Small Group Instruction; *Student Behavior; Teaching

This study of college-bound llth graders assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of instruction that used a structured cooperative learning technique. The students worked in dyads with scripts that contained two learning situations with two roles: (1) explainer and checker; and (2) solver and checker. Both students then worked on summary questions and homework. Verbal interaction influenced learning and appeared to be a mediator of the effects of student characteristics on achievement. Specifically, the study focused on two questions: (1) Can an effective program using dyadic studying techniques be designed for a 11!.gh school course in higher mathematics; and (7.) When high school scudents are trained to use a dyadic studying strategy for learning from their text, what is the nature of their verbal interaction and does this interaction change over time? Two groups were compared using the same texts, tests, an