This study attempts to quantify the characteristics of "good" advertising guest speakers and compare the expectations of students in different settings. Sixteen guest speakers who spoke during the same academic year to introductory classes, advanced classes, and student organizations of an advertising program at a midwest university were…

Noting the diversity in the nature and format of individual events in debate tournaments, a study surveyed the reactions of individual events coaches and students to the events offered at tournaments, the descriptions, and the time limits. Thirty-one coaches and 71 students from colleges and universities in the eastern United States responded to a…

A study examined the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and student achievement among elementary and middle school students. It was hypothesized that students high in CA would demonstrate lower academic achievement than students moderate in CA who, in turn, would demonstrate lower levels of achievement than students low in CA.…

A study examined the effects of parental divorce on college students, comparing college students in five areas of social development according to parental marital status: evaluation of parent/child relationships; relationship commitment and satisfaction; dating frequency and satisfaction; attitudes toward marriage; and sexual activity and…

A study examined the trajectory of uncertainty about a partner (target uncertainty) and uncertainty about what to say and do (conversational uncertainty) during initial interaction, those factors of the interaction which impact uncertainty, and the extent to which uncertainty reduction is mutual and collects around "critical events."…

A preliminary study explored the components of the assimilation stage of graduate teaching assistant (GTA) socialization. Subjects, 64 GTAs attending a large midwestern university, completed 4 survey instruments concerning their attitudes on mentoring and communication support, information seeking strategies, teacher communication concerns, and…

This study examined the culture of a university by analyzing its stories. Stories were collected over a period of five years at a large midwestern research university. Results suggest that a strong student subculture is frequently in conflict with the organization's dominant tradition-based culture. Stories illustrate the conflict between these…

A study measured students' emotional response to teacher behaviors based upon the theory of implicit communication. Subjects, 281 undergraduate student volunteers of preexisting, intact introductory communication courses at a southwestern university, completed questionnaires. As in previous research, teacher use of affinity-seeking behaviors…

A study examined the likelihood of using compliance-gaining strategies when engaging in safe-sex situations. A sample of 110 college students from a large midwestern university completed a 16-item questionnaire that utilized G. Marwell and D. Schmitt's compliance-gaining typology. Results indicate that female college students were significantly…

A study used an interpersonal goals approach to investigate the impact of normal communicative activity upon the attitude similarity and social attraction relationship of 90 undergraduate students. It was hypothesized (1) that there would be a main effect upon perceptions of social attractiveness and communication competence due to aligning…

A pilot study was conducted to address the professional and personal roles male and female public relations students hope to play within 10 years after their graduations and to determine whether any differences were significant enough to warrant more extensive study of this phenomenon. The null hypotheses employed included: (1) there will be no…

To analyze the effects of nonverbal environment factors--specifically of plants--on the perceived attitudes of a visitor to a business, a survey examined the use of plants to project warmth and caring on the part of the office occupant. Subjects, 170 students in a basic communication course, completed a survey regarding feelings and opinions…

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of audiotaped counterattitudinal messages (messages counter to a person's irrational beliefs that are designed to help change negative attitudes) on communication apprehension. One hundred and fifty undergraduate speech communication students divided into control and experimental groups listened to…

A study was conducted to determine whether elementary school students' self-reports of communication apprehension were significantly related to their levels of academic achievement. Subjects were 48 second grade students in two classrooms of a midwestern elementary school. In approximately the 27th week of class, students were administered the…

A study examined the participation behaviors of undergraduate students. Much of the existing literature has focused on student variables in determining participation in the classroom. Here, the focus was on instructor variables instead. Students completed questionnaires and reported their own perceptions of their participation in class as well as…