Examines style shifting in the use of three past tense morphemes by 17 intermediate learners of English as a second language. Style shifting is explored within a single discourse mode--narrative--according to the amount of time made available. Data were collected under three conditions: (1) planned writing; (2) planned speech; and (3) unplanned…

Reports on the development of an assessment instrument to test basic communication skills necessary for students' success in college. Covers the instrument's conceptual foundation, administration procedures, development, and analysis. (PD)

A study investigated the speaking styles of black college students to determine whether selected stylistic features of speeches of students at a predominantly black university were different from those of black college students at a predominantly white university. Audiotapes were made of 25 students at the predominantly black university and 21…

To investigate the speech of black college students for nonfluencies--linguistic elements breaking the flow of words or ideas--and to ascertain if students' attendance of a largely black or largely white university influenced their use of nonfluencies, 21 black students at a predominantly black university and 25 black students at a predominantly…

To provide an objective statement of how a wide range of students at the University of Texas at El Paso performed on a test measuring verbal basic skills, a computerized analysis of variance compared group mean scores on a test of basic skills competence for 1,553 students in 6 groups, including graduating seniors and students in 4 levels of…

One college teacher has devised a method of peer assessment of student presentations that has decreased the spread of grades given to individuals by other class members and enhanced the correlation of peer and teacher assessments. Four aspects of the presentation are graded: knowledge; body language; voice; and overall effect. (Author/MSE)

This study investigated the extent to which home exposure (HE) to the Chinese language affected the oral proficiency of students of intermediate-level college Mandarin Chinese. In fourteen hypotheses, it was predicted that HEs would perform at a higher level than would non-home-exposure students (NHEs). Students were given a simulated oral…

Intended for those who are preparing term papers, working on newspapers or newsletters, taking creative writing courses, composing resumes, submitting journal articles for publication, or giving oral presentations, this bibliography lists a number of resources designed to help improve communication skills. The resources are arranged according to…

This second in a series of five papers on communication reticence discusses the establishment of a setting for the treatment of communicationally reticent individuals. Eleven years of operation of a formal program at the Pennsylvania State University provides the basis for discussion of factors in the operation of the system. An eclectic…

The student who has come to be called "reticent" expresses concern about many oral, communicative behaviors, ranging from public speaking to meeting strangers and carrying on a few minutes of "small talk." A rhetorical method of instruction was utilized in a study conducted to determine the effects of treatment on a selected…

The purpose of this paper, the fourth in a series of five dealing with communication reticence, describes the residual effects of training in a treatment program for communicationally reticent individuals. A questionnaire to assess the specific problems which led students to seek instruction in the special speech sections of the Pennsylvania State…

This study investigated the acquisition of speaking skills in an online distance education course of 19 first semester Spanish learners. The possibility of oral development in a strictly online course was examined based on students' pronunciation production in two types of recorded speaking activities and in two real-time conversations. Students…

This study investigated changes in the speech patterns of Japanese college students in an intensive English language course when using a microphone, focusing in part on possible links to "karaoke" activities common in Japan, in which participants sing along with music using a microphone. The researcher first observed several karaoke…

A study was conducted to identify the criteria of the fundamental speech program at Florida Junior College at Jacksonville; devise pragmatic methods of evaluation of student speaking, listening, and cognitive knowledge measurement activities; and to apply those criteriato a study group of 15 students and determine the validity of the evaluations.…

Twenty-one students in their second quarter of Romanian language study at The Ohio State University completed a language background survey, took a perception test and made a tape recording of their pronunciations of a list of Romanian words. The tape used in the perception test consisted of a list of fifteen minimal pairs with initial voiceless or…