Paul Witt challenges every reader to make a decision in response to the question: "Will the profession follow these recommendations presented in this forum?" Will "quick and dirty" survey methods be exchanged for more complex research designs?" He cautions readers to think first before replying, warning that this is a…

Responds to J. Sprague's 1992 criticisms of the program of research known as Power in the Classroom. Argues that both the covering law and the critical approach to studying power in the classroom are useful because they provide scholars and teachers with answers to distinct research questions. Identifies ways in which both epistemologies are…

Responds to an article in the same issue. Discusses four levels of scrutiny of the language of a research program: vocabulary choices; transformation of terms with the research process; style, syntax, tone, and organization of research reports; and translation of findings into recommendations and policy. Advocates productive dialogue in the…

Cross-cultural validity of teacher immediacy scales is a constant concern in instructional communication research. The present study examines the validity of two existing teacher immediacy scales: the Revised Nonverbal Immediacy Measure (RNIM) and the Chinese Teacher Immediacy Scale (CTIS) in U.S., Chinese, German, and Japanese cultures. Results…

Network analysis, a research methodology that uses interpersonal relationships as the unit of analysis in identifying communication structures, was used in a study of college classroom communication to determine what communication network factors were associated with student grades. Questionnaires asking for student perceptions of their…

Implicit communication theory (which posits that certain communication behaviors evoke emotional responses in receivers) is a plausible explanation for the teacher behavior-student learning link. An integrated approach to testing the theory is available in the form of the Continuous Attitudinal Response Technology (CART), which enables subjects to…

This paper suggests a new way to approach the study style in instructional communication. First, the paper reviews and critiques existing approaches to communication style research. Following that it is suggested that a fundamental limitation of existitng approaches is that researchers have typically superimposed conventional criteria for teaching…

Investigators wrote proposals for research on the nature and learning of communicative processes in the elementary classroom. Three questions were addressed: (1) What is the nature of communication in the classroom? (2) How do students acquire the rules of classroom discourse? (3) What is the effect of inadequate learning of classroom discourse…

This master's thesis investigates the evaluative instruments currently available for measuring nonverbal behaviors in the classroom. Chapters discuss the following topics: classroom nonverbal communication, major and minor evaluative instruments, problems in current studies of nonverbal communication, and recommendations for further study of…

Instructional communication research may be examined from the perspective of teacher effectiveness research, based on three dominant 20th-century philosophical traditions: logical empiricism, interpretive theories, and critical theory. Since at least 1896, scholars have used empirical research methodology (largely "logical empiricism," modeled…

Classroom dialogue is an important influence on students' learning, making the structure and content of dialogue important research variables. An analysis of two sample classroom dialogues using the Thematic and Structural Analysis (TSA) Technique shows a positive correlation between the quality of dialogue structure and the level of student…

To suggest future research directions in the assessment area, a review was conducted of literature concerning teachers' classroom communication. Focusing first on the large body of research identifying behaviors or skills that lead to perceptions of teaching effectiveness and increased learning, the review then examined a smaller group of studies…

Reports a study of nonverbal communication in which 77 female student teachers of physical education were observed during teaching practice to identify any patterns of communicative acts, the balance of verbal and nonverbal components, and whether the patterns are related to pupil responsiveness. Cluster and factor analysis are used. (EAO)

Part of a year-long sociolinguistic study of teacher and pupil perceptions of classroom discourse, this study focused on the following methodological question: how might the approach selected for analysis of language as a linguistic system affect what is learned about language in a given social situation? Subjects were 165 children and their…

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…