In view of the apparent complexity and dynamism of the learner, only a systems approach to learning processes can provide a viable and practical frame of reference within which to conduct educational research. There are fundamental weaknesses in the current cybernetic model of learning, and therefore, it is useful to consider the learner as an…

This concise survey of the vast literature currently available in field-of-systems thinking and cybernetics discusses the areas of systems philosophy, systems analysis (mathematical systems theory), empirical systems research, and systems engineering, and outlines contributions of selected scholars. A bibliography of 148 books and papers is…

Article describes a number of steps when dealing with the general semantics of international/intercultural communication. (Author)

Identifies information specialists who employ systems methodology and discusses the modern systems movement, its role in the changing world view of science, disciplines (cybernetics and operations research) that have contributed to its development, and distinctions between General Systems Theory and other approaches to the study of systems.…

This annotated bibliography presents annotations of 31 books and journal articles dealing with systems theory and its relation to organizational communication, marketing, information theory, and cybernetics. Materials were published between 1963 and 1992 and are listed alphabetically by author. (RS)

Expressing the need for a description of communication that is equally applicable to all the social sciences, this report develops a general model of the communication process based upon the principle of convergence as derived from basic information theory and cybernetics. It criticizes the linear, one-way models of communication that have…

This paper uses the conceptual framework of cybernetics to understand why learning information systems such as the "Accelerated Reader" work so successfully, and to examine how this simple yet incisive concept can be used to accelerate learning at every level and in all disciplines. The first section, "Basic Concepts,"…

Introduces a modification of Ericson and Rogers' (1973) dyadic Relational Communication Control Coding System (RCCCS) for family contexts involving three or more persons. New coding rules were necessary because in families messages are not always reciprocal or direct. An illustrative excerpt shows the kinds of indexes provided by the system.(TE)

Three papers are presented which delineate the foundation of theory and principles which underlie the research and instructional approach to communications at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh. Cybernetic principles provide the integration, and validation is based in part on a situation-producing…

The methodological soundness of a number of communicational models is tested for relevance to communicative disorders. Existing models lack isomorphism in relating environment to language structure. A new model, useful in classification of communicative disorders, is proposed, tested, and found to encompass (1) an indication that language is a…

A more unified approach to communication theory can evolve through systems modeling of information theory, communication modes, and mass media operations. Such systematic analysis proposes, as is the case care here, that information models be based upon combinations of energy changes and exchanges and changes in receiver systems. The mass media is…

The use of the systems approach in educational inquiry is not new, and the models of input/output, input/process/product, and cybernetic systems have been widely used. The general systems model is an extension of all these, adding the dimension of environmental influence on the system as well as system influence on the environment. However, if the…

In his book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions," T.S. Kuhn suggests that incipient paradigm changes in science may be detected by examining certain shifts in emphasis in the literature of a particular field. If we grant his premise, the same possibility may be true in education. An examination of recent literature shows a shift toward a…

Two types of questions may be asked in educational inquiry: educological ones--those seeking descriptions of educational events, and programmatic ones--those seeking prescriptions for educational interventions. Quantitative educology is described as consisting of three branches: the philosophy, science, and praxiology of education. The SIGGS…