Examines the relationship between new biology teachers' subject matter knowledge and classroom discourse, contrasting classroom discourse during laboratory investigation with discourse during other classroom activities. Data analysis suggests that knowledge and control are related but in ways unique to the communicative context of the laboratory.…

Explores the potential utility of Bayesian statistical methods in determining the predictability of multiple polls. Compares Bayesian techniques to the classical statistical method employed by pollsters. Considers these questions in the context of the 1992 presidential elections. (HB)

Examines life history interviews with English as a foreign language teachers in Poland, employing an analysis based on Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of language, which describes language as "heteroglossic" or comprising multiple, competing discourses in dynamic dialogue with one another. The central question focuses on what discourses…

Presents a notion of small culture as an alternative to what has become the default notion of large culture in applied linguistics, social science, and popular usage. A small-culture view of English-language curriculum settings reveals mismatches between professional-academic and organizational cultures at the mezzo level of the institution. (VWL)

Presents the results of an analysis of science-classroom lab talk which focuses on topics and manner of talk as an approach to understanding the social context of undergraduate lab work. Argues that lab instructors should pay attention to how "scientific" the lab talk is, and to sociability among students. Contains 32 references.…

Considers whether it is possible to account for the phenomenon of uptake by looking at some of the discoursal features of the interactive work that goes on between an instructor and his students in biology lessons in the context of nonnative English-speaking instructors working with nonnative English-speaking students in a tertiary-level…

Recorded conversations of seven pairs of children and parents from a kindergarten and seven from a school for the gifted were recorded and analyzed. Dramatically different discourse patterns were found. The gifted group's interactions better reflected the style of classroom discourse. (SK)

Reports the results of research conducted in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) graduate courses on the discourse socialization of students through the process of engaging in oral academic presentations. Data sheds light on the complex process of discourse socialization and are informative for faculty who assign oral academic…

Reviews research into listening skills and processes, focusing on speech recognition, memory in processing, discourse comprehension, the challenge of accessing the listening process, the role of context and other factors influencing listening, and the relationship between listening and other language skills. Future directions in research are…

Articulates six local, immediate, and fragmentary forms of client resistance at a Women's Social Service Organization: parodying and refusing confessional practices; fighting bureaucracies and bureaucrats; playing games; breaking rules; bitching; and revisioning relationship. Discusses attendant transformations of organizational practices,…

Reports on a preliminary stage of a project funded by the Federal Office of Public Health in Switzerland to gain insights into physician-patient communication regarding Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and apply findings to their teaching programs. Particular focus is on aspects of communication relating to primary prevention of HIV and…

Explores differences in the range and types of graduate students in a campus-based and a Web-based graduate course on teaching adolescent literature. Finds useful discussion in all class settings, with spontaneity and surprise being more apparent in face-to-face classes and in-depth discussion more apparent in electronic discussion on the issue of…

Classroom communication is best characterized as social activity wherein interpersonal relationships are created, maintained, and even changed through teacher-student interactions. A close analysis of some discourse features suggests that what differentiates the way teachers interact with more successful and less successful students is the extent…

Analyzes two episodes of mathematics instruction by a first-year preschool teacher to highlight the importance of responsiveness in creating an interpersonal relation with students. Discusses the linguistic features of the teacher's discourses which generated a sense of shared control and meaning-making with students when adopting an instructor…

Explores complex relationships between teachers (in Victoria, Australia) and curriculum change. Explores ways in which the teachers' positioning within a mix of discourses and settings variously supported or undermined their preparedness to accept new configurations of the subject Literature as well as the implications of curriculum change not…