Effective organizational communication can greatly enhance the quality of the school environment and professional/personal relationships. This book focuses on successful communication skills that can help make the school environment a productive experience for administrators, school staff, students, and parents. Chapter 1 discusses the importance…

This case study of the early development of a communication structure tested strategies designed to confront traditional barriers to school-university collaboration. It examined the development of CDNET, a consortium of 35 libraries of multitype educational institutions in northwest Pennsylvania which is providing CD-ROM access to library patrons.…

In the late 20th century, Australia's diverse population and international commitments require its constituents to use plain English. Unfortunately, its language is eroding as fast as its soil. On the one hand, much academic jargon excludes even well-educated readers; on the other, many teachers do not believe in teaching grammar or standard…

International and minority students often pose additional challenges due to cultural, linguistic, or socio-economic differences with the mostly white, middle class, highly educated (and predominantly female) public service librarians with whom they come into contact. Such differences can range from minor speech/articulation problems to major…

When the Mississippi State University (MSU) Library undertook a major reclassification project in March 1989 to convert 175,000 Dewey Decimal titles into the Library of Congress Classification, the Technical Services staff involved in the planning realized that communicating policies and procedures to all levels of library personnel would require…

Noting that the Korean socio-cultural background, combined with situational factors such as language difficulty and racial barriers, produce a special kind of communication pattern among Korean students in the United States, a study focused on the communication patterns of Korean students at the University of Texas at Austin. Subjects, 158 Korean…

A study tested the validity of a speaking apprehension questionnaire developed by Marshall that monitors the performance of secondary school teaching in oracy in the Netherlands. This questionnaire, intended for 11- to 16-year-old students, was administered to 86 secondary school students. The improved instrument, the Speaking Apprehension Measure…

A 1986 study was designed to obtain feedback from members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of the Province of Manitoba on the information they receive from the University of Manitoba and ways in which the university could keep them better informed. Interviews were done with 47 of the 57 MLAs. Findings indicated the following: the University of…

While an extensive vocabulary in English as a second language (ESL) is important for effective communication, quantity of vocabulary alone does not guarantee effectiveness. Vocabulary quality, as contrasted with quantity, can make a great difference in the extent to which one can successfully participate in a community of native English speakers.…

The developmental college student, distinguished by lower than average academic scores, may also experience the inhibiting fear of communication, speech anxiety. Students who are both developmental and communication apprehensive lack confidence in their personal academic abilities, and thus develop poor attitudes toward learning and low academic…

Americans doing business with West Africans are limited in their ability to communicate successfully in that part of the world because of language, stereotyping, and ethnocentrism. Americans must become accustomed to British patterns of speech and writing. Stereotypes of Africa, its people, and its cultures perpetuated by the media keep Americans…

A study of intercultural business communication problems compared three examples of direct marketing sales letters similar in function, format, content, and targeted recipient but originating in different cultures (India, England, and the United States) and companies. The letters were directed to a single prospective purchaser of "Who's…

A study investigated the attitudes of English-speakers living in Finland toward English oral communication with Finns. English-speaking diplomats, businessmen, and their wives were surveyed with Likert-type and open-ended questions. Results indicated that Finns have a good command of English grammar, with difficulties in communication attributed…

All speakers bring to even simple verbal encounters complex presuppositions and expectations that may create discourse interference. A second-language encounter carries a complex and often inexplicable expectation load. Language expresses meaning and intentions, but also carries social import. The value or appropriateness of speaking itself varies…

Recent controversy in the treatment of communication apprehension and avoidance has centered around whether an individual's communicative difficulties are caused by communicative (skills) deficiency or psychological problems (anxiety). Such debates are not new; arguments about whether to treat communicative difficulties from a communicative or…