While much has been said and written about teaching excellence, educational research has not defined what it means to be an excellent teacher, so it is important for teachers in all subject areas to initiate and sustain a dialogue about teaching excellence. Six attributes characterize excellence in a secondary school communications teacher. First,…

Evaluators of argument are frequently confronted by conflicting claims. While these claims are usually based on probabilities, they are often resolved with the accepted claim treated as though it were "true," while the rejected claim is treated as though it were "false." Scenario testing is the label applied to a set of…

A study examined the differential grading that occurs in basic speech communication classrooms and attempted to identify predictors for the differences in the grades that male and female students receive. Subjects were 47 women and 48 men randomly selected from an undergraduate speech course at a private midwestern college. Subjects'…

This paper describes a graduate course at Louisiana State University in Shreveport, entitled "The Electronic Church, with an Emphasis on Its Evangelists." The paper addresses some of the ways in which criticism is taught via the television evangelists. Following a mini-course in speech analysis, the course focuses on the various aspects…

Intended primarily for teachers of language arts in grades K-12, this program guide provides a framework and philosophy of language arts for all those concerned and involved with education in the public schools of Hawaii. The guide can assist schools in the building of programs that will help students become competent communicators and…

The instrument designed by Patricia Kearney to measure communication style was chosen for a study of validity and reliability for three reasons: (1) the format of the instrument appeared to be more descriptive than evaluative, (2) its theoretical foundations encouraged the viewpoint that there is no one best communication style, and (3) it was…

Attempting to present empathy as a vital ingredient of effective interpersonal listening, this paper first provides a brief historical tracing of the major trends in listening theory and research. This review then serves as a backdrop for a partial justification of an empathic listening emphasis that includes a clarification of some misconceptions…

Basic Speech Communication courses which emphasize public speaking are an opportunity to teach critical thinking skills in the form of critical listening. Students can be taught to analyze the evidence or ideas of others and make critical judgments about the validity or quality of materials presented, using a series of steps involving student and…

Videocassette recorder (VCR) acquisition and use in developing nations is largely an individual or household decision, and their rapid diffusion is influenced by several factors: price, and its variations due to government restrictions; income and income distribution; the content of broadcast television; the diversity of entertainment media…

Inner speech, the process by which words are related to and converted into conceptual thoughts, is a topic of central importance within the field of speech communication, and the exploration of its role in the cognitive processes can facilitate the development of creative, logical, and critical thinking across the liberal arts curriculum. Four…

Among the communication skills needed for business and industry are the ability to (1) express logical ideas in an organized fashion in public address, small group, and interpersonal contexts; (2) analyze receiver needs and adapt to those needs; (3) write thoughts in a correct and concise manner; (4) listen actively; (5) conduct thorough research;…

A statistical model is presented for analyzing the results of group conversation tests in English, developed in a Finnish university study from 1977 to 1981. The model is illustrated with the findings from the study. In this study, estimates of percentile curves for the number of errors are of greater interest than the mean regression line. It was…

There are three kinds of interdependent factors to be considered in the communication process: (1) characteristics, habits, psychophysical determinants, and expectations of the sender; (2) the same factors with regard to the receiver; and (3) situational factors, or the context, which may be different from the viewpoint of either the sender or the…

The theoretical notions underpinning what stress is, where it is located, how it is thought to operate and with what sorts of consequences are the focuses of this paper. Beginning with a list of sources representing the medical/psychological model of stress, the paper then discusses this model, including how biologic stress is conceptualized by…

An advanced public speaking class at the Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, was specifically designed not only to improve the overall quality of a speech communication program but also to increase the number of majors that an excellent program would attract. Only students who have demonstrated superior speaking skills in basic public speaking…