Gamification is an approach that solves real-life motivational problems with game design techniques by target a long-term behavioral change in participants. However, the application models in gamification design are limited and lack a holistic approach in scope. While existing models may seem sufficient on their own, they tend to focus on certain…

Constructionism holds potential for educational research. The qualitative research study presented here investigated learning experiences in a collaborative authorship project designed according to the principles of constructionism. We found a set of three characteristics at the core of constructionist learning: learner agency, focused tinkering,…

Due to 'pressures' to publish research papers, a group of novice researchers (n = 9) was encouraged to attend a 'Write right' workshop. The participants were asked to fill out a self-report anxiety questionnaire to understand their worries in writing research papers in English. Afterwards, they were asked to write an essay on situations that…

"Harper's Bazaar" (spelled "Bazar" before 1925) was designed for use by, as well as for, the instruction of women readers in the 19th century. In the early "Bazar," the didactic discourses of domesticity and reading sometimes intersected. Such was the case with two humorous pieces, "Mrs. Typeset's Diary"…

As the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) debate spreads across the country, as more schools and more students become involved in this type of debate, those involved in the activity need to take a step back and evaluate their progress, as well as plot their future. Coaches have a critical role as educators. NPDA needs clear…

This essay analyzes Kenneth Burke's speech ("Revolutionary Symbolism") to the 1935 Writers Congress, a congress intended to explore the relationship between politics and art, and controlled closely by the American Communist Party. The essay maintains that Burke was prepared to offer to the Communist Party and to all…

This paper considers the British thinker C.S. Lewis as a "forensic figure," defining "forensic" in the sense of public discussion and debate. The paper relates that, long before Lewis emerged as a public persuader, he learned to hold his own in private exchanges with William T. Kirkpatrick, his tutor from 1914-1917, and in…

Discusses why educational researchers need to rethink their roles, methods, texts, and contexts to bring about meaningful educational reform. In particular, researchers must rethink their audience and their relationships with that audience. (SLD)

Discusses the necessity of clear speech in the theater, especially in this age of media "watching, not listening to." Finds that theater professionals cannot expect an audience to listen if the language is not spoken as if it mattered. (PA)

"Frame alignment"--the conscious process of creating correspondence between one's own "frame" (ways of making meaning out circumstances) and someone else's--is a necessary condition for participation in organized social movements. Frame alignment processes may offer a generative and useful alternative to the reductive…

Contemporary rhetorician Richard M. Weaver believes that values are inseparable from rhetoric. For him, to be a rhetorician is to direct toward good or evil and to be a rhetorical critic is to determine whether that direction is the "right one" and/or judge whether the rhetorician "is a master of his art." To determine if the…

In teaching writing, the "audience" became and still is fundamental, leading to the question of how students can learn to adapt their text to the assumed readership and at the same time, learn to write for their addressees. A study focused on how writers cope with the writing process, asking several questions about the concept of…

The rate of speech in intercollegiate debate has been increasing and might have contributed to the proliferation of divisions in debate. The American Debate Association (ADA), National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA), American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA), Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA), National Education Debate…

Though after dinner speaking attracts fewer participants than most other categories at American Forensic Association tournaments, it can be one of the most fulfilling for those participating, coaching and listening. One of the reasons for the low participation rate is that judges offer vague and sometimes insensitive evaluations. Judges must not…

This paper examines the rhetorical factors behind the success of Ernest Angley, non-denominational televangelist in Akron, Ohio. After describing the historical background of Angley and Grace Cathedral, the paper identifies some of the dominant beliefs that Angley espouses in his preaching. The paper then explains how these themes work in…