Course: Mixed-Method Communication Research Methods. Objective: The purpose of this semester-long activity is to provide students with opportunities to cultivate mixed-method communication research skills through a social justice-informed service-learning format. Completing this course, students will be able to: recognize the unique strengths of…

Notes that when making requests, speakers often pursue an influence goal and a secondary goal. Examines whether effects of situation features on the importance of secondary goals depend on the kind of request being made. Finds the effect of situation features on the importance of secondary goals often depends on request type. Suggests implications…

Explores the factors affecting the outcomes experienced by distressed persons (undergraduate students) when their comfort providers use humor during comforting interactions. Explains that results indicate the skillfulness of the comforting behavior, specific qualities of humor used, and the relationship between interactants predicted behavior.…

Calls for carefully executed research that explores the impact of instructional practices on learning outcomes. Discusses considerations relevant to selecting the outcome measures (including types of outcomes, longitudinal effects, and "real world" impact). Urges caution in designing such research to ensure its internal validity and external…

Attempting to account for criticisms of earlier studies, a study investigated whether behavioral objectives improved student learning. Subjects, 43 undergraduate students enrolled in a business and professional communication course at a large mid-western university, were randomly divided into two groups. One group stayed in class and received…

An exploratory study investigated the success of a small group behavior change program in eliminating self-defeating behavior (SDB) in outpatients with chronic mental illness. Four of the six subjects were outpatients at the local mental health center but were currently not exhibiting psychotic behavior. The remaining two subjects were student…

Affective communication behavior is central to the teaching-learning process. A review of literature reveals that the affective domain has been viewed primarily as a teacher property rather than as an interactive variable in the process of student learning. However, there is a need for research that explores how affective behavior is negotiated…