WHOSE MORNING NEWS IS IT

Classroom discourse patterns between 23 pupils, aged between five and seven years, and three different teachers were examined in the morning news sessions of a primary school classroom. The teachers' level of c ontrol statements was measured against the amount of pupil speech. The amount of teacher speech, as well as other pupil speech was also reco rded. The three teachers differed in their interaction with the childr en, with an inverse temporal relationship found between teacher contro l statements and pupil speech. Although this study was unable to estab lish causal relationships it appears that different teacher beliefs, f amiliarity between teachers and pupils, how teachers control the class and the level of peer engagement may affect pupil speech during morni ng news. More extensive research examining these variables would be wo rthwhile.