One of the problematic features of the "skills discourse" is the view that skills are decontextualized bits of knowledge and disposition. Instead, how skills such as communication are defined and used are shaped by cultural, political, and situational factors. In this article, we integrate theory from communication studies, critical…

This article describes how 2 classrooms of 4-year-old children incorporated popular media (cartoons, television shows, video games, movies, and music) into their conversations with peers during writing. The findings assert that (a) children naturally incorporate popular culture into their writing, (b) children include popular culture in their…

Compares 214 letters of inquiry written by native and nonnative speakers of English to test the assumption that cultural factors beyond language such as the knowledge of the business communication practices and cultural expectations greatly affect communication. Finds that native speakers' letters deviated less from U.S. business communication…

Develops and demonstrates a theoretical framework and corresponding methodology to link variables at the culture level to the individual level and, then, to specific outcome variables. Tests a path-analytic model linking cultural collectivism with interdependent self-construals and high-context communication. Discusses implications for theory…

Interviews foreign Information Coordinators who facilitate exchange of medical information over the Internet between healthcare providers in America and eastern Europe to learn how Internet technologies are being introduced, disseminated, and adopted in their institutions. Applies diffusion of innovations theory for interpretation. Shows technical…

Critically reviews several intellectual developments that have legitimized the study of popular culture in American universities in recent years, including (1) a sociological perspective that minimizes the differences between high and popular culture, (2) a broadening of what can be studied as a "text", and (3) increasing attention to the…

Responds to an article in this same issue (which commented on these authors' 1993 article in the same journal). Suggests cultural context as another possible factor that may have caused results in the various studies under discussion to be different. (SR)

Explores the role of culture in shaping interpersonal interactions. Investigates the effect of group identity on subjects' levels of attributional confidence, their individuation of group members, and ultimately their interpersonal-interaction strategies. Discovers that the perceived homogeneity of group values eases intragroup interaction. (PRA)

Suggests a theoretical framework to incorporate the new cultural environment into studies of international communication. Illuminates the context of the shift in postwar international communication research. Offers some theoretical discussion toward developing an approach to international communication that considers the cultural-ideological…

Investigates changing interpersonal relationships in contemporary Taiwanese society through an examination of popular books on interpersonal skills and communication, translated from American and Japanese sources. Analyzes the modern cultural constructs of "self,""relationship," and "communication" from the…

Investigates Korean, Hawaiian, and mainland United States college students' communication behaviors. Finds that the higher one's interdependence, the higher the effectiveness and likelihood of using hint strategies in request attempts; and when confronted with noncompliance, participants increased their likelihood of use ratings for more direct…

Examines the role of culture as a key variable in public relations research and practice. Finds (1) American practitioners continue to practice one-way models of public relations; and (2) public relations practitioners who have collectivistic values tend to practice two-way models of public relations. Discusses implications for theory and…

Shows that long before it translates into actual behavior, the content and forms that romance assumes in the postmodern nexus of media and the market shape children's romantic imagination. Explores how children's imagined vision of romance moved from one molded by media to one characterized by a tension between what media promised and their…

Discusses the problems of communications models. Presents a channel-ratio model that focuses on problems arising from intercultural interactions and addresses some practical needs of business communicators. Describes assumptions of the model, its elements, and its dynamic operation. Gives examples of the model's application to verbal and nonverbal…

Examines the influence of culture on persuasive managerial communication in the People's Republic of China. Finds that the interrelated cultural values of group-centeredness, hierarchy, and "face concern" were reflected most often, followed by political ideology and changing managerial roles. (SR)