The widespread use of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in the higher education sector in recent years highlights the importance of forging successful relationships with employers, business, industry and government. This article reports on a large ethnographic study conducted by Victoria University into host organisations' perceptions of WIL.…

This is an article in a series illustrating the way scholars in communication have pursued translating their research into practice. The translational nature of communication accommodation theory and examples of its application are the focus of this contribution.

Speculates about mindfulness on the context of practical applications, by everyday communicators, of whatever modifications to communication can be suggested by research. Reviews tact strategies as a brief example. (SR)

Investigates causes of ambiguities in the discourse resulting in the decision to launch the space shuttle "Challenger." Maintains that the source of that ambiguity was: (1) a social context with great pressure to launch; and (2) inappropriate conversational politeness strategies used to cope with that pressure. Discusses the lessons of…

Finds that persons (college students) thwarted in their attempts to provide geographic directions to others reiterated directions with little change in structure but with significant increases in vocal intensity and decreases in speech rate. Confirms the hierarchy hypothesis that individuals modify their message plans to make alterations first…

Tests the effects of relationship and politeness on perceived regard for face and advice effectiveness among undergraduate students. Finds that regard for positive face is associated with the perceived effectiveness, appropriateness, helpfulness, and sensitivity of advice given; however, the factors normally expected to account for perceived…

A study examined skills related to an individual's satisfaction with a partner's listening ability. Forty-nine undergraduates in a listening skills class were asked to increase the use of effective listening behaviors with three to five individuals with whom they had a relationship--this resulted in 194 participants in the study. Two…

To discover the kinds of conflict encountered by hospital nursing staff members, nurses from several hospitals were asked to report the types of conflict they anticipated meeting during a work week. The answers were categorized into eight loci of conflict topics: (1) physician-nurse conflict, (2) uncooperative working norms, (3)…

A study investigated whether receivers who detect senders behaving deceitfully will automatically become more resistent to the message being presented. By developing predictions derived from the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), the study hypothesized that only noninvolved receivers would respond negatively to deceptive nonverbal cues in a…

Assesses the construct and concurrent validity of the Reticence Scale, a 24-item self-report measure. Compares it to other established measures and to open-ended responses to a set of questions. Finds satisfactory support for its construct and concurrent validity. Finds high correlations between dimensions of the Reticence Scale and the open-ended…

Examines a descriptive model of communication relationships between members of collectives to determine whether perceptions are the result of formal structure, collective interests, or individual interests. Finds structures of perceived communication relationships are similar across organizations, whereas structures in observable communication are…

Expands the definition of supportive communication ties and examines the relationship of communication network roles to job stress and burnout in public elementary schools. Finds that isolates report significantly less stress than linkers, group members, and dyads and significantly less burnout than linkers and dyads. (SR)

R. Hart and D. Burks (1972) indicated that rhetorical sensitivity (RS) is a cognitive orientation to communication competence that stresses the importance of appropriate adaptation and flexibility in interpersonal communication interactions. In 1980, Hart, Carlson and Eadie developed an instrument called RHETSEN scale, a 40-item questionnaire. The…

A study investigated the issues that Blacks perceive as salient to their satisfaction and dissatisfaction with communication with Whites, and whether these issues were independent of age, biological sex, and income. Two groups of subjects, selected from economically determined working class students in a large introductory speech communication…

Presents a model of social confrontation (communication episodes initiated when one participant signals that the other's behavior violates a rule or expectation for appropriate conduct). Describes issues arising during social confrontation. Concludes that negotiating expectations or relational rules within a problematic situation is the crux of…