Intended to assist educators at all levels to teach students who are quiet, the first part of this book (The Quiet Ones: Why Are They So Quiet?) presents a summary of current theory and research concerning quiet children and their low willingness to communicate. The second part of the book (Working with Quiet Children) includes specific…

Problems in organizational groups are often defined around one pivotal and difficult group member. Based upon C. Stohl and S. Schell's concepts of farrago (a confusing group member who becomes the relational focus of the group), 28 undergraduate students and management personnel who frequently participate in group work were interviewed to validate…

Although most models of connected discourse are strikingly similar in the types of relationships they describe, they are strikingly different in two areas: the unit of analysis and the dimensions on which cohesion versus coherence are described. Common systems for analyzing written text use the sentence, T-unit, clause, or proposition as the unit…

One hundred fifty human resource professionals responded to survey questions on communication effectiveness within their business organizations. Their responses on formal and informal communication patterns, communicating change, small group communication, and superior-subordinate communication were supplemented by interviews with 58…

Noting that the informal communication network or grapevine plays an important role in organizational functioning, this paper reviews research focusing on organizational grapevines from the communication, organizational psychology, and management literature. Among the issues discussed in the review are (1) the speed and accuracy of the grapevine,…

A study investigated whether there was a relationship between contestants' speaking position and their ranking and quality ratings by judges in forensics competitions. In addition, the study examined whether these relationships varied by type of event. Subjects were contestants from two- and four-year colleges in two tournaments held in…

A study tested a causal model of job burnout from a communication perspective. Drawing from Linear Force Aggregation Theory, social structure theory, and current burnout literature, the study posited direct relationships between network integration, job-related stress, and cognitive distance between perceptions of self and job. It also…

The discipline of speech communication was established early in the twentieth century. After its subject matter was defined and separated from the field of English by Herbert Wichelns's "The Literary Criticism of Oratory," departments were established and a separate organization--The National Association of Teachers of Public Speaking--was formed.…

A study examined the relationship between perceived communication competence and its importance in business organizations and the need for additional training of college business students in communication competencies. A survey was sent to all individuals who had indicated to a university center for management education and services an active…

It is axiomatic that context influences interpersonal behaviors, yet communication researchers have had limited success in generating a set of conceptual or operational definitions for the situation variable. Two studies were conducted to examine emotion-eliciting qualities as the basis for such a typology and the relationship of situations…

A study was conducted to determine the place of cable in the lives of subscribers and its perception among nonsubscribers. Subjects, 251 subscribers and 246 nonsubscribers in a northeastern city midway in the process of cable diffusion, responded to a number of questions concerning their recreational activities, sources of information about cable,…

The "at-will" rule in American law is defined as the right of a private sector employer to dismiss an employee without a contract for virtually any reason. The rule has thrived since the nineteenth century and is still a major factor in the employer-employee relationship. However, recent court decisions have fashioned common law…

A comprehensive theory of instruction is needed that (1) acknowledges the centrality of communication to instruction; (2) recognizes that instruction involves changes in student knowledge, affect, and behavior; and (3) reflects a systematic orientation to instruction. The literature in diffusion, particularly in the area of the communication of…

The beginnings of a pragmatic rhetorical theory can help relate rhetoric to human meaning systems. A pragmatic rhetorical theory is not concerned with whether or not an intentional experience is true to an objective reality beyond human experience, but rather deals with how rhetoric interacts with experiences in the construction of human meaning…

This paper maintains that American thinking on propaganda revolves around five approaches--progressive propaganda critics, media practitioners, textual rationalists, communication scientists, and political polemicists--that all have deep roots in the twentieth century social and intellectual history of the United States. The paper examines the…