Discusses a case study that investigated situational mechanisms of peer group interaction in collaborative activity. Aims to highlight the processes and conditions for meaning-making and to characterize the relationships of social and cognitive processes in peer-mediated collaborative learning. Explains that twelve year olds (n=20) participated in…

A study of verbal interaction between mothers and children in 24 poor families in Santiago, Chile, focused on the number and type of conversations, the times they began, their length, the number of subjects discussed, and the mother's role in them. Results indicate that the quality of interaction between mothers and children in poor homes can be…

Reviews cooperative learning theory, listing areas of improvement for both disabled and regular students. Explains how cooperative learning can be used to help mainstream students into social studies classes and gives guidelines for implementation. Points out that success depends on teachers' planning, implementation, and correct evaluation. (GG)

Describes how two four-year-old boys, who stand out as leaders in their preschool classroom, interact with their peers and their teachers. (PCB)

Discusses the value of setting-specific research for action research in social psychology. Discusses the following concepts: (1) local variation; (2) seeing the general in the specific; (3) connectedness as the fundamental law of ecology; and (4) the value of field stations for community research. (JS)

Compares teachers' estimates of spontaneous language with direct observations of performance of developmentally delayed preschool children in classroom situations. Teachers tended to be more accurate in their estimation of children with higher spontaneous language frequencies and to underestimate the frequency of spontaneous language in other…

Twenty rehabilitation patients were assessed on their activities of daily living using the Barthel Index, and were also observed by two occupational therapists in a simulated home unit. Results indicated good inter-observer reliability, and good agreement between asking the patient and professional observation of the patient. (JDD)

The article describes the pilot testing of a direct observation procedure for observing social interactions of mentally retarded and non-retarded workers in supported work settings. The instrument was found to be capable of assessing such interactions and was readily utilized by practitioners. (DB)

Presents a corrected and slightly expanded abstract of Alison Preece's doctoral dissertation on the development of young children's productive narrative competence, winner of the International Reading Association's Outstanding Dissertation Award for 1986-1987 (See EJ 378 645). (RS)

Using portable microcomputers, three applications programs were developed and implemented to collect, store, transmit, and analyze teacher/student observational data. The three applications involved: analyzing teaching behaviors of trainees in field-site placements, using microcomputers to educate mildly handicapped high-school students, and using…

This instructional module presents and illustrates rules for designing performance assessments in a step-by-step strategy through: (1) reason for the assessment; (2) type of performance evaluated; (3) exercises to elicit performance; and (4) systematic rating procedures. Guidelines for maximizing reliability, validity, and economy are presented.…

Reports on an observation and questionnaire survey in 120 secondary schools in 24 states focusing on several variables. Suggests the need for better preparation of vocational teachers to identify and take advantage of classroom opportunities for student skill enhancement or reinforcement. (Author/LAM)

Analyzes the way black and white working-class women define and claim knowledge, challenging feminist analyses that have identified a single or universal mode of knowing for women. Contends that women speak to complex gender, racial, and class relations of power that shape how they think about learning and knowing. (Author/SLM)

This study is part of a longitudinal research endeavor to investigate hearing-impaired students' experience in teacher training. The first phase, reported here, examines qualitatively-assessed barriers three hearing-impaired students encountered during acclimation to the training program for teachers of the hearing impaired at one university. (PB)

Describes teaching ecology by using highway travel. Provides an outline for the travel observation checklist. Discusses some practical information for using the activity. (YP)