Data gathered during a year-long sociolinguistic study of participant perspectives of classroom discourse are presented in this final report. Elementary school students gave their perceptions of (1) the formal rules or expectations governing discourse at school, in play groups, and at home; (2) appropriate forms to get attention or influence…

Part of a year-long sociolinguistic study of teacher and pupil perceptions of classroom discourse, this study focused on the following methodological question: how might the approach selected for analysis of language as a linguistic system affect what is learned about language in a given social situation? Subjects were 165 children and their…

Research reports on the nature of speech, instrumentation for the investigation of speech, and practical applications of research are included in this status report for the January 1 - March 31, 1979 period. The reports deal with the following topics: an articulatory synthesizer for perceptual research; the perception of an oral-nasal continuum…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the campaign communication during the Carter-Ford television debates; (2) apprehensiveness and performance in public speaking; (3) a history and criticism of…

The entries in this annotated bibliography represent books, educational journals, dissertations, popular magazines, and research studies that deal with the topic of communication and sexuality. Arranged alphabetically by author and also indexed according to subject matter, the titles span a variety of topics, including the following: sex and…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles deal with the following topics: the rhetorical dimensions of nondiscursive, fragmentary communication; perceptions of persuasion situations and the question of transituational consistency of behavior; alcohol use and…

Points out that teachers who understand that learning to read and write is a complex social as well as cognitive process will structure their classrooms for collaboration and meaningful reading and writing. Claims they will also examine why they vary their teaching practices for different groups of children. (SKC)

Examined linkage between emotion vocabulary and behavior problems among elementary-age students enrolled in a schoolwide bilingual program. Results from 99 Spanish-speaking children reveal behavior problems are more common among students with large disparity in emotion word vocabularies between English and Spanish. Findings support the hypothesis…

Discusses the relationship between the language use patterns of multilinguals and their media preferences and exposure. Suggests that the frequency of a particular language's use correlates with preferences for and exposure to television in that language. Shows this relationship to be more pronounced with specific cultural programing. (KEH)

Examines the relationship between verbal style and the early elimination of leaders in small groups. Finds that participants evaluated the authoritativeness and trustworthiness of other group members and that these evaluations depended upon the interaction of verbal style and content. (SR)

Uses oral theory to examine the relationship between cognition and orality. Analyzes how the electronic media mimic the kind of interaction between speaker and audience characteristic of preliterate cultures. Argues that Ronald Reagan's effectiveness on television stems from his use of rhetorical structures characteristic of preliterate oral…

Investigates the influence of linguistic structure on non-linguistic cognition by comparing Russian and English behavior on tasks involving the color blue. Russians, who differentiate this region into "dark blue" and "light blue," were expected to separate blues more often than English subjects for whom the colors belong to one lexical category.…

Investigates the effective decision-making theory's (EDMT) prediction that cultural individualism-collectivism, self-construal, and group composition influence turn-taking behavior and conflict behavior in small groups. Finds, for example, that independent self-construal is a predictor of the number of turns and competitive conflict tactics in…

At the Bridge School (Hillsborough, California), children with severe speech and physical disabilities are trained in the use of augmentative and alternative communication technologies, transitioned back to their home school districts, and given continuing support. Outreach and research endeavors keep the broader community informed and educated…

The professional practices concerning children's questions in the welfare clinic, the day care center, the school and the library in Finland are discussed in this paper. Each institution's historical background and the implicit and explicit concepts of children affecting professional behavior are analyzed. The research data include legal and…