In order to improve the quality of classroom discussion, Group Interaction Analysis (GIA) is suggested as a means of increasing an individual's awareness of the role he assumes in group discussions. GIA is a systemized technique involving the observation of both beneficial and non-beneficial discussion activities. These activities are: (1) fact…

Describes how online communication puts emphasis on students' comprehension and knowledge of argumentation and thus on how to interact with ideas and each other in a meaningful way. Asserts that they may not be equipped with such skills, and that faculty may not have sufficient skills in monitoring discussions or creating productive communities of…

Many online classrooms today are designed based on learner-centered principles. Implicit with this design perspective is the goal to create and facilitate a virtual learning community in which students learn from and share with each other through discussion-based computer conferencing. In the current literature, little has been shared on what…

Classrooms are a primary site of evidence about learning. Yet classroom proceedings often occur behind closed doors and hence evidence of student learning is observable only to the classroom teacher. The informal and undocumented nature of this information means that it is rarely included in statistical models or quantifiable analyses. This…

Research shows that active student participation facilitates learning. However, encouraging undergraduate college students to engage meaningfully in classroom discussion and to respond to questions, especially in larger classes, can often be frustrating for instructors (Weaver & Qi, 2005). Set against a focused review of the literature, the…

This study investigates the different effects of web-based and face-to-face discussion on computer engineering majors' performance using the Karnaugh map in digital logic design. Pretest and posttest scores for two treatment groups (web-based discussion and face-to-face discussion) and a control group were compared and subjected to covariance…

This research was part of a larger longitudinal study of chronically ill rural women to determine if computer technology could be effective in allowing the women to take control of their own well-being, including finances. The current study examined whether chronically ill rural women can effectively use on-line personal finance educational…

Elizabeth Redden, author of the "Inside Higher Ed" article, "Lost Men on Campus," succinctly articulated the growing concerns about many college men at postsecondary institutions. Her review of results and issues presented at the "ND Conference on College Men" highlighted decreased rates of enrollment for men, underrepresentation of men in campus…

This qualitative study explored the nature of student initiations during interactive read alouds of fiction and non-fiction texts in a second grade, urban classroom. Data sources--including expanded field notes, video/audiotape records and transcripts, and teacher interviews--were analyzed inductively, utilizing the constant comparative method and…

This article is explorative in its attempt to define vulnerability within transformative pedagogy by analysing excerpts from two "volatile conversations" on racism and xenophobia between a teacher and her grade nine class in a well-resourced Jewish school. The two conversations differed in regard to the teacher's use of vulnerability, even though…

This article reports empirical work conducted by three university teacher education providers into how a major revision of the science curriculum in England, the "How Science Works" strand, has been translated into practice for 14-16 year olds in schools. Data were collected from pre-service teachers about their understanding,…

Online education based on small self-managing groups, with slight supervision by a professional tutor, is a strategically interesting methodology for lifelong learning. This solution may combine aspects of cost-effectiveness (reducing tutors' work) with the demands for active and engaging learning methods based on the exchange and sharing of…

This article highlights student co-regulation of teaching practices as a way of exploring how L2 students' language and pedagogical needs can be met in university support classes. Integration rather than assimilation--or adapting to the needs of the students rather than leaving students to face the exigencies of the new learning environment…

In the goal of science teacher education, the role of reflection to cultivate the teacher as a transformative practitioner has been largely recognised. Reflective thinking is crucial for teachers to be mindfully and knowledgeably situated in teaching and transforming their actions. This study looks into the dilemmas of teaching practical work in…

An investigation on the use of literature as part of the teacher preparation process probed the impact of book talks on teacher candidates' attitudes toward people with disabilities. Candidates in a 4-year undergraduate program participated in book talks reflecting subjects relevant to course work. Books reflected various effects of disability,…