This volume posits the existence of a gap between theory and practice in rural-development efforts involving communication media and provides suggestions for integrating the efforts of theoreticians and practitioners. Chapter one briefly reviews the development of theoretical concepts about the nature of communication and the use of communication media in development. Chapter two examines a representative group of past rural-development projects in the following countries: Columbia, Brazil, India, Senegal, Peru, Iran, United Republic of Tanzania, Canada, Tobago (Caribbean), and the Philippines. Chapter three provides critical commentary on the case studies, examining the extent to which these projects were based on theoretical models, which models were most often used, the extent to which the models suited project objectives, and, where a conscious theoretical basis was lacking, what effect this had on the project's success. A brief bibliography is appended. (KS)