This study compares and contrasts the effects of planning on the instructional behaviors of a group of preservice teachers across two teaching conditions, a plan condition and a no-plan condition. Twelve preservice teachers each taught two 25-minute lessons to classes of 7 or 8 fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-grade learners. Lesson plans were developed…

The stability of teacher behavior has been one of the most important areas of process-product research. This study was designed to investigate teacher stability in the context of math instruction across classes and times of observation in order to assess the relationship between teaching styles and student learning outcomes. Specifically the study…

This paper examines a four-way conference involving a student teacher in high school English, the cooperating teacher, a generalist student teaching supervisor, and an English specialist supervisor. The paper reflects on the interactions in the conference and the impact of having two supervisors with differing priorities for discussion. The…

The paper describes and examines the interaction of a group of Spanish readers engaged in a reading comprehension activity, specifically, the interaction as they put to paper an answer to a reading comprehension question. The study is a satellite study affiliated with an ongoing project examining the use of cooperative learning in elementary…

This paper discusses the different levels of decision-making regarding media selection and technology use in distance education, and suggests a set of criteria and procedures that are practical yet rigorous. Interactivity is one of the main criteria proposed, and the value and meaning of interaction and interactivity in a distance education…

The purpose of this manual, the culmination of a graduate project begun at the University of Kansas, is to assist individuals with severe, multiple disabilities and their service providers in learning to utilize nonsymbolic behaviors in an expanded, facilitative manner that leads to more consistent and predictable communication functioning. The…

In the last decade considerable attention has been directed to the question of how teachers may increase the academic performance of their students. This monograph summarizes the research findings and suggests some underlying principles of effective instruction. Recent research has reinforced findings that teachers who adopt the principles of…

A study assessed the validity of applying the Spitzberg and Cupach dyadic model of communication competence to small group interaction. Twenty-four students, in five task-oriented work groups, completed questionnaires concerning self-competence, alter competence, interaction effectiveness, and other group members' interaction appropriateness. They…

The paper looks at rules for discourse in the classroom and how they may complement or conflict with each other in facilitating the learning of language disordered children in the classroom or therapy session. Six critical skills are identified which children need for a good teaching-learning interaction. They are: attention, turn taking,…

A comparative analysis is presented of adolescent participation in three-person family problem-solving groups, involving five families with an adolescent diabetic and three families with an adolescent with no diagnosed illness. Observation and interaction analysis of family problem-solving in a laboratory setting were used, as families were asked…

This paper examines aspects related to the validity of process-product research involving classroom observation and teacher effectiveness. Differences in categories, terminology, and definitions of five classroom observation instruments are delineated and discussed in relation to their various effects on the validity of process-product research…

If professionals are to learn how to maximize the positive effects and minimize the negative effects of day care, they must focus their efforts on the ways caregivers interact with children. This research provides a detailed and intimate look at the conditions under which caregivers interact with low income toddlers. Fifty subjects, ages 24 to 30…

This paper reports on a pilot project in curriculum integration, funded by the Ethnic Heritage Studies Program, and is intended to explore ways of coordinating public school instruction with Indian heritage education. Classroom teachers in a suburban school district participated in six workshops with Indian parents, students, and heritage…

The purpose of this study was to compare the mother-child and father-child interaction of six toddlers who were completely home reared with the interactions of six toddlers who were participants in a daily 3-hour playgroup. For the comparisons, both mother-child and father-child interactions were videotaped in a semi-structured laboratory setting.…

Research on attraction in an interpersonal context has strongly suggested that the more attracted two people are to one another, the more they tend to communicate. This study explored attraction and social interaction patterns at the perceptual level. Eighty male and female graduate students, 40 black and 40 white, completed a two part measure of…