Focusing on the effects of three interventions on students' reading and writing of persuasive discourse, a study investigated (1) whether the writing of persuasive discourse can be improved by instruction, and (2) the effect of reading on writing and of writing on reading within the persuasive mode. Subjects, 100 Canadian sixth graders stratified…

To provide students with a rhetorical stance and motivation, a college freshman composition class adopted the ideas of the "radical" literacy educator, Paulo Freire, who believes that literacy should allow students and teachers to become truly conscious of the world. Class projects were initiated in which the students had as much…

Recent advertising research has suggested that to gain initial entry into and retain continual success with a targeted audience of consumers, it is wise to mirror the attitudes and desires of those consumers. This has proven effective in the United States, where companies such as Chevrolet, Levi Strauss, and Coca-Cola have successfully catered to…

In cross-cultural negotiation, the participants must have prior training in what is culturally and linguistically appropriate in order to avoid serious misunderstandings and impasses. While negotiation is a common form of business interaction, there are cultural and linguistic patterns that are not always shared. Analysis of American English…

The articles in this special journal issue discuss specific methods and procedures for use by teachers in developing student competency in the use of English as a second language. Specific topics covered in the 12 articles are (1) teaching the functional usages of language, (2) teaching the persuasive uses of language, (3) developing the…

This issue of a biannual journal for interdisciplinary exchange of ideas within the areas of communication, language skills acquisition and instruction, and cross-cultural training and learning includes these articles: "Oral Interactive Testing at a Japanese University" (Eloise Pearson); "Classroom Organisation and the Teacher" (Armand…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 25 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: the nature of creativity in advertising communication; speech communication difficulties of international professors; rhetorical arguments regarding the…

Sample notional writing materials for use with advanced level ESL students are presented. The basic assumption is that effective writing demands a feel for one's audience and a sense of purpose, integrating function (what is being said), situation (to whom it is being said), and grammar (how it is being said). The functions selected are those that…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 18 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: the relationship of speech communication variables to perceived communication competence; interpersonal communication in a simulation game of intercultural…

This curriculum activities supplement is the result of a graduate seminar at the University of Nebraska (Omaha), held in 1972. It is an addition to "A Curriculum Guide for Speech Communication--Grades 8-12," developed in 1971 (ED 066 776). The activities are structured according to the contract system, whereby each student selects his own projects…

This is the third annual volume devoted to recording graduate work in speech communication, providing abstracts of doctoral dissertations, and making available specialized bibliographies. The first section is a bibliography on speech and language acquisition prepared by Joseph A. DeVito. The second is a compilation by Clark S. Marlor of source…

A middle school teacher of writing to learners of English as a Second Language describes two techniques used to improve student participation and guide the writing process. The first is to select a writing topic to which all students can relate. In this case, the teacher asked students, in a class discussion, to give their own definitions of…

One of the most difficult problems of modern school practice is how to prevent overcrowding the curriculum, breaking up the school day into small fragments of time devoted to disconnected tasks, and dissipating the energies of the children to such an extent that the process of education is hindered rather than helped by the attempts to enrich and…

Draws on classroom observations, interviews, and writing portfolios to contend that competing demands in modern classrooms can lead to environments that sabotage the teaching of argumentative and persuasive writing. Concludes that the epistemology fostered by classroom talk and other activities was inimical to the complex rhetoric the teacher was…

Background: Critical thinking disposition is an area that has been overlooked in various academic fields until recent years. Critical thinking occurs only when individuals possess thinking dispositions. This study explores the possibility of using directed viewing-thinking activity (DVTA) to cultivate the critical thinking dispositions of…