BCCA Contents & Abstracts, Volume 19, 2007
Editor Paul Turman
ISBN 978-0-89641-441-9E-mail americanpress@flash.net to order PDFs of any article.
Meyer, Kevin R, Cheri J. Simonds, Brent K. Simonds, John R. Baldwin, Stephen K. Hunt, & Mark E. Comadena — Designing Classroom Management Traianing for Basic Course Instructors — Since many basic course training programs fail to adequately address classroom management issues, most graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) enter the classroom unprepared to confront student misbehaviors. In this study, GTAs who had not received classroom management training (CMT) were given a survey containing closed and open-ended questions regarding typical student misbehaviors, possible classroom responses to those behaviors, and preferences for classroom management information during training. (1-36)
Broeckelman, Melissa A. — Creating Sites for Connection in the Classroom: Dialogism as a Pedagogy for Active Learning — Public speaking pedagogy should be based in communication theory, but as a whole, our discipline has failed to integrate theory and praxis in the classroom. Dialogism is a good starting point for developing theory-based pedagogical strategies and is further supported by Vygotsky’s zones of proximal development, Dewey and Bruner’s call for experience-based learning, and research on collaborative learning. Here the author proposes four specific strategies for incorporating dialogism into the pedagogy of public speaking. (37-71)
Kussart, Natalie, J., Stephen K. Hunt, & Cheri J. Simonds— Learning Communities in the Basic Communication Course: Exploring Students’ Perception of Power and Use of Compliance-Gaining Strategies — This study compared students’ use of behavior alteration techniques (BATs) and power based upon whether they were enrolled in learning community or traditional sections of the basic communication course being taught by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). (72-103)
Howe, Marlina Marie & Karen Kangas Dwyer — This Influence of Diaphragmatic Breathing to Reduce Situational Anxiety for Basic Course Students — Researchers in physiology and health fields have reported a significant impact from using diaphragmatic breathing (DB) to help individuals reduce anxiety. However, few communication researchers have explored the use of this simple DB technique to help basic course students reduce communication apprehension (CA). Thus, this investigation explored the use of diaphragmatic breathing in helping students moderate communication apprehension. (104-137)
Stern, Lesa A.& Melissa Hailer — Presentation Skills: An Assessment of University and Career Related Presentations — Two studies were conducted to assess the frequency and types of presentations students encounter across the curriculum and whether these presentations parallel those they will encounter in their chosen career. The first study was a content analysis of sixty portfolios (containing a total number of 1360 courses) to find evidence of presentation assignments across the curriculum.. The second study was a survey of faculty to assess the types of presentations required in discipline-related jobs as well as the faculty member’s level of presentation skills training. (138-165)
Theisen, Lisa M. & Roberta A. Davilla — Seeking Social Support among Female Graduate Teaching Assistants — This study investigated how female graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) develop social support and the influence that these relationships have on their academic, teaching, and social lives. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven female GTAs in a Communication Studies master’s degree program at a large southern university. (166-201)
- Book Review (202-206)