Data consist of 126 hours of video-recorded small-group discussions for second language…

To encourage students' self-regulated learning at home, developing skills for textbook use to overcome learning-related impasses is crucial. This study examined the effects of providing mathematics class sessions that combined teacher instruction on appropriate textbook use with peer instruction, aimed at promoting students' spontaneity and…

Groupwork has become ubiquitous in language education, with the clear benefits of interaction and output on language acquisition. A body of research has investigated this interaction in pairs and small groups, and there is an increased understanding that individual group context is a key factor in determining the behavior of students. This article…

Learning language in the classroom often means interacting with peers in small groups. There is a growing body of empirical research highlighting the factors that have an impact on student interaction and an increasing focus on the social context. This article aims to broaden the focus of research by considering the influence of emergent…

This paper discusses the fundamental issue of why small group activities are utilized in the language learning classroom. Although these activities have gained popularity in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), supported by a sound theoretical base, few studies have so far examined the reasons why language teachers are…

Despite a culture with cooperation as a core value, (Nagao, Takashi, & Okuda, 2011) Japanese higher education generally uses rigid lecture-test teaching models that neither support nor condone small-group learning methods in the classroom. As a result, Japanese college students usually work outside the classroom to develop the collaborative…

Small groups are integral for many activities in the foreign language classroom and their pedagogical importance is well established. Despite the widespread use of groups in foreign language education, there is a dearth of research investigating group processes and the impact of emergent leaders within these groups. This mixed-methods,…

In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted with regard to communication strategy training and performance on communicative tasks (Lam, 2009; Nakatani, 2010; Naughton, 2006). This study aims to add to the literature by examining how two strategies, clarifying/confirming and extending a conversation, and two methods of teaching the…

The Faculty of Industrial Science and Technology at Tokyo University of Science developed a two-campus system to produce well-trained engineers possessing both technical and humanistic traits. In their first year of study, students reside in dormitories in the natural setting of the Oshamambe campus located in Hokkaido, Japan. The education…

The Japanese presence in the United States is growing rapidly in business and higher education. With many communication courses enrolling both Japanese and American students, the instructor is faced with a challenging opportunity: to institute course work in intercultural communication. However, when an intercultural course is not feasible, an…

The following ideas are presented: (1) working together in calculus, including a handout for a jigsaw lesson; (2) a lesson on water and ecology from the USSR using the collective teaching technique; (3) the Israeli Havruta "Companionship" method for peer teaching; and (4) an origami lesson outlined and illustrated. (JD)

Compares educational practices in Japan that involve educating the "whole child" by teaching values and behaviors through small group activities, to U.S. practices that focus mainly on academics. Japanese practices involve extensive and clear roles and procedures, routinization of activities, and peer pressure, all aimed at developing…

A rating scale is proposed for assessing both the level of a particular communicative performance in a small group and the general ability to perform in small-group interactions over time. argues that the theoretical difficulties of designing and using rating scales for this purpose, while requiring serious consideration, are outweighed by…

Teacher-centered presentation is generally considered the only way of teaching in large classes, whereas a learner-centered communicative approach is not considered feasible. This applies even more to language teaching, where the difference between the native speaker's knowledge and the students' command of the language hinder communication. In…