This paper offers some ideas on the types of behavior that can be considered precursors to language and that also lay the foundations for logic, mathematics, physics, etc. The paper posits the problem of whether a theory of language must be formulated before one can formulate a theory of language acquisition, or whether the reverse is true. The…

As part of a national evaluation of Head Start, a comparison of school readiness and childhood development approaches to preschool education was attempted, but major methodological problems were encountered. It was not possible to find the study samples called for in the original plan, i.e. a child-readiness program of the Bereiter-Engelmann type,…

This study was designed to develop a series of instructional modules to teach inservice teachers the Flanders System of Interaction Analysis. Instructional modules were constructed based on research information, and then modified from feedback from experts and random trials. Two field-test groups were used to provide data for validation testing,…

A study was made to determine whether a structured language program for 2-year-old educationally disadvantaged children and a complementary structured language program for their mothers would significantly affect the language behavior of mothers and children. Twenty-four lower socioeconomic status mothers and their 2-year-olds were placed in the…

A study tested two hypotheses: (1) that an inservice training program will alter teacher verbal behavior and (2) that this altered behavior will be associated with increased pupil achievement. Subjects were elementary teachers in two buildings, one the experimental (23) and one the control group (20) and their pupils in grades 1 through 5 (596…

Creative writing provides a healthy outlet for childrens' personal problems and feelings, often presents them with satisfying solutions to their psychological needs, and gives the students an important sense of success and personal accomplishment. Factors conducive to self-expression include stimulation of the student through the teacher's reading…

The main purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a sample of white and Negro Head Start teachers exhibited any bias toward a particular sex or race among their students. Bias was defined as a disproportionate distribution of verbal approval and disapproval. The children were also observed to determine their frequency of…

The idioms, rated numerically on frequency of occurrence and prevailing usage, are presented with an illustrative example and English translation. An alphabetical listing of the English translations of the Spanish idioms includes reference to page citation and frequency of usage. Appendixes contain a sample evaluation sheet used in the selection…

Sixteen middle class, four-person families were used in a study comparing communicative behavior of parents interacting with a younger child (3 or 4 years old) whose language skills were developing, and with an older child (6 or 7 years old) whose basic language skills were established. Combinations of sex of siblings and sibling position were…

The objectives of this project were to test (1) a structured language-oriented curriculum, used for an academic year in Hawaiian Head Start classes, and (2) a parent education program. Teachers in eight experimental classes used semistructured language-strengthening activities along with structured lessons and were guided by supervisors. Eight…

Research into the effects on attitudes of persuasive communications has continued to focus primarily on the empirical analysis of communication and source effects. While theory has been used to guide the work, it is less of the grand and overpowering variety, and more of the kind that employs assumptions about basic psychological processes that…

This study developed a model for depicting the phenomenon of communication in extension education in the developing nations, with emphasis on the role of extension communicators in such settings. The present model was formulated on the basis of existing ones, then was compared with the actual situation as found in the literature on communication…

The failure of school district public relations has been the most common reason for the dismissal of otherwise competent school administrators. In an effort to counteract this weakness, a 2-week workshop was organized by the School of Education at the University of Denver in the summer of 1969 to provide training in public relations techniques.…

The report describes a special 2-year early oral language intervention program designed by a Wisconsin public school system to develop life-oriented, auditory-vocal language skills in language delayed children. Explained are administrative aspects of the program including evolution of the speech and language disabilities department (1940-74), and…

Relational communication refers to the control or dominance aspects of message exchange in dyads--distinguishing it from the report or referential aspects of communication. In relational communicational analysis, messages as transactions are emphasized; major theoretical concepts which emerge are symmetry, transitoriness, and complementarity of…