A study was made to determine the attitudes of elementary public school teachers and administrators toward education as a lifelong process and the possibility of isolating, testing, and changing adult attitudes to encompass new concepts. Full time elementary school personnel (455) in Albany and Laramie counties completed a tested adult attitude…

Using 74 adult farmers in four matched groups in Central India, this study examined the impact of group radio listening, discussion, decision, commitment, and consensus on the effectiveness of Indian radio forums. Effectiveness was measured in terms of changes in knowledge, belief, attitudes, and intention to adopt an innovation. Subjects were…

This annotated bibliography lists and discusses 28 books on forensics, debate, argumentation, discussion, and public speaking. The books cover various topics in oral communication for secondary and college level study. (CH)

A brief history of the integration efforts of the school and the resulting interracial conflict is presented. From this background evolved the cross-cultural groups which are the focus of this paper. Essentially, discussion was used for exploring the issues which were identified as impediments to good relationships within the school; (1) too few…

A cooperative presentation of the University of Missouri, St. Louis, Extension Division and the Missouri Department of Community Affairs, this project was designed as a reference for discussion groups of all types, to give perspective and direction in the search for an understanding of the complex situations which contribute to the crisis in…

In placing the issue of the ethics of using anthropological methods for educational evaluation in the context of scientism, anthropology and other social sciences are viewed as being in part either qualitative or quantitative. Furthermore, the difference between research and evaluation places the ethnographer in another position in relationship to…

This description of an illuminative evaluation process as a qualitative research method focuses on a study of concerns about financial constraints in the British Open University. Interviews and open-ended discussions were used to encourage participation and input by a wide variety of individuals with differing perspectives on the problem. (LRW)

Reports on a study that found that children who read, write, and discuss whole texts of their own choice show remarkable insights into literature and its making, and that the insights match those of experienced adult literary critics. (SKC)

Investigated the effects of immediate instructor feedback, via a video display system (ComET system), on the performance of group discussion participants. Found that receivers of immediate feedback were more satisfied with their performances, participated in discussions of higher quality, and were no more anxious than individuals not receiving…

Examines problems with improving oral language skills of limited-English-speaking adults and describes a university English as a second language course that is organized around issues in the women's movement. Topics are selected by the students, and a variety of approaches are used. A lesson plan and evaluative remarks are included. (AMH)

This paper discusses the use of learner-authored texts to encourage conceptual change in college English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, examining the process of and conditions for conceptual change and reasons to promote the use of student-authored texts. Participants were first-year accounting majors enrolled in a comprehensive EFL course…

This paper examines obstacles faced by Japanese students learning English, noting that many such students are highly competent in reading, writing, and listening, but not in speaking. It suggests that students are worried about making oral mistakes, which cannot be erased once uttered, and that oral activities completed in English class are often…

This paper reports on a comparative study of the use of asynchronous (bulletin board) and synchronous (chat) discussion on three learning units based on the cognitive maps developed by the learners. Cognitive maps have been found to be an effective tool for learners for discussion in a distributed learning environment. Cognitive maps provided…

This study investigated whether there was a difference in the level of academic achievement for African American students when instructed through lecture and discussion and cooperative learning methods in the social studies classroom. Participants were 58 African American 12th graders in an urban public school. A control group was instructed using…

This study investigated what would happen when a student teacher incorporated different techniques for improving comprehension into a third-grade reading group consisting of 10 diverse students. The study noted how comprehension changed when students did creative writing in response to literature and how story mapping or character perspective…