Educators need effective ways to build the communication skills of students learning to use aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and support their interactions with peers. This study used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of a paraprofessional-facilitated peer network intervention to (a)…

Many European universities are initiating strategic transformation programmes that either seek a step change in institutional efficiency, respond to drastic shifts in higher education policy and financing, or improve their competitive academic advantage. Key ingredients for successful strategy implementation at universities include effective…

Teachers need to develop a variety of pedagogical strategies that can encourage precise and accurate communication--an extremely important 21st century skill. Precision with STEM oral language is essential. Emphasizing oral communication with precise language in combination with increased spatial skills with modeling can improve the chances of…

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the impacts of a science-based environmental communication campaign at a university dining hall. The impacts are assessed in terms of student attitudes toward sustainability, food consumption choices and perceptions and understanding of the campaign and the information it communicated.…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the school-parent relationship (volunteering, outreach, and communicating) in schools differs among the poverty level of students. One hundred eighty-nine middle school parents answered a parental involvement survey. Comparisons were made between the poverty level of students (free and reduced…

This research examines specific facets of parent satisfaction with childcare centres, namely satisfaction with parent-centre communication and the educational services they provide, as well as respective parent beliefs. These were investigated in relation to centre type (private vs public) and parents' education. Parents of different educational…

The authors present three distinct cases of English-Spanish bilinguals on the U.S.-Mexico border to illustrate how legitimate and authentic language use functions as forms of symbolic capital (P. Bourdieu, 1991). Language practices in the occupational domain exemplify how varieties of English and Spanish come into contact, are negotiated, and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incorporation of iPads into the early childhood classroom through an exploratory teacher professional development initiative. Eighteen early childhood educators participated in a 6-month study targeting teacher professional development and pedagogical innovation. This study included built-in…

Courses: Communication Activism; Public Advocacy; Social Movements; Public Speaking; Persuasion; Argumentation; Public Sphere. Objectives: This semester-long activity helps students implement a solutions--strategies--tactics framework into their advocacy work. More specifically, students learn to (1) designate, research, and assess the causes of…

The purpose of this case study was to explore the needs of parents when discussing alcohol use behavior with their student, related to the notification of a campus conduct code violation by a Dean of Students Office. This study sought to address the research question: What assistance do parents report needing from student conduct professionals to…

The original goal of this project was to build a peer e-mentoring program for parents and measure the effect of the program on persistence. In spite of strong mentor participation, two terms of focused recruiting did not attract mentees. This sparked the question of why those who had successfully navigated the higher education system thought a…

This dissertation presents an ethnography of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) based on nine months of fieldwork at "Equine Healers," a non-profit organization in central Colorado that specialized in various therapeutic modalities associated with EAP. In bridging scholarly work around animals, a literature suffused with the notion of…

The author, a consultant on school equity, describes a common situation: teachers try to discuss the issue of inequitable outcomes for students of color, and all of a sudden, the conversation stalls. Such discussions are not the norm for educators. They often shut down or disengage emotionally because of various fears. When schools realize that…

The authors explored the role of silence and deciphered its meaning and usefulness as a teaching and learning strategy for Japanese students through a survey of Japanese university students in their home country. This study has revealed that participant responses were evenly divided among comfortable with silence, uncomfortable with silence, and…

This article revisits Douglas Barnes's book-length exploration of the implications for teachers of a constructivist epistemology, notably in relation to the importance of small-group talk in classrooms. Empirically based consideration of small-group exploratory pupil-pupil talk enabled Barnes to reveal the learning strategies such a context…