The role of a group facilitator implies observation of the group's interaction and intervention based on these observations within the group. This paper discusses the need for a facilitator to operate from a theoretical frame of reference in group settings that also provides a systematic method of observation. The author discusses category systems…

A study was conducted to explore user attitudes in public library listening areas and potential interaction problems between librarians and patrons in these areas. A questionnaire, sent to audiovisual department heads and their assistants in a random sample of 80 public libraries in cities with populations over 100,000, provided data for…

This study investigates the relationship between the degree of individuation in families and the personality development of adolescent family members. A subsample of 30 white, middle-class families were chosen for analysis from a larger sample of 99 families. Fifteen families from the subsample had adolescent girls who scored high, and fifteen had…

Noting that speech communication educators have developed a unique interpretation of the nature and role of self-disclosure in interpersonal communication--that it is essential in enhancing interpersonal relations and in bringing about improved mental adjustment--this paper contends that such an approach to communication overemphasizes the…

Classroom behavior of student teachers who had training in discussion techniques and in interaction analysis was observed and compared to the behavior of their cooperating teachers. A significant difference in types of communication patterns in the classroom of student teachers who had this special training and those who had not was observed. It…

The impact of two levels of infant organization and marital satisfaction on parent-infant interaction patterns was investigated in 25 couples. It was predicted that (1) disorganized infants would have a negative impact on the parent-infant relationship, and that (2) parent-infant interaction with disorganized infants would be more negative among…

The theory that teachers treat students from whom they expect superior achievement differently than those from whom they expect inferior performance is examined. Five ways of reacting on the part of the teacher are identified for the purpose of this study--teacher warmth, teacher feedback, teacher selection of materials, opportunity offered for…

The author argues here that progress toward greater validity in description through increasingly specifiable standards for quality control is crucial for the advancement of theory as well as for the improvement of method in descriptive studies of classroom life. Some standards for judging the validity of descriptions of classroom action are…

A study tested the effectiveness of six 2-hour seminars in changing the behavior of elementary school principals in faculty meetings. Eighteen elementary principals from six metropolitan Detroit school districts participated in the study. The subject matter of the seminars included the selection of topics for a staff meeting, demonstration of…

The etiological approach to psychological research is discussed, particularly regarding research on visual and vocal behavior. Thirty-four adult female dyads discussed topics on which they agreed and on which they disagreed. Each subject's looking and talking was recorded by observers on a computer in a time frame data structure. Data were…

Low-inference classroom observational data were collected on 362 children in four elementary schools (grades two to five) who had been consistentlV ranked by two successive teachers over a two-year period. Teachers ranked students on one or more of thirteen bipolar scales assessing personality characteristics and teacher expectations. Two-way…

Four hypotheses concerning the relationship between communication apprehension and four types of hand movements were formulated and tested in a study involving 74 students at an eastern university. The hand movements were emblems (hand movement not related to speech), illustrators (hand movement which accompanies speech), self-adaptors (nervous…

The correct assessment of observable student behavior is an important tool in the ongoing education process. Whether the setting is a classroom, a field experience, an activity, or a residential treatment center, proper evaluation techniques will provide information for the determination of policies and programs. The Flexible Observation…

The purpose of this presentation is to examine changing perspectives of rural development in an effort to better understand change in rural social systems and to analyze interactions between systems in general. The 1st section of this report is devoted to an analytic framework for intersystem interaction which entails a donor/recipient construct…

This study evaluated the city of Boston's Magnet Movement Athletics Program, which brought together inner city children with suburban children in a movement oriented program designed to facilitate racial harmony and the growth of positive interracial attitudes. Four hundred seventh and eighth grade black, white, and oriental children underwent a…