Over a 2-year period, several teacher book clubs were studied. Teachers' and preservice teachers' responses to a series of texts that focused on multiculturalism in American society were examined. Twelve elementary school teachers, representing four ethnic groups (European American, Asian American, African American, and Hispanic), volunteered to…

The survey was designed to find out how the Extension Home Economists' lessening contact with extension study groups (ESGA) affected the clubs, the image of the home economist among club members, ideas for improving the ESGs, and to compare areas of the State. Research procedures included the use of a questionnaire and detailed instructions to…

This description of the activities of the Teachers of Children's Literature Discussion Group of the American Library Association highlights a newsletter, distribution of course syllabi, conference programs, and the findings of a survey of group members. The survey questionnaire covered basic emphases, teaching methods, satisfactions, problems, and…

The academic achievement of health sciences students whose discussion group was led by staff teachers was compared with those whose group was led by peers. Higher achievement was found in the staff-led group, but there was no difference in achievement in groups led by high-achieving and average-achieving students. (MSE)

An experiment was designed to find out whether there were any quantitative and qualitative differences in the spoken discourse of 'high' and 'low' ability 16-year-old pupils in discussions of problems arising from textual material. Cognitive, linguistic and quantitative analyses of the discourse were carried out. (Editor)

Seven older adults and 20 occupational therapy students participated in book discussions. Focus groups and journal analysis indicated that discussions helped develop rapport and relational links between book topics and participants' experiences. Reciprocal learning expanded each generation's perceptions of the other. (Contains 22 references.) (SK)

Discusses the major benefits that emerge for students and teachers when groups of six students discuss a book they are reading without teacher questions to structure and guide their interactions. Shows that books mixing narrative and exposition have the greatest potential to enhance student discussion. (SR)

Critical thinking is a highly desirable goal of online higher education courses. This article presents qualitative data from a mixed-method study that explores how asynchronous discussions within online courses influence critical thinking among students. In this study, online discussions were related to higher levels of critical thinking, but…

The purpose of this research was to examine possible outcomes of developmental students' critical thinking and motivation to read when the online learning community, WebCT, was implemented. My role, in addition to instructor, was that of participant-observer. I implemented WebCT tools, such as discussion board and chat, over a four-month period…

Routes into education and employment for young Pakistani and Bangladeshi women in Oldham, England, were examined. The data sources were as follows: group discussions with Pakistani and Bangladeshi young people at different stages in the educational system and at an early stage of labor market participation; interviews with public and voluntary…

This study investigates how the combination of instructor modeling and question prompts for peer-questioning influences students' online questioning and answering activities. Fourteen students in a turfgrass management online class at a large land-grant university participated in two three-week sessions of online discussion. Two randomly selected…

This report is an evaluation of the Silver Edition II Project, a program to offer library-centered humanities programming to older adults. In the program local scholars in seven geographically dispersed library systems led discussion groups made up of 20 to 25 participating older adults. This evaluation focuses on the stated goals of the project:…

Research on gender differences in group performance suggests that males excel at brainstorming while females excel at human relations and integration. To investigate the relations among gender, interaction style, and task performance, 264 college students (130 female, 134 male) worked in three person same sex groups on a production task which…

Methods developed for investigating group processes and contents among four Senior Citizens' discussion groups are described. The process dimensions are boundary behaviors, subgrouping, normative behaviors, organizing, establishing personal significance, group and leader interchanges, self disclosures, conflict, support, and emotional atmosphere.…

This article examined the teachers' beliefs about the application of e-mail communication (listservs) in the learning and teaching of literacy. The context of investigation was conducted in a graduate-level course attended by pre-service and in-service teachers and educators. By examining the articulated beliefs by teachers and how their beliefs…