This paper reviews selected findings from two traditions of educational research--process-product research and sociolinguistic research. The first research method generally focuses on the teacher and identifies teacher behaviors (processes) that correlate with student outcome measures (products). Sociolinguistic research focuses on communicative…

A study examined the quantity and quality of language produced by kindergarten and early primary Native American pupils in relation to selected factors in the classroom context in which the language was produced. Observations of about 50 classrooms were conducted in schools serving predominantly Native American pupils on and off reservations in…

Focusing on teaching situations with varying degrees of teacher knowledge, an interpretive study examined the effects of science teacher subject-matter knowledge on classroom questioning and other forms of discourse. Four biology and life science teachers participated in the first year of two year-long studies (the second is in progress). All of…

A study assessed the performance of language-minority and language-majority children in a two-way Spanish-English bilingual education program in Port Chester, New York. The program treats language learning as a resource for all students, with each group of children teaching their native languages to the other. Second- and third-grade classes are…

This study reports the application to classroom dialogue of the Thematic and Structural Analysis (TSA) Technique which has been used previously in the analysis of text materials. The TSA Technique identifies themes (word clusters) and their structural relationship throughout sequentially organized material. Dialogues from four Year 8 science…

All first, second, and third grade teachers in one rural southwestern school district were observed to find out (1) what they were doing while their reading groups read stories, (2) whether they changed their teaching strategies when they changed reading groups, and (3) whether their strategies during story reading changed from grade to grade.…

As part of a research project on teacher power in the classroom, a study examined behavior alteration techniques (BATs) and behavior representative messages (BAMs) used by elementary and secondary school teachers in classroom management. In the first phase of the study, 177 college students generated lists of BATs and BAMs, and then, working in…

When college freshmen are required to write, it seems that they operate under several values that appear to be perpetuated by schooling and should be addressed. It is important to realize that the contexts for writing of middle school students and college freshmen are virtually identical. The first comparable value is speed--the rapid expression…

Research indicates that the quality of teacher-student communication and interaction has a significant impact on student achievement. Areas in which effective communication strategies can be used include teaching methods, classroom management, and the emotional climate of the classroom. The most effective teaching method is "direct…

Children are capable of good thinking, asking perceptive questions, ferreting out implications, making applications, formulating conclusions, and making valid predictions and evaluations. Evidence indicates that these capabilities can be improved by teaching children about questions and questioning. Before such questioning strategies have much…

Noting that while student teachers may be well versed in theories of instruction, they frequently lack a particular type of communication competence for the classroom, this paper describes a project for training teachers by using videotapes of teacher/student interaction during reading lessons. The first part of the paper describes the three…

Although Filipinos learned English rapidly when it was first introduced widely in the early twentieth century, English as a second language instruction in rural areas today is irrelevant to the population's needs, and it is learned slowly. Both teachers and pupils have a restricted code of language usage. An inquiry is needed into the…

Each of the four sections of this staff development guide focuses on areas of skills which assistant teachers must possess, namely, skills in (1) communication and interaction, (2) child development and discipline, (3) management and organization, and (4) facilitation of learning in activity centers. Communication skills are discussed in terms of…

Assertion training should be an integral part of preservice teacher training so that, when beginning teachers enter the classroom, they will be confident and able to establish a positive learning climate and minimize discipline problems. A graduate course was developed to assist teachers to develop assertive communication and to use assertive…

The development and use of verbal and nonverbal communication by children in the early stages of second language acquisition were investigated in a natural setting. Twenty young speakers of Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, Spanish, Icelandic, and Polish, enrolled in a multilingual program and ranging in age from 7 to 12 years, served as subjects. All of…