To negotiate a balance between an ideological concern for society's historical-economic development and an understanding of the individual's need for a sense of self-realization, social theory researchers should look to B. Dervin's "gap theory model" of communication. Adapted from Kenneth Burke, it offers a dynamic means of understanding…

Drawing primarily upon empirical research which examines how interviewee communication impacts on interviewer hiring decision in the employment interview, this report examines that research with the intention of developing instructional recommendations as well as identifying more pervasive, instructional issues. Research related to: (1)…

This paper explores and attempts to answer some of the fundamental questions and challenges brought against organizational communication scholars who follow the critical tradition. Specifically addressed in the paper are the following issues: (1) the vocabulary of critical theory; (2) assumptions and goals of critical theory; (3) critical theory…

Although numerous studies focus upon computer attitudes and computer anxiety, relatively few studies analyze the interaction between a computer laboratory assistant and the individual who is asking the question. This paper begins with a brief overview of the literature that discusses attitudes towards computers, computer anxiety, and computer…

Although a large body of research exists regarding the construct of "socialization," scholars have no universally accepted definition of this construct. Additionally, scholars have used the term to describe several different components of both structural and communication dynamics without agreeing upon a metaphor or general acceptance of…

Teacher immediacy and use of power have surfaced as important instructional communication variables, yet little is known about how they function to effect learning. To offer an explanation as to how teacher immediacy and use of power facilitates learning, a study investigated implicit communication theory. Subjects consisted of 625 undergraduate…

A practicum was executed with the primary purpose of enhancing prekindergarten students' ability to address conflicts in a positive prosocial manner. The location of the practicum was an urban elementary school which houses prekindergarten through grade 6. A literacy program (consisting of storytelling activities using the various forms of…

If the discussions of communication can be divided into those concerned with a description or theory and those concerned with prescription, then it must be understood that the former can never by itself improve communication. As a field, communication studies does not yet know enough about prescriptive language theory; that is, theory concerned…

The dramatic increase in the incidence of eating disorders among young women indicates a growing need for health education. However, women's magazines that perpetuate images of beauty and thinness may reinforce the disorders. Researchers have looked for strategies that encourage participation in society by those who partake of American media. One…

Realizing that communications theory and research have little to do with organizational life, a communications scholar decided to become an organizational participant while still analyzing events and episodes in a scholarly way. In the spring of 1986, he joined the board of directors of Interface Precision Benchworks (IPB), a not-for-profit…

Perceived control is becoming an increasingly popular topic in the literature of communication. Intriguing evidence exists to suggest that the key to understanding the role of locus of control in the interpersonal encounter lies in appreciating the enthymematic nature of human interaction and the role of perceived control in this enthymematic…

Noting that the adult learner is becoming an increasingly prevalent presence in the classroom, this paper presents a literature review and critical evaluation of the overall effort made by communication researchers to study the phenomenon of the adult learner in the college classroom. The paper first reviews 13 articles in 3 categories of research…

A study aimed to provide information about the current communication curriculum offered through undergraduate programs. A systematic search of the undergraduate catalogs of 565 institutions was conducted viewing Speech Communication Programs available in the Central States region. Results indicated that all but five institutions offered at least…

A study examined what type of communication behaviors best friends use when they talk about their relationship (meta-relate), or discuss the nature of talk within the friendship (meta-talk). Questionnaire data collected from middle-aged adults and young college students indicated that the respondents discussed their friendships more than their…

Expert systems are computer programs that solve selected problems by modelling domain-specific behaviors of human experts. These computer programs typically consist of an input/output system that feeds data into the computer and retrieves advice, an inference system using the reasoning and heuristic processes of human experts, and a knowledge…