This study provides a rationale for the claim that communication instruction is critical to students' future personal and professional success. Thematic analysis of 93 journal and newspaper articles, reports, and surveys provide evidence of the centrality of communication in developing the whole person, improving the educational enterprise, being…

A study examined the grading patterns in basic public speaking and communication courses. It was hypothesized that female students would receive higher grades in basic performance and nonperformance communication courses than would male students. The grades for one academic quarter in two nonperformance communication courses and one public…

Survey results indicated strong support for requiring the basic speech course; favored a hybrid course of public speaking and interpersonal communication; preferred more practice than theory, autonomous classes, classes of 20 to 25 students or less; etc. (PD)

A study investigated the principles included in basic public speaking texts and the relative importance given to each principle. Content analysis was used to examine 12 of the most popular introductory-level college public speaking textbooks. The unit of analysis was selected, categories were constructed, and the data were coded and weighted.…

Surveying alumni who had taken a basic communication course, this study obtained perspectives on communication training. Most alumni felt their speech classes prepared them "fairly well" for on-the-job communication. Although all communication skills were rated as important, interpersonal skills were rated somewhat higher than public speaking…

A total of 106 college graduates who had taken a basic communication course was surveyed to obtain their perspectives on communication training. Although the alumni rated communication skills as being highly important, three-fourths of them did not receive communication training after college. Most of the alumni felt either "fairly well" or "okay"…

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…

A study examined the effects of gender on academic achievement in speech communication courses. In order to test the research hypothesis that females would receive higher grades than males, 2,190 grades given by 74 speech communication teachers over a five-year period were examined. The analysis of variance placed gender of the instructor, gender…