Studies on classroom interaction have typically focused on relationships between turn-taking patterns and some larger unit of analysis of varying length and nature. However, two questions still left unanswered are how teachers talk differently from students in general and how linguistic variation between two participants might relate to…

This study investigates cultural and communication medium effects on conversational argumentation in a decision-making context. Chinese and U.S. participants worked in pairs on two decision-making tasks via face-to-face (FtF) and instant messaging (IM). The analyses showed that Chinese participants tended to engage in potentially more complex…

This paper presents a study which involved researching student interaction and participation under the lens of Activity Theory and Social Computing. Activity Theory is a philosophical framework that integrates the objective, the sociocultural, and the ecological, while Social Computing describes any type of computing application in which software…

Quality of life and self-determination are important values in the field of intellectual disabilities however they may be difficult to facilitate with persons who have limited communication skills. In fact, many studies provide evidence that these persons have less opportunity to make choices and express their preferences. To help practitioners…

This paper describes the international interdisciplinary academic conference that was a central component of the World Parliament of Religions that convened in Chicago (Illinois) during the summer of 1993. The Parliament was held from August 28 through September 4, and that there were approximately 8,633 official registrants from 56 nations,…

Public relations textbooks and the literature in public relations do not discuss issues management (IM) in terms of nonprofit organizations, focusing instead primarily on corporate activity. Yet nonprofits have serious need for IM, particularly since it is the nonprofits that will be providing the leadership in diversity and multicultural efforts…

Noting that many public relations practitioners are increasingly recognizing the value and use of theory and theory building as a foundation for understanding, researching, and writing about organizations, this paper examines the marriage of theory and practice of writing public relations materials for a client. The paper begins with a discussion…

The field of communication seems to ignore how religious commitment informs communication practices. According to the research of B. A. Kosmin and S. P. Lachman, religion "counts in American society." Still, a survey of publications showed that very few scholars consider religion an important topic for communication research. Over the…

Public relations has been caught up in the drive to internationalize business. Organizations are now dealing with global constituencies on a more frequent basis, which increases the demand for international public relations. One concern raised by this development is whether or not theory and research are keeping pace with the international needs…

For several years, researchers have systematically investigated therapeutic communication in the counseling relationship. Although comparative studies have assessed the similarities and differences among various approaches, no one has compared verbal and art therapeutic communication. This study analyzed the demonstrated equivalence of verbal and…

Part of an account of a community experiment in Pittsburgh trying to address the contested issue of landlords and tenants through explicitly rhetorical strategies for planning and deliberation, a study focused on conflict and how community collaboration handled difference. Four subjects, landlords and/or tenants who represented a range of…

The nature of human interaction, particularly within the context of family, is necessarily complex due to the multitude of characteristics which influence the individual's intention toward the other, as well as the characteristics and effects of interaction as a function of the co-construction of meaning between interactants. This paper delineates…

A study explored psychometric relationships among three dialectical tensions (connection/autonomy, openness/closedness, and novelty/predictability). A confirmatory factor analysis using 694 undergraduate students (347 romantic dyads) culled from various courses in a large midwestern metropolitan university confirmed the existence and independence…

Stuttering is a complex condition, and, in the past, there was not significant evidence to prove any one theory as to its cause. Most researchers now agree that stuttering is mainly a genetic disorder that is sometimes aggravated or brought on by developmental and environmental factors. In genetic research there have been studies on families in…

A study examined the importance of various factors of the academic resume and employment interview from the perspective of university faculty members. Subjects, 130 assistant, associate, and full professors randomly selected from the faculty of a midwestern university, completed the Revised Academic Selection Process Questionnaire. Overall, the…