Presents a master syllabus for a course whose purpose is to introduce students to a variety of topics and subjects in language and communication from a social science perspective. Discusses conceptual issues for the instructor, presents five instructional units, and discusses teaching strategies and evaluation. (SR)

Explores the implications of the interrelationships that exist among the narrative paradigm, children's television, media deregulation, epistemology, and education. Pays particular attention to the concept of narrative fidelity and the impact of television's "first stories" upon the evolution of that concept in children. Addresses specific…

Examines college students' resistance decisions in the classroom. Finds a greater likelihood of using teacher-owned techniques (teacher is at fault) with nonimmediate teachers and student-owned strategies (student assumes responsibility) with immediate teachers. Finds that neither teachers' compliance-gaining strategy type nor students' gender…

Examines high schools teachers' humor in the classroom. Finds that high school teachers generally use less humor than college teachers, perceive college-teacher humor as more appropriate, and use it as a learning facilitator rather than a learning strategy. Presents a 20-item classification scheme of teacher humor. (SR)

Reviews published assessments of oral communication across the curriculum programs in higher education. Reports activities and results from a faculty and student development program at a midsized comprehensive state university. Suggests that this approach holds significant promise for curricular development and improvement of student communication…

Evaluates an organizational diagnosis program that assesses managerial communication skills and provides the frame for follow-up training programs. Finds that managers participating in follow-up communication skills training performed significantly higher on interpersonal skills, problem-solving ability, and productivity over three long-term…

Reviews eight instruments designed to assess motivation to communicate in the classroom, including cross-situational anxiety (communication apprehension and shyness), situational anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Communication Anxiety Inventory, Form State), cross-situational willingness (willingness to communicate and communication…

Outlines a rationale, resources, and suggestions for teaching interpersonal communication with feature films. Includes a table of 72 widely available feature films and the interpersonal communication topics illustrated in each one. (SR)

Explores an episode of the television sitcom "ALF" to illustrate how teachers can help students become critical consumers of television by teaching students about the medium of television using self-reflexive television texts. (SR)

Asserts that media systems and pedagogy affect each other, that electronic media increasingly dominate the society, and that pedagogy must respond. Outlines a heuristic model for talking and thinking pedagogically about the process of speech in the electronic media environment. (MG)

Uses the results of meta-analyses examining the effects of various message design strategies to evaluate public speaking and persuasion textbooks. Compares the conclusions of the meta-analyses to the conclusions and advice offered by textbooks that rely on social scientific studies. (MG)

Describes the focus group interview as a technique for data collection for researchers interested in a variety of educational issues. Describes and discusses a series of steps for implementing the focus group interview technique. (MG)

Examines the functional equivalence of the constructionist and selectionist data collection methods for compliance-gaining research in the classroom by asking both experienced and prospective teachers to construct compliance-gaining messages. Reports that, when compared with data from the selectionist procedure, the construction approach is just…

Uses dispositional and situational versions of novelty, conspicuousness, subordinate status, and a measure of public speaking apprehension to predict state anxiety in response to a public speaking task. Finds that a model consisting of trait versions of novelty, conspicuousness, and subordinate status significantly predicts public speaking state…

Reports the results of a survey of business school administrators about communication course practices and preferences. Finds a trend for management departments within business schools to offer communication courses. (MG)