The computer-assisted teacher training system (CATTS) has been developed to provide a versatile technical system for the real-time collection, feedback, and analysis of observation-coding system data applied to the investigation of interactive behaviors and environments found in teacher behavior research in reading. CATTS technical innovations…

The objective of the study was to (1) systematically study the process by which small group cooperation develops and to (2) produce guidelines that will be useful to teachers. The sample consisted of 84 seventh grade boys and girls of middle class families. Three randomly assigned samples (rotating, solid, and control) comprised the experimental…

This report describes a technique developed as part of the As Parents Grow Older (APGO) Project at the University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology which uses audiotape recordings in the analysis and evaluation of group intervention programs such as those designed to aid middle-aged adults in understanding and caring for their aging parents and…

The ontogenetic development of human vocal utterances and their role in early interaction processes were studied with a three-month-old baby. Recordings were made of infant vocalizations in the home and the sounds were classified. During a five-minute segment between the mother and infant, the infant produced 59 utterances, 93 percent of which had…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 14 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the relationships between power, gender, and mode of conflict management in superior/subordinate relationships; (2) the interaction processes of groups with varying levels of…

This paper considers a distinction frequently used in sociolinguistics and ethnography of speaking to describe speech events: their formality or informality. Three principle meanings of "formality" found in the literature concern whether the formality relates to properties of a communicative code, properties of the social setting in…

The relationship between teachers' expectations of students' communicative competence in the classroom and certain aspects of teachers' language during interaction with students was investigated in a study involving 55 nursery school and primary school children and their seven female teachers. The teacher expectation model used in the study…

A study involving 16 elementary school teachers and 32 low social status children was conducted to improve the social status of target classrooms through the implementation of an "in situ" Computer Assisted Teacher Training System (CATTS) intervention. During the treatment phase, teachers in Group 1 (n=8) received 12 CATTS post-session…

Naturalistic ethnographic research methods useful for the study of the dynamics of effective college teaching are discussed based on the findings of an ethnographic study. Naturalistic research methods were used in the study to understand better the task and social dimensions of a college classroom. Lessons were studied in the classroom as they…

Focusing on the cognitive style known as Field-Dependence-Independence (FDI), this literature review includes: (1) an examination of how one can better understand interpersonal behavior in the human relations training setting; (2) how to develop hypotheses about the relationships that might make for successful or unsuccessful matches between…

Although studies of social contact and mutual aid between the elderly and their children suggest impressive potentials for family supports, much less is known of this potential in a situation of illness and dependency. The family's potential at that stage when the older person's health deteriorates to the point that some external support is…

After 177 college students in 49 groups participated in group tasks, their perceptions of those groups and individuals in the groups were analyzed for gender differences. In the discriminant analysis of the three interpretable factors for perception of groups (group cohesiveness, power, and personality), gender was a predictor of an individual's…

The Teacher Performance Assessment Instruments (TPAI) were designed to determine how well teachers can demonstrate certain minimum teaching skills considered essential to effective teaching. This manual is designed for use by data collectors and others during training on the administration of the TPAI instruments. It may also be used as a…

Four major questions are addressed in this research report: What is the relationship between student academic learning time and student achievement?; What are the relationships between teaching processes and academic learning time?; Are teaching processes, academic learning time, and student achievement related to student attitudes?; and, Are…

The uses of various research designs in educational research are discussed. Research methodologies such as social anthropology, path analysis, classroom observation, historiography, interaction analysis, and statistical analysis are described. The educational settings in which each of them would be an effective research tool are illustrated. (JD)