To investigate whether problem-based learning leads to conceptual change, the cognitive and metacognitive processes of a group of medical students were studied during the problem analysis phase, and their verbal communication and thinking processes were analyzed. Stimulated recall of the thinking process during the discussion detected a conceptual…

Reports a study of 559 children of 5-6 years to determine language interaction differences in males and females in day care centers and part-time preschools in Sweden. A significant correlation was found between sex and form of preschool in regards to language interaction between the child and the personnel. (RJC)

The article reviews recent theoretical and empirical research related to the role of communication in effective strategy training for instilling stable and general cognitive strategic skills in learning disabled students. Among implications discussed is the need for increased focus on the interactional dynamics of the strategy training situation…

Issues that underlie the development of measurement systems to evaluate the social effects of supported education for disabled students are discussed. An assessment model which examines both outcome (i.e., increased acceptance, social participation, and levels of friendships) and process variables (e.g., specific social interaction skills) is…

Forty college students of second-year French were used to study the extent to which individual learners exercise initiative in structuring classroom talk. Textual outcomes of four typical tasks for pairs were examined. Interactions were coded in four areas (topic, self-selection, allocation, and sequencing); results showed variation in the extent…

It is vital that librarians know the assumptions and principles of information-seeking behavior, make observations of themselves and users, and analyze failed reference interactions. They can make the human factor a strength rather than a limitation in the seeking and sharing of information. (Author/JMV)

This article reports on several studies that used discourse analysis to interpret the linguistic interactions between students with special educational needs in segregated and integrated settings. Results indicated that integrated settings were characterized by "didactic" interactions, while segregated settings showed "familiar" behavior. (DB)

Observations of interactions of mixed-ability groups revealed three persistent challenges (inclusiveness, enacting the ideal, and monitoring growth) in which gifted students can develop and exercise leadership skills. Specific student strategies are proposed for each challenge. The role of teachers in developing leadership skills of gifted…

Multifaceted Rasch analysis was used to determine whether bias was evident in the way a group of raters graded two different versions of an oral interaction test, undertaken by the same candidates. Results indicate that certain raters consistently rated the tape version of the test more harshly while others rated the live one more harshly. (10…

This study found that professors (n=76) ask on average about 25 questions each class hour, the majority of which are higher-level questions. They pause about 2.25 seconds after questions and 0.45 seconds after student responses. Professors teaching education classes differed little from professors teaching noneducation classes. (Author/DB)

Reviewed and analyzed are studies on task-related verbal interactions among students in small groups in mathematics classrooms and their links to mathematics achievement. Factors that predict group interaction are considered and research-based strategies for shaping group interaction are discussed. (MDH)

A person-situation interactionist theory to explain Australian student decisions to pursue higher education is advanced and a model is tested using data from Victoria and Queensland. Results of statistical analyses are generally consistent with expectations. Certain interactive effects of variables in the model are examined. (Author/MSE)

Uses current research and theory to frame the peer interactions of "Emily Dickinson," a 16-year-old with oral-language problems and social isolation. Classroom-based assessment revealed an interaction pattern in which Emily used her strong literacy interests and skills to initiate and mediate social interaction with peers, including another gifted…

Emphasizes that communicating in a foreign language requires understanding the linguistic strategies of its speakers as expressions of their frame of participation and underlying preferred politeness strategies in order to respond appropriately. The article presents results from sociolinguistic research studying a group of Spanish speakers…

Explores perspectives and methodologies that sociolinguistics brings to ethnographic research in schools. The article identifies the methodological contributions arising from linguistics that interactional sociolinguistics and microethnograpy share, such as the use of naturally occurring language data, the consultation of native intuition, and…