Indicates that communication skills of neglected children are, in general, only slightly less advanced than those of accepted children, whereas children rejected by their peers are usually deficient with respect to several communication skills. Claims to be the first investigation to examine the influence of comforting skill on peer acceptance.…

Evidence derived from college catalogues, textbooks, and national convention programs is used to explore the nature and history of acting instruction in America. Stanislavski's theories and practices are discussed with reference to their acceptance in the American scene. Supplementary tables included. (JD)

Examines the nature, consequences, frequency of occurrence, and victims of classroom communication apprehension, and what kind of classes, classrooms, and teachers affect the probability of its occurrence. McCrosky's critical summary of research in this area serves as a basis for comparison. Supplementary tables included. (JD)

Assuming that teacher satisfaction is a function of effective student management ability, this study assesses the relationship between teacher satisfaction and the selective use of Behavior Alteration Techniques (BATs) in the classroom. Results indicate that selective BAT use is a significant predictor of teacher satisfaction at all levels. (JD)

Systematically determines the current status of the introductory small group communication course at American colleges and universities. Examines specific content areas being taught, pedagogical approaches used, and teaching problems encountered to identify current curricular trends in teaching the course, charting subsequent course modification,…

Addressing many students' ignorance of library usage, describes an assignment requiring a critical bibliography to be submitted followed by a critical essay. Emphasizes the need, even in introductory large lecture classes, for a working partnership between instructional staff and professional librarians and for students to become familiar with…

Describes the interpretive elements of literary messages, participants, and interaction settings from a social contexts orientation. Presents a framework, rationale, and an implementation strategy for social contexts component in interpretation education. Claims that such programs help participants, through the sensitive communication of…

Lists possible "writing-as-performance" course objectives, all of which emphasize vocalization and movement while writing to encourage the fullest range of somatic response; describes four sample class assignments; notes that these courses bring students to a fuller appreciation of the reader/writer relationship in literary experience. (JD)

Discusses how, for several decades, historians and rhetorical scholars have been criticized for their preoccupation with facts, lack of method, theory, analytical rigor, and objectivity; failure to exploit statistical procedures; and wretched writing. A list of remedial works is included. (JD)

Exploring material from the ERIC database and other sources, the report (1) annotates introductory articles regarding the assessment, categorization, and implications of learning styles, showing how they relate to communication literature research; (2) describes H. Witkin's extensive cognitive style research; and (3) details L. Curry's review of…

Discusses two objectives in teaching rhetorical criticism to undergraduates: helping students develop a critical perspective that embraces criticism as illumination and evaluation; and helping students gain knowledge and abilities relevant to responding critically to communication. Describes strategies for achieving these objectives. (MM)

Examines three goals of teaching rhetorical criticism in view of Isocratean ideals, which unite practical and critical training: developing students' talents in critical description, contextualization, and judgment. Discusses several pedagogical practices to operationalize these goals. (MM)

Describes an undergraduate course designed to teach students how to think rhetorically. Notes that the course is organized around three questions students/critics are likely to ask, and presents a four-step approach to teach both the questions and the critical methods used to answer them. (MM)

Argues that a thematic approach to teaching criticism--based on frequent, integrated writing tasks--accommodates the constraints found in the typical undergraduate course on rhetorical criticism. Illustrates this approach with reference to two themes: Ronald Reagan's discourse and the rhetoric of war and peace. (MM)

Describes a sequential model (organized around seven writing assignments that culminate in a substantial essay in rhetorical/critical analysis) for teaching rhetorical criticism as written argument. Asserts that learning to write argumentative prose should be a central concern of undergraduate courses in rhetorical criticism. (MM)