The current study was designed to examine sex differences in group interaction in early childhood. Seven classes of four-year old children and six classes of five-year-old participated as subjects. Thirteen playgroups of 6 girls and 6 boys each were formed. Analyses of the girls' and boys' interactions showed that there was a marginally significant trend for girls to engage in more Simultaneous Group Interaction than boys. Analyses of a second measure, Coordinated Group Activity, demonstrated that boys, after five years of age, were found to engage in significantly more group interaction than girls. Findings revealed that in early childhood, males and females differ in their modes of interaction with peers (ie, their social structure), with age five as a transition period for males.

The purpose of this study was to investigate some techniques for reporting student-teacher verbal interaction in selected junior high school general music classes. Specific reporting devices which were compared are: (1) Flanders' System of Verbal Interaction Analysis, (2) a Q-Sort System, and a (3) descriptive analysis. Four general music teachers were observed in their classes by the writer, and twenty Ball State general music methods students.The data collected implies that the Flanders Concept of Interaction Analysis can be adapted to other methods for reporting observations. Specifically, the data shows that the Q-Sort method and Descriptive Analysis method can be used successfully to report pupil-teacher verbal interaction. Although research and refinement of these methods are needed, this study indicates that such aids may Provide educators excellent feedback concerning verbal interaction, would be relatively easy to learn, and would be inexpensive and easy to administer.

The primary focus of this research was to examine that portion of the model for psychotherapy developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler in their 1976 book, The Structure of Magic II, concerned with internal representational systems. Specifically, the study was designed to investigate the relationship between reflexive eye movement patterns, verbalizations, and individual self-report as measures of representational systems. This comparison was made to determine if the three variables would demonstrate significant agreement as predictors of internal representational systems.Students in undergraduate psychology courses in two different departments of a large midwestern university were solicited as subjects for this research. One hundred and twenty-eight individuals participated in the study. Those individuals who participated represented various age groups and academic majors. In this study subjects served as their own controls.Four hypotheses were formulated to investigate the probability of various combinations of eye movements, verbalizations, and individual self-reports as predictors of respresentational systems. The author developed nine stimulus cues for subject response. Six cues required no verbal response and were used for eye movement rating only. The remaining three cues were responded to verbally and provided both eye movement and verbalization ratings. Each subject was individually rated on eye movements and verbalizations by different raters. A frequency count procedure was utilized in rating each individual's eye movements and verbalizations. The most frequently occurring system was classified as the primary representational system for each of these variables. At the completion of the study, each individual provided information on his or her primary representational system through use of a short questionnaire developed by the author. The representational system rated as number one on the self-report questionnaire was classified as the primary representational system for individual self-report. The results of all ratings were classified as either visual, kinesthetic, or auditory and then compared on the variables.Statistical analyses were carried out to determine if there was significant agreement (p<.05) between the variables. Analysis of the results indicated one significant finding. The most reliable means of determining representational systems in this study was through a combination of observing eye movements and listening to the predicate system most frequently used in the verbalizations of an individual. This method was more reliable than observing eye movements and obtaining an individual's self-report; or listening to the most frequently used predicate system and obtaining an individual's self-report; or observing eye movements, listening for the most frequently used predicate system, and obtaining an individual's self-report. The combination of observing eye movements and listening for the most frequently used predicate system was statistically significant. All other combinations mentioned failed to reach statistical significance.

The purpose of this study was to determine the improvement of verbal and nonverbal behaviors of teachers through the use of split-screen audio-video recording and systematized self-analysis.Twenty elementary teachers from the C. R. Richardson school and twenty elementary teachers from the Paul C. Garrison school in Richmond, Indiana served as subjects for the study. Each teacher was videotaped for twenty minutes on a split-screen format while teaching reading and mathematics. The tailings occurred twice with a lapse of a one month interval. The split-screen format allowed the teachers to observe personal teaching techniques well as student and teacher interaction. Self-analysis criteria for verbal and nonverbal behavior were used by each participant after viewing the tapes. Teachers in the experimental group had added assistance in the form of suggestions for improvement from their principal.The instrument selected for verbal analysis was based on the Flanders Interaction Analysis System. The instrument chosen for nonverbal analysis was based on the categories ofnonverbal characteristics formulated by Galloway and Scholl. Response alternatives were quantified one through five on a Likert-type scale for comparative analysis. Some of the items were reverse keyed in the analysis to provide positive direction on all items. A coefficient alpha calculation determined a reliability coefficient of .90 for the verbal scale and .87 for the nonverbal scale.Inservice meetings were held with each faculty to present theoretical knowledge of the process and an overview of the components of interaction analysis. Practice in the use of the criterion-referenced instruments to codify teacher verbal and nonverbal behaviors was provided.The video taping with split-screen capability was manipulated by two technicians. Two cameras were employed as well as a special effects generator to produce the split-screen effect which allowed teachers to view their own action and student action simultaneously.The t-test was used to determine statistical differences between the first and second analyses of the two recordings. Statistically significant differences were found for both the experimental and control groups on verbal behavior and on nonverbal behavior at the .05 level.Eighty-five percent of the experimental teachers increased their scores in a positive direction on verbal behavior for an average gain of 4.5 for the group. Nonverbal behavior scores showed an average gain of 5.3 with ninety-five percent of experimental teachers moving in a positivedirection. Average gain of control teachers was 1.75 on verbal and 1.55 on nonverbal scores. Eighty percent of the control group moved in a positive direction on both verbal and nonverbal behavior.Multivariate analysis of covariance tested the hypotheses of no statistically significant differences between mean scores of the two groups on verbal and nonverbal behavior. The F value for testing verbal adjusted posttest means was 6.642 (P/, .014) and adjusted nonverbal posttest means was 18.08 (P< .0002) which were both statistically significant at the .05 level.This study assessed a sample of elementary teachers in two mid-western elementary schools. Assessment was made in terms of improvement on verbal behavior and nonverbal behavior as perceived by teachers after analyzing video tapes made in their classrooms.The findings indicated that teacher self-analysis using feedback from split-screen video tapes was an effective vehicle for improving teacher behavior. Although limited in generalizability, if self-analysis processes could be instigated on a non.-threatening basis, positive contributions to self concept could have positive results to effectiveness and cooperation of teachers.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the amount of peer influence elementary school students exert on each other during an assigned drawing task. Further, the purpose was to determine the relationship of peer influence to other factors: sex, grade level, artistic prestige, and social prestige.Five major questions involving elementary school age peers were under investigation. Hypotheses were developed to determine whether significant relationships existed during an assigned drawing task between peer influence and (1) pairs of boys, pairs of girls, and opposite sex pairs, (2) same sex pairs and opposite sex pairs, (3) peers at various grade levels, (4) artistic prestige, and (5) social prestige.The sample of this study consisted of 656 elementary school students. The subjects ranged from kindergarten through sixth grade and were representative of elementary school students of Mankato, Minnesota.The data used were collected from the sample by involving the subjects in two drawing sessions and, with the exception of the kindergarten subjects, one short session used in the execution of a sociogram. The drawings were judged for Quality Scale scores and peer influence scores. These scores were recorded along with sociogram information, indicating artistic and social prestige, and personal data.Analysis of variance was computed along with subsequent t tests to determine the relationships between peer influence and boy pairs, girl pairs, and opposite sex pairs. To test the significance of statistics pertinent to the relationship of peer influence to same sex pairs and opposite sex pairs, t tests were employed.The relationship between peer influence and grade level was subjected to analysis of variance along with follow-up t tests. Statistics indicating the relationship between peer influence and artistic and social prestige were reported by correlation coefficients.A significant relationship was found between peer influence and sex pairing. Further relationships of significance were found between peer influence and pairs of boys with pairs of girls, and boy pairs with opposite sex pairs. The relationship between pairs of girls and opposite sex pairs did not reach a level of significance.The amount of peer influence which same sex pairs exerted was found to be significantly greater than that exerted by opposite sex pairs. There was also found to be a significant relationship between grade level and peer influence, with peer influence diminishing in intensity from kindergarten through grade six. Statistics reporting the relationship between peer influence and artistic prestige indicated a positive significant relationship while the statistics reporting the relationship between peer influence and social prestige were not significant.With reference to the findings of this study, the ensuing conclusions relative to peer influence investigation in this research are drawn. Pairs of elementary school age boys are more likely to be influenced by each other in the performance of a task than are pairs of elementary school age girls. Opposite sex pairs are still less influenced by each other than are boy pairs or girl pairs.Subjects whose peers consider them high in artistic prestige exert more peer influence during art activities than subjects who are not so rated by peers. Subjects who are high in social prestige are not significantly influential during the same art activity. The present study also concludes that the influence of elementary school age peers need not accelerate with age but can diminish in intensity from kindergarten through sixth grade.

The continuing importance of literacy and the emergence of electronic text forms have incited interest in the use of technology in a number of domains, among them writing and multimedia authoring. The expectation is that technology will facilitate the writing process by supporting cognitive processes and align school instruction with real-world tasks by providing more meaningful learning environments. This study tracked middle school students' task representation as they participated in protracted multimedia design and writing tasks. Students were engaged in the creation of a literary magazine over several weeks, with both written and media products linked to a particular theme. Cognitive strategies and behaviours associated with problem solving and communication are described through joint design activities. Students' working activities and their competencies in English Language Arts and Computer Science were identified, and cognitive processes tracked in negotiating and defining the boundaries of the task. Teachers' task representations were also examined in terms of their ability to address student variability; strengths and weaknesses between members of a group as well as their inherent dynamics are brought to the fore. Results point to the need for a better understanding of complex cognitive activities in developing new and more sophisticated repertoires of practice to realize the vision of children 'constructing' their own knowledge. Consequently, educators will gain new insights into what students can achieve when given the opportunities and the tools to do so. The role of educators is seen as instrumental in providing structure and mechanisms for supporting students' engagement in complex tasks. Findings underscore the importance of adopting a broader framework for thinking about the impact of students' participation in literacy projects. Limitations of the study are addressed as well as the key variables in the research on written

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This is a study of adolescent students talking in the classroom. It combines a sociocultural approach to learning with an ethnomethodological view of talk as social action and examines how young adolescents accomplish, in class, the work of 'being students'. Sociocultural theory takes the view that school is one of the contexts in which young people grow into mature social, cultural and institutional practices, through social interaction with 'expert' others. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2000.

This is a study of adolescent students talking in the classroom. It combines a sociocultural approach to learning with an ethnomethodological view of talk as social action and examines how young adolescents accomplish, in class, the work of 'being students'. Sociocultural theory takes the view that school is one of the contexts in which young people grow into mature social, cultural and institutional practices, through social interaction with 'expert' others. / thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2000.

This is a study of adolescent students talking in the classroom. It combines a sociocultural approach to learning with an ethnomethodological view of talk as social action and examines how young adolescents accomplish, in class, the work of 'being students'. Sociocultural theory takes the view that school is one of the contexts in which young people grow into mature social, cultural and institutional practices, through social interaction with 'expert' others. / thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2000.