A program was designed to reduce communication apprehension by using systematic desensitization, rhetoritherapy, and selected instructional strategies. Rhetoritherapy refers to the development of appropriate communication behaviors through a goal-setting procedure in which students learn to establish reasonable goals, ascertain behavior indicative…

This volume reports on several aspects of the Bristol (England) study of language development in pre-school children. The study was comprised of two overlapping investigations: the first covering the range from 15 to 42 months and the second, the range from 39 to 66 months. The introductory chapter gives an overview, and provides a statement of…

One of a series of experiments attempting to overcome practical constraints on testers is described. This test was based on rehearsed communicative situations that were recorded by groups of students. The subjects of the experiment were 250 students in their first year of study for a joint language degree who were following a 12-week spoken…

Oral proficiency tests were constructed for French, German, and English by the Dutch National Institute for Educational Measurement to determine how well students could cope linguistically with daily living situations, after 3 years of foreign language instruction. Originally the rating scale featured six categories. Because of difficulties in…

A modern language or communicative approach to teaching Latin on the secondary level is described. The traditional content of grammar and reading from classical literature is taught, but the aspect of Latin as a medium of communication is emphasized throughout the five levels of Latin instruction. On the elementary levels, each day's lesson is…

This is a report on a project established to develop a "common yardstick" to describe performance in one or more language skills. Descriptive scales for oral interaction were prepared as well as a general outline of scale characteristics for listening comprehension and reading. Experts in the field reviewed the project proposal and recommendations…

One of a regular series on the status and progress of studies into the nature of speech, instrumentation for its investigation, and practical applications of research, this report covers the period of January 1 to March 31, 1982. The 13 studies deal with the following topics: (1) speech perception and memory coding in relation to reading ability,…

Since the traditional information-based curriculum does not adequately meet contemporary needs, it should be replaced by a process-oriented curriculum that fosters skills in information processing, concept formation, problem solving, and other higher order cognitive processes in conjunction with the development of language skills. There are many…

After 24 triads of college students discussed hypothetical situations of serious and moderately serious acts of plagiarism by either high or low status individuals, they designated a punishment. The hypothesis was that the severity of the sanction would be a joint function of the severity of the act, the attribution of responsibility for the act,…

People spend about three-fourths of their waking hours engaged in some form of communication and about half of this time speaking and listening. In spite of this, communication generally is ineffective. There are many reasons for improving one's communication skills, the most important being employability. For example, a survey of personnel…

The purpose of this language arts curriculum guide for grades kindergarten through twelve is to present the approved curriculum that serves as the basic core of all language arts instruction. The guide components--reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking--can be treated as individual disciplines, each with its own body of knowledge and…

The percentage of speech communication doctoral graduates employed full time and the percentage working in academic institutions have declined considerably since 1968. The glut of humanities doctorates appears to present three courses of action: increase undergraduate enrollments, decrease graduate enrollments, or increase nonacademic employment…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 14 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) metaphor as argument in editorial cartoons, (2) conversational arguments, (3) message retention under threat of speech performance, (4) dominance and hostility…

This handbook is a collection of readings intended to acquaint Peace Corps volunteers with the geography of Botswana, and the culture and daily living customs of the people. The introduction provides techniques to help students use the readings to improve their speaking skills. The first section of the text, the "OXFAM Section," contains…

Recent studies in productive phonology among immigrants have supported the case for the existence of a critical or sensitive period in language acquisition. The present study proposes that the case for a sensitive period would be further strengthened by the discovery of comparable age effects for other linguistic abilities such as listening…