This interdisciplinary study examined socialization of first and fifth grade elementary school children into the student role. The study focuses on the effects of teachers' socializing communication on childrens' views of norms for classroom life by means of observation and questionnares. Data of several types are analyzed and interrelated: teacher communication about the content of student role; student perceptions of that role; the impact of structural variables like openness of classroom on both teacher talk and student thought; the impact of children's demographic characteristics on both; and the interrelationships between teacher talk and student thought. Three broad patterns emerge from these data: (1) Teachers play a managerial role and students respond in ways reminiscent of workers rather than learners; (2) Of demographic differences among children, grade level stands out as having dominant impact; and (3) Teacher communication has a differential impact upon the audience, and the meaning of teacher messages is not always clear without knowing the recipient. Study data are displayed on 19 charts, and a published version of the study, entitled Teacher Talk and Student Thought: Socialization into the Student Role, accompanies the report. (JMK)