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Noting that research is inconclusive regarding the role of mediation in groups, this paper represents an initial attempt to integrate specific communication skills into the teaching of mediation. The paper begins with a literature review investigating literature on communication competence during conflict to establish a foundation for the basic leadership communication requirements. Sections of the literature review part of the paper address group members' perceptions and behaviors, negotiation, the role of the mediator, communication competence, mediation in groups, group communication and mediation training, and mediation skills in organizational groups. The paper next discusses and defines the characteristics of dialogic mediation (a non-traditional approach to training group members in mediation skills): authenticity, inclusion, confirmation, presentness, spirit of mutual equality, and supportive psychological climate. The paper concludes that training in dialogic communication is likely to improve how conflict is handled in groups for two reasons: members are sensitized through training to mediation efforts and will be more likely to accept those efforts; and each group member will be able to use mediation skills to resolve conflicts in the group as needed. Contains 65 references. (RS)

Societal changes driven by computer technology have contributed to the call for schools to prepare information-literate students. This paper presents findings of a case study that examined the roles that principals played in successful efforts to mainstream information-literacy instruction. The study also examined whether the change-implementation processes associated with successful school innovation were present in two case-study schools, one rural and one high school. Data were gathered from interviews with eight informants at each site--principals, library-media specialists (LMSs), assistant principals, teachers, and support staff. All six mechanisms were found in the rural school--vision building, evolutionary planning, empowerment, resource mobilization, problem coping and monitoring, and restructuring. The urban school exhibited evidence of all but the restructuring process. The principals played the roles of direction setter, communicator, and facilitator. Conclusions are that: (1) the substance of mainstreaming seems to force restructuring; and (2) engaging in ongoing communication is a key principal role. (Contains 70 references.) (LMI)

Suggesting that critical thinking activities are the crux of many of the goals and objectives of communication education, this paper summarizes a sample of the literature on critical thinking. Based on the review, the paper notes that: (1) a consensus exists regarding what critical thinking is and what specific skills are acquired through varied activities and are applied differently by students in specific situations; and (2) educators recognize that there are multiple ways of helping students learn to think in a critical manner in their classes. The paper also takes a more practical approach to the discussion of critical thinking for the K-12 teacher by appending 14 sample exercises or class activities taken from instructor's manuals used in many beginning communication courses at colleges and universities. Contains 58 references. Additional appendixes provide a 111-item list of additional readings in critical thinking and 6 brief hints on using or modifying exercises for critical thinking. (Author/RS)

A project is described that helps states provide more comparable, complete, and timely educational information for the annual Common Core of Data (CCD) to be used for policy-making decisions. The Education Data Improvement Project (EDIP), funded by the National Center for Education Statistics, began in the fall of 1985. In the first phase/year, the focus was on the Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe and the Public Elementary/Secondary Education Agency Universe Surveys. In the second phase/year, the project examined the information provided in the fiscal portions of the CCD. During the third phase/year, focus was on state-aggregate staffing data reported in the State Nonfiscal Survey. At the beginning of each project phase, state education agencies were asked to provide their most recent data collection instruments and supporting documents. EDIP staff reviewed the documents, developed state profiles of data collection, and identified elements for which states cannot provide comparable data. Technical assistance plans have been developed for the first phase of the project; these will be revised for the states as additional information is collected. Areas of particular concern due to incompleteness or lack of comparability of data were: (1) student and school counts; (2) demographic and descriptive data; (3) high school completion rates; (4) per pupil expenditures; and (5) staffing data. (SLD)

One of the main advantages of the naturalistic approach to classroom research is that the observations are of natural phenomena, occuring in circumstances which the researcher ultimately hopes to generalize. Some problem areas are associated with this approach, however. Observers must obtain complete and accurate records of classroom activities and teacher and student behavior. They must also maintain objectivity in their narrative records. The difficulty also exists that the presence of the observer may intrude or interfere with normal classroom functioning. This paper presents some of the considerations made and techniques used to select and train observers for a major naturalistic classroom observation study, the Junior High Classroom Organization Study. Priorities used for selecting observers are described, including classroom experience, either as a teacher or observer, and writing skills. A description is given of the activities which were engaged in during the training week. It is reported that each of the three problem areas that are associated with naturalistic studies was dealt with and some success was achieved in ameliorating them. It is pointed out that it is necessary to choose observers carefully, train them extensively, and supervise them closely. (JD)

Children's use of humor in hospital settings and ways hospital personnel might encourage positive uses of humor are discussed in this paper. Three questions are raised: (1) How is humor viewed in hospitals treating children? (2) How can developmental psychology help us understand children's humor? (3) What implications does an understanding of children's humor have for how we work with children in hospitals? Responses to these questions are based on general studies of humor; literature on children's emotional reactions to hospitalization; interviews with parents, hospital personnel, and children; random observation in a nursery school; and participant observations of children of different ages in three hospital playrooms. Four developmental stages corresponding to Piagetian stages of cognitive development are identified (Infants/Toddlers, Preschool, Elementary School, and Adolescence), and the type of humor characteristic of each is described. It is emphasized that if we can begin to understand that humor is different for children at different ages, and can emphasize the positive functions of humor for children in hospitals (for adaptation to a new situation, building relationships, seeking explanations for one's condition, gaining mastery), then we can both initiate and appreciate humor with children as we work with them in hospital settings. (CS)