Presents transcript, editorial analysis, and critiques of the final debate of the 35th National Debate Tournament between Dartmouth College and University of Pittsburgh. (PD)

Discusses a recent conceptualization of argumentativeness. Reports on an investigation of characteristics of argumentative students, which included variables such as birth order, family size, high school training, college grade point average, etc. Supports the assumption that argumentativeness is a desirable communication trait and considers…

Reports of classroom research on the effectiveness of sentence combining as a teaching technique. Notes the value of in-class research. (RL)

Examines two tournaments for "individual events," sponsored by national associations. Provides information to help students and coaches decide which tournament will best meet the needs of their forensics programs. ("Individual events" include public speaking--persuasive, expository, after-dinner--interpretation, rhetorical…

Discusses how the impact of various rhetorical moves in a trial is determined by the relationships they establish between evidence and underlying story structure. Demonstrates that the underlying rhetorical structure of a trial is a finely tuned communication system for the systematic organization and processing of large bodies of information.…

Criticizes empirical research on the use of evidence in argument for producing ambiguous and contradictory findings. Notes specifically the failure to provide precise conceptualizations and operationalizations for the evidence construct. Cites definitional problems and methodological considerations which contribute to the inadequacy of past…

In Iran and Egypt, preaching from the pulpit has existed as a distinct medium of public communication for centuries. Studying such traditional institutions could reveal a model of public communication which might be most effective in a developing society. (PD)

Surveys the structure of different types of short films. Analyzes the short film as a rhetorical entity and considers production techniques and patterns of distribution. (PD)

Investigates the impact of the first televised debate in the 1976 presidential campaign on the political attitudes of 195 college students. Concludes that viewing the debate had only a limited impact, which can be attributed to the general problems of attitude change and the specific content of the debates. (RL)

The principal aim of the recent NORC study was to "measure the effectiveness of value-oriented education, indeed the survival of a system dedicated to that kind of education, under the stress of immense pressure...". Examines that study in relation to the question of leadership in the Catholic Church. (Author/RK)

Takes a look at the state of education, as described in the Coleman report, and voices some personal concerns. (Editor/RK)

Where other articles are primarily concerned with the socializing function of education, here the author argues that education also allocates and legitimizes political and economic participation in society. Suggests that nonformal education, in contradistinction to schools, is not likely to be able to offer a legitimate mobility route to…

Examines how, in the 1920s and 1930s, birth control advertisements (prolific and illegal) conflicted with the arguments for birth-control legalization. Applies M. Bakhtin's grotesque and classical categories and M. Douglas's pollution metaphors to analyze the language birth-control advocates used to distinguish between medical and nonmedical…

Describes a format for assignments that trains students to write short, persuasive essays. Essay topics address how software available in the computing lab can use a computing technique. Points are scored by making multiple concise arguments that answer different aspects of the essay question. (PVD)

Discusses the efficacy of anti-drug public service announcements (PSAs) for preventing drug-related behavior (DRB) among youth. Focuses on persuasive communication and drug prevention and the factors associated with DRB. Claims that the success of any anti-drug PSA will be limited to that scope of behavior targeted for change. (RJM)