Examines the effect of communication media on group processes and the consequent effect of processes on group cohesiveness, satisfaction, and productivity using mediated regression analysis. Supports previous findings about group outcomes by showing that communication media groups expressed lower cohesiveness than did face-to-face groups. (AEF)

Examines online discussions using lexical scoring techniques. Suggests that online conversations become more sophisticated as learners interact with each other over the duration of a course, that collaboration among learners fosters the social construction of knowledge and that evidence of such knowledge-building activities is embodied in the tone…

It was hypothesized that increases in the amount and specificity of information furnished to a discussion group would facilitate group decision making and improve other aspects of group and individual performance. Procedures in testing these assumptions included varying the amounts of statistics, examples, testimony, and augmented information…

Suggests using dyadic and/or triadic activities in the classroom to exemplify speech theories and propositions. Exercises, discussion formats and evaluation criteria are provided. (MH)

Instructional discussion is a classroom teaching method by which students move through material to a predetermined, new understanding by building on each other's contributions and by utilizing the more experienced learner's (the teacher's) past experiences with the material. This article describes both the characteristics and the planning of…

Creating meaning from a literary text is a complex process involving interaction between the reader and the text. Theoretical and empirical investigations of how and why readers respond to literature are reviewed, and methodological problems involved in analyzing readers' oral responses are addressed. (PP)

Usual student seminar classes involve students presenting papers to the class. Alternatives to this approach are offered that maximize student audience involvement. The suggestions incorporate variations of sub-grouping, idea generation, discussion of important statements, and the refining, clarification, and evaluation of key statements. (JMD)

Documenting collaborative knowledge construction is critical for research in computer-supported collaborative learning. Because this is a multifaceted phenomenon, mixed methods are necessary to construct a good understanding of collaborative interactions, otherwise there is a risk of being overly reductionistic. In this paper I use quantitative…

This research investigated faculty choice of web-based technologies for interaction in online economics courses and students' perception of those technologies. The literature review of online interaction has established the importance of learner-learner, learner-instructor and learner-content interaction in distance learning. However, some…

This paper draws on current research and analyzes participant interactions in a 12-week leadership online training course with students from 14 Latin American countries. The paper systematizes the experience of the Inter-American Institute for Social Development (INDES) and constitutes a case study of an experience in a regional, non-academic…

This research examines the emotional themes and discourse of emotion of early childhood educators using a post-structuralist theoretical framework of emotion. The data selected and analyzed is taken from 4 two-hour discussion groups that were conducted over an eight-week period with four female early childhood educators. The emotional themes and…

Two teachers participating in an online study group provided the foci for in-depth case studies. Transcripts of conversations they had with colleagues about issues related to reform-oriented pedagogy were analyzed from both acquisition and participation perspectives on learning. Both teachers exhibited mainly marginal changes to their pedagogical…

Two experiments were conducted which studied seating distance of subjects in a small group discussion situation. In Experiment I groups of three subjects sat on cushions in a bare carpeted room along with a moderator and discussed a socially relevant issue. The distances generated by subjects' placement of their cushions served as the main…

Elderly people in institutions frequently become isolated and noncommunicative. By using behavioral measurements of group workers and group members, the authors have formulated ways of treatment that encourage members to participate more actively. (Author)

This is a working handbook for supervisors, staff members, and managers at all levels who are looking for ways to improve their conference leadership skills. It is built around frequently asked questions on participant involvement, the nature of a guided conference, questioning and motivational techniques, amounts of presentation needed, effective…