This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: an examination of inexperienced actors performing the plays of William Shakespeare; an investigation of the philosophies and practices of a summer theatre producer and manager; the…

This study focuses on three areas: (1) mother-child and father-child verbal and nonverbal interactions; (2) racial differences in parent-child interactions, children's self esteem and children's racial attitudes; and (3) relationships between parenting style and children's feelings of self-worth and racial preferences. Subjects were 40 black and…

Using methods employed by Chaikin et al (1974) and Chaikin and Derlega (1978) to determine when tutors are susceptible to expectancy effects and whether expectancies lead to discrimination against low ability students, black undergraduates (N=76) taught a lesson on fire safety at home to a 10-year-old boy. Two black male and two white male…

Papers presented at the Southwest Area Language and Linguistics Workshop (SWALLOW) include both theoretical and practical contributions. First and second language acquisition was studied in terms of its effects on first language, its acquisition in a bilingual classroom, and its assessment. Native American student speeches were examined in terms…

A course in communication skills that is provided to all freshmen dental students at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry is described. The course is based primarily on the human relations training models of Blakeman (1975), Carkhuff (1969), and Egan (1975), and consists of six modules devoted to the skills of structuring, attending,…

A foreign travel program for eighth grade French language students from Shoreham, New York was developed to provide language speaking practice in Quebec, Canada. The program was designed to allow students to spend as much time as possible speaking the language and interacting with the people. The following "survival through speaking"…

The goal of this study was to investigate the nature of classroom climates of acceptance in desegregated schools. Verbal initiations and student friendship choices across race and sex were examined in 41 seventh and eighth grade classrooms in Indianapolis, Indiana. Teachers were also interviewed and completed an attitudinal questionnaire. Factor…

SPEAKING AN ORAL LANGUAGE AND SPEAKING A WRITTEN LANGUAGE INVOLVE DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF LANGUAGE USE WHICH ARE IN TURN RELATED TO DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL METHODS AND DIFFERENT COURSES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT. BECAUSE ORAL SPEECH RELIES ON CONTEXT FOR COMMUNICATION, A COMMON CONTEXT AND POINT OF VIEW IS ASSUMED BY THE SPEAKER TO EXIST BETWEEN THE…

THIS BOOK ABOUT THE FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE IN HUMAN LIFE EMPHASIZES LEARNING HOW TO CLASSIFY, DEFINE, AND ANALYZE. FOLLOWING AN EXPLANATION OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ROOTS OF LANGUAGE, CHAPTERS ON ANALYSIS, MEANING, SIGNS, AMBIGUITY, SEMANTIC GROWTH, AND METAPHOR LEAD TO A DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE,…

Research into teacher nonverbal behavior is needed. Although teachers are usually aware of their verbal behavior, they may be unaware of many nonverbal cues they express through gesture, facial expression, posture, vocal tone, or similar mechanisms. Such nonverbal expressions convey attitudes and impressions which may affect the teaching-learning…

The conference proceedings of scientists specializing in language processes and neurophysiological mechanisms are reported to stimulate a cross-over of interest and research in the central brain phenomena (reception, understanding, retention, integration, formulation, and expression) as they relate to speech and language. Eighteen research reports…

The tendency of modern English and speech teachers to turn away from vital issues has resulted in the present "undistinguished state" of rhetoric teaching and its lack of relevance to life. The proper subject matter of rhetoric is "the thought, opinion, and information revealed in the great, persisting, and unresolved problems of a…

Some of the specific uses, outcomes, and statistical results obtained with the Social Interaction and Creativity in Communication System (SICCS) of observation are described. Particular attention is given to the different purposes to which the SICCS has been directed, including the coding units, categories, length and frequency of observation, the…

To assess the relationship between paternal behavior and the intellectual functioning of preschool boys and girls, 180 white fathers from middle, working, and lower classes (as defined by the Hollingshead-Redlich Scale) were observed at home interacting with their 4-year-olds (99 boys and 81 girls). Sessions were tape-recorded. The number of…

This pamphlet is a report of a study of motivation among adults learning Welsh in Wales. It is claimed that the situations in which a language is likely to be used and the linguistic aim of the learners should be taken into consideration when the nature of the vocabulary to be included in a second language course is determined. Recent research…