Extending Learning Opportunities in the Basic Communication Course: Exploring the Pedagogical Benefits of Speech Laboratories

This study asked 527 students enrolled in a basic communication course to evaluate the efficacy of a speech lab in relation to speech requirements stipulated by their instructors. In addition, the researchers examined the scores of 435 student speeches to determine if students who visited the lab earned higher grades compared to students that did not visit the lab. Results showed that (a) most instructors require their students to visit the lab before at least one speech, (b) the vast majority of students perceive the help they receive in the lab to be very useful, and (c) students who visit the lab prior to their speeches earn significantly higher grades on speeches than those who do not visit the lab

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). The results of the present study reveal no differences between learning community and regularly enrolled students’ perceptions of power. However, learning community students reported using more prosocial, antisocial, and neutral compliance-gaining strategies compared to traditionally enrolled students. Overall, this study addresses the utility of incorporating learning communities into the pedagogy of the basic communication course and devotes special attention to the training needs of GTAs

Preparing to Participate: An Exploration of Student Engagement through Student Work and Instructors’ Observations

The present study investigates two instructional strategies that promote student preparation for and participation in class: reading objectives and participation sheets. In the first study, students were asked to complete the reading objectives (knowledge level questions about the assigned reading) and write the extended comments. Extended comments move beyond the knowledge level by demonstrating comprehension, application, or evaluation of the content. These include personal examples, insights, or questions about the course material. A content analysis of the students’ ex-tended comments found evidence of student engagement as 76.3% of the comments moved beyond the “knowledge” level. Study 2 examined instructors’ perceptions of student preparation for and participation in class. Instructors were asked to reflect on the differences between their classes that used and did not use the graded participation strategies. Instructors reported that the graded participation strategies resulted in more insightful discussions, a more positive class climate, and more knowledge of their students com-pared to their class sections that did not use these instructional tools

Uniquely Qualified, Distinctively Competent: Delivering 21st Century Skills in the Basic Course

In this manuscript we argue that the communication discipline’s pedagogical content knowledge should be expanded to include educational strategies for advancing students’ critical thinking, information literacy, and political engagement skills. Further, we argue that the discipline should explicitly position itself as uniquely qualified to address these skills. By doing so, those affiliated with the basic communication course can leverage a substantial amount of political capital on their home campuses and go a long way toward delivering the critical skills students need in order to be successful in the 21st century

Speech Evaluation Assessment: An Analysis of Written Speech Feedback on Instructor Evaluation Forms in the Basic Communication Course

As a critical component of many general education programs, the basic communication course is at the forefront of many assessment efforts. Five years after conducting extensive program assessment using student portfolios, and after implementing revisions to the instructor training program, course directors at Illinois State University conducted another round of portfolio assessment. The present study reveals progress in the specific areas originally targeted for improvement. Additional areas for future revisions to the instructor training program are suggested. Implications for assessment efforts at other institutions are discussed

Written Speech Feedback in the Basic Communication Course: Are Instructors too Polite?

The present study investigates written performance feedback through the lens of politeness theory. Study 1 examined the types of comments instructors offer to students when they provide written feedback on speeches as well as the relationship between these comments and students\u27 grades. Results demonstrate that instructors used an overabundance of positive politeness messages and virtually no negative politeness messages. Students who received a higher grade were more likely to receive fewer face threats and more positive politeness messages than those students\u27 who received a lower grade. The results also suggest that instructors are more willing to threaten a students\u27 negative face than their positive face. Study 2 extended the research project by examining students\u27 perceptions of instructor feedback students deem the most helpful. Results indicate that students desire a balance between their grade and the number of positive politeness comments they receive as well as more comments that threaten their face. Students in this study also found specific written feedback as the most helpful type of feedback they received

Assessing Preemptive Argumentation in Students’ Persuasive Speech Outlines

The purpose of the present study was to determine if critical thinking skills, a key component of basic communication course pedagogy, can be assessed through students’ use of preemptive argumentation. Persuasive speech outlines were coded to determine if preemptive argumentation was present in students’ speeches and to determine the quality of preemptive argumentation. The results indicated that the majority of outlines contained preemptive argumentation. However, of those speeches containing preemptive argumentation, the majority of outlines employed low-quality preemptive argumentation. Finally, the findings revealed that the quality of preemptive argumentation employed in the persuasive speech outlines did not predict the students’ persuasive speech grades. Implications for instructor training programs and pedagogy in the basic course are discussed

Speech Laboratories: An Exploratory Examination of Potential Pedagogical Effects on Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects speech laboratories have on students enrolled in basic public speaking courses. Specifically, the researchers attempted to gain a student perspective about visiting a speech laboratory through qualitative methods. Ten semi-structured student interviews were conducted and the collected data were transcribed verbatim before being analyzed using the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The results of the analysis provide initial support that speech laboratories do, to some degree, assist students with their public speaking skills and help them manage their public speaking anxiety