Speech as a mode of communication and speech education as a means of training for proficiency in the use of this mode are assuming increased importance in light of McLuhan's assertion that electronic media is replacing print as the main source of information and entertainment. Emphasis upon the uniqueness and independence of the oral mode, a…

The purposes of this study were to determine whether fourth grade social studies teachers verbally interacted differently with pupils as a function of differential expectations of pupil achievement and to determine whether fourth grade social studies teachers verbally interacted differently with boys and girls. Data were collected using the…

This study investigated the effect of achievement motivation, group composition for purposes of discussion, status of information about a biological event, IQ, and the sex of individuals on the propensity for risk-taking by biology students as they explained an event of biology. The Achievement Motivation Test was used to determine the level of…

This inquiry began with the observation that learning from instruction is radically more efficient for obtaining information than learning by discovery. A series of seven experiments was conducted to determine some of the factors involved in learning from verbal instruction. The perspective adopted was that of communication theory, in which the…

This book explores the question of how we know what we know. The articles, essays, pictures, and practical exercises focus on language, meaning, and the ways in which we communicate. The book is divided into six major divisions: the representative function of words and language; cultural attitudes, values, and assumptions inherent in any given…

Using data collected for 55 Wisconsin secondary school distributive education (DE) programs, this study sought to: (1) describe the nature of the student-teacher interaction in DE classes in a way that will be helpful to future investigators, (2) compare the interaction patterns for Wisconsin high school DE classes with established norms for other…

This article stresses the need for examining the total context of language, including the biological characteristics of the speaker, and anthropological, psychological, geographic, and socioeconomic factors. (CLK)

A number of exercises for promoting communication and self-expression in the classroom are described. (RM)

Misinformation and ambiguity as features of social communication in Northern Thai villages are examined. The questions of how well Northern Thai villagers understand each others' verbal communications, and how accurate their statements actually are, are considered. (Author/RM)

Studies the ways in which information disclosed early in a relationship is used to form predictions about probable attitudes of the other person, and subsequent communication behavior as the relationship progresses. (MH)

Using interaction analysis, studied the classroom verbal interactions of three types of elementary science classes: not using a process-promoting curriculum; using a process-promoting curriculum, with or without a consultant. Among the findings was that teachers who interacted with a consultant were more indirect in their teaching. (MLH)

The form and content of teacher-pupil interaction is shown to be related to pupil distance from the teacher. Pupils seated closer to the teacher are more involved in decision making and question answering while those further away are more likely to be lectured to and less likely to participate in classroom decision making.(JMF)

Singing apprehension is examined as a nonverbal counterpart of talking apprehension and three research questions and hypotheses were tested on the topic. (Author/NCR)

Both technical health words and common health words produce communication blockages in college sex education classes. (MM)