This study attempted to describe and interpret informal staff development among 23 first grade and kindergarten teachers, and a counselor working together to create a new language arts curriculum. This report of the research includes data from 11 participants. The paper begins with a review of relevant literature covering research on staff…

A study analyzed and compared four selected models in the cyclical tradition of group development as a basis for identifying possible issues and implications for future theory building. The theorists whose models were examined were Leland Bradford, Jack Gibb, William Schutz, and Theodore Mills. Both historical and conceptual perspectives of the…

Human relations problem situations for Army senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) were identified and analyzed using group problem solving methods. Then, using an analysis summary prepared for each case study problem situation as the basis, candidate performance exercises were developed. (These exercises specify terminal performance objectives…

"Sensitivity Training and Group Encounter" attempts to explore group interaction on many levels--verbal, sensory, and physical. It can be utilized as a model for dealing with various forms of interpersonal relations, from ongoing social issues to the isolation, alienation, and distrust felt by the members of a group. Presented as a guide to this…

A system for observing and coding verbal interchanges between the teacher and his pupils, at all instructional levels, is described in this study. The system, widely known as the Flanders System of Interaction Analysis, is reviewed in terms of its effect on the classroom behavior of teachers and on student attitudes. The application of the…

This study addresses three issues: (1) the influence of proxemic variables (distance, furniture presence) on dyadic interaction; (2) the consistency between measures of self-disclosure; and (3) the applicability of reciprocity and distance-equilibrium views of dyadic interaction. Dyads of male college students were randomly assigned to one of four…

Describes an in-class exercise using students' discussion of their answers on a multiple choice test to demonstrate the powerful effects and pervasiveness of social influence. After a brief multiple choice test, students discuss their answers with their neighbors and then answer again. Similar response patterns emerge among the participants. (MJP)

Discusses the reaction of Vietnamese students to the spontaneous interaction and exchange that occurs in US classrooms. The article argues that teachers' lack of knowledge about their immigrant students' learning styles and strategies may result in teachers making inaccurate judgments about these students' classroom interaction behavior. (two…

Focuses on interethnic interactions in which adolescents of Asian descent put on strong Indian English accents when addressing Anglo teachers and adults; discusses the extent to which these code switchings constitute acts of resistance within a racist society. Findings indicate that the term "resistance" is too crude to do justice to the…

The School of Education, Training and Development at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg offers a Bachelor of Education (Honours) to practising teachers who already have a four year teaching diploma. The programme is delivered through interactive learning materials and Saturday tutorial sessions. However, interviews and a student survey seem…

A study investigated how oral discourse affects the communicative process of teaching and learning and how that process influences and is influenced by the goals and expectations of college instructors and college students. Three college classes were observed for one semester. Data were collected in the form of field notes, cassette tapes of…

The purpose of this paper is to assess the utility of a conceptual model of factors involved in early childhood policy development. The assessed model provides a framework which focuses on the interactive nature of decision-making. Basic parameters are identified and applied to an instance of successful participation in the development of policies…

A format is presented for use of student teachers in structuring their classroom observation techniques. Fifteen classroom and school activities are listed with a comprehensive questionnaire accompanying each. These questionnaires guide the student on what behaviors to observe and suggest objective and subjective responses to these behaviors to be…

Objectives of the study were to investigate relationships between and among qualities of emotion and types or levels of work orientation in small adult instructional group interaction; to discern relationships and/or behavior patterns which would be tested under laboratory conditions; and to test the consistency and utility of the…

An investigation of the interaction patterns of Polynesian and Pakeha (New Zealanders of European extraction) children and teachers in school and play areas of Auckland, New Zealand was undertaken to discover possible ethnic differences in modes of social interaction relevant to learning. Observations of children (ages 2 to 11) and their…