Research efforts to model speech perception in terms of a processing system in which knowledge and processing are distributed over large numbers of highly interactive--but computationally primative--elements are described in this report. After discussing the properties of speech that demand a parallel interactive processing system, the report…

Limitations to the goals educators set for their students originate primarily from two sources: (1) students' individual abilities and attitudes, and (2) cultural influences that contradict or countermand instruction rather than reinforce it. These contradicting cultural influences are particularly evident in reference to the skills and knowledge…

Journal writing can be used as a tool for the assessment of teaching while allowing students to have an active and expressive voice in their learning. Journal writing provides an excellent interactive format in which students can more freely express their understanding or lack of understanding of the subject matter. The entries also frequently…

The 1988 campaign is over, and once again the issue of the networks' coverage of the presidential campaign has been raised. Critics have concluded that the coverage of the campaign was reduced to "sound bites," tightly controlled debates and slick television ads. Unfortunately, little attention was paid to the most important issue in the…

The speech that upper-middle class mothers used with their young children was compared to that used by working class mothers. Mother-child interaction was recorded in four settings: mealtime, dressing, reading, and playing with toys. Also investigated were mothers' child rearing beliefs and goals. Participants included 33 upper-middle class and 30…

This dissertation presents a study of patterns of speech in Western Subanon, as heard in areas of Mindanao, an island in the Philippines. An introductory section discusses relevant general issues in linguistic research and the present study. The relationships of language to linguistics and of language to society, the objectives of the study, the…

A survey investigated the type and frequency of integrated speaking-writing courses or programs at college-level institutions. The purpose of the survey was to gain a sense of the extent to which courses integrate speaking and writing (where speech is valued not merely as a convenience for conducting classroom business, but as a medium for…

A study was conducted to examine core Japanese communication patterns, as viewed from insider and outsider perspectives. Using a semistructured interview method and a theme analysis method, four Japanese cultural communication themes were uncovered during the four month study: (1) communication style--concealment versus revelation, (2)…

A study was conducted to examine the relationship between the amount of conflict in a group decision-making process and the achievement of a quality decision. A task problem given to 33 college students completing a group symposium assignment in a basic public speaking and discussion course called for subjects to choose three possible topics for a…

In order to improve instruction in basic speech courses, a program was developed adapting creative problem solving to speech preparation and to interactive speech communication. The program, called O-I-C--Orientation, Incubation, and Composition--and based on Howell's five levels of competence and their implications, begins with a thorough study…

Certainly reasons can be enumerated for the widespread use of handbooks and other "canned" materials in high school debate programs, but the quality of these resources and their actual use by debaters make them competitively negligible in value and counterproductive to the educational and competitive values that the forensic community…

In an effort to assess the communication skills of prospective teachers, a study examined the role of three pedagogical domains in speech communication instruction--skill, knowledge, and motivation. Fifty student teachers were tested using the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PCRA; McCroskey l977), the Communication Competency…

To account for how physical attractiveness or unattractiveness may have pervasive effects upon others' perceptions of an individual in a public speaking class, 26 male and 26 female speakers were rated by their classmates in terms of attractiveness and quality of speaking performance at the beginning and end of a ten-week quarter. In addition,…

The rhetoric program at the University of Iowa is an integrated skills program based on four assumptions: (1) writing and speaking are modes of communication, (2) writing and speaking are equally important, (3) writing and speaking can be taught together, and (4) the administration, relevant faculty, and teachers must believe that writing and…

The Scottish Discussion Skills Project, conceived in 1981, is described in this booklet. Following an introduction that explains the context of the project, the booklet provides a summary of four educational reports that were the basis for the project, and defines the concept of discussion. The remainder of the booklet is divided into two parts.…