Misunderstanding refers to an erroneous interpretation of the meaning of an utterance – a failure to understand. The instructional context relies almost exclusively on oral communication. The instructional message can be hampered, no less by the teacher as prime interlocutor whose utterances may result in misunderstandings. To answer the question: "To what extent are misunderstandings the result of English second language speakers' oral proficiency?" misunderstandings were identified in the instructional settings of 26 pre-service teachers who used English as the medium of instruction. This qualitative research drew from ethnographic and case study designs. Speech Act Theory and theories on misunderstandings and instructional communication underpinned the study. Data collection was based on video recordings of the student teachers’ authentic lesson presentations during their internship. Misunderstandings were identified and described in terms of their occurrence, nature, frequency and consequence, e.g. whether they were the result of grammatical clumsiness, cross-cultural transfer problems, or lean vocabulary. These students were not mother tongue speakers of English and the International English Language Testing Score was used to rate their oral proficiency in this language. Focus group interviews were conducted with the student teachers to gauge their awareness of and response to the occurrence of misunderstandings. They also completed a questionnaire in order to establish their awareness of misunderstandings. This small-scale survey also served to provide clarification of information gathered from the interviews. Several iterations of data combing were executed and coding and categorising were done concurrently within each data set. Findings corroborated the initial proposition that misunderstandings in the instructional context occur as a result of poor oral proficiency and inadequate speech act realization patterns. Underdeveloped communication skills included verbosity, unclear enunciation, non-standard pronunciation and inadequate rate of speech. However, what had not been anticipated was that the oral proficiency and speech act realization patterns of the student teachers were considerably weaker than had been expected. Furthermore, methodological factors and inadequate instructional skills similarly compounded the classroom communication. Participants displayed difficulty in formulating effective questions, explaining new concepts, giving instructions and designing well-structured lessons. Their inadequate content knowledge caused erroneous explanations, and poorly structured delivery resulted in instructional dissonance. The overarching theme of failure emerged, namely, inadequate pragmatic competence, underdeveloped content knowledge and scant methodological skills. Recommendations for policy and practice serve to highlight the importance of teachers’ proficiency in the medium of instruction. Coupled with a sound knowledge of the subject field and the prerequisite of well-developed methodological skills, the student teacher will be equipped to teach effectively. Several research topics relating to classroom communication, such as pre-service teacher development courses and cross-cultural and cross-linguistic competence, have been suggested for further exploration. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Humanities Education / unrestricted

The goal of risk communication is to inform people about the risks they face and to encourage them to take appropriate action in response to that threat. To achieve this goal, risk communication scholars continuously examine the messages surrounding crises and disasters, and engage in message-testing to evaluate theory-driven message designs. Recent communication scholarship recommends that messages should including instructing information (Coombs, 2012), and should take into consideration established pedagogy based on instructional communication research (Sellnow & Sellnow, 2010). This dissertation continues to build on research which applies instructional communication scholarship to risk communication messaging. Using message-testing, this dissertation examined the utility of the IDEA model a message design for earthquake early warnings.

This dissertation encourages adoption of a message-oriented receiver perspective when developing new instructional communication theories and proposes a causal-process model derived from Knowledge Acquisition Theory to demonstrate how this perspective can be used to predict student cognitive learning outcomes. Three hypotheses are generated to test the propositions of the derived model. The first hypothesis seeks to determine which dimensions of instructional message clarity and course content relevance best predict student interactions with instructional content. The second hypothesis predicts that student self-reported knowledge gains are a function of student interactions with content. The third hypothesis predicts that a significant proportion of the variance in knowledge gains can be explained by the combination of message characteristics with student content interactions both in and outside the classroom. A cross-sectional survey research design was used to collect responses from undergraduate students at a large southern public research university (n=333). The hypotheses were tested using linear and hierarchical regression and results demonstrated statistical support for all three hypotheses. The first hypothesis revealed the dimensions of instructional message clarity and course content relevance that significantly predicted student interactions with content inside and outside of class. Support for the second hypothesis illustrated that both in class and out of class content interactions significantly predicted student self-reports of knowledge gains. Finally, hypothesis 3 tested the comprehensive causalprocess model derived from Knowledge Acquisition Theory. The derived model received strong support and ultimately accounted for 65% of the variance in student perceptions of knowledge gains. Student perceptions of knowledge gains increased when students perceived textbook messages as clear, course goals and expectations as clear, content as relevant to their own lives, and when students enacted knowledge acquisition behaviors outside of class. Surprisingly, in class content interaction, presentation clarity, and procedural clarity dropped out of the model. Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed, directions for future research are suggested, and a persuasive argument is presented for why instructional communication researchers should continue to develop a message effects research agenda supporting the development of strong instructional communication theories that produce practical results to inform educational practices.

With the increasing popularity of and demand for online learning in higher education (Konetes, 2011) comes a need to examine students’ perceptions about classroom climate in these environments. Using the Instructional Beliefs Model (IBM) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation proposes the online learning climate (OLCS) scale for doing so. Informed by both organizational and instructional communication, as well as education, the scale consists of several variables related to instructor role(s) and behaviors, student characteristics, and course-specific structural issues to explain how students perceive climate within a computer-mediated classroom. Ultimately, this three-phase study consisted of: (a) constructing the OLCS, (b) establishing factor structure, as well as concurrent and convergent validity, and (c) establishing the scale’s discriminant validity, confirming its factorial structure, and testing three theoretical models.

Research shows that there is an increasing number of international students studying in universities and colleges in Canada, with China a top source country of international students. However, Chinese students’ experience studying in Canada has been rarely researched. Taking University of Ottawa as a case, this study explores the experience of Chinese students in terms of their relationships with instructors through a relational communication lens. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with Chinese first year students studying at the University of Ottawa to explore their experience of student-instructor relationships, to understand their overall experience of the student-instructor relationship, to identify the contributors and hindrances to the development of positive student-instructor relationships, and to explore the impact of such relationship on the students. Findings indicate that Chinese students experience different education and acculturation which influences their overall experience of student-instructor relationships. Teacher immediacy, rapport and classroom justice are factors that affect the development of such relationships, whose impact include both academic and social outcomes.

Concerns continue to be raised in South African higher education circles that students are not performing academically as they can and should, resulting in low through-put and poor retention rates (Hersh & Merrow, 2005; Pandor, 2007; DoE, 2008; EDUCATOR’S VOICE; MacGregor, 2009) . This mixed methods case study, using the General Model of Instructional Communication (McCroskey, Valencic, & Richmond, 2004), is an investigation of the lecturers’ and their students’ perceptions of lecturers’ instructional communication (IC), with specific focus on lecturer immediacy, clarity and credibility. These perceptions were further analysed to establish the extent to which they reflect lecturers’ instructional competence. Triangulation of data sets was conducted after seven lecturers had been interviewed and observed (eCOVE software and video) and questionnaires were administered to 252 first year students, enrolled for a communications course. Data were stored and analysed through the Dictate Express software, WEFT QDAS (text) and the Statistical Programme for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (numeric). The use of multiple data sources and analytic methods helped to improve the reliability and validity of the study. Analysis of the perceptions revealed that although the lecturers were perceived to be verbally and nonverbally immediate, they were also perceived to be unclear in their presentation, although credible in the eyes of their students. These negative behaviours have the potential to affect students’ learning adversely, and so potentially reduce students’ academic success. The lecturers were also found to be inconsistently competent, pedagogically and professionally. Recommendations at practical and policy levels, aimed at ameliorating lecturers’ communication and instructional skills during instruction, have been made while further research could review existing instruments, interventions and assess student performance. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / tm2015 / Humanities Education / PhD / Unrestricted

No description available.

This study examined the role service learning might play in increasing students’ public speaking self-efficacy in a required public speaking course. By increasing students’ public speaking mastery experiences with real world audiences and by providing them with additional feedback from community professionals in the audience, a service learning approach might potentially raise students’ perceptions of public speaking selfefficacy beyond what is gained from a public speaking course taught in a traditional way. A repeated measures, quasi-experimental study design with a comparison group was utilized in this study. Participants included 274 students enrolled in service learning public speaking courses and 328 students enrolled in traditionally taught public speaking courses at the University of Kentucky during the fall 2010 semester. Students enrolled in the service learning sections participated in at least 10 hours of service at a local nonprofit agency in lieu of classroom “seat time” over the course of the semester and developed their speech assignments around the experiences they had at the agency. First, this study attempted to provide support for a new measure of public speaking selfefficacy. In addition, it examined the relationship between students’ public speaking selfefficacy and their public speaking skill, as well as whether students enrolled in the service learning sections experienced different levels of public speaking self-efficacy than their non-service learning counterparts. This study also aimed to discover which sources of self-efficacy are most influential for students in developing their public speaking self-efficacy. Finally, this study compared speech performance ratings (including overall speech performance generally and delivery, structure, and content specifically) of students enrolled in service learning sections and students enrolled in traditional sections. Overall, results provided support for a new public speaking selfefficacy scale. In addition, public speaking self-efficacy and skill were weakly correlated. Next, service-learning and non-service learning students did not differ significantly on measures of public speaking self-efficacy or skill. Finally, mastery experiences seemed to have a larger impact on public speaking self-efficacy for servicelearning students than for non-service learning students.

After three decades of research, instructional communication scholars find themselves facing several key challenges. These range from an overemphasis in past studies on variable-analytic, atheoretical research to a lack of connection to learning outcomes. Many in the field contend that the time has come for instructional communication researchers to define instructional communication theories, test hypotheses, tie research efforts to learning outcomes, and clarify key terms. The present study addressed these shortcomings by proposing the Content Relevance Centric Theory and testing related hypotheses. The research occurred in a professional training environment and involved the use of a modified content relevance instrument that assessed both teacher communication characteristics and message content relevance. The study gathered data from 247 trainees. Results indicate the importance of the construct as a predictor of trainee behavioral intentions both directly and when mediated by both trainee state motivation and trainer credibility. Study outcomes also question the role of trainee engagement in learning and the connection between behavioral intentions and learning application.

The research by Lithuanian and foreign scientists justify the fact that instructional communication becomes a topical objective in the teacher-students’ professional self-development. Instructional communication is defined as a complex integral phenomenon, the most significant part of teacher’s activity, joining together all other activities into the whole and having an impact on pupil’s and teacher’s interaction, success of the self-developmental process. Teacher’s informative-communicative, perceptive, interactive skills of instructional communication perform a multifunctional role in pupils’ self-developmental process, while designing their world of values, motivating them to learn all life long, embed the attitudes of humanism, democracy, etc. Scientific literature data and legal documents‘ analysis substantiate theoretically the development of student-teachers’ instructional communication topical and points out the problem of its insufficient research. The aim of the research is to reveal peculiarities and dynamics of student‘s and teachers‘ instructional communication in the study process. The data of the empirical research revealed and substantiated prerequisites for student-teachers’ self-development of instructional communication skills: one’s self-determination to become a teacher, interpersonal relationship in a study group, carrying out practical tasks under the guidance of competent supervisors in particular. The integration of theoretical knowledge on... [to full text] / Lietuvos ir užsienio mokslininkų darbai pagrindžia, kad pedagoginis bendravimas – aktualus siekinys būsimųjų mokytojų profesiniame ugdyme(si). Pedagoginis bendravimas apibrėžiamas kaip sudėtingas integruotas reiškinys, svarbiausia mokytojo veiklos dalis, jungianti į visumą visas kitas veiklas bei lemianti mokinio ir mokytojo sąveiką, ugdymo(si) proceso sėkmingumą. Mokytojo pedagoginio bendravimo informaciniai-komunikaciniai, percepciniai, interakciniai gebėjimai atlieka polifunkcinį vaidmenį mokinių ugdymo(si) procese, kuriant vertybinį pasaulį, motyvuojant mokymąsi visą gyvenimą, įtvirtina humaniškumo, demokratiškumo nuostatas ir kt. Darbe mokslinės literatūros analize aktualizuota būsimųjų mokytojų pedagoginio bendravimo ugdymo(si) aukštojoje mokykloje nepakankamo mokslinio ištyrimo problema, todėl išsikeltas tyrimo tikslas – atskleisti būsimųjų mokytojų pedagoginio bendravimo ypatumus ir dinamiką studijų procese. Remiantis empirinio tyrimo rezultatais atskleistos ir pagrįstos būsimųjų mokytojų pedagoginio bendravimo gebėjimų ugdymo(si) prielaidos: pasiryžimas dirbti mokytoju, tarpasmeniniai santykiai studijų grupėje, savarankiškos praktinės užduotys konsultuojant kompetentingiems vadovams. Taip pat pagrįstas integruoto pedagoginio bendravimo ugdymo pozityvus poveikis studentams: jų profesiniam (stiprėjantis apsisprendimas būti mokytoju), dalykiniam (sąmoningas siekis gilesnio dalykinio išprusimo) apsisprendimui, tarpasmeninių santykių grupėje dinamikai ir kt.