Analyzes how less powerful subjects in an unequal encounter, an admission interview in an educational institution, were able to counter the power directed at them by the more powerful subject through "aikido" strategies. In the context of the interview, harmonizing with the ideological discursive formation of the institution in question…

Examines a kindergarten in which half the students are learning English as a second language. This ethnographic study describes communities in which two newcomer children participate peripherally; the identities, social practices, and resources available to newcomers; and the organization of each community's social structure, its power relations,…

Investigates how interaction between users and search intermediaries reveals aspects of user information problems and how users and search intermediaries focus on aspects of user information problems during online searches. Six categories were observed: documents; evaluation of search results; search strategies; information retrieval system;…

This study investigated potential effects of auditory and other communicative experience on development of visual attention in 80 infants (tested at 9, 12, and 18 months), half deaf and half with deaf mothers. Results indicate that early visual attention is associated with and potentially influenced by a complex interaction of maturation,…

Developmental research and educational practice involve conversations between children and adults. The conversational aspects of these situations have rarely been occasions for reflection. Discrepancies between the child's expectations and the adult's intentions can lead to misunderstanding, for example, at school or during a research interview.…

Rumor discourse has been conceptualized as an attempt to reduce anxiety and uncertainty via a process of social sensemaking. Fourteen rumors transmitted on various Internet discussion groups were observed and content analyzed over the life of each rumor. With this (previously unavailable) more ecologically robust methodology, the intertwined…

This study examined changes in the social interactions of children with and without disabilities, who were enrolled in inclusive preschool classes. It investigated the frequency of child participation in groups during free play, differences in participation patterns of children with and without disabilities, and ways in which children's patterns…

This study examined parent-child relationships during intervention with 25 preschoolers having developmental disabilities. Both parent and child performances were analyzed on a series of behavioral attributes reflecting developmentally appropriate child goals, adult strategies, partnership goals, and potential interactive problems. Videotaped…

Findings of a study that examined the relationship between classroom orientation and sociometric patterns within the classroom are presented in this paper. Methodology involved observation of 12 classrooms in Ontario and administration of two survey instruments to 20 fourth-year students. Classroom orientations were categorized as cooperative,…

How infants and toddlers become skilled social actors has not been examined as often as the peer interactions of older children. This study examined 24, middle-class toddlers (ages 23 to 33 months) in 9 different settings during their free-play time at a university-cooperative nursery school. Researchers analyzed 150 social bids which were either…

The extent of isomorphism between parent-child to child-friend microsocial interactions was studied by means of videotaped laboratory and observation coding procedures. Similar tasks, coding systems, and behavior clusters were used to describe the topography of parent-child and child-friend interactions. A total of 200 boys were observed while…

Although much is written about the importance of parent/teacher communication with emphasis on the significant impact of parent/teacher conferences, teachers report a lack of formal training. Neither institutions of higher education nor the public schools appear to provide clear policy and procedure for parent/teacher conferences. Thus, teachers…

Recommends processes for increasing the integration of parents' work with children's education in American urban community schools, based on a summary of observations of parent-school-child interactions in an Israeli kibbutz. (ED)

Compared the home environments and parent-child interaction patterns of 20 preschool language-delayed children, 20 normal preschoolers and 20 genetically handicapped children with Down's Syndrome. Data indicate that language delay had a stronger influence on mother-child relationship than did socioeconomic factors. (Author/SDH)

This study examined the specific factors that help teachers learn to implement innovations requiring non-routine teacher behaviors. Questions focused on the type of support teachers must have in order to make changes in their instructional approach. Thirteen teachers in the San Francisco area were observed as they attempted to teach the same…