Bakhtin's language theories give educators a view into how people develop and communicate with language through dialogue. These conceptions can be applied to teaching in a variety of positive ways. The authors explore how teaching based on Bakhtinian concepts might function in the classroom, paying particular attention to the concepts of dialogue,…

Explores the use of information-seeking strategies (i.e., overt, indirect, third party, testing, observing) among students in the college classroom. Notes that researchers did not find a significant relationship between student use of the observing information-seeking strategy and perceived instructor clarity, verbal immediacy, and verbal…

A study investigated the impact of teachers' use of immediacy behaviors in the college classroom. Behavior patterns of teachers often affect the behavior patterns of students. Teacher immediacy has been found to positively impact student cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning. Subjects, 70 students, enrolled in a communication course in a…

Within the framework of motivational theory, a study investigated how teachers' use of immediacy behaviors impacted students' learning. Two competing explanations for the immediacy-learning relationship (the motivation model and the attention model) were tested using path analyses with panel data collected over the period of one semester. A total…

The use of humor in the classroom has been investigated using a variety of humor operationalizations and methodologies with mixed results. The present study examined the role of teacher humor orientation (HO) rather than specific humorous behaviors. The relationship between teacher humor orientation and learning was the focus of this study.…

The study reported here tested a proposed teacher efficacy model by examining: (1) whether perceived teacher efficacy, teacher communication competence, and teacher immediacy are significant predictors of perceived affective and cognitive student learning; and (2) whether perceived teacher communication competence and teacher immediacy are…

This research tries to determine effective intercultural classroom communication in the American higher education setting. Theories on classroom communication and intercultural communication (Uncertainty Reduction and Communication Accommodation) are used to build the framework. Subjects were four professors from three different academic…

Finds an inverse relationship between student perceptions of teacher misbehaviors and (1) teacher assertiveness, (2) teacher responsiveness, (3) positive affect for the teacher, and (4) positive affect for the course material. Shows that instructor type (graduate assistant versus professor) was not related to perceptions of teacher misbehaviors.…

Finds that a significant relationship exists between teachers' use of affinity-seeking strategies and student perceptions of classroom climate. Shows that 19 of the 25 strategies were correlated with classroom climate, and that communication teachers regularly used 19 of the 25 strategies. (SR)

A study was conducted to determine the degree to which teachers and students share perceptions of the use of power in the classroom. The study defined five bases of power: coercive (implied or explicit punishment), reward, legitimate (assigned), referent (identification with the person in power), and expert (perceived competence). A total of 156…

Examines students' questioning behavior in the college communication classrooms. Finds that (1) male teachers receive more questions than female teachers; (2) female students ask fewer questions than male students in courses taught by males; and (3) self-reported masculinity is associated with a greater likelihood of asking questions. (KEH)

In a multicase study, adolescents at five culturally diverse sites across the United States engaged in face-to-face interactions as they reflected and reported on their perceptions of their own and other students' experiences in discussing regularly assigned content area texts. A social constructionist perspective provided the framework for the…

Past research has focused on conflict and power between students and teachers from elementary school through high school. A study explored the long neglected area of the college environment and treated the classroom as a unique culture. The construct of challenge behavior is defined as student behaviors that are contrary to implicit or explicit…

Reports on two studies that examine effects of trait communication apprehension on students' production and perceptions of written feedback. Finds, in the first study, trait anxiety was related to negative external attributions; while the second study showed that anxiety was associated with more internal interpretations. (MS)

Children have much to teach educators about the kinds of group work that enhance their social, emotional, and cognitive development. Using children's own words, this playlet juxtaposes third-grade and fifth/sixth grade views of how group work helps and hinders their school experiences in literacy learning. Students in both age groups experienced…