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…

In this paper, we present a synchronous text-based communication tool, referred to as Adaptive Communication Tool (ACT), which provides capabilities for adaptation and personalization. ACT supports both the free and the structured form of dialogue. The structured dialogue is implemented by two types of Scaffolding Sentence Templates (SST); i.e.…

Assesses organizational images, and indexes the degree of similarity between members' images. Finds positive relationships between image similarity, organizational commitment, and communication and shows that the strength of these relationships varies with type of organizational membership, type of image, and type of communication. (SR)

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…

The study reported here tested a proposed teacher efficacy model by examining: (1) whether perceived teacher efficacy, teacher communication competence, and teacher immediacy are significant predictors of perceived affective and cognitive student learning; and (2) whether perceived teacher communication competence and teacher immediacy are…

A study analyzed the effects of instruction in an introduction to public relations class on student perceptions of contrasting public relations communication styles. Two standard models, the traditional scales of family communication patterns and J. E. Grunig's triangular model of public relations objectives, were adapted for the study. A content…

This paper first outlines the objectives of programs which focus on conflict management and violence prevention. The paper then describes the application of a model of aggressive communication as a potential component in conflict management and violence prevention programs. The model presented in the paper incorporates training in argument and…

A study examined the power of communication apprehension, person perception, network connectedness, and course satisfaction to predict learning outcomes in a college communication course. Subjects, 81 students from a multisection course, completed a variety of self-report instruments measuring their communication apprehension levels; perceptions…

This study elaborates the cultural categories of meanings used by seventh-graders at a junior high school to describe their teachers. It examines the common expressions students used in open-ended interviews to describe their teachers and their experience within these teachers' classes. A semantic structure that underlies the terms that students…

A study was conducted to test the belief that students would develop a better attitude toward communication models if they were depicted using computer-generated graphics than they would if traditional chalkboard depiction were used. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) that the mean attitude-towards-models score for students exposed to models via…