Producing a high level of student involvement in the foreign language classroom depends on four common elements under the teacher's control: (1) teacher expectations and their modeling in class; (2) classroom atmosphere; (3) instructional formats; and (4) teaching activities. Students are more consistently involved in using the target language in…

The working papers contained in this volume include the following: "Research on Language Learning; How Can It Respond to Classroom Concerns?" (Teresa Pica); "Building Rapport Through Indirect Complaints: Implications for Language Learning" (Diana Boxer); "(Bi)literacy and Empowerment: Education for Indigenous Groups in…

Two combined second and third grade classrooms were observed throughout the five weeks of a summer school program to determine what "reading instruction" was in the contextual reality of classroom life. Observers viewed approximately 20 hours of reading instruction per week. In addition, they interviewed the classroom teachers informally as the…

To discover how one student learned to produce writing in different academic contexts, a study documented a Loyola College (Maryland) student's experiences with writing for a poetry class and a biology class during his sophomore year. The subject was interviewed several times, observed, and his voice taped during "writing aloud" sessions…

A collection of papers on second language instruction includes: "The Immersion Approach: Principle and Practice" (Helena Anderson Curtain); "Authentic Camera-Produced Materials for Random-Access Video Delivery" (Francis Lide, Barbara Lide); "Listening: What's Really Going on in the Classroom?" (Donna Reseigh Long); "Listening and Learning:…

With increasing numbers of nontraditional students (25 years or older) enrolling in college classes, it is important for educators to understand how these students' perceptions of teaching effectiveness may differ from those of the more traditional university population. To discover the categories traditional and nontraditional students use in…

This study examined teachers' content knowledge about the nature of science and how this knowledge was expressed in their classrooms. Understandings about science influence not only explicit lessons about the nature of science, but also shape an implicit curriculum concerning scientific knowledge. Consideration was also given to ways in which…

Studies in the field of economics education indicate that teachers prefer content and a subject-oriented curriculum, while students favor a more personal relationship with the teacher and recognition as unique individuals. Mastery of subject matter is not as important to economics students. As a result, the following problems may occur in the…

A study examined the relationship of time, language teachers' language use, and the qualities of interaction in the language classroom. An introductory section discusses the interest in these issues and the use and development of polychronometric techniques for behavior analysis. Three studies using these techniques to analyze language teacher…

A comparison was made of the verbal praise and criticism behaviors of teachers instructing in different types of classrooms. Fifty-seven teachers were observed in their various seventh and eighth grade classrooms: (1) nonhandicapped, small class size (5-15 students); (2) nonhandicapped, large class size (20 or more students); (3) special (students…

Using four classrooms for comparison purposes (grades 1 and 6 at Warm Springs Reservation which contained 95% Indian students and similar grades in two classrooms at a nearby off-reservation town of Madras, Oregon, which contained 95% Anglo students), the book contends that the children of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation are enculturated in…

The teaching activities presented in these articles integrate language skills in a variety of ways. The articles describe assignments about (1) using road signs to help students realize the importance of reading the signs they encounter; (2) integrating reading, speech, writing, and art, with pet dragons as the subject; (3) focusing on reading and…

Disruption can be a result of a wide array of circumstances, but is commonly identified as a "control problem" in early childhood classrooms. In this article, the author argues that the recognition of disruption as a "control problem" is embedded in and governed by the social power and values entrenched in teaching discourses.…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles deal with the following topics: (1) communication interaction pattern training, (2) the relationship between cognitive switching and the nonverbal form complexity of a televised newscast, (3) the behavioral repertoire…

Suggestopedia is a form of educational dynamics based on the insights of suggestology. The process focuses on the whole person, and in so doing, it takes into account the conscious/unconscious duality of the student. In accordance with the principles of suggestology, the process of suggestopedia is conducted at three levels, the psychological, the…