A study examined classroom discourse in three literature class discussions among 15 high school juniors and their teacher as they tried to make sense of "Hamlet" and "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead." Participants' moves (what the students and teacher were trying to do with their language during the discussion);…

Students must have uninterrupted periods of time to process information, to reflect on what has been said, observed, or done, and to consider what their personal responses will be. After at least three seconds of uninterrupted silence, a significant number of positive outcomes occur for students and teachers. Students are more effective in…

The application of sociolinguistic principles should be the concern of every professional person who has any control over what goes on inside a classroom, particularly the teacher, who has the most regular, if not the closest contact with the student. It sometimes seems, however, that in their approach to multidialects in the classroom, teachers…

A study examined levels of reported communication apprehension in Japanese elementary and secondary school students and to compare them to normative levels of apprehension of American children and adolescents. The Personal Report of Communication Fear (PRCF) was administered to 1,446 students from 6 elementary, junior, and high schools in Japan.…

A study explored the extent to which preexisting characteristics influenced a student's performance in class by examining students'"willingness to communicate,""conflict mode," and general personality traits. Sixty-five male and 160 female undergraduate students at an eastern university participated in the study. The sample…

Author discusses employing knowledge of group dynamics in conducting a series of sessions with teachers focused around the interaction of teacher and child in the classroom. It is a method of reaching more youngsters, and presents the psychologist with an opportunity to use skills for which he is uniquely trained. (Author/PC)

A case study examined the classroom behavior of a third grader named Andrea. Andrea's lips moved but no response could be heard. Because Andrea was an appealing child, her lack of oral communication became a challenge for her teacher. Members of the Educators Forum supported feelings that Andrea needed to be helped to use oral language. An…

Stressing that teachers must consider not only the quality and amount of content in their questions, but must also consider the levels and types of questions being asked, as well as design appropriate modeling, cueing, and responding strategies, this document outlines current research on questioning techniques for classroom use. The role of…

A study examined the effects of controlling situational factors (i.e., instructional interventions) on reducing state anxiety level of low and high public speaking apprehensives. Subjects were 306 undergraduates enrolled in the basic public speaking course at a midwestern university during the 1988-1989 academic year. Situational factors tested…

The power of inquiry teaching is demonstrated as a way in which learning can be transformed from a passive process to a dynamic, enjoyable adventure. Using anecdotes, conversations, and letters, the book describes the application of the inquiry methodology. In addition, guidelines for selecting topics for discussion are included, as well as hints…

With more and more cultural backgrounds represented in the American classroom, it is important that faculty consider the cultural variables that are introduced in such a situation. Cross-cultural awareness in the multi-cultural classroom has become an important issue in recent years for two main reasons: a continued increase of international…

The report documents a study conducted in 1979 by the University of Alaska's Cross-Cultural Education Development Program (X-CED) to use video tape to study the interaction of teachers and students and to look specifically at the teaching styles of the three Athabaskan teachers at an Interior Alaska Athabaskan community school. The study would…

Traditionally, classroom instruction has been viewed as a structured, deliberately sequenced process leading to predetermined goals within given time limits. However, classroom second language instruction appears to be less efficient than non-classroom language acquisition. The reason may lie in the distinction between linguistic input (all…

This study examined the language of teachers and children during small group instruction in two cognitively oriented preschools. A total of 22 small group instruction sessions were videofilmed in each preschool. Lesson relevant utterances from the 44 videotapes were coded for grammatical and cognitive variables. In an examination of five specific…

A discussion of ethnographic research methods in language learning research focuses on what is involved in good descriptive and analytic ethnographic research and the value of the approach in the study of English as a second language (ESL). A basic definition of ethnography is offered, some key research principles are identified, and the…