A study of the use of interactive discourse in the second language classroom begins with a discussion of the regulation of discourse, examines the use of scenarios for the promotion of interactive discourse, and provides evidence from classroom use of the effectiveness of this technique. Three types of discourse control are noted: object…

Factors contributing to the uniqueness of educational software are analyzed from contextual and textual perspectives. Contextual (or external) technological, economic, and social factors are examined briefly, and are identified as the dominant factors in the future evolution of educational software. Feedback and interactiveness, two significant…

Verbal and nonverbal dimensions of communication are a vital part of competitive group discussion. Specific nonverbal elements that have been found useful in competitive group discussion include environment, proxemics, kinesics, objectics, and chronemics. For example, equalizing arrangements for the discussion in the best area of a room enhances…

This report is a collection of 11 recent papers by the Human-Machine Interaction Group at the University of California, San Diego. The following papers are included: (1) "Stages and Levels in Human-Machine Interaction," Donald A. Norman; (2) "The Nature of Expertise in UNIX," Stephen W. Draper; (3) "Users in the Real…

A study was conducted to determine what specific activities parents use to develop language in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first and second grade children. A questionnaire about language related activities consisted of general information regarding the parents and children, followed by 15 statements that the parents checked according to the…

A theoretical situation-person-interactions model of learning and performance is presented, and applications of the model through the Instrumental Language Functions (ILF) approach with preschool normal and older variously handicapped children and adults are described. The model is graphically depicted and discussed according to such aspects as…

This paper develops a working definition of teacher engagement, a definition based upon an understanding of how underlying assumptions about the goals of teaching affect what and whom teachers are engaged with, as well as how researchers' conceptions of proper power and authority in the school context influence what they see. Different dimensions…

A report is given of the development and progress of the Research Applications for Teaching (RAFT) project, developed at Mississippi State University. Based upon research findings relative to effective teaching and effective schooling, five curriculum modules were prepared and implemented in instruction. In the second year of the project the…

A comprehensive delivery system offers several advantages in career counseling programs serving adult clients. Systematic delivery is advantageous because of its developmental emphasis, effective use of resources, amenability to change, provisions for built-in ongoing evaluation, and focus on process and product. A comprehensive adult career…

This paper reviews several studies on aptitude treatment interaction, the interaction between the learners' individual differences and methods of instruction. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between previous knowledge, including previously held misconceptions, and instructional methods. It is suggested that significant interactions…

A study identified characteristics of social skills and communication qualities that prospective teachers should possess in order to work effectively with students, parents, administrators, and other teachers, and sought to use those findings in designing a communication course for prospective teachers. Subjects, 343 practicing teachers of…

An analysis of the interaction between self and other in the one-to-one writing conference, informed by theories of Louis Althusser, Jurgen Habermas, Mikhail Bakhtin, and others, can help tutors view one-to-one conferences as a dynamic meaning-making process occurring within an integral social context. Bakhtin/Medvedev's discussion of discourse…

The relationship between the perceptual type of adult learners--i.e., visual or haptic--and their performance upon a visual discrimination task was studied to determine if the use of multi-image representations could improve the performance of adults of different perceptual types upon selected visual tasks. Subjects were 135 volunteers from…

This review of current research on teaching focuses upon studies of teaching behaviors and their relationship to student performance. In considering research on classroom climate, examples are presented of studies which used the Flanders Interaction Analysis System (FIAC) to investigate relationships among student achievement and teacher-initiated…

South Carolina, a basically rural state, faces interrelated problems (housing, transportation, education, etc.) for 23,000 developmentally disabled individuals. These individuals are extremely vulnerable because of the lack of programs designed to meet their needs. Housing for the developmentally disabled remains very sparse and is often…