A media usage study investigated the current status of media utilization by classroom teachers in American secondary schools. A randomly selected group of 1,128 full-time secondary teachers was drawn from 150 schools in 38 states and in American Overseas Schools. Data were collected for seven categories: (1) current teaching assignment; (2) source…

The dependency model of mass media effects predicts that dependency on media information increases as the level of societal structural conflict and change increase, resulting in greater mass media influence. However, this model appears to ignore the structural constraints that a nation's political system can have on media even before they deliver…

A study was made of similarities and differences in parent-child interaction in two contexts: a book-reading activity and a home computer activity involving an alphabet program. A total of 20 children 3 years of age and their parents (10 children with mothers, 10 with fathers) were videotaped in two 12-minute sessions of each activity. A variety…

To develop a model of newspaper readership more closely related to explanation of readership behavior than prediction, a study used a combination of demographic and political participation variables in a multivariate analysis of data obtained in a national survey. Information from interviews of approximately 1,200 adults conducted in 1979 was…

This paper examines the unresolved epistemological and theoretical problems in comparative communication research. The first section examines what "comparative" means by reviewing various fields in the social sciences. The second section provides an overview of epistemic assumptions of comparative communication research and suggests that in the…

A study investigated (1) the nature of black student involvement in and commitment to the campaign of Jesse Jackson for the presidency, (2) the nature of student attitudes toward the campaign, and (3) the relationship among student media use, attitudes, knowledge, and involvement in the campaign. Black students in 20 undergraduate speech classes…

Practical issues that should be considered in placing a classroom computer for use with elementary students include where to locate computer equipment in relation to electrical sockets, windows, and chalkboards; the program sound; who will be able to see the screen; and classroom traffic patterns. Decisions must be made regarding the size of…

This study is to explore cinemagraphic and visual elements and their inter-relations through the reinterpretation of previous research and literature. The cinemagraphic elements of visual images (camera angle, camera motion, subject motion, color, and lighting) work as a language requiring a proper grammar for the messages to be conveyed in their…

Data were gathered in two phases during the 1984 presidential election campaign in an effort to examine the public's perceived information needs. In the first phase of the study, interviews were conducted with a small sample of Knoxville, Tennessee area adults to Tennessee area adults to ascertain their attitudes and perceptions concerning the…

This report of research discusses the role of popular television in developing children's verbal skills and in bringing together adolescents and adults. Implications for the home and classroom are described. Titles include "If You Believe in Television, Clap Your Hands," an introductory look at research concerning popular television in the…

To determine the decisionmaking and communication patterns of disadvantaged farm families (DFF) and the linkage between interpersonal sources of information used by them and research-based information sources, a pilot study was conducted with the following focus questions: (1) Who are North Carolina's DFF and what are their characteristics? (2)…

After discussing the need for message pluralism in a democracy, this report focuses on a three-stage research strategy conducted to study the effects of newspaper/television cross-ownership on news homogeneity. The three stages consist of: an analysis of questionnaire data obtained from 214 newspaper managing editors and television news directors;…

Compiled are abstracts of recent master's and doctoral level work in environmental education and environmental communications. The document's objectives are: (1) to make recent research known to professionals and students; and (2) to indicate the current nature of graduate education in these fields. Included in the compilation are sections…

The first article in this research report draws upon material presented at four American Newspaper Publishers Association-Bureau of the Census workshops. The report describes how the 1980 United States Census data can be applied by newspapers to localize national trends, to serve as a background for local news stories, to monitor changes in the…

As part of a larger study of political socialization in adolescence, 782 adolescents and 718 parents were surveyed to test hypotheses about political information as a function of the early phase of a presidential campaign and the news exposure level of the respondent. Despite shortcomings in the sample design and in the precision of interview…