Communication scholars should be skilled in the use of focus groups in communication research and in interpreting the data this approach generates. The focus group is a discussion group that concentrates on a particular topic or topics and typically consists of eight to 12 participants. The group is facilitated by a moderator who follows a…

Parents should admit and articulate their negative feelings about parenting, share feelings of suffering with other parents, and nurture each other. On the basis of a new shared understanding, parents can then organize and work to redefine the nurturing role and humanize society and its institutions so that they better meet human needs. Soell's…

The Netherlands Television Academy Foundation prepared a weekly television series intended to teach lip reading to the deaf and to the hard of hearing. This article outlines the scope of this project, referring to the format of the 18 half-hour lessons, to the supplementary written materials employed, to the nature of the criticism received, and…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of Finnish legislation dealing with government financing of study circles. In the adult education system of Finland, a study circle is a working unit based on voluntary membership and aimed at fulfilling the educational needs of its members through group studies in…

Describes the goals, operation, results and evaluation of the adoptive parent education program of the Children's Home in Cincinnati, Ohio, in operation since 1973. (ED)

Discusses attempts of study groups of women in mental health professions that was instrumental in developing thearetical formulations concerning feminist therapy. From experiences both in the group and with clients, concludes that the profession as a whole must increase its responsiveness to concerns of women and issues of feminist therapy.…

The author traces the progress of a group of teachers who meet regularly to discuss and explore the insights, uncertainties, and paradoxes that arise from teaching. He finds that the group evolved through three phases: (1) collegiality, (2) efforts to gain policy power, and (3) increasing confidence through knowledge. (Author/CH)

This study explored the relationship between literacy learning and technology. A teacher-researcher and a university researcher collaborated on a yearlong study of three intact eighth-grade classes at a middle school in Southern California. Examined were the effect of electronic discussion groups on students' motivation to read and literacy…

Seven teaching and learning tools, including course handouts, threaded discussion forums, and written assignments enhance learning in online courses by enabling students to deepen their understanding of course material and reduce anxiety about the online setting and their performance in the class. These tools have been used in 24 community college…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of an online discussion forum to support practicing elementary school teachers' professional development in mathematics. The forum is structured around teachers' sharing, discussing, and reflection upon the teaching of elementary mathematics. Third grade teachers (N=14) from three different…

Traditional university adult education is seen as catering for the elite in contrast to a university radio study group campaign which proved far more effective in reaching the less well educated and financially insecure rural inhabitants of Tanzania, and which promises to help break down social strata rather than reinforce them. (Author/KP)

Focusing on practical procedures that counselors have found effective and describing the objectives and who, when, where and how of a technique, this column describes the use of Dear Abby" discussion groups to assist students in explaining personal problems in a classroom setting. (Author/CG)