This paper asks whether postmodernist thought is helpful or harmful to education. It critiques postmodernist theory in both a favorable and critical light and studies the phenomenon within the context of historical and contemporary socioeconomic, cultural, and political developments. The author argues that postmodernism is best understood in…

This study was conceived as a systematic replication of a content analysis of published science education research conducted by Horton et al. in 1993. As such, 47 research articles published in "Science Education" between 1988 and 1992 were examined. Also, this study further extended the findings of Shaver and Norton, and Wallen and…

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 challenge of creating site-level support for teacher involvement in collaborative inquiry and reflective discourse is examined in this paper, which asserts that this process is an important component of school leadership in general and instructional leadership in particular. In considering the amount of "sense-making" to be…

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…

Concerned with the conflicting goals, purposes, and roles that characterize schools, this paper examines the relationships among educators, the wider educational community, and society in general as these relationships affect schools' organizational functioning. The focus is a theoretical model that attempts to explain how the microbehaviors of…

Empathic listening is a specific category of listening in which people actively engage in dialogue at the affective level, with the listener attempting to understand and acknowledge the present feelings being experienced by the speaker. Since empathic listening is central to human communication processes, any speech communication curriculum which…

In this study the effects of a particular type of teacher training material on the cognitions and behaviors of prospective teachers are investigated. The study is based on the assumption that theoretical knowledge that has emerged from research and theory development in education is useful for prospective teachers. The study is confined to that…

A dean and a faculty member describe three strategies they have incorporated to initiate the building of an engaged scholarship culture: (1) communicating a scholarship of engagement vision; (2) creating new traditions, rituals, and symbols to support and reinforce the vision; and (3) creating new roles and responsibilities to help faculty…

Introduction: The aim of the paper is to propose new models of information behaviour that extend the concept beyond simply information seeking to consider other modes of behaviour. The models chiefly explored are those of Wilson and Dervin. Argument: A shortcoming of some models of information behaviour is that they present a sequence of stages…

Problems associated with the use of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) as a statistical control technique are explained. Three problems relate to the use of "OVA" methods (analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, multivariate analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis of covariance) in general. These are: (1) the wasting of information when…

Although a copious body of research literature concerning the practice of adult self-directed learning exists, the theoretical dimension remains undernourished and poorly developed. If a theory for self-directed learning is to be developed, educators have to decide what is the critical element among the three words in the term self-directed…

This book discusses and evaluates the implications of the theory of deconstruction for composition and pedagogy. The book analyzes the emerging field of composition studies within the epistemological and ontological debate over writing precipitated by Plato (who would abandon writing entirely) and continued by Jacques Derrida, who argues that all…

This paper examines the literature about speech communication internship programs to determine how much is known about such programs, what approaches are used and/or advocated, and how they are perceived by those who participate in them and those who administer them. The paper reviews the literature within four categories: (1) reports of survey…

Comprehension instruction must engage students in strategic behaviors over an extended period of time. These extended encounters are necessary to allow students to internalize the strategy and gain sufficient efficiency with the new procedure to justify its continued use. Unfortunately, teacher training programs often reinforce a notion of…