Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

Applying Multiple Intelligences Theory To The Basic Public Speaking Course, Kristi A. Schaller, Marybeth G. Callison

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article examines the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) (Gardner, 1983; 1993) as it applies to the basic public speaking course. According to MI theory, intelligence is not a single dimension but is a composite of several aptitudes and talents. Gardner believes that individuals possess more than one intelligence, and MI theory defines seven. We argue that the basic public speaking course is an excellent forum for addressing students’ multiple intelligences while teaching oral and written communication skills. This paper introduces MI theory and provides suggested course assignments and activities that correspond with the multiple intelligences.

The Debate On The Uses Of Practical Theory Continues, Lawrence W. Hugenberg

Basic Communication Course Annual

The first two essays by Spano and Hickson (Basic Communication Course Annual 8, 1996) involved some crucial issues about where the basic communication course stands in relation to theory, research, and practice. In this second round, specific examples are discussed by Spano. Hickson attempts to contextualize them. Such specificity involves delineating the nature of communication theory from a pragmatic perspective, not ideological from either a phenomenological not a positivistic stance. The importance of context is stressed and outlined as an aspect of human nature—perhaps the element which separates us from other living beings.

Delineating The Uses Of Practical Theory: A Reply To Hickson, Shawn Spano

Basic Communication Course Annual

Let me begin by thanking Professor Hickson for his comments on the article I published in the 1996 issue of the Basic Communication Course Annual (Hickson, 1996; Spano, 1996). I consider it a compliment that my ideas about practical theory interested him enough to write a rejoinder. More importantly, Hickson’s response provides us with an opportunity to “continue the conversation” on the role of theory in the basic course. It might be useful here to provide some background on how this conversation started.

In 1995 I presented a paper on practical theory on a SCA program sponsored by the Basic …

Theory And Pedagogy In The Basic Course: A Summary From Spano And Hickson, Mark Hickson Iii

Basic Communication Course Annual

I, too, have been pleased about the exchange of insights relative to the practical approach to teaching the basic course, as suggested by Spano (1996). While I agree with much of what Spano wrote, I am still concerned about the nature and status of some of the “theory” that has been developed and that is being developed in the discipline. To understand my overall view, however, one must review information about the nature of theory from meta-theoreticians, or critics of theory. And I think that we will find that there are some similarities between a practical view of theory and …

Teaching The Honors Public Speaking Course, Karla Kay Jensen, David E. Williams

Basic Communication Course Annual

The honors student comes to the public speaking class with a unique set of needs and learning preferences which require alterations to the traditional course. This article explores a variety of honors course formats, honors students’ characteristics and learning preferences, and some ideas for restructuring the typical public speaking course to best accommodate honors students. As such, this article can serve as an initial step toward creating a new honors course or restructuring an existing course. The suggested formats and content changes can create added challenge and participatory experience to improve honors education.

Commentary: The Research Foundation For Instruction In The Beginning Public Speaking Course, Lawrence W. Hugenberg, Barbara S. Moyer

Basic Communication Course Annual

The history of public speaking instruction is rooted in classical rhetorical theories. There is a lack of recent communication research findings cited in textbooks to support instruction in the beginning public speaking course. This research examined five leading public speaking texts in the hopes of finding contemporary communication research findings to support the advice given to students. This survey reveals little research being cited in beginning public speaking texts. The authors conclude with a discussion of reasons why research is not cited and offer communication scholars a challenge to conduct research to support pedagogical claims.

Author Identifications

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 10

Basic Communication Course Annual

Full issue (174 pages, 6.4 MB)

Back Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

President Mrs. Kimball: A Rhetoric Of Words And Works, Janelle M. Higbee

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars of rhetoric and speech communications have suggested that the study of a women's rhetoric should focus on the "distinctly female modes of leadership" that may be found among women in "out-groups" that challenge established political authority. Such leaders must be especially inventive to be effective, and are thus likely to be talented rhetoricians. In looking for such leaders, the religious and political rhetoric of early Latter-day Saint women provides a noteworthy, unique study. Nineteenth-century Mormon women not only battled discriminatory political norms—arguing fervently for both universal woman's suffrage and for the freedom to practice polygamy—they did so from their …

Role Of The Warrant In Presidential Debates : 1960, 1976, & 1996, Aaron Nicole Kaio

Dissertations and Theses

Every four years in America we make a decision about which candidate is best suited to be our next president. Over the past twenty years a standard component of the presidential campaign has been televised debates. These debates are supposed to help the public get a better understanding of the candidates' ideas about government, our future, and to demonstrate analytical skills and their ability to think on their feet.

This study set out to see how the candidates' arguments measured up to some basic argumentation standards. According to several scholars, none of the televised presidential debates qualify as 'true debates', …

The Juice Is Loose?: A Qualitative Study Of Employees' Perceptions Of Informal And Formal Communication Channels, Warren Jerome Brown

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine how employees perceive formal and informal communication channels within their organizational experiences. This study sought to answer two questions: One, what are employees' perceptions of formal and informal communication channels? Two, what similar or dissimilar perceptions of formal and informal communication channels emerge from interview and observational data?

I selected eight respondents from the greater Olympia, Washington and Seattle, Washington areas. Each respondent was purposely selected based upon their rich experiences across different sizes of and public/private structures of organizations. Additionally, I conducted seven observations within a medium-sized (50 -75 employee) public …

Communications Connection - Vol.4, No. 6 - Fall 1997, Nova Southeastern University

Communications Connection

No abstract provided.

Oregon Survey Of Initial Nursing Care For Infants With Cleft Lip ± Palate, Kirsten Joy Lindaas

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the current status of initial nursing services provided by Oregon hospitals to families of newborns with cleft lip ± palate. The research questions asked were: (a) Do hospitals provide assistance to parents of newborns with cleft lip ± palate? (b) Do hospitals identify and refer to craniofacial specialists? ( c) Is level of associated services provided to families of newborns with cleft lip ± palate correlated to the number of births that occur at the hospital in which the infant was delivered? (d) Do hospitals provide inservice education programs in cleft lip and palate? (e) Do hospital …

An Ethnography Of Classroom Interaction In Hoshuko: A Case Study Of The Japanese Supplementary School Classroom, Nobuko Higashi

Dissertations and Theses

Based on the Ethnography of Communication perspective, this study explores the patterns and norms for interaction in a hoshuko classroom setting, as well as the participants' socially-constructed reality of hoshuko schooling. The focus of this study is the classroom communication patterns of the participants of a first grade hoshuko classroom in the U.S.

Hoshuko, Japanese supplementary school, is one type of school for overseas Japanese children which they attend on weekends or after regular, weekday school hours at local schools in their host country. The school is "supplementary" in the sense that the students learn subjects they would have …

A Comparison Of Parent Interview And Direct Assessment Of Receptive Language In Preschool-Aged Children With Cerebral Palsy, Susan Kathleen Livick

Dissertations and Theses

Cerebral palsy is a multiply handicapping condition which may affect motor skills, hearing, sight, speech and cognitive functioning. Assessment instruments which do not rely on an intact sensory and motor system are needed for use with the population with cerebral palsy in order to obtain valid information regarding levels of functioning. The information obtained from the results of modified assessment instruments can be used to plan and implement intervention at the child's current level of functioning.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether or not parent interview/report is a reliable means of assessing receptive communication skills in …

Temporal Characteristics Of Fluent Speech In The Stuttered Utterances Of Children, Dixon Ira Kirsch

Dissertations and Theses

Studies investigating the stuttered speech of children are fewer in number as compared to those exploring adult dysfluency. This is notable as the features that characterize child stuttering are generally thought to be significantly different from those that describe advanced stuttering. Clinical intervention programs currently use timing-based interventions as one means of treating stuttering. As such, acoustic data describing the timing disorder is critical to determining the efficacy of these programs for both children and adults. The present study investigated the difference in duration (in msec) between words of stuttered and nonstuttered utterances of children. The words immediately before and …

Effects Of Student Nonverbal And Verbal Immediacy Behaviors On Teachers' Behaviors And Perceptions, Nina C. Persi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In the education profession, teachers are often hired, retained, or terminated based on their effectiveness at teaching and moreover, their skill in engaging students to learn. Effective teachers promote student learning which involves cognitive, affective and behavioral changes (Bloom, 1956). As Comstock, Rowell, and Bowers (1995) state, “In other words, teachers who communicate positive regard to their students promote student learning” (p. 251).

Numerous studies have sought to identify the particular communication behaviors that a teacher can employ to increase his or her effectiveness in the classroom. Additionally, researchers have been interested in explaining how teachers communicate this positive regard …

Social Skill Training Effects On The Interpersonal Distance And Touch Recognition Abilities Of Second Grade Children, Thomas E. Redden

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The effects of training on interpersonal distance and touch recognition abilities among 46 second grade children was evaluated. The children were involved in two, 45 minute training sessions each week for three weeks. Training effects were measured using the Emory Dyssemia Index-Brief Form (EDI-b). The teachers rated the children with the distance and touch subtest ofthe EDI-b. Pre-test and Post-test measures were obtained. A one way analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Alpha was set at .05. There was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups prior to training. There was a significant difference between …

Perceptions Of Basic Communication Texts: Factors In Student Learning And Textbook Adoption Decisions, Donald D. Yoder, Robert A. Davilla

Basic Communication Course Annual

The purpose of this study is to assess existing pedagogical assumptions about basic communication course textbook features. Two separate surveys were administered to students (N= 1,379) and instructors (N= 118) in basic communication courses at 15 colleges and universities.

The findings of the study are twofold. First, students and teachers differ in their perceptions of usefulness of textbook pedagogical features. Second, students perceive basic course texts to be less difficult and less theoretical though more interesting, enjoyable, relevant, and practical than other introductory course texts. When making publication and text selection decisions, the findings help authors and teachers better choose …

Leadership And Listening: Perceptions And Behaviors, Scott D. Johnson, Curt Bechler

Rhetoric and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

Recently, however, Bechler & Johnson (1995) made an initial attempt to identify a relationship between perceptions of leadership and perceptions of listening skill. Their study found a significant positive correlations between member perceptions of who was leading the group and member perceptions of which members were the best listeners. “Those subjects ranked as most like a leader were also typically ranked as good listeners…Individuals perceived to be leading the groups were most commonly believed to be listening to the groups” (Bechler & Johnson, 1995, pp.82-83). This essay extends that study, reexamining the relationship between perceptions of leadership and listening and …

An Ethnographic Study Of Chinese Adolescent Identity In Taipei, Taiwan : Franchise Hangouts, Jui-Fang Ruby Chen

Dissertations and Theses

One of the discriminating changes that Taiwan is experiencing is a shift in young people's view of "self," manifested in and through their daily activities within its cultural context (Yang, 1981). The question arises, how do Taiwan's adolescents shape their view of "self' within this contemporary context at the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures? This thesis examined on how Chinese adolescent identity was constituted symbolically in and through their speech practices within a public social context, a typical Westernized dining place--McDonald's, a U.S. fast food restaurant, and how such a locale both served and made sense by these urban …

Editorial Policy

Basic Communication Course Annual

The Editor and the Basic Course Commission invite submissions to the considered for publication in the Basic Communication Course Annual. The Annual is distributed nationally to scholars and educators interested in the basic communication course. Articles are accepted for review throughout the year for publication consideration. Manuscripts exploring significant issues for the basic course, research in the basic course, instructional practices, graduate assistant training, classroom teaching tips, or the status, role, and future of the basic communication course are invited. It is incumbent on contributors to establish a position on how the work they seek to have published advances knowledge …

Front Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Title Page

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

Editors and manuscript reviewers for Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 9 (1997)

Contents

Basic Communication Course Annual

Table of contents and abstracts for all articles in the volume

Three Metaphors For The Competencies Acquired In The Public Speaking Class, Michael Osborn

Basic Communication Course Annual

The many skills taught in the basic public speaking class come together in three fundamental metaphors. The first of these, the speaker as builder, suggests we need to shape our surroundings through the spoken word. The second, the speaker as weaver, includes the arts of shaping symbols into the fabric of a speech, and of designing evidence and proofs into the tapestry of argument. The third, the speaker as climber, emphasizes overcoming interference. Barriers of fear, indifference, suspicion, and cultural variation recede as speakers and listeners learn to climb them.

Written Feedback In The Basic Course: What Instructors Provide And What Students Deem Helpful, Karla Kay Jensen, Elizabeth R. Lamoureux

Basic Communication Course Annual

Although the issue of speech evaluation has been a mainstay in our discipline, an updated discussion of written feedback merits our attention. To revisit this topic, this two-part content analysis first reveals the type of written feedback instructors offer students in basic public speaking classes.

Building on these findings, the second part focuses on student perceptions of the helpfulness of the written feedback. The findings are collectively discussed and their implications for written evaluations of students' oral performances are considered. Any instructor who has labored over written critiques, wondering whether students actually read and/or use the comments can value from …

Culture Shock In The Basic Communication Course: A Case Study Of Malaysian Students, Eunkyong Lee Yook

Basic Communication Course Annual

Malaysian students compose a large student group coming to the U.S. for higher education. Despite these numbers, however, there has been little attention given to their culture shock in the classroom. The present study investigates the concerns of Malaysian students in the basic communication course. Through interviews with Malaysian students, this study concludes that Malaysian students perceive having three major problems in presenting speeches in basic communication courses.

The first problem is the language barrier. Another is that certain nonverbal behaviors such as gesturing and talking in a loud tone are seen as disrespectful in their culture. Third, they have …