The focus of this paper is on selected recent South African research studies that have explored efforts to promote the discussion, writing, and arguing aspects of scientific literacy in primary and middle schools, particularly amongst second-language learners. These studies reveal improvements in the participants' abilities to both use the…

Toastmasters is a widely recognized international club that aims to develop and enhance the art of public speaking by offering participants educational programmes and chances to speak before groups. This article reports on the integration of the Toastmasters approach to an EFL oral-communication class in Taiwan. As both the author of this study…

This study reports on the development of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) multimedia courseware on oral presentations, and its integration into self-study learning and elective courses for students with different English proficiencies, as one solution to problems in ESP courses in Taiwan. The courseware design is based on Mayer's multimedia…

Debate judge philosophy statements have been part of the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) National Debate Tournament since the tournament's inception. Judges are asked to identify their preferred debate paradigm in the statement. The practice has raised the question of whether debate critics understand the debate paradigms as they are…

A study examined how debate coaches determine the validity of a ballot and how coaches can pass those validity judgments on to students. A survey consisting of five questions was attached to judging schedules at the 1998 L.E. Norton Individual Events Tournament held at Bradley University (Illinois) in November 1998. Surveys were distributed to 64…

In the spring of 1987, several coaches at a forensic tournament expressed concern over a general lack of "safe debate" competition for novices. The coaches agreed that the solution was mutual support among themselves and a supportive environment which placed new debaters on an equal footing. That same spring, three colleges took part in…

This study attempts to quantify the characteristics of "good" advertising guest speakers and compare the expectations of students in different settings. Sixteen guest speakers who spoke during the same academic year to introductory classes, advanced classes, and student organizations of an advertising program at a midwest university were…

Though after dinner speaking attracts fewer participants than most other categories at American Forensic Association tournaments, it can be one of the most fulfilling for those participating, coaching and listening. One of the reasons for the low participation rate is that judges offer vague and sometimes insensitive evaluations. Judges must not…

This speaker's directory lists speakers from both the news and business sides of print media who are available to address industry-related issues (such as how to attract and retain minority employees, how minorities can move into management, and how young people can get a start in newspapers) at conferences, training sessions, and other meetings.…

A method for incorporating community­-based oral presentations into the undergraduate chemical engineering unit operations laboratory experience is described. Examples are given of appropriate topics and how these presentations can be incorporated into the experiment sequence. Course evaluations reflect the fact that these presentations are an…

This paper looks at the development and management of an intercollegiate forensics program at a small college. It first deals with the context for analyzing a program, and then discusses the analysis itself, which should provide the foundation for a program's development. Some points for program management follow, and the paper concludes with a…

A study was conducted to begin the process of determining the preferences of coaches and/or teams for attending specific national debate tournaments. Ninety-six respondents participated in the study either through an oral survey or a follow-up questionnaire administered at two different national tournaments. The subjects included the directors of…

Student input into grading in the basic speech communication course can be accomplished through a peer evaluation system. Three student evaluators are assigned for every student speech. Speeches are given a quality score by the peer evaluators and by the instructor. Rating errors are minimized by assigning peer evaluators so that no…

Neither of the two major forensics associations uses an ideal point system for the team sweepstakes award at debate tournaments. The National Forensics Association (NFA) awards points for preliminary round ballots and uses a 3-tiered system of team awards based on entry size. They restrict preliminary round sweepstakes points by capping the total…

A study investigated the speaking habits of the general public from the Albany, Schenectady, and Troy (New York) area in the spring and fall of 1984. Student interviewers completed interviews with 478 residents 18 years or older to find out how many times the respondent had given speeches in the past two years and under what circumstances. The…