A study investigated the content of individual forensic events ballots. In the study, 150 high school and 274 college ballots were randomly selected from 17 tournaments, and each comment on each ballot was evaluated and coded. Data indicated that the overwhelming majority of comments on high-school ballots (64.57%) were positive comments; 32.68%…

More than a decade after the provocative writings of French feminist writers Julie Kristeva, Luce Irigaray, Helene Cixous, and Monique Wittig first appeared, the exploration of sexual and gender differences continues to draw controversy. Their work has been considered mostly in regard to literature, philosophy, and feminist theory, but their…

Two studies investigated inductively the verbal immediacy construct in the interpersonal context. Specifically, the studies explored whether or not verbal immediacy is an autonomous and distinct linguistic verbal code that people use to approach and avoid relationship formation, or part of a much larger repertoire of verbal relational strategies…

The social scientific research focus of major United States universities places the forensics programs at these institutions in a unique position. Three areas of tension between forensics and research based communication departments are as follows: research quality/utility, applicability of forensic training, and resource conflicts. Solutions to…

This paper explores the phenomenon of "flaming," which has been typically cited as an antisocial effect of computer-mediated communication. The paper discusses the diverse range of conceptual and operational definitions of flaming found in the literature. The paper offers a four-point critique of previous theoretical explanations of…

Because of the vast nature of the work of Ernest Boyer and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, it is appropriate to highlight specific ideas related to the basic course in communication and offer a response. First, further research must be done to determine the extent to which the basic communications course enhances student…

Noting that teaching assistants (TAs) play a particularly important role in speech communication, this paper reviews and categorizes relevant communication research from 1979 to 1991. The paper notes that research by speech communication scholars relevant to communication in teaching assistant training falls into three categories: studies…

A study examined the family communication of two television families: the Huxtables, on "The Cosby Show," and the Simpsons. Content analysis was used to analyze communication behaviors in 9 episodes of "The Cosby Show" and 12 episodes of "The Simpsons," and behaviors were coded as to type of communication. Results…

A study investigated the reason for the decline in participation in NDT (National Debate Tournament) debate. An anonymous poll of forensic programs was conducted to encourage a frank and open description of the issues surrounding the problem. One hundred thirty colleges and universities in America (out of 354) responded to a questionnaire. The…

John J. Gumperz' interactional analysis goes beyond traditional work in discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and ethnography and may, ultimately, lead to the development of new sociolinguistic theory regarding problematic interaction. The likelihood of the development of theory will be significantly impacted by Gumperz' ability to: (1)…

A pilot study analyzed oral interpretation ballots collected at two college forensics tournaments to determine the average number and classifications of comments on the ballots. A total of 1,737 comments from 304 ballots of oral interpretation events (prose, poetry, program, duo, and dramatic) were analyzed. Results indicated a mean of 5.71…

This article is in response to Michael Burgoon's call in "Communication Education," October 1989, for the divorcing of speech education from the discipline of communication. It is argued that the lack of isomorphism between speech education and behavioral research in communication reflects a serious imbalance within the discipline, one…

A study assessed the variable amounts of attention that are required for a viewer to process two kinds of interruptions that commonly occur in television: the shift from one message to a different, unexpected message; and the reference to previously presented material that follows an interruption. Twenty-six subjects recruited from an…

The development of Australian communication studies has closely followed capitalization upon the opportunities provided by major structural changes in the higher education system in the early 1970s and the late 1980s as well as those provided by disciplinary development and student demand. Before 1970, little in the way of communication studies…

A study examined upward-communication practices (from lower levels to higher levels in an organization) in American industry. Seventy-five large top-ranked companies responded to a survey concerning their upward-communication programs, for a response rate of 39%. Forty of the completed surveys included materials describing their…