A study of the use of interactive discourse in the second language classroom begins with a discussion of the regulation of discourse, examines the use of scenarios for the promotion of interactive discourse, and provides evidence from classroom use of the effectiveness of this technique. Three types of discourse control are noted: object…

This paper develops a working definition of teacher engagement, a definition based upon an understanding of how underlying assumptions about the goals of teaching affect what and whom teachers are engaged with, as well as how researchers' conceptions of proper power and authority in the school context influence what they see. Different dimensions…

A need exists for focusing on the development of social interaction skills across the college curriculum. Eight basic assumptions should be followed when attempting to develop students' skills: social interaction (1) is a major vehicle for learning; (2) assists students in developing a flexible range of effective behavior; (3) requires abilities…

An analysis of the interaction between self and other in the one-to-one writing conference, informed by theories of Louis Althusser, Jurgen Habermas, Mikhail Bakhtin, and others, can help tutors view one-to-one conferences as a dynamic meaning-making process occurring within an integral social context. Bakhtin/Medvedev's discussion of discourse…

This review of current research on teaching focuses upon studies of teaching behaviors and their relationship to student performance. In considering research on classroom climate, examples are presented of studies which used the Flanders Interaction Analysis System (FIAC) to investigate relationships among student achievement and teacher-initiated…

A study examined the effects of three types of teacher questions (literal, interpretive, applied) on: (1) frequency, length, and quality of student response; (2) classroom interaction; (3) student questions; (4) intentional and incidental learning; and (5) student attitudes. Multiple-choice formats were used to assess intentional learning, and…

Studies have shown that, in small groups, two types of leaders generally emerge, i.e., a task specialist concerned with achieving the group's goals and a social-emotional specialist concerned with the morale and cohesiveness of the group. To determine if leadship style is related to sex role orientation, rather than to biological sex, to…

The purpose of this annual volume is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas concerning international and intercultural human relations. The 16 chapters include discussion of language and information processing in relation to intercultural communication; guidelines for intercultural research; the effects of ethnocentrism on intercultural…

This report is concerned with the development and use of the Infant/Toddler Interaction and Activity Profile in 13 day care centers in Philadelphia. The Profile and its development are described and methods of data collection and analysis are explained briefly. Findings are reported in four major areas: (1) basic data characteristics, offering a…

A study surveyed 972 college students for their preferences in classroom arrangement (tradition straight-row, horseshoe, and modular) and their seating preferences within each style. Results indicated that students' arrangement preferences are influenced by both attractiveness of the course and the individual student's communication apprehension…

This report reviews studies of the stability of measure of teacher effectiveness and behavior. In studying teacher effectiveness over short intervals it appears that teaching the same content to similar students yields moderately stable generalizability coefficients over occasions. However, when teachers teach different content to the same or…

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of teacher expectancy on student performance. The question is asked: Do teachers in secondary grades treat students for whom they have low expectations in ways that tend to fulfill them, and if so, what is the nature of this differential treatment? Differential teacher behavior (quantitative and…

This study investigated the linguistic characteristics of speech addressed to the child and the features of the verbal environment critical for learning language. The study focused on the prosodic and paralinguistic features of adult speech to the young child. Adult speech directed to children was compared to other kinds of systematic speech…

This is an interim progress report on an ongoing study of teaching-learning interaction. The function of the study is to observe learning over a full year of schooling, focusing, in part, on reciprocal interactions. The teaching-learning interaction program is committed to three long-term objectives. Methodologically, it is developing improved…

The primary purpose of this study was to develop and validate a measure of counselor empathy. A pilot study was conducted with 72 undergraduate students and 12 graduate students in order to develop the Empathic Differential (ED)D. Twenty-one bi-polar objectives were yielded significant through intercorrelation analysis. The validation study…