This study found that 17 preschool children with limited communication skills [specific language impairment, speech impairment, and English as a Second Language (ESL)] were more likely than normal peers to initiate with adults, shorten their responses, and use nonverbal responses. ESL children were least likely to initiate interactions.…

This article describes the evolution of a project pairing graduate students (at Duke University) with faculty in a liberal arts college (Guilford College) to improve preparation of future college teachers. Implications for general reform of college faculty preparation are also outlined. (MSE)

A survey of 300 college faculty across disciplines suggested that many faculty encounter conditions that hinder collegiality concerning undergraduate teaching issues. These difficulties include faculty isolation and fragmented communication, constrained resources, and inappropriate evaluation and reward systems. Results also suggest ways in which…

Surveyed college freshmen revealed similarities between college and high school drug use. Entering freshmen established friendships akin to high school relationships in which drugs and alcohol were used. Therefore, alcohol and drug use may be important determining factors in choosing new college friends. College orientation could help students…

A survey was conducted of 100 graduates (ages 7-17) of an auditory/oral Australian preschool for children with hearing impairments (92 integrated with hearing peers and 8 segregated). Most children perceived their academic progress to be average or above; nearly all received audiological support; over one-third received speech therapy and…

Describes a study conducted with a seventh-grade Future Problem Solving (FTS) class in which students work in teams of four to solve problems related to futuristic issues. As a result of increased competitiveness and poor emotional climate in the class, activities designed to promote a more congenial, less competitive classroom atmosphere were…

Three studies examined preadolescents for the relation between perceived deviance and negative peer reactions. In the first study, perceived deviance was related to social rejection. In the second and third studies, children's perceptions of responsibility for deviance predicted interpersonal affect and the degree to which the deviant person was…

Social skills training with a 12-year-old mainstreamed trainable mentally handicapped student resulted in improved eye contact, greeting of peers, and use of appropriate voice level. Perceptions of peers changed, but their interaction with the student did not change. (Author/DB)

Describes a federally funded peer mentoring project for faculty development at a rural two-year college. Presents three case studies of mentoring within a division, across divisions, and interdisciplinary mentoring. Includes mentor and mentoree narratives. Offers suggestions on initiating and structuring peer mentor projects, and describes…

A variety of strategies are suggested as useful to female faculty members in developing their careers and coping with nonoptimal working conditions. Issues addressed include getting information, networking and mentoring, negotiating, handling discrimination, personal presentation, sexual harassment and other sexual issues, interviews, working…

Describes a study that explored the social interaction among second and third grade students when a microcomputer was introduced into the classroom. The emergence of children who are microcomputer experts is discussed, the influence of such children on peers and peer preferences is examined, and implications for teachers and students are…

Effects of 2 cooperative conditions on group discussions and metacognitive awareness of 206 fourth- and fifth-graders were examined. Discussions for those in the strategy condition (which emphasized the connection between strategy use and learning) were more focused toward substantive task content than for those in the reward-receiving condition.…

In response to adolescent girls' concerns about teen violence, rumors, grooming, careers, and equity, four women teachers and a woman administrator at a Maryland middle school developed the Delta Program. The program provides positive learning experiences, teaches social skills and conflict management techniques, empowers girls through mentoring…

Discusses an ethnographic study into the phenomenon of resistance in a middle school, focusing on seven students in seventh grade. Proposes the need to negotiate classroom life in ways that take into account individuals' backgrounds, strengths, and needs, and the need to create a place where identity and difference can exist in respectful…

Discusses the potential of design and technology as an environment for collaborative problem solving based on experiences in England and Wales with the National Curriculum. Topics include sociocultural approaches to learning and planning, situated learning, authenticity, interpersonal aspects, peer interaction, cognitive strategies and social…