Dialectical Tensions in the Classroom: Managing Tensions through Communication

Abstract

Dialectical tensions have been used principally to study dyadic relationships and, more recently, groups. This study of the classroom setting as a group provided insights into the dialectical tensions in the interactions among students and between students and the instructor. Based on ethnographic methods of participant observation and interviews, three principal areas of dialectical tensions emerged for students: (a) their desire to participate and their desire to remain silent during class discussions, (b) their desire for both predictable and novel classroom activities, and (c) managing their personal time and their class time. These tensions and the strategies students and the instructor used to manage them provide a clearer understanding of the group dynamics of classroom interactions.

Acknowledgments

A previous version of this manuscript was presented at the NCA National Convention in Chicago, IL, November 2004

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carolyn M. Prentice

Department of Communication Studies, University of South Dakota

Michael W. Kramer

Department of Communication, University of Missouri—Columbia