Discussion abounds about the quality of rhetoric on computer bulletin boards, chat lines and e-mail. Within the past year the CEDA-L, a bulletin board dedicated to the communication of the Cross Examination Debate Association community, has become one of the most popular avenues for information dissemination. A study examined 1000 messages posted…

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany a videotape by the same title which shows communications and education experts discussing the information superhighway, the government's role in its construction, privacy and regulation issues, and the effects of technological advancement on education. The goals of this guide are to help students to:…

One way in which communication educators can effectively build students' critical thinking skills is by incorporating argumentation techniques into classroom discussions and assignments. The following argumentation skills are particularly suitable in helping students learn to think more critically. The first technique is the presentation of…

This ERIC/RCS Special Collection contains 10 or more Digests (brief syntheses of the research on a specific topic in contemporary education) and FAST Bibs (Focused Access to Selected Topics--annotated bibliographies with selected entries from the ERIC database), providing up-to-date information in an accessible format. The collection focuses on…

Students in the Southwest Baptist University's speech and debate program actively participate in recruiting and contribute to the small college's culture. While scholarship on peer recruitment is scarce, the literature suggests two foundational principles that can serve as guides: colleges and universities must be willing to develop personal…

To examine the consequences of responsiveness in dyadic interaction, explore the effects of irrelevant response on listener processing and retention of content, and determine the impact of irrelevant responses on listener perception of speaker attributes, 108 college students were asked to read a debate between two fictitious political candidates…

One of three related documents exploring the problems inherent to current high school forensic coaching, this paper explores the ethics of "overcoaching" debaters to the detriment of their critical thinking skills. The paper first discusses the harm that over-controlling students can cause, noting that when coaches develop arguments and…

The origin of effective schools research (ESR) is discussed in the context of a review of the pertinent literature. Debates over this topic have involved impacts on student achievement, methodology, the allegations of the Coleman report, and various effective school models. The Coleman Report (1966) concluded that family background was the…

There are three general characteristics of a small group that merit analysis and application to a forensics squad: oral interaction, identification of a collectivity, and potential for unified action. Cohesive groups have a high energy level that is typically focused upon facilitation of productive group functioning. In order to develop and…

A study was conducted to investigate the success of women contestants in Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) debate. The study sought to determine whether (1) CEDA is a more attractive debate activity for women, (2) men are more successful in CEDA debate than women, (3) the gender mix of debate teams favors all-male teams over all-female…

Presidential use of television has significantly increased over the last 20 years, with most requests for air time being accepted. This has put out-of-power political parties at a disadvantage when attempting to gain support for their platform. Although Section 315 of the Communications Act of 1934 provides for some response time to uninterrupted…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The nine titles deal with the following topics: (1) the theory and application of presumption in public debate; (2) the rhetoric of transcendentalism; (3) speechwriting in rhetorical criticism; (4) the conspiracy argument as…

This collection of excerpts and bibliographies address the three debate propositions selected as subjects of the 1978-1979 debate question for high schools selected by the National University Extension Service, "What should be the energy policy of the United States?" The collection is divided into three parts each addressing one of the…

This paper examines the overall effect of the 1976 presidential debates on the public's learning about issues and candidates, identifying several factors that are linked to campaign learning and that explain individual differences in the amount of learning that occurred from watching the debates. Findings presented in this paper are based on an…

The House Judiciary Committee debates over the Articles of Impeachment during the Watergate hearings provided the unique opportunity for citizens to observe the process of congressional decision making. Emphasizing diversity, compromise, and reasoned argument, members defined their role as a combination of judge, juror, and average common-sense…