The concept of technology transfer (the application of knowledge) and E. M. Rogers and D. K. Bhowmik's (1970) heterophily-homophily distinction is used to help better understand and offer ways to deal with the negative reactions of undergraduates toward foreign teaching assistants (TAs) in U.S. universities. While it is important for foreign TAs…

Changing from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach and trying to use the principles of critical pedagogy are not enough to teach writing--both male and female students need to go beyond prescribed gender roles and social roles. Some women students in peer response groups act as though they have composed a secret etiquette guide: they…

A case study examined the similarities and differences in the background characteristics, the nature and causes of the English language-based problems, and the coping strategies of two foreign students at Indiana University, Bloomington. Subjects were selected because they represented two different nationalities (Malaysian and Indonesian),…

This paper reports on a project designed to improve student achievement through better communication between parents/guardians and teachers of 9th-grade science students in a large, north-central Illinois urban community. Analysis of probable-cause data revealed that no structured means of communication existed. Attempts to communicate were…

Reporting on a study designed to evaluate West Court High School (WCHS, a pseudonym) in Louisiana, this document discusses quantiative and qualitative aspects of the study; the development of interview protocols for the administrators, teachers, students, and parents who participated; and the sociograms developed to assess the interaction patterns…

This guide presents ideas on communication for managers who work with young, entry-level workers in small businesses. The guide is designed to help managers (1) understand how perceptions of the same message differ; (2) recognize barriers to good communication and ways to eliminate them; and (3) construct messages so that they will be understood…

A study examined the communication problems between nondisabled and disabled persons. A questionnaire was created based on a theoretical model of intercultural communication involving three levels of analysis: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and systematic. One hundred and two nondisabled and 40 disabled subjects reacted to a helping situation…

Intended for professionals who work internationally, the booklet addresses the cross-cultural communication process that is involved whenever persons of widely differing backgrounds attempt to reach agreements. Three countries (Japan, Mexico, and France) are compared and a line of questioning and analysis that a negotiator might find useful,…

In the past, many communication consultants have been "speech coaches," who helped clients to organize messages, construct arguments, and deliver speeches. Today, however, the role of communication specialists as management consultants has broadened in scope. To accommodate the demands of this enlarged role, communication consultants…

This paper combines information from two published articles with an account of preparation for a wilderness expedition that included hearing-impaired people. Whether outdoor programs are planned for adventure, recreation, or educational purposes, they are increasingly being made more accessible for handicapped people. The paper focuses on problems…

On the premise that union election campaigns on college campuses can provide useful lessons for public relations practitioners, this paper examines literature pertaining to organizing efforts in order to discover public relations problems that can be posed by the reciprocal nature of the influences between the internal and external audiences…

Because the use of tobacco contributes to a large number of deaths each year in the United States, a current research project at the University of Iowa tests the application of a number of theoretical ideas--including social bonding, diffusion, and the spiral of silence--and attempts to develop new ideas in an effort to reduce smoking. The…

Recent retrieval of pre-nineteenth century feminist thought provides a telling lesson in the politics of knowledge creation and control. From a feminist perspective, very little research carried out within the critical research paradigm questions the "basic assumptions, conventional wisdom, media myths and the accepted way of doing…

Research is attempting to examine the causes and effects of incestual child abuse and has discovered more complicated temporary and long-term repercussions than previously suspected. Fifteen subjects in a residential facility participated in a study to examine the self-concept and intellect of girls who had been victims of incest. Their scores on…

To determine the areas in which communication affects prison environments and prison inmates, interviews were conducted with 21 adult male inmates shortly after their admission into a federal maximum security institution. The interviews were semistructured, addressing such issues as (1) perceptions of fellow inmates and staff; (2) additional…