A study investigating whether and how non-native speakers of English (NNS) make efforts to repair communication breakdowns with other NNS used data gathered from 59 verbal interactions by 26 students. The students were grouped by proficiency level (low, medium, and high) before the analysis of the interactions took place. Each instance of…

Benefits of attending research conferences for the master's-level graduate student are described. The following goals and benefits cited by Carsrud et al. (1982) are applied to the graduate student: (1) incentive for students to undertake independent research, the results of which will be reported at a convention; (2) communication with others…

A study was conducted to assess engineers' perceived levels of communication effectiveness, the degree and type of their communication training, and their perceived need for and willingness to receive additional communication training. Questionnaires were mailed to 400 members of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Analyses of…

In order to improve instruction in basic speech courses, a program was developed adapting creative problem solving to speech preparation and to interactive speech communication. The program, called O-I-C--Orientation, Incubation, and Composition--and based on Howell's five levels of competence and their implications, begins with a thorough study…

The relationships that exist among the skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening suggest a need for greater attention to oral communication processes in the formal instructional program. The extent of these relationships is such that four national associations drafted a joint paper stating that oral language competency is the basis for…

There is a simple but effective process for developing public speakers in elementary and junior high schools. After discussing the importance of effective speaking, the teacher puts a topic sentence, on favorite desserts for example, on the board or overhead projector and students think of their favorite desserts and some related words and…

Data from five first-place orations from the earliest Interstate Oratorical contests (1874-1878) and five recent first-place orations (1978-1982) were analyzed to determine their subjects or prominent theme, the patterns of organization that were employed, and the types of evidence the speakers used. Following this, historical conclusions were…

One way of giving students a sense of audience in their writing is to combine speech communication and written communication in the classroom. If students can be taught to write as they talk, they can perceive their audience to be real people rather than the amorphous "indefinite other" they typically write for in the traditional writing…

The first step in developing a communication competency assessment instrument is determining whether there is conceptual support for such an instrument. Funding should also be determined, since speaking skills must be assessed as a person speaks, a procedure that requires more time and money to complete than in the case of machine-scored tests.…

A study of President Ronald Reagan's speeches reveals not only a President intent on "identifying directly with the people," but a spokesman adept at the use of symbolic communication as well. Probably the most obvious symbol of the campaign for economic renewal is the term "Reaganomics" itself. Referentially, it has come to…

Thirty-one eight-year-old boys were the subjects of a study to determine the relationship between language skills in infancy and reading skills at elementary school age. As infants, the boys had been taped in interaction sessions with their mothers. The level of skill development of the infants was measured according to the principles of…

Austin's 5-year Title VII project was intended to improve the achievement of elementary students in the following areas: oral language proficiency, knowledge of basic concepts, reading ability in Spanish, and proficiency in English reading and math. Results indicated that program participants gained in knowledge of basic concepts at the…

This paper relates linguistic theory and bidialectalism, synthesizes theory and research concerning bidialectalism, and presents suggestions for a curriculum designed to maximize students' self-conscious control over their speech. Instructional activities, which have standard English as their goal, include pattern drills, short memorized dramas,…

A description is given of three studies on the effects of teacher clarity upon student achievement. Three low inference variables of teacher clarity--vagueness terms, mazes, and additional unexplained content--were selected for study. Vagueness terms are words or phrases indicating approximation, unclarity, or lack of assurance. A maze is defined…

Six primary and six intermediate grade students were involved in a study designed to describe the learning strengths and weaknesses of hearing-impaired children and the reading skills developed by them in the course of basal reading instruction. Because of the special communication problems involved in gathering data, an interdisciplinary team…