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…

This paper reports the first results of a three-year longitudinal study of the social maps of children beginning the transition to adolescence. This exploratory study is guided by Bronfenbrenner's conception of the ecology of human development stressing the importance of a phenomenological orientation to development in the context of ecological…

The purpose of this study is to describe, document, and analyze the classroom management techniques an elementary school teacher uses to establish and maintain group norms. An analysis of the data collected for a teacher who used a group process approach to classroom management is presented. Two types of norms were observed operating in classroom…

This study investigates similarities and differences in the interactions of infants with mothers and fathers, and examines the structural characteristics of social interaction between infants and fathers. Data are based on analyses of videotapes showing face-to-face interaction of five healthy first born infants with their mothers and fathers. The…

This paper attempts to demonstrate the utility of an alternative strategy for providing evaluation data on preschool programs. Results of observational investigations of teacher-child interactions in three separate preschool settings provide evidence that the family income status, childs' sex and physical attractiveness determine to a significant…

A study investigated whether the interactive behaviors of elderly individuals were significantly influenced by their environment. The key to the investigation was the notion that human interaction can function to aid elderly individuals as they adapt to aging. Subjects were individuals over 65 years of age living in one of three separate…

This article describes the use of a Group Log to evaluate the personal growth experienced and group skills learned in group counseling in which the counselor-in-training writes a Group Log for each group experience. The evaluation criteria of the log are presented in terms of therapeutic forces and group dynamics observed, self-awareness…

The purpose of the study was to find out if and how the subject matter of a remedial high school classroom interacted with the social organization of that classroom and the differences it made. Two classrooms with different subject matter (mathematics and social studies) were observed over the course of a school year. The multiple awarenesses and…