The problem of this investigation was concerned with the effects that a computer-assisted and managed learning program had on the test outcomes of college students enrolled in a basic communication course. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of participation in a computer-assisted and managed learning on the test outcomes of college students enrolled in a basic communication course. In order to facilitate the experiment, four hypotheses were formulated: 1. There will be significant differences in the posttest scores among the three groups. More specifically (a) the computer-assisted and managed learning (CAML) group will have significantly higher posttest scores than the teacher-assisted learning (TAL) group and the control group. 2. Computer apprehension will be significantly lower for students assigned to the CAML program, than students assigned to the TAL or control groups. 3. Computer complexity will be significantly lower for students assigned to the CAML group, than the students assigned to the TAL or control groups. 4. Computer utility will be significantly higher for students assigned to the CAML group, than students assigned to the TAL or control groups. Two experimental and one control group was used in the study. The experimental groups consisted of CAML (computer-assisted and managed learning) and TAL (teacher assisted learning). The control group was not treated with assisted instruction or practice testing. There were significant differences found among the posttest scores of the three groups. Students assigned to the CAML and TAL groups did have significantly higher posttest scores than students assigned to the control group. Although there were observable differences in the posttest scores between CAML and TAL, the differences were not statistically significant. Computer apprehension was significantly lower for the CAML group than the TAL or Control groups. Computer complexity was significantly lower for CAML than the TAL or Control groups. Computer utility scores were higher in CAML than the TAL or Control groups. The data supported the hypotheses. Several recommendations were made. A computer assisted and managed learning program should be used as a supplemental instructional, review and testing method in communication. Further research should be conducted in order to design a computer final exam for the basic communication course for purposes of review and CLEP testing. In addition, more terminals need to be employed for maximum efficiency.

Orientador: Elisabete Monteiro de Aguiar Pereira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T13:56:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Melo_PauloSergiodeOliveira_M.pdf: 2171309 bytes, checksum: 8839379c1d21188e327cdb192c355d9b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de buscar compreender a formação atual do Comunicador Social. A pesquisa tem o Curso de Comunicação Social da ECA/USP como estudo de caso. O foco da análise foram os projetos pedagógicos e as estruturas curriculares atuais dos cursos de Relações Públicas, Jornalismo e Publicidade e Propaganda sob o olhar da hermenêutica, bem como os dados das entrevistas com os respectivos coordenadores dos cursos. Partimos do pressuposto de que o papel das universidades na formação dos estudantes se completa ao fornecer ao futuro profissional, espaço-tempo para refletir, pensar e pesquisar, resgatando e aprofundando os saberes na sua interdisciplinaridade e não fragmentando ou especializando-o no nível da graduação. Os dados do estudo mostram que as disciplinas específicas do curso de comunicação preparam o estudante para a vida profissional, mas ainda não estão inter-relacionadas com outros saberes que lhe forneça subsídios para uma formação ampla, com preocupação social, humana e crítica. Observou-se ainda, que os cursos estão preocupados com o posicionamento ético-politico do comunicador e procuram manter o equilíbrio entre a formação humanística e técnico-profissionalizante, mas passam por um período de transição na construção dos currículos para melhor atender a esses aspectos / Abstract: The purpose of this study was to try to understand the current Social Communicator formation. The research has ECA/USP Social Communication Course as the study case. The analysis focus were the pedagogic projects and the current curriculum structures for Public Relations, Journalism and Advertising courses under the hermeneutics point of view, as well as the interview figures with the respective courses coordinators. We presupposed that responsibility of the universities in the students¿ formation is completed to give to the future professional , space-time to reflect, think and research, recovering and making a profound study of the knowledge in its interdisciplinary and not fragmenting or specializing in the graduation level. The study figures show us that the specific disciplines in the communication course prepare the student for a professional life, but they still are not inter-related with others knowledge that support the subsidy for an ample development, with a social, human and critic concerns. It was still observed that the courses are concerned about the communicator ethic/politic positioning and they direct their efforts to maintain the balance between the humanistic formation and technical-professionalizing, but they are suffering a transition period in the curriculum construction for a better support on these aspects / Mestrado / Politicas de Educação e Sistemas Educativos / Mestre em Educação

Apprehension negatively impacts student learning. As online and hybrid communication courses continue to be offered it is important to expand and update research regarding the following constructs: communication apprehension, receiver apprehension, writing apprehension, and computer apprehension. This study examines correlations between and among these constructs, differences by gender and course format, and changes between pre- and posttest results. Students enrolled in traditional and online sections of a basic communication course completed pre- and posttests consisting of a demographic survey, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, the Receiver Apprehension Test, the Writing Apprehension Test, and the Computer and Web Attitude Scale. Results suggest positive and negative correlations between and among various constructs, differences in apprehension levels based on gender and format, and various changes between pre- and posttests. Research on expression-based apprehension is important to improve pedagogical practices and encourage the development of communication skills regardless of course format.

Studies have demonstrated that classroom climate strongly affects the likelihood of students communicating within the classroom (e.g., Henson & Denker, 2009; Ifert Johnson, 2009). Furthermore, students are more likely to engage within a supportive environment (Myers & Claus, 2012). By exploring the impact of classroom discussions of diversity, such as gender, race, sexuality and class, this panel seeks to highlight the importance, difficulties, and possibilities of discussing diverse issues while maintaining a supportive classroom climate.

Adjusting one’s communication is a fundamental requirement for human interaction (Gasiorek, 2016a). Individuals adapt communication behavior according to the circumstances surrounding the situation, resulting in different patterns and forms of speech relative to spouses, family members, coworkers, or friends. Yet, researchers in instructional communication have not yet substantially applied adjustment as a theoretical lens for understanding instructor-student classroom interactions (Gasiorek & Giles, 2012; Soliz & Giles, 2014; Soliz & Bergquist, 2016). Apart from overlooking this useful theoretical approach, instructional communication scholarship can also be improved by accounting for 1) shifting group identities in higher education that change how instructors and students communicate, 2) incomplete conceptualizations of student perceptions in existing research, and 3) a consistent lack of concern for the hierarchical structure of educational data. This dissertation seeks to resolve these limitations through an application of one of the most prominent theories of adjustment: communication accommodation theory (CAT; Giles, 1973; Giles, Willemyns, Gallois, & Anderson, 2007a). The research specifically extends the CAT framework to an instructional setting by investigating how student perceptions of instructor nonaccommodation across several modes of communication (i.e., nonverbal, linguistic/verbal, content, support) influence information processing ability, relationships with instructors, and beliefs about instructors. Data were collected from 573 undergraduate students across 38 sections of a basic communication course (BCC). Students completed an online questionnaire assessing perceptions of the appropriateness of their instructor’s behavior (i.e., nonaccommodation), extraneous load, communication satisfaction, instructor-student rapport, instructor credibility, and instructor communication competence. The results first forward a nuanced measure for assessing nonaccommodation in a manner consistent with the theoretical propositions of CAT. Second, a series of analyses using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM; Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002) showed significant associations between perceptions of nonaccommodation across modes and students’ reported classroom outcomes. Interestingly, several of the individual, direct relationships disappeared when multiple modes of nonaccommodation were considered simultaneously, introducing the possibility that individuals may prioritize the appropriateness of certain behaviors within context. The data hierarchy (i.e., students enrolled in course sections) did exert some influence on the relationships between variables, yet the majority of variance accounted for across models occurred at the student level. Implications of the results related to both theory and practice within the basic communication course are presented in the discussion.

Huvudsyftet med studien har varit att utvärdera hur en fem timmar lång kommunikationsutbildning riktad till sjukgymnaster på habilitering påverkar sjukgymnasternas kommunikativa stil i interaktion med barn/ungdomar som på grund av cerebral pares saknar tal. Utbildningen utformades som en inlärningsmodell i åtta delmoment (åttastegsmodellen). I utbildningen och studien ingick sex habiliteringssjukgymnaster som interagerade med var sitt barn/ungdom som till följd av cerebral pares kommunicerar med alternativt och kompletterande kommunikation (AKK) i form av kommunikationskartor. Interaktionen videofilmades vid tre separata tillfällen: en inspelning före utbildning, en inom två veckor efter utbildningen samt en sista filmning tre månader efter avslutad utbildning. Analys av videomaterialet gjordes med hjälp av en kombination av kvantitativ och kvalitativ analysmetod. Analysformuläret KOMMUNIKATIV användes för att analysera sjukgymnasternas kommunikation och kompletterades med en mer detaljerad kvalitativ samtalsanalys (Conversation Analysis, CA) där interaktionen mellan individerna analyserades. Utöver detta besvarade sjukgymnasterna en enkät. Utbildningens utformning baserades på tidigare forskning i form av av miljömodifierande strategier, responsiv kommunikationsstil samt AKK-modell i form av att pekprata. Resultatet av KOMMUNIKATIV påvisade en statistiskt signifikant förändring av sjukgymnasternas kommunikativa beteende efter avslutad utbildning. Det fanns även en fortsatt mätbar, men inte statistiskt signifikant, förändring mellan andra och tredje mättillfället. Sjukgymnasterna möjliggjorde, efter utbildning, att barnen/ungdomen i större utsträckning kunde kommunicera med sin kommunikationskarta. De pekpratade i större utsträckning och var mer lyhörda för barnets/ungdomens kommunikation. Endast en av tio kommunikativa förmågor som analyseras i KOMMUNIKATIV försämrades: sjukgymnastens förmåga att förtydliga sig. Samtalsanalysen bekräftade den kvantitativa analysen på flera sätt och visade att barnet/ungdomen efter utbildning anpassade sig till sjukgymnasternas förändrade beteende och uttryckte sig i längre fraser. Interaktionsmönstret ändrades från att före utbildning vara mer styrt av sjukgymnasten till att barnet/ungdomen efter utbildning kunde införa nya ämnen och delta i reparerande sekvenser. Samtalsanalysen visade även hur sjukgymnasterna ändrade sin användning av en engagerad röstkvalitet. Före kursen användes den i flera olika kontexter, inklusive problematiska kommunikativa kontexter där den snarare förvärrade problemen. Efter kursen varierade sjukgymnasterna sina strategier för att lösa olika typer av problematiska situationer, och undvek därmed i högre grad kommunikativa problem. Åttastegsmodellen som provades i genomförandet av kursen var framgångsrik på två olika sätt. Dels medgav den att varje deltagare fick en individuell målsättning baserad på en förmätning, och dels medförde modellen ett aktivt lärande vilket bidrog till att befästa den nya kunskapen. En slutsats av utvärderingen är att en interventionsutbildning enligt åttastegsmodellen med fördel kan användas för att lära ut kommunikativa strategier till habiliteringspersonal. / The main purpose of this study was to examine how a five hour communication course given to physiotherapists working at a habilitation center changes their communication when interacting with non-speaking children and teenagers with cerebral palsy. An instructional model for teaching learning strategies in eight steps was tested. Six physiotherapists took part of a five hour communication course on three occasions. The course contained receptive communication, environmental arrangements and aided language stimulation as suggested by previous research. Interaction between physiotherapist and child/teenager communicating with a communication board was videotaped just before the course, within two weeks after the course and also three month later. The course was analyzed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. KOMMUNIKATIV is a quantitative method measuring ten communication abilities of the physiotherapists. Conversation Analysis (CA) was used as a detailed qualitative complementary analysis to KOMMUNIKATIV in order to examine the interaction between physiotherapist and child/teenager. Results from KOMMUNIKATIV showed a statistically significant change within two weeks after the course. Continued changes were measured between the second and the third point of measure but that change was not statistically significant. These results strongly indicate that the physiotherapists adopted a more receptive communication style after the course. They made it possible for the child/teenager to communicate with the communication board and they increased the number of AAC-modeling. One aspect, the physiotherapists’ ability to simplify the communication, declined from the first to the second and third point of measure. The child´s/teenager´s communication adapted in some ways to the changed communicational behavior of the physiotherapists. After the course, the child/teenager used longer phrases and started to make repairs. The detailed interaction analysis verified the change in communicative behavior in several ways. One significant change was the way the physiotherapists used an engaged voice quality to encourage the child/teenager to respond to requests for action. Before the course this voice quality was used in many different contexts, including communicatively problematic contexts, where it increased the problems. After the course the physiotherapists used a more varied set of strategies to solve problematic situations, thereby avoiding communicative problems. The instructional model for teaching communicative strategies in eight steps that was used in the study was successful in two ways. Firstly, the model provides the possibility to set individual goals for each member based on preassessments. Secondly, this model enables active learning which seem to consolidate the new ability. A conclusion from the evaluation of the eight step model is that it can be used for teaching communicative strategies to professionals.