Speedback is a continuous audience response technology system that was used to test concepts and variable relationships that had been derived earlier from large-sample, survey research methodology. Continuous audience response technologies used computer hardware and customized software to collect subjects' reactions to stimuli, usually videotaped…

A study examined the differences between how men and women respond to expert political analysis of political debates and the extremeness of traits attributed to the candidates. Subjects, 30 males and 45 females enrolled in courses at the College of Journalism and Communication of the University of Florida in the fall of 1988, viewed the live…

An analysis of the content and a critique of the significance of President Jimmy Carter's 1977 commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame, show that technical weaknesses such as poor organization, inconsistent style, and overbreadth limited its intended effect. Carter had hoped that this speech would dispel confusion over some of his…

The composition teacher's role in responding to students papers is especially problematic when students are advanced English-as-a-Second-Language students at the graduate level. With limited knowledge of a student's field of study, the teacher can not simulate the audience the student needs to address. While evaluation by peers in the same field…

Theories of taste are efforts to understand the processes of signification by which cultural forms take on meaning, and how subjects are inserted into such processes. One of these theories is the notion of "taste cultures," set forth by Herbert Gans in the 1960s and continued by George Lewis into the 1980s. A taste culture is an…

A Gallup report presents the results and conclusions of a study designed to measure attitudes and perceptions among the nation's adults regarding higher education. The specific issues addressed cover the benefits of a college education to society at large, the focus of institutions of higher education, financial support of higher education…

A study examined the perceptions of black and white voters in the 1988 Southern Regional presidential primary (labeled "Super Tuesday") to determine whether or not discernible racial differences exist in the use and impact of political information. Data were gathered by trained interviewers from 678 randomly selected primary-aware…

Some parents fear that what their children learn in school theatre programs departs from family values. School theatre proponents have opened a Pandora's box by promoting theatre's potential to teach, rather than focusing solely on its aesthetic goals. Both sides in the theatre censorship controversy share the misperception that theatre causes…

This report provides suggestions on how a language arts mass media and visual 1iteracy skills assessment program might be structured to ensure that school districts meet the Common Curriculum Goals of the public elementary and secondary schools in Oregon. This report includes: (1) a list of Common Curriculum Goals that relate to mass media and…

To identify the descriptors most frequently associated with four popular television talk show hosts and to isolate the fundamental dimensions of the images of those talk show hosts, a study surveyed 209 students from Memphis State University and the University of Arkansas (Little Rock) about their impressions of Johnny Carson, David Letterman,…

The debate over the role of the press in the Third World has largely ignored questions of public perception of media roles and performance. To investigate whether an audience perceives the fundamental difference between development journalism (where the state has significant involvement in news decisions) and a free press, and whether that…

By using microcomputers, functional learning environments can be created in which reading and writing are arranged for communicative purposes and used as electronic workbooks for basic skills instruction. However, the "Computer Chronicles Newswire Network" goes a step further by giving students a goal for writing: to share their ideas…

As college and university administrators appraise speech and debate activity, their responses clearly affect the strength and survival of local programs. The director or coach of a debate team must help decision-makers see the educational, social, and personal relevance of forensics. Public presentations of debates that begin with a round of…

In April 1997 in the United Kingdom (UK), "Teletubbies," a television program designed for young children, debuted. Unexpectedly, it developed a cult following among college students. In April 1998 "Teletubbies" debuted in the United States (US) on PBS. A study compared alternative readings and deconstructions of…

This study examined the viewing preferences of high school students, with a focus on high school age males. The purpose of the study was to explore the media's perpetuation of stereotypes, and how these representations influence the students' self-identity and perceptions of gender roles. Participants were 77 high school students in a medium-sized…