A study was conducted to examine the evaluative criteria or schemata that voters use in making decisions about competing candidates. More specifically, the study sought to determine (1) whether the criteria that voters employ differ between the candidates, and (2) the relative importance of various candidate-specific criteria in the voting…

As part of their study of interorganizational collaboration, researchers present three detailed case studies of how regional education agencies (REAs) supply knowledge utilization services to the school districts they serve. The three REAs are the Wayne County (Michigan) Intermediate School District (with 36 districts), the Educational Improvement…

The story of successful crisis management teaches some lessons applicable not only to surmounting crises but to everyday management decisions as well. On Christmas eve, 1974, a cyclone demolished 90 percent of the city of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory. As thousands gathered in neighborhood schools, a team of educational administrators…

The conundrums discussed are: (1) Can media be used for instruction when people feel that its purpose is purely entertainment? (2) How much credibility can there be in messages originating from mistrusted sources? and (3) Is comprehension related to the sophistication of technology used in instructional presentations? Also in this issue: Brajesh…

Frequently speakers confront hostile groups and audiences with opposite points of view. Public communicators faced with this dilemma can choose not to address the group or, in speaking, can avoid points of contention, but a third more subtle alternative used is deliberate ambiguity or vagueness, a rhetorical strategy known as equivocation. But do…

Theories and research in speech communication that have particular relevance to organization development include studies in areas of entropy, feedback, group cohesiveness, norms, opinion leadership, and source credibility. One study of an organization development project made at a hospital revealed that subjects tended to report those changes in…

An experiment was performed in which 155 undergraduate student subjects were provided with information about a stimulus person whose behavioral consistency varied on several issues. The study assumed that if the individual's behavior on the relevant topic was consistent, then behavior on the other issues should have no impact on persuasiveness,…

Examines three reasons why Americans have remained apathetic towards the current farm crisis: consumers have little direct contact with farmers/farm life; relationship between food prices at the supermarket and farm income is hidden; and Americans view "bad" news from the farm sector as a recurring theme in national economic events. (LFL)

Fifty women enrolled in an urban Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program were interviewed about their use of the mass media and the public library for useful information, preferences in the use of mass media, and their attitudes about source credibility. A 23-item interview guide is appended. (25 references) (EJS)

The Science Communication Interest Group Division of the proceedings contains the following 7 papers: "Forecasting the Future: How Television Weathercasters' Attitudes and Beliefs about Climate Change Affect Their Cognitive Knowledge on the Science" (Kris Wilson); "The Web and E-Mail in Science Communication: Results of In-Depth…

Educational planners and policymakers are rarely able to base their decision-making on sound information and research, according to this book. Because the situation is even more difficult in developing countries, educational policy often is based on research conducted in others parts of the world. This book provides a practical framework that can…

A survey in an Australian technical institute focused on the relationship between faculty's trust in academic leadership on campus and the operation of committees, in the context of institutional governance and administration. Attitudes toward administrators and committees, satisfaction with decisions, information sources, and perceived channels…

Trustworthiness is the overriding trait counselors must exhibit for success with American Indian clients. Counselors must be able to select appropriate counseling techniques; the behavioristic model is preferred by many American Indian students. Students' orientation is to the "here and now" and emphasizes specificity and accountability.…

Discusses the historical validity of "The Hitler Diaries" and other historical forgeries. Maintains that forgeries and other hoaxes will continue to be part of human history. Questions why many people seem to need "historical revelations." (CFR)

Using a narrative procedure, this study replicated Zaitchik's (1991) result that children are more likely to acknowledge another's belief when they are told about reality than when they see reality for themselves. The article argues that these children were acknowledging alternative rather than false belief. (20 references) (Author/CK)