Communication Commons^™

Instructional Communication Strategies For Adapting To A Multicultural Introductory Course, Charles A. Braithwaite, Dawn O. Braithwaite

Basic Communication Course Annual

No educator is surprised to hear that college enrollment for members of racial and ethnic groups is continuing to rise (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1990). However, this increase was particularly striking for us after we began teaching in the southwestern United States. We had moved from Minnesota, where the proportion of college students who are minority-group members is only 4%, to New Mexico where the proportion of college students who are minority-group members is 35%, the highest for any state in the continental United States (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1990). We now look out into multicultural classrooms that …

The R3a3 Processing System For Experiential Learning In The Classroom, Pamela L. Gray

Basic Communication Course Annual

In education today, much emphasis is placed on “experiential learning,” or learning by doing. An experiential approach to teaching allows students to participate in activities that provide concrete examples of concepts and skills being taught in class. Experiential activities seem especially appropriate in a communication class in which a focus is on developing communication competence, because becoming a better communicator involves active practice and evaluation. However, experiential learning is not totally without problems. (For more information about problems associated with experiential learning activities and tips for increasing their effectiveness, see Eisenberg, 1980; Gray & Buerkel-Rothfuss, 1985).

One area that can …

Reading Our Own Speech Critiques As Texts That Reveal Educational Goals, Instructional Roles And Communicative Functions, Jo Sprague

Basic Communication Course Annual

About twenty years ago I reviewed the prescriptive literature related to classroom criticism of students’ oral performances. Basically, it consisted of a set of questions about format, timing and wording of critiques that were answered in terms of each author’s preference: “Here’s how I always do it and it works for me.” Recently I had occasion to review the current literature in preparing the instructor’s manual for a basic public speaking text. I found that not much has changed. The advice that our field has is still largely anecdotal and consists of recommending techniques for universal application. The scant research …

Classroom Interventions For Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety, Michael A. Neer, W. Faye Kirchner

Basic Communication Course Annual

Findings of many studies demonstrate that instructors are able to offer instructional interventions that mediate state anxiety. The present study therefore examined several additional interventions designed to moderate situational factors contributing to state anxiety. The interventions were tested by creating cover stories similar to the Booth-Butterfield (1988a) study that described various instructional formats through which the first required speech in the introductory public speaking course would be processed.

Respondents did not participate in actual in-class manipulations but were instructed to rate their perceived state anxiety if their first speech was structured in the manner described within each cover story.

The …

Measurement Of Communication Motivation In Public Speaking: An Exploratory Study And Scale Development Based On Expectancy Theory, Edwin J. Dawson, Donald D. Yoder

Basic Communication Course Annual

Since the motivational construct has been previously investigated using need gratification theory, it is important to explore the conceptual differences and similarities between Communication Motivation in Public Speaking based on expectancy theory and current measures of communication motives.

Therefore, this study asks the following research questions: l) What are the factor structure and reliability of a “communication motivation in public speaking” (CMPS) instrument which is based on expectancy theory? 2) What is the relationship between Communication Motivation in Public Speaking (CMPS) and the PRCA, WTC, and ICM?

Models For Graduate Teaching Assistant (Gta) Training: The 'Real,' The 'Necessary,' And The 'Ideal', Nancy L. Buerkel-Rothfuss, Pamela L. Gray

Basic Communication Course Annual

The purpose of this paper is to assemble what our research says about graduate teaching assistant (GTA) training in general and specifically in departments of speech communication. Our hope is that, by compiling the four data sets into a comprehensive description of what is presently happening and what is needed in the area of GTA training, we will provide the empirical evidence campus and departmental administrators need to argue for increased activity at their own institutions. In particular, we will use data from the four samples to develop three models of GTA training: 1) the current state-of-the-art (the “real” model), …

Summary Of Issues Discussed During The Seminar On The Introductory Course In Speech Communication, November 1990, Lawrence W. Hugenberg, Donald D. Yoder

Basic Communication Course Annual

The introductory course in communication has received considerable attention by scholars and practitioners in the past several years. Conventions, workshops and scholarly journals reflect the concerns of course directors, teachers and administrators in defining, operating and evaluating this course. Fourteen faculty convened at the SCA Annual Convention in San Francisco in November 1990 to identify and discuss the major issues relevant to directing and teaching the introductory course in communication. Five major issues were identified during the seminar. Discussion of the issues ranged from theoretical perspectives to specific action steps. This report is a summary of some of the major …

Author Identification

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Advertising

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Call For Papers And Order Form

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Back Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Effect Of Therapist-Initiated Versus Self-Initiated Vestibular Stimulation On Vocalization In Children With Autism, Carol L. Maddox

Masters Theses

Therapist-initiated vestibular stimulation was compared to self-initiated stimulation to determine their relative effects on vocalization in children with autism. Vocalizations produced during table-top activities were also compared to those produced during vestibular stimulation. Two children with autism participated in the study. Vestibular stimulation was provided by a hammock swing. All vocalizations were recorded during a total of thirteen 15-minute test sessions.

Results indicated that in this study: (a) There was no significant difference in quantity of vocalizations produced during self-initiated versus therapist-initiated vestibular stimulation, and (b) there was a significant increase in vocalizations during vestibular stimulation as compared to during …

Inspiring A Church To Dream, Jerry Austin Jenkins

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Rhetoric Of Rescue, Mary Blakeman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis examines the television reporters' verbal depictions of two rescue events, the rescue of Jessica McClure in 1987 and the rescue of three whales at Pt. Barrow, Alaska in 1988, in order to discover what rhetorical techniques were used to appeal to the public interest. Analog criticism, metaphorical analysis and pentadic analysis were used to discover the dominant language reporters chose. Three main conclusions were drawn from this analysis: (1) use of the dramatistic pentad showed how reporters focused public attention away from the purpose,(2) verbal and visual depictions cannot be separated when studying television news stories and (3) …

Campaign Apologia As Process: Dan Quayle's Defense Of His National Guard Service, Paula Harrison

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis contains an analysis of apologia from the 1988 national presidential campaign which resulted from Republican vice-presidential candidate Dan Quayle's disclosure that he served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War. Quayle's revelation created a "gaffe sequence" played out in the media over a period of approximately two weeks. The rhetorical situation dictated the use of an eclectic methodology to evaluate apologia generated in response to media questions about Quayle's avoidance of active military service.

Quayle's defense included minimalizing the issue through avoidance and denial during staged and spontaneous contact with the media, and also the rhetorical support …

The Basic Course At U.S. Colleges And Universities: V, James W. Gibson, Michael S. Hanna, Greg Leichty

Basic Communication Course Annual

This paper reports the results of a survey undertaken to determine the nature of the basic course in speech as it is now taught at United States colleges and universities, and to identify important trends in instruction of the basic communication course.

It appears that enrollment in the basic course is increasing. Findings are also reported concerning the orientation taken in the basic course, along with information on instructional methods used and administrative concerns connected with the basic course. The various implications of the findings are discussed.

Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Establishing The Phenomenon: The Rhetoric Of Early Research Reports On Aids, Carol Reeves

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

In the first three medical reports on AIDS which were published in 1981 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the writers' primary rhetorical agenda was to argue that a new medical discovery had been made. A secondary agenda was to offer etiological explanations for the new problem. To establish the new disease entity as deserving serious attention, the writers built a sense of mystery by confronting established medical knowledge about immunodeficiency and emphasizing the inability of modern medicine to diagnose and treat the problem. When they explained the phenomenon in etiological terms, rather than confronting the disciplinary matrix, the …

The Required Course And The Advanced Student: A Placement Perspective, Michael R. Schliessmann, Laurie B. Haleta

Basic Communication Course Annual

Advanced placement describes a system in which incoming freshman students are invited to elect an advanced speech course, in lieu of taking the university required Speech course. The system is not an exemption system, like practiced in other colleges and universities. It allows the speech faculty to choose qualified students who have competence beyond the basic course. The paper describes the system, analyzes its advantages and discusses perceived disadvantages.

A Rhetorical Analysis Of "Lincoln, The First American," A Speech By Franklin Baldwin Wiley, John Trist Wiley

Masters Theses

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to analyze the speech "Lincoln, The First American" given on February 12, 1913 by Franklin Baldwin Wiley.

Hypothesis

It was hypothesized that a rhetorical analysis of "Lincoln, The First American" would give significant rhetorical and historical insights into Lincoln, into Franklin Baldwin Wiley, and into the times of both men.

Materials

This study primarily relied on the written works of Franklin Baldwin Wiley. Appendix A contains a copy of the original transcript of the speech "Lincoln, The First American." This speech was selected because of its rhetorical-historical value.

Methodology

This …

Author Identification

Basic Communication Course Annual

Biographical information about the authors and editors who contributed to this issue

Title Page

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Dedication, Michael R. Schliessman

Basic Communication Course Annual

A tribute to Norman H. Watson, to whose memory we dedicate this issue of the Basic Communication Course Annual.

Editor's Page, Lawrence W. Hugenberg

Basic Communication Course Annual

This volume is the result of tremendous dedication and the ongoing belief in the need to provide a publication outlet for research and information dedicated solely to the basic communication course. Many people have contributed their time, energy and talents to this volume. I first want to recognize the excellent work provided by the Editorial Board who worked to meet my deadlines and provide useful feedback to the authors to help them revise and/or resubmit their research. Without excellent cooperation from each of the reviewers, the annual would not be complete.

Contents

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

The Future Of The Basic Course, Judy C. Pearson, Paul E. Nelson

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article recommends some changes that should occur in the basic course. The prescriptions are based on four notions: the course must include accurate information; it should be inclusive in nature; it must be responsive to our contemporary world and to our students' current and future communicative needs; and it must provide a unique contribution to our students' education. The authors suggest that the course has not been sufficiently attentive to accuracy, inclusiveness, responsiveness and uniqueness; furthermore, contemporary changes require increased vigilance in these areas.

Communication Apprehension In The Basic Course: Learning Styles And Preferred Instructional Strategies Of High And Low Apprehensive Students, John Bourhis, Charlene Berquist

Basic Communication Course Annual

Students who experience high levels of communication apprehension are at a distinct disadvantage in school when compared to those who do not. This is particularly true in basic courses in public speaking and interpersonal communication which students may be required to take to satisfy general education requirements. This study examines the relationship between communication apprehension, learning style, and preferred instructional strategies for students enrolled in a basic course in interpersonal communication. The results indicate that communication-apprehensive students are more passive than active in their learning styles. Both low and high communication-apprehensive students prefer instructional strategies which are consistent with their …

An Investigation Into The Communication Needs And Concerns Of Asian Students In Speech Communication Performance Classes, Ester Yook, William J. Seiler

Basic Communication Course Annual

The University of Nebraska is one of the many institutions of higher education in the United States with a growing foreign student enrollment. Consequently, the numbers of foreign students enrolled in speech communication classes has been increasing. There, however, is currently a lack of systematic investigation into the needs and concerns of foreign students in speech performance classes. This study investigates the needs and concerns of Asian students in speech performance classes.

The study uses three methods to determine the needs of Asian students: (1) participant observation, (2) survey and (3) focus group interviews. The findings show that Asian students …

Beyond Writing: A Case For A Speech-Based Basic Course In A Vid-Oral World, W. Lance Haynes

Basic Communication Course Annual

Recent developments in media studies research suggest ways basic course curricula may be inappropriately biased toward written mediation and the forms of cognition writing engenders. This paper explores the media-cognition relationship to argue for teaching oral communication from a different perspective.

First, the concept of "ways of thinking" reveals some ways media inherently affect communication. Then parallels between the new "vid-oral" media and the pre-literate oralist tradition suggest foundations for a speech-based basic course.

A Communication Based Model Of Friendship For The Interpersonal Communication Course, Rod Troester

Basic Communication Course Annual

This paper presents a model of friendship drawn from the friendship research of S.W. Duck and the management approach to interpersonal communication of S.A. Deetz and S.L. Stevenson.

Duck's research is briefly summarized and offered as a theoretical and conceptual foundation for understanding the psychological or cognitive dimensions of friendship. The Management Approach to interpersonal communication, researched by Deetz and Stevenson, is developed as a means for understanding the behavior dimensions associated with the conduct of friendship.

These complementing approaches are integrated using the general systems notions of structure, function and evolution. The approaches and model are discussed as they …