The relative effectiveness of spontaneously-formed and organized group study was compared along with the effect of studying independently. Subjects were 34 undergraduate psychology students who participated during the regular class period. Analyses were done on grade-point averages (an index of past academic performance) and grades for the course…

This proposal suggests staff programs for implementing better cultural and racial relations in an integrated school system in Burke County, North Carolina. Specifically, new instructional challenges for interracial classrooms, such as inclusion of black history and culture, are studied. Also, ways to involve staff in new understanding and skills…

Discusses key points for children's librarians to consider in selecting books, preparing questions, and facilitating communication for book discussions. Highlights include choosing discussable books; ambiguous endings; factual, interpretive, and evaluative questions; helping readers talk; and benefits. Sidebars include a book discussion sampler,…

Compared the rational quality of fourth-graders' discussion of literary texts with an ideal model and over the course of the academic year. Analyzed the collaborative reasoning capabilities of 6 three-student groups using a graphical coding system with an analysis of the literary content of the students' argumentation. Identified important…

Because college radio offers a less structured environment, a natural habitat is created which provides for broadcasting experimental shows such as Starship Earth, an environmental radio show on East Stroudsburg University's (Pennsylvania) college radio station, WESS 90.3 FM. Environmental problems, issues, and solutions are discussed on the show.…

This paper focuses on the answering and asking of questions in college-level courses and makes suggestions regarding questioning techniques for lecture classes and discussion groups. "Question" (Q) is defined as "any eliciting of an answer (response) regardless of grammatical form. "Answer" (A) is defined as "any…

In the Hypothesis-Experiment-Instruction (HEI) method students are presented with a problem with three or four answer alternatives, which leads them later to recognize the distribution of choices, discuss a variety of ideas among them, and integrate distributed pieces of information. This study examined the effects of presenting a problem with or…

This booklet is designed to encourage and assist parents in locating or starting a parent support group. It provides guidelines and suggestions for group formation and can serve as a resource guide for parent support groups. The eight sections of the booklet address the following topics: (1) the role of parent support groups; (2) definitions of a…

A replication study tested functional theory utilizing untrained full-fledged groups. One hundred forty undergraduate students who were enrolled in a small group communication course at a large midwestern university participated in small group discussions analyzing a plagiarism case used in an original study by R. Y. Hirokawa. Results indicated…

Presented are excerpts and interpretive comments from a discussion group of parents of children who have died. (DB)

Described a program, Alternatives for the Middle Years, in which students discover their city and themselves through the school's community resource program. (RK)

You can deal with moral and ethical questions in your classroom - these guidelines will help. (Editor)

Reviewed are research studies demonstrating classroom teacher inadequacy in question asking. (CL)

Twenty conference participants shared their experiences regarding how each had become involved in a process where significant learning was taking place. After all the experiences (stories) were told, the group collected the insights they had gained. These 50 morals sounded like platitudes or cliches; they had very little power without their…