Investigators wrote proposals for research on the nature and learning of communicative processes in the elementary classroom. Three questions were addressed: (1) What is the nature of communication in the classroom? (2) How do students acquire the rules of classroom discourse? (3) What is the effect of inadequate learning of classroom discourse rules? Abstracts of eight federally-funded projects on the topic and two commissioned papers are included here. The first, "A Summary of the Research Area: Methodology and Substantive Issues," by Louis A. Gomes, suggests that successful research methodology should be shared to benefit other researchers. In "Practical Implications of the Research," Marie E. Shiels-D'Jouadi examines each project in terms of its implications for the"educational practitioner." The degree of attention to practical areas in the projects varies from extensive to minimal. It is suggested that expectations for research, basic or applied, should be made clear by the funding agencies. (PJM)