In this paper we describe a study that examines the communication behaviors in global software student teams. The authors of the paper first characterize the types of communication behaviors that occur when student teams are engaged in distributed group projects. The authors present findings from a three-semester study that examined factors contributing to successful distributed interactions among computer science and information technology students enrolled at the University of Atilim (Turkey), Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, University of North Texas, and Middle East Technical University (METU). Using content and cluster analysis techniques, we identified distinct patterns of collaboration and examined how these patterns were associated with task, culture, and performance of collaborative teams. Our results suggest that communication patterns among global software learners may be related to task type, culture and performance. It is hoped that these findings will lead to the development of new strategies for improving communication among global software student teams.