As schools, families, and communities begin to come together, everyone benefits. A mother who teaches her son's class about traditional uses of native plants passes on important cultural knowledge and builds her own public speaking skills. A science class that tests the water quality at a nearby reservoir learns about local environmental issues,…

Describes public communication as either priestly (didactic, bringing institutionally authorized meanings to an initiate audience) or bardic (giving voice to a body of meanings already at work in the consciousness of the auditors). Suggests that the public discourse of contemporary scientists is an important example of the priestly voice. (SR)

Discusses why many girls relative to boys experience difficulties when required to speak in formal, public, or unfamiliar contexts. While girls are recognized as good at using collaborative talk in small groups, the public voice is valorized in the world outside school. Reviews current debate in Britain on underachieving boys in light of the…

This study examined how particular grading systems motivate students. Since competency-based grading and point systems are most prevalent (Hendrickson and Gable, 1999), the current study is modeled around these systems. The grading systems used for this study were divided into two categories and defined as those students who earned their grades…

Entering an "English Impromptu Speech Contest" intimidates many students who do not have a good command of the English language. Some choose to give up before the contest date while others stand speechless on the stage. This paper identifies a range of problems confronted by contestants from my college, the Yuanpei Institute of Science…

The appeal of Bush's post-September 11 discourse lies in its similarities with the Puritan rhetoric of covenant renewal by which ministers brought second- and third-generation Puritans into the church. Through this epideictic discourse, Bush implored younger Americans to uphold the national covenant of their "elders," the World War II generation,…

A pilot study examined whether there is a "caste system" within the forensics community; what graduate students, faculty coaches, and tournament administrators can do to foster a sense of community and break down the caste system; and the role that formal and informal mentoring can play in this process. A survey was completed by 17…

The basic collegiate course in speech communication, with its attention to public speaking, can provide experiences which increase international understanding. To widen sources of information, students could be assigned to conduct an interview with a foreign student or professor or a U.S. soldier who has returned from overseas, providing both…

This guide assists in planning, designing, and implementing activities that increase people's awareness of careers in special education. It encourages practicing special education professionals to promote special education careers at the local level. The guide provides strategies for organizing recruitment efforts. Tips for getting started include…

Five speech-making activities for junior high school students are presented in this unit from the Greenfield Express Management System (GEMS) program, a California Demonstration Program in Reading. A project overview form from the California Centers for Educational Improvement (CCEI) describes the GEMS program and lists other units included in the…

To determine the criterion related validity of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA), 156 college students enrolled in a beginning public speaking course were administered the PRCA and asked to evaluate peers' speeches using a standard evaluation form. Offering support for the PRCA's validity, results showed a correlation…

A study examined the Ronald Reagan Administration's rhetoric about the invasion of Grenada to determine its ethical quality and whether the American public could make a fair judgment about the incident based on this rhetoric. Examination of President Reagan's rhetorical efforts revealed numerous violations of democratic ethical standards.…

A general discussion of the nature of ethical values of the specific issues related to teaching such values leads to several specific suggestions as to how to accomplish ethical value education in communication. Ethical values education should be integrated throughout the curriculum of higher education in general and communication education in…

Representing works published between 1970 and 1984, this annotated bibliography identifies a variety of readings that explore fundamental issues of ethics in interpersonal, public, and mass communication, and that examine from an ethical viewpoint how to and whether to employ particular communication tactics or techniques. The bibliography…

Noting that television debates have become a regular feature of the media politics by which candidates seek office, this annotated bibliography is particularly intended to assist teachers and researchers of debate, argumentation, and political communication. The 40 citations are limited to the television era of American politics and categorized as…