This article examines the strategies used by the high-level English as a foreign language learners to mediate understanding in peer interactions. The data was generated from peer interactions of post graduate level students in their regular classroom. It was found that the students were able to understand communicative intent of their peers and…

Research has shown how cochlear implants (CIs), in children with hearing impairments, have improved speech perception and production, but very little is known about the children's pragmatic language development. During a 4-year longitudinal study of three children with CIs, certain aspects of pragmatic language development were observed in free…

In this paper I focus on sequences of interaction among youth where the participants engage in classroom related activities (such as spelling, discussion of essays, etc.). My paper is based on interactional and ethnographic data collected among youth in two different leisure contexts. I discuss how the participants by employment of various…

The aim of this study is to analyse and discuss those strategies for learning that are essential for toddlers' development of an understanding of basic aspects of mathematics. Analysis focuses on authentic episodes where toddlers aged one to three are interacting with other people. The settings chosen for the qualitative analysis emanate from a…

This dissertation explores the perceptions and experiences of international students from China and Hong Kong with diversity courses. Using theoretical frameworks that examine the diversity classroom, informal interactional diversity, a diversity typology used to categorize diversity courses, intergroup peer relationships and student…

One of the most important benefits of computer use within educational settings has been described as its potential for use in collective activity. However; there is a need to take a closer look at the apparently unproblematic picture of children's actual cooperation around the computer. The purpose of this research was to study positions and…

This paper represents an attempt to assess the merits of the general hypothesis that suggests that the quality of adolescent-adult interaction is an important variable in the explanation of differentials in adolescent peer-group involvement. (Author)

In order to become productive members of an academic community, it is important for students to master its procedural practices. By adapting Bourdieu's concepts of cultural capital, habitus, and field, we examined procedural practices of first-graders from minority and low-socioeconomic-status backgrounds in the context of student-led literacy…

This study tested Fiedler's contingency model of leadership effectiveness on 86 nursing students in a large midwestern hospital. Fourteen individuals representing the task oriented and relationship-oriented leadership styles and two levels of sociometric status were randomly designated as leaders for small groups. The groups worked on five…

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of varying leader selection systems on the performance of political decision-making groups (judges). The type of leadership choice of the court was the independent variable and degree of dissent the dependent variable. As predicted, merit choice had less dissent. (NG)

Discusses how the terms, "discourse,""education," and "identity," are interwoven in the collection of papers in this issue as well as how, as theoretical constructs, they are differently inflected within individual papers. The article points out that all the papers engage with both the micro- and macro-levels of analysis. (8 references) (Author/CK)

Observations of social and dependency behavior were made on 48 children in two nursery schools. The findings indicate that in settings with higher teacher/child ratios, children interact significantly more with adults and less with peers. (JMB)

Investigates the relative and interactive effects of rater-, and ratee-, relationship-, situational-, and group-level contingencies on peer assessments of open communication. Results suggest that, given certain procedural conditions, peer assessments are highly reliable and valid. Rater bias accounted for a relatively small amount of rating…

Undergraduates were trained to help the counseling staff by serving as models in demonstrating patterns of social behavior for clients, and as listeners to those having adjustment problems in college. (CJ)

Examines children's compliance to directives given by their peers, with particular interest in children's success with directives. Examines the roles of status, directive form, and politeness cues. Outlines four instructional objectives for teaching children to develop effective controlling strategies. (JMF)