A concept of the masses, or populace, conveyed a positive connotation in both Biblical and Renaissance literature. During Spain's Golden Age (seventeenth century) writers, especially didactic dramatists, tended to register negative and prejudiced attitudes toward the common folk and to regard them as "masa inculta" or uncultured masses. Primarily,…

This handbook is planned for both new and experienced coordinators of management and other adult education programs, for school or adult education administrators, training directors, instructors, or speakers. Part One covers philosophy and perspective--objectives of adult education and the responsibilities and duties of the coordinator and the…

The identification and study of 20 syntactical patterns responsible for much of the structural ambiguity found in literary composition can develop in students an audience awareness. When they realize that such constructions as "a dull boy's knife" and "the club will be open to members from Monday to Thursday" can be misinterpreted, they take more…

This study was to discover the effect of the merger of various extension units at West Virginia University into the Appalachian Center. Data were collected by a questionnaire. The 131 respondents consisted of 50 county agents, 46 4-H agents, and 35 home agents, and comprised 96% of the state extension agents. Regression analysis, consisting of…

The uses of television, radio, newspapers, and magazines by urban and rural respondents differ markedly over the range of entertainment, news, and information functions. As entertainment, television ranks highest in use by all 574 respondents. However, non-urban residents in large numbers favor radio as entertainment and as a news source.…

A survey conducted with a cross section of the national population produced the following findings. First, not only has television grown to the point where only 2% of American homes receive fewer than three channels, it has also grown in public esteem. It has become the number one source of news and the most credible and frequently used medium. In…

The material presented in these guidelines is a summary of information for the planning, preparation, and successful utilization of visual presentations in conferences. Accordingly, the material is divided into three major sections which detail the specific tasks of the presenter, the producer, and the sponsor. In the section for the presenter,…

Television viewing habits of 12 to 14 year olds in Australia were studied, and an attempt was made to correlate amount of viewing time and choice of programs with these children's intelligence and personality. Average viewing time per night was three hours and 40 minutes. A large variation was found in the time at which children ceased viewing.…

In measuring the characteristics of mass-communication audiences, three dimensions are frequently used: demographics, social class, and psychological characteristics. The author proposes a fourth, "life style," which offers reliable data, is more colorful than demographics and more useful than psychological characteristics. This dimension is…

This study defined "preference types" (types of people who use various media) and looked at constructs people used in deciding their preferences. Preferences in one medium were compared with preferences in another medium for the same group of people. The six media studied were television, radio, movies, magazines, brand commercials, and political…

Past studies of media credibility have yielded contradictory results. In some research, television has the most credibility, while in others, radio or newspapers have the most. A probable reason for this is the way survey questions are phrased. In asking for a "major source of news," some questions focus on the "most likely medium" for news in…

Students need to be equipped with a rhetoric which emphasizes relationships rather than analytic separations.

Argues that television programs must be polysemic to achieve popularity because of the wide variety of subcultures represented in the television audience. Analyzes two scenes from "Hart to Hart" to demonstrate the textual devices that bear the dominant ideology and those that resist it. (JD)

Addresses the problem of writing and producing plays that do not meet the needs of a multicultural audience with varied backgrounds and values. (JC)

Addresses G. Parson's criticisms of her writings by responding to problems with his characterization of pedagogy--that education must guarantee results, must produce tangible products, must be textbook oriented, and that technical writing instructors must deal purely with written texts. Points out that "corporate culture" was not her…