A family therapy session was analyzed to understand how verbal and nonverbal behavior are related to the therapeutic process. (KW)

Argues for the development of group intervention techniques to improve the efficacy of course teams in the preparation of distance education materials, reviews recent commentaries on course teams and discusses related issues, and conludes with recommendations to enrich the quality of course team life and output. (Author/EAO)

Using Tough's hierarchical analysis of language functions, this study found developmental differences in the communicative functions and strategies used by preschoolers in their conversations with one another. Generally found that females developed language strategies earlier than males and achieved a more advanced level of cognitive complexity…

Compared the interaction of normal families and families with a drug-abusing member in order to describe the differences in their communication patterns. Concluded that addict families generally display more rigid communication patterns than do normal families. (PD)

Outlines two formulations that generate conceptual perspectives of immediate phenomena: (1) the family system has a time-enduring stability; (2) the family system has an immediate and temporary organization. Integrates systems thinking and Gestalt Therapy while recognizing individual experience as embedded in a self-maintaining system of the…

Studies children's justification of message choices as characteristics of their reasoning processes. Indicates that interpersonal reasoning increases in sophistication and complexity over the age groups studied and that females reason at a higher level than males. Situational influences on level of interpersonal reasoning were also found. (JMF)

Identifies and explains five widespread myths related to the what and how of evaluation in English student teachers. Describes a multiphased cycle or process aimed at helping teachers identify teaching problems, receive data from supervisors, and develop solutions that produce self-directed teachers. (FL)

Reports on a study of five multicultural third grade students' responses to literature across the interaction patterns of adult-dominated, peer-dominated, and adult-balanced social situations. Concludes that a direct relationship exists between the structure of the social interaction pattern and its consequence in verbal behavior. (FL)

An attitude change strategy was used to alter attitudes toward persons with physical disabilities. Personal feelings and behavioral suggestions were made during interactions between disabled and nondisabled persons. The study produced significant positive attitude gains for persons in the experimental condition versus the two comparison group…

Two evaluation procedures were evaluated in terms of their impact upon client attrition in a community mental health center. The behavioral analysis report, an innovative evaluation procedure, led to more treatment contacts than a traditional evaluation method. Possible effective elements within the behavioral analysis report are discussed.…

A co-educational living-learning center for the arts was studied through participant observation and quantitative assessment. The results document the importance of full self-selection into a membership group and demonstrate the relationships between reference group identification, basic interests in personality, and social behavior. (Author)

Examines code switching occurring during group work in English-as-a-Second-Language classes in Spain in which the learners share a first language. Argues that the discourse produced in this context is layered as the participants oscillate between a literal (off-record) and a nonliteral (on-record) frame. Suggests that the significance of language…

Demonstrates how students who are not directly participating in instruction are key contributors to the social construction of literacy knowledge. Argues for a reconceptualization of classroom language and literacy practices from current dyadic-based frameworks to more expanded multi-party participation frameworks allowing for flexible access to…

Observations of an elementary teacher's behavior determined that her teaching behavior remained stable and did not vary in relation to the content of the lessons. The teacher's pre-instructional decision concerning the grouping of pupils appeared to influence her interaction processes. (JD)