Two trends indicate the importance of competent communication skills in teacher preparation. The first is the professional commitment of the Speech Communication Association (SCA) to speech communication education. At various conferences, the SCA has made recommendations for speech communication training for teachers at all levels and for research…

One hundred thirty-eight college communication departments responded to a survey to assess the status of intercultural communication instruction. The questionnaire was designed to identify the demographic characteristics of institutions that offer introductory courses in intercultural communication, the type of students taking such courses, class…

Many speech communication educators and researchers look upon Dale Carnegie's public speaking course with derision for its methods as well as its motives. A comparison of Carnegie's course with university courses in speech communication reveals a number of differences between the two, which in part explains this attitude. Carnegie began his course…

A study was conducted to determine if the speech communication programs in Texas colleges and universities were providing the skills needed by industry. A survey of current business journals revealed seven skills needed by college graduates seeking employment in business: (1) public speaking skills, (2) knowledge of communication theory and flow…

A study was undertaken to assess the extent to which the basic speech communication course fulfilled the needs of students and alumni of a large midwestern university. Specifically, the study sought to discover whether the basic course should be required and whether public speaking, interpersonal communication, or another activity should be the…

Designed to assist secondary school and college teachers select classroom materials for an introductory course in interpersonal communication, this annotated bibliography cites materials that provide both descriptive and prescriptive information to enhance the development of the basic interpersonal communication course. The sources include recent…

Designed to guide teachers in selecting classroom materials for introductory high school or college courses in interpersonal communication, this annotated bibliography lists and describes 20 general texts and instructional resource materials on the subject. Texts, most of which include instructors' manuals, range in date of publication from 1984…

A survey of teachers' perceptions of student competencies, course content, instructional methods, and evaluation procedures was conducted to determine if previously reported conclusions about secondary school speech curricula had changed and if there were differences between the curricula in large and small high schools. The survey instrument was…

Systematically determines the current status of the introductory small group communication course at American colleges and universities. Examines specific content areas being taught, pedagogical approaches used, and teaching problems encountered to identify current curricular trends in teaching the course, charting subsequent course modification,…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The seven titles deal with the following topics: (1) the effects of a seven-hour communication training program on participant utilization of six components of communication style; (2) communication skills and cognitive processes in…