Some learning scientists are beginning to investigate social and cultural aspects of learning by examining the interactions between a learner and the environment as well as with other people in the learning environment. This article proposes conversational analysis (CA) as a tool to analyze interactions between learners and instructors in…

One important challenge for researchers is to understand what happens inside classrooms that make the environment available for children's learning. This study develops the margin|centre dialectic as a general framework for describing participation of very young children in science-related activities. It employs a cultural-historical approach that…

Based on an examination of the organizational features of editing during collaborative computer writing in a combined first and second grade classroom in a Catholic school during the 1985-86 school year, this paper argues that there is a fundamental difference between collaborative and solo computer writing, and that collaboration during computer…

Studies have shown that, in small groups, two types of leaders generally emerge, i.e., a task specialist concerned with achieving the group's goals and a social-emotional specialist concerned with the morale and cohesiveness of the group. To determine if leadship style is related to sex role orientation, rather than to biological sex, to…

The purpose of this annual volume is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas concerning international and intercultural human relations. The 16 chapters include discussion of language and information processing in relation to intercultural communication; guidelines for intercultural research; the effects of ethnocentrism on intercultural…

Evaluates a comprehensive intervention program for deaf children under age three in Vancouver, British Columbia. Twelve subjects were compared with a matched sample of children undergoing less-systematic intervention. Results indicated more developmentally mature communication and higher quality interaction in families who had received…

Argues for the development of group intervention techniques to improve the efficacy of course teams in the preparation of distance education materials, reviews recent commentaries on course teams and discusses related issues, and conludes with recommendations to enrich the quality of course team life and output. (Author/EAO)

Outlines two formulations that generate conceptual perspectives of immediate phenomena: (1) the family system has a time-enduring stability; (2) the family system has an immediate and temporary organization. Integrates systems thinking and Gestalt Therapy while recognizing individual experience as embedded in a self-maintaining system of the…

Examines code switching occurring during group work in English-as-a-Second-Language classes in Spain in which the learners share a first language. Argues that the discourse produced in this context is layered as the participants oscillate between a literal (off-record) and a nonliteral (on-record) frame. Suggests that the significance of language…

Reflects on ideas of feminism and critical literacy and their significance in relation to the current policy environment. Topics explored include the dilemmas of personal development; issues of culture, power, and coercion; shifting the focus to teaching; personal and pedagogical influences; pedagogical praxis; and developing a collective…

Studies intercultural communication in a Buddhist monastic university in India. Oral communication involves an ensemble of speakers and hearers; an interpersonal relationship that underlies the motivation and effort among speakers and hearers is required for true dialog. Understanding meanings is sometimes subordinate to interactional…

Analyzes interactions between university tutors, cooperating teachers, and student teachers in practicums, focusing on modes of interaction and the nature of messages transmitted. Researchers observed lessons and conferences and found a lack of in-depth professional reciprocal reflection in postlesson conferences. The paper recommends focusing on…

Reports on empirical research on second-language (L2) Zairean multilingual students of English as a Second Language. Findings confirm the hypothesis of the differential effect of task type and the level of target language attainment on the amount of interaction; suggest a significant effect on L2 learning of oral peer interaction; and show a…

This article examines the structure of topic movement within face-to-face postgraduate university seminar discussion forums through a conversation analytic approach. The analysis of 12 audio recordings of seminars showed that in spite of clear differences in the management style of sessions by seminar leaders there were important consistencies in…

The extant literature suggests that the high rates of educational failure for aboriginal schoolchildren result from differences in the home and school interaction patterns. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the micro structures of classroom discursive interactions, and to examine those within and against the macro structures of…