Intended for use by educators of preservice speech communications teachers, this description of a methods course is geared towards high school and college level pedagogy. The philosophy of the guide rejects the typical textbook style, in which generalizations are given to students as unqualified positive statements rather than made objects of…

Of particular concern to educational psychologists when assessing hearing-impaired children is the identification of learning difficulties in addition to deafness which might hinder progress with language development. This study sought to replicate research which showed that some deaf children who have difficulty with fine motor movements and body…

Intended for instructors, this handbook is to be used with "Thinking Critically" (Second Edition) and is divided into four sections. Part 1 (Using "Thinking Critically") is designed to give practical strategies for applying the material in "Thinking Critically." A summary of key ideas and terms for each chapter is provided as well as suggestions…

To make introducing logic to college students in speech and expository writing classes more interesting, letters to the editor can be used to teach logical fallacies. Letters to the editor are particularly useful because they give students a sense of the community they live in (issues, concerns, and the spectrum of opinion), they are easily…

This series of five booklets is intended to assist principals and teachers in Tasmania in planning a broad-based continuous program of speech and drama throughout primary and lower secondary classes. The material contained within the booklets has been arranged and presented to emphasize the basic concepts and skills which are inherent in a speech…

This paper describes a detailed design for installing a program of assessment for a program of communication studies at a midwestern university. The paper outlines the specific goal-setting procedures as well as the collaborative efforts by faculty and students in providing diverse pre-program, mid-program, post-program, and cognitive learning…

Addressing the academically troubled student's central problem in creating effective written and oral compositions--difficulty in analyzing and synthesizing material--a sequence of speech writing courses videotapes, and then holds class discussions of, student speech-compositions. Utilizing the student's relative facility in speech, this…

General semantics and science fiction are disciplines that can be incorporated in lectures for public speaking and other speech communication classes. Alfred Korzybski's theories of general semantics lend themselves to researching, preparing, delivering interpersonal communication messages, and establishing student interest in foreign languages,…

Edward Sapir's 1921 publication, "Language, An Introduction to the Study of Speech" is interpreted for beginning students of historical and descriptive linguistics. In his book, Sapir attempts to show (1) what he thinks language is, (2) what variables occur in language due to time and place, and (3) the relationship of language and…

A cross-cultural study was undertaken to examine levels of communication apprehension reported by five- to eleven-year-old subjects in the United States and Sweden. The approach was twofold: the examination of elementary age subjects and the use of their native language. The Personal Report of Communication Fear was administered to 186 males and…

A study examined the nature of audience perceptions of television characters' relationships in "Hill Street Blues" and displayed how relational differences in fictional couples are communicated. Using a relational dimensions instrument, the relationships between Frank Furillo and Fay Furillo and between Frank and Joyce Davenport were…

A study surveyed 163 women professors to identify errors they had made that interfered with their ability to gain tenure or promotion and to elicit advice they would offer to others who wished to advance in academia. The mistakes can be summarized as acquiescing to the traditional female role, resisting traditional socialization and internalizing…

In the early 1970s, the Speech Communication Association, with the support of a grant from the Axe-Houghton Foundation, sponsored the National Project on Speech Communication Competencies. The final report of that project was published in 1976 by the National Textbook Company under the title "Developing Communication Competence in…

The findings of a survey of attitude studies to determine the effect of students' attitudes on communication competence as they enter the work force and develop their careers are reported in this paper. The paper explains how attitude improvement is an effective management tool in controlling costly absenteeism, output, job productivity, work…

Arguing that listening is a skill that should be taught systematically in the schools, this paper presents a rationale and strategies for implementing listening instruction in the classroom. The paper first contrasts convergent and divergent thinking, noting that creativity and problem solving are in this latter mode. Next, it examines definitions…