Idiomatic Communication in the Stages of Coming Together and Falling Apart

Idiomatic communication is a strategic and unique form of communication that is indicative of a close relationship. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between idiomatic communication with solidarity and satisfaction to validate Social Penetration Theory using Knapp's stages of escalation and de-escalation. The results of the study (N = 275) found that couples in de-escalation stages report less idioms, and use idioms with less frequency, than couples in the escalation stages. Couples in de-escalating stages use confrontation, nickname, and teasing insult idioms with more negative effects than escalating couples. Finally, the use of idiomatic communication is significantly related to solidarity and relational satisfaction.     

Adult sons' satisfaction with their relationships with fathers and person‐group (father) communication apprehension

The present study was designed to explore the empirical relationship between adult sons' communication apprehension regarding their fathers and satisfaction with those relationships. Results indicated that (1) apprehension and satisfaction were negatively correlated, (2) a descending nonlinear function best described the relationship, (3) both frequency and intensity of apprehension experiences contributed to the prediction of satisfaction, and (4) father communication apprehension was empirically distinct from general dyadic communication apprehension. These results were initially derived from the responses of a screening sample and were subsequently cross‐validated. Theoretical implications are discussed.     

Broadening communication yet holding back: Teachers’ perceptions of their relationship with students in the SNS-era

Teacher-student relationship is vital for students’ academic, emotional and social development, as well as for teachers’ professional and personal development. This quantitative study examines teacher-student communication and relationship on Facebook among secondary school teachers (N = 180). We examined teachers’ attitudes towards: a) a policy that bans teacher-student Facebook connections; b) using Facebook for learning. Overall, teachers were interested in broadening communication channels with students, in order to empower learning and interpersonal relationship. However, teachers also maintain traditional teacher-student differentiation; they approve using Facebook for learning and disagree with a banning policy, but also prefer using a professional profile for interacting with their students. Data regarding teachers’ perceptions of relationship with their students and SNS-mediated communication present issues regarding means of communication, attitudes towards the policy of banning SNS, standpoints on using Facebook for learning, and preferred profile for communicating with students. We discuss these issues in light of academic, pedagogical, and inter-personal implications.     

Impact of Secondary Students’ Content Knowledge on Their Communication Skills in Science

The expert blind spot (EBS) hypothesis implies that even some experts with a high content knowledge might have problems in science communication because they are using the structure of the content rather than their addressee’s prerequisites as an orientation. But is that also true for students? Explaining science to peers is a crucial part of cooperative learning methods such as the “jigsaw method”. Our study examined the relationship between science communication competence (SCC) and content knowledge (CK) of 10th-grade students (N = 213). Using latent class analysis, we identified two types of students with a different relationship between CK and SCC. Using path analysis, we found that the first type of 109 students primarily used their science CK as the “resource” for addressee-oriented science communication and both their SCC and their CK were correlated with each other. For the second type of 104 students (who used other resources), their CK even had a small negative effect on their SCC. Using t tests, we found that those students primarily using their CK as the resource for communication performed significantly worse in the communication test than did those students who used other resources. Using the EBS hypothesis, we suggest that students’ CK might have ambiguous effects in communication if the content structure—rather than their addressee’s prior knowledge—is used as the primary orientation for communication. We suggest that an effective use of cooperative learning techniques in classroom requires a special prior training for their science communication skills.     

The relationships of communication with supervisor and decision‐participation to employee job satisfaction

This study examined the relationship of communication‐related variables to employee job satisfaction. Specifically, employee communication satisfaction with supervisor, perceived supervisor receptivity to information and ideas, employee participation in decision‐making, participation versus desired participation level, and job satisfaction with supervisor, co‐workers, promotions, pay, and work were studied. The subjects for the study were classified employees (secretaries, clerks, lowest level supervisors, etc) in three administrative units (Controller, Personnel, and Admissions & Records) of a comprehensive Eastern university. The communication‐related variables accounted collectively for a substantial amount of variance (76%) in employees job satisfaction. Moreover, communication satisfaction with supervisor and supervisor receptivity in information were found to be more powerful “predictors”; of job satisfaction than the decision participation variables. The study cast some doubt upon the comparative value of participation as a communication strategy with low‐level employees. Specific guidelines for direct application of results and implications for future research were derived from the study.     

The effect of uncertainty reducing strategies on young couples' relational repair and intimacy

Relying on uncertainty reduction theory, this study examines the effect of communication strategies on assessments of relational repair and intimacy. Approximately one hundred heterosexual, romantically involved couples nominated unfaithfulness, third party competition, and geographic distance as events most negatively affecting their relationships. These couples also reported that they most often engaged in interactive communication behavior (especially relationship talk) to repair their relationships. In addition, men's passive strategy use and women's active strategy use were associated with self‐reported and partner‐attributed beliefs that the relationship was repaired. Perceptions of relational repair were, in turn, tied to the degree of self‐reported intimacy.     

Decoding Ability and Humor Production

Scholars have suggested that being “in tune” with others may be an important aspect of successful humor creation; however, few studies have specifically investigated this possibility. Thus, this study examined the relationship between decoding ability and humor orientation. Decoding ability was conceptualized as involving three communication constructs: conversational sensitivity, nonverbal sensitivity, and receiver apprehension. Consistent with predictions, results revealed positive relationships between (1) humor orientation and conversational sensitivity and (2) humor orientation and nonverbal sensitivity. Also consistent with predictions, a negative relationship was found between humor orientation and receiver apprehension. Further analysis indicated the three communication variables together accounted for 24% of the variance in humor orientation; only conversational sensitivity and receiver apprehension, however, accounted for unique variance. Overall, these findings suggest humor production may be related to the ways in which individuals attend to their social environments.     

Relationships among loneliness,communication competence,and career success in a state bureaucracy: A field study of the ‘lonely at the top’ maxim

This field study investigates associations among loneliness, career success, and communication competence in an effort to account for the finding of Bell, Roloff, Van Camp, and Karol (1990) that individuals who occupy low positions in organizational hierarchies may be more prone to loneliness. Subjects were 182 employees at a state government agency. Each subject's level in the organization was assessed by assigning him or her to one of five ordinal categories, ranging from Clerical (Level 1) to Director (Level 5). In addition, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and a measure of communication competence were completed. Hypothesis 1, which predicted a negative relationship between organizational level and loneliness, was supported for male subjects only. The second hypothesis, which anticipated a positive correlation between organizational level and communication competence, was again supported only for males. The third prediction that loneliness would be inversely related to competence received strong support for both sexes. The final hypothesis predicted that the inverse relationship between level and loneliness expected in Hypothesis 1 would become positive when controlling for baseline differences in communication competence between higher‐and lower‐positioned employees. No evidence was found that greater communication competence among employees at higher organizational levels masked a real tendency for career success to be accompanied by more loneliness. These results are discussed in terms of gender differences in the interface of work life and personal relationships.     

大学生虚拟交往对现实交往中的人际信任、情感平衡的影响研究

随着网络的普及,虚拟交往已成为大学生上网的最主要内容,但其对象的虚拟性和复杂性给大学生的人际交往带来一系列的挑战。通过探讨大学生虚拟交往对现实交往中的人际信任、情感平衡的影响,以期能全面分析大学生的人际交往状况,改善大学生的人际关系。调查研究发现:(1)在人际信任度上,女生在现实交往和虚拟交往两个维度上的得分均普遍高于男生;(2)不同年级大学生在虚拟交往和现实交往两个维度上存在显著差异。随着年级的升高,大学生的人际信任度逐渐升高;(3)大一学生情感平衡得分最高,随年级的升高呈递减的趋势;(4)大学生网络人际信任与现实人际信任存在显著的正相关。回归分析表明,网络人际信任对现实人际信任具有显著的预测作用。     

Intrinsically Interconnected and Interactive Relationship of Language and Culture—From the Perspective of Communication and Based on Case Studies

Language and culture are intrinsically interconnected and interactive with each other.On one hand,language is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it:language expresses,embodies and symbolizes cultural reality.On the other,language is influenced and shaped by culture;it reflects culture.This kind of relationship of language and culture is indispensible,which is clearly reflected in and especially ture with their play of roles in communication.Through the overviews of language and culture,and based on the case studies of three types of communication(cross-cultural,intercultural and multicultural communication),this article is aimed at discussing the relationship of language and culture in detail from the perspective of communication,and further explain and prove the importance of language and culture in successful communication.     

论贫困大学生和谐人际关系的形成——儒家交往伦理的视角

对于大学生而言,和谐的人际关系既是其生存发展的必要条件,也是其自我完善的内在要求。在影响贫困大学生人际交往的诸多原因中,经济条件的贫困性是根本原因,通过社会交往氛围、家庭成长环境、学校交往环境、自身性格心理等影响因素体现出来。借鉴儒家交往伦理,可以促进贫困大学生和谐人际关系的形成和巩固。学校和贫困大学生应提高对人际关系重要性的认知;从思想上消解经济因素对贫困大学生进行人际交往的消极影响;建立大学生互助团队,培养贫困大学生人际交往的自信心和交往技能;提升道德素养,以自身的道德人格魅力拓展交往范围。     

TRAINING FOR INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION: A TRANSACTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Theorists argue that one's personal view of communication affects the actual communicative relationship. This paper explores the positive, growth‐promoting implications for communication between generations when the model that persons bring to the cross‐generational relationship is transactional, and discusses implications of the transactional model for trainers and educators in gerontology.

With the rising number of older persons in American society, the question for persons working on a consistent basis with the elderly (kin, social service provider, etc.) of how to relate most effectively on an interpersonal basis with an older person is an issue of great import. The authors suggest that the transactional perspective to interpersonal communication with older persons is the answer to most effectively dealing with factors affecting communication cross‐generationally and suggest that educators adopt this perspective. Factors that the transactional perspective addresses directly include negative stereotypes and fears of aging, crises encountered as the person ages, shifts during the later life cycle in exposure to interpersonal communication, and ability to negotiate relationships.     

Mode of communication, perceived level of understanding, and perceived quality of life in youth who are deaf or hard of hearing

Given the important role of parent-youth communication in adolescent well-being and quality of life, we sought to examine the relationship between specific communication variables and youth perceived quality of life in general and as a deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) individual. A convenience sample of 230 youth (mean age = 14.1, standard deviation = 2.2; 24% used sign only, 40% speech only, and 36% sign + speech) was surveyed on communication-related issues, generic and DHH-specific quality of life, and depression symptoms. Higher youth perception of their ability to understand parents' communication was significantly correlated with perceived quality of life as well as lower reported depressive symptoms and lower perceived stigma. Youth who use speech as their single mode of communication were more likely to report greater stigma associated with being DHH than youth who used both speech and sign. These findings demonstrate the importance of youths' perceptions of communication with their parents on generic and DHH-specific youth quality of life.     

When enough is too much: Communication apprehension and employee information experiences

This study examines the relationships between supervisor communication apprehension, employee communication apprehension, and employees' reports of information received from their supervisor. Results indicated that supervisor communication apprehension was negatively related to employees' reports of information received. Employee communication apprehension and employees' reports of information received from supervisors were not significantly related. Supervisor communication apprehension was negatively related to the information load reported by employees. Finally, a positive relationship was identified between employee communication apprehension and the information load reported by employees.     

The Quality and Impact of Relationships between Elementary School Students and Teachers

The purpose of the present study was to begin to examine, from the expectancy-value framework, several cognitive and motivational variables believed to affect the development of the student/teacher relationship and, in turn, classroom success. Guided by the expectancy-value framework, three student variables are viewed as essential in guiding the success of the student/teacher relationship: (1) their social self-concept beliefs, (2) the value they place on developing a positive relationship with their primary teacher, and (3) their nonverbal communication skills. Eighty-two fourth- and fifth-grade students participated in the study. Variation in the students' perceptions of the quality of their relationship with their primary teacher and their classroom achievement were examined. In general, results suggest students develop schemas, their social self-concept beliefs, about their relationships with teachers that are consistent with their nonverbal communication skills. Furthermore, results suggest that for both positive perceptions of the relationship and academic achievement, valuing the relationship with the primary teacher may compensate for nonverbal difficulties.     

高中生亲子沟通质量的结构及特点

亲子沟通是亲子关系的一种重要互动形式,沟通质量直接影响着青少年的社会性与个性发展。本次研究采用Olson亲子沟通量表对武汉市高中生亲子沟通的特点进行了调查,并对量表的信效度进行了检验。结果发现：（1）亲子沟通质量分成三个维度：开放性、防御性和冲突性;（2）高中生亲子沟通从高到低依次呈现出开放性、防御性以及冲突性的特点;（3）母子沟通质量高于父子沟通质量,其中,母亲和女儿的沟通质量更高一些。     

Techne and Technical Communication: Toward a Dialogue

The classical Greek discourse on techne has much to offer technical communication teachers concerned about the relationship between theory and practice, but this potential has not yet been realized. Plato's and Aristotle's discussions about the relationship between techne and rhetoric, for example, encompass questions about the rhetorical goals of the speakedwriter and about the role of theory in teaching rhetorical art that are of continuing relevance to the modern discourse on technical communication. The aim of this article is to identify several points upon which a fruitful dialogue between ancient and modern discourses can begin. First, I supply some background on how the term techne was used up through the fourth century BCE. Then I discuss how the modern discourse on technical communication (including material from popular textbooks) both converges with and departs from Plato's and Aristotle's statements on the relationship between techne and rhetoric. Finally, I point out areas for further discussion as teachers of technical communication continue to reflect upon and refine their pedagogies.     

Communication and decision‐making styles,power base usage,and satisfaction in marital dyads

This research focused on use of power, decision‐making and communication styles of spouses in marital dyads, and the level of marital satisfaction of the partners in these relationships. Drawing primarily on previous work involving Management Communication Style and decision‐making styles in organizational and instructional communication contexts, but also examining directly relevant work within the marital context, three hypotheses and five research questions were advanced. Marital satisfaction for members of 136 marital dyads was examined to determine its relationship with self‐ and spouse‐reported communication and decision‐making styles and use of various power bases in communication designed to influence marital partner. The three hypotheses were supported by the findings: 1) Self‐reported satisfaction as a member of a marital dyad was positively related to the spouse's use of a more co‐active style of communication and decision‐making; 2) Such satisfaction was positively related to one's spouse's communication of referent power; and 3) Such satisfaction was negatively related to one's spouse's communication of coercive power. Use of reward power was also found to be negatively associated with a spouse's marital satisfaction. With only one meaningful exception, results for husbands and wives were very similar.     

Principal Leadership for Special Education: An Ethical Framework

A constructive home-school relationship is an integral component of a child's educational success. Parents must be equal partners in this relationship. One way to find out what parents' needs are is to ask them. Bryan (1992) asked parents of students in different class settings (regular, resource, and self-contained) for their opinions about homework, testing, and grading practices. On the back of each survey, a space was provided for additional comments. We analyzed unstructured parental comments regarding homework, tests, and grades using qualitative meth- odology to identify patterns. The comments contained eight broad themes: (a) complaints, (b) traditional beliefs about education, (c) alternative beliefs about education, (d) communication issues, (e) beliefs about involvement, (f) stress factors, (g) involvement depends on child characteristics, and (h) compliments. Although some differences emerged between parents of children in resource and self-contained classrooms and parents of children in regular classrooms, parent comments across groups were more similar than different. We discuss homework as a means to bridge home and school and suggest further research in the realm of home-school expectations and communication.     

认识与交往:师生关系的两个层次

认识与交往是透析师生关系的两个层次,是分别从认识论和交往理论角度对这一关系所做的规定。从认识论角度,师生关系体现为不断游移变换的主客体关系;从交往角度,师生关系是教师个体与学生个体(群体)之间的角色对话关系。