This classroom-based study explored language mindsets in the context of communicative interaction between L2 learners. Amid the increasing research on mindsets in the L2 field, two issues warrant further research to improve our understanding of how mindsets affect L2 learning. First, research has largely been product-oriented and mindsets' impacts…

Background: Students who do not acquire social and emotional skills are at risk for a range of negative outcomes that include emotional and behavioral disabilities, lower school achievement and school failure, peer rejection, substance abuse, and school dropout (Downer & Pianta, 2006; Riggs et al., 2006 Quinn & Poirier, 2004). Tools for…

Students with significant behavioral and social problems experience some of the poorest outcomes in school and beyond. It is imperative, therefore, that educational researchers and school-based professionals address the needs of students who exhibit maladaptive behavior to alter their poor outcome trajectory. Social problem-solving (SPS)…

Recent research indicates that children with challenging behavior often have underlying cognitive deficits. Despite this, rewards and consequences are usually the main tools used to try to address these behaviors. Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) offers an alternative approach that aims to foster a positive adult-child relationship and build…

Team-Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) is an approach for organizing school team meetings to improve identification of targeted problems, use of data in the development of solutions, and development of implemented action plans. TIPS has been demonstrated in single-case and randomized controlled trial studies to improve the effectiveness of teams to…

Inappropriate social skills exhibited early in elementary school can interfere with cooperative group work, completion of academic tasks on time, and academic growth. This action research project evaluated the impact of a program for improving social behavior in a cooperative group setting to reduce inappropriate interactions and increase positive…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program to enhance students' prosocial behaviors. The targeted population consisted of students in two second and one third-grade classrooms in a declining urban area of a large midwestern city. The problem of inappropriate behaviors was documented through discipline reports, anecdotal…

These 24 papers explain how using the collaborative learning model can help teachers address classroom challenges. Section 1, "Toward Creativity and Collaborative Learning in the 21st Century," begins with "Toward Whole Schools: Building a Movement for Creativity and Collaborative Learning in the 21st Century" (J. Michael…

A program for increasing the social skills development of fourth grade students is described. The targeted population consisted of fourth grade students in a growing, low socio-economic status, urban community including a public housing development. The problems of poor social skills and disruptive behavior were documented through observations,…

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 590 Culminating…