This study examined the effect of various intervention contexts on the ability of young children (ages 3 and 4 years) with language impairments to effectively direct communications to a partner and to vary communicative intentions. The six children in the study were either nonverbal or in the early stages of developing verbal communication and all…

Four aspects of the interactive reading process, the parallel compensatory behaviors of bilingual students, and an instructional approach that reflects the needs of these students are described. Focus is on a reading strategies program for Native American students whose cultural environments vary greatly from the cultural environment of the public…

The role of context in learning has taken on a new significance in recent research in that it might account for the "lost learning" that should result from the school experience, but which does not appear on normative assessments intended to measure learning in areas explicitly valued by society. A naturally occurring microworld, or…

This study examines the speech act sequence of introductions among native speakers of American English from a wide variety of occupations, educational backgrounds, and role relationships. Specifically, the focus of the study is on the sequencing of other-introductions; namely, in an introduction that involves at least three participants, who gets…

Because tech prep has the twin goals of preparing students for entry into postsecondary/continuing education or the work force after high school, tech prep programs require significant modification of conventional curricula and teaching methodologies. Both research and experience have demonstrated that the ability to transfer learning from one…

This paper reviews the existing body of research on the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and nonverbal behavior. The strengths and limitations of three different approaches are considered. Contextual approaches are studies of CA and nonverbal behavior in which the primary focus is on communicative context (public speaking,…

The purpose of this study was to inquire into the characteristics, regularities, relationships, behaviors, and effects of schools in relation to their role in a clinical teacher education program. The analysis of three high schools followed the inquiry perspective termed "portraiture." Sketches were drawn of the three schools which…

Although student evaluation data provide a reasonable basis for making decisions about instructors when generalizing across courses and students, when the course is the object of measurement (OM), data are less generalizable. This finding may be due to the type of evaluation items used or to academic discipline differences in the type of courses…

This study was designed to examine the school's role as a context of professional community for secondary school teachers. The literature suggests that conditions of shared goals, coherent instructional plans and curriculum, and collaboration within a faculty is largely a matter of effective site management. This paper questions the top down view…

In the literature of feminist pedagogy, four interconnected strands emerge: (1) horizontal, rather than vertical classroom structure; (2) inclusion of the subjective, not just the objective; (3) the importance of context; and (4) a need to overcome the oppression that females face. Each of these strands is discussed in this paper, and connections…

A total of 36 normally developing children of 13-30 months of age were evenly divided into three age groups and observed while playing with their mothers. Their communicative behaviors were recorded according to intent and level. Intent was classified as comment, request, and reject; levels were nonverbal, verbal-contextual, and…

Preschool children, elementary school students, and adults participated in a study that examined various processes used to interpret contradictory communications. A screening test determined that all subjects were capable of discriminating between contradictory and congruent communications. Subjects were presented with contradictory verbal-facial…

Given what is known about cognitive development, how well prepared are 4-year-old children to succeed in school? This paper addresses the question by describing three areas in cognitive development, highlighting major themes in the research, and suggesting implications for teaching practice and social policy. Classical and contemporary views of…

In two studies, preschool children's social interactions while working on problem-solving tasks were investigated. In the first study, 27 preschool children were observed over a period of 9 weeks while working on learning games at a computer. Sharing, verbal and nonverbal instruction, and initiation of interaction were recorded. A total of 63…

Piaget's conservation experiments have been criticized and reinterpreted in the light of various theoretical orientations. Some research studies suggest social as well as cognitive factors to explain children's answers. Other research indicates the importance of interaction variables in the conservation task. Actually, interaction in the…