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…

This manual presents Florida curriculum frameworks for selected language arts courses for grades six through eight. Frameworks for up to three levels of each of the following courses are provided in the manual: language arts, journalism, English for non-native speakers, communications, reading, writing, speech and debate, creative writing,…

Focusing on how computers can and should be used in intercollegiate forensics, this journal issue offers the perspectives of a number of forensics instructors. The lead article, "Applications of Computer Technology in Intercollegiate Debate" by Theodore F. Sheckels, Jr., discusses five areas in which forensics educators might use computer…

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…

The paper investigates whether the 1976 presidential debates contributed to political participation among all sectors of American society. Evidence was obtained from 353 eligible voters in Madison, Wisconsin, before and after the debates. Effects were evaluated by taking correlations between the level of respondents' exposure to the debates and…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: the use of mass distribution as a method of diffusing ideas on college campuses; compliance-gaining message selection; the rhetoric of Divorced Catholics Groups and the founding of a…

This publication expresses the major concerns and opinions of legislators and others on the topic of world trade in conventional arms. The Congressional Hearing where these testifiers expressed their opinions was held in 1977, at Des Moines Community College in Ankeny, Iowa. Testimony was given by high school students, university professors,…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles deal with the following topics: factors affecting group decisions regarding attributions of responsibility; a model of message-attitude-behavior relations; effects of the communicative process on perceived source…

Today there is a growing belief that everyone who wants access to college can have it. College enrollments have continued to grow for over half a century and now it can be argued that most American families dream of a college education for their children. A 2003 report by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) demonstrates there is a growing…

In this important and sobering report, the authors provide a broad perspective on the U.S. prison population and offer judgments about the status of prison education programs. This report brings together data and information from a variety of sources to provide an educational perspective on the nation's prison population. It examines the size and…

This 10th grade social studies lesson and language arts interdisciplinary curriculum unit asks students to examine the 19th century debate over U.S. foreign policy. Students engage in role playing and debate the expansionist policy versus the anti-imperialist policy. The unit includes an activity description, background information, questions to…

Starting with a brief historical overview of the institutionalization of aesthetic education, particularly in the Western countries, this paper will review some of the major ideologies and research findings related to the value of aesthetic education. It will attempt to highlight certain learning theories and approaches to arts education in…

Debates the use of concepts from cognitive psychology to explain the structuring of attitudes and opinions. The debate zeroes in on the structures of cognition, the reflexivity of attitudes, the function of the social context, the effect of ideology on the structures of vocabulary, the communication process, the role of ideology in organizing…

Use of debate in graduate study in education, especially with intrinsically interesting topics, can be valuable for developing critical thinking skills needed by teachers, counselors, and administrators. Debates address a range of communication skills and provide opportunities for teamwork and assessment of individual strengths and weaknesses.…

The International Education and Resource Network (I*EARN) was used to conduct an experiment in which elementary and secondary school students explored the topic of family in various cultures. Electronic mail, teleconferencing, and hypertext WEB were used. The experiment included compiling a multilingual dictionary, debates, role-changing between…