Social support and perceived understanding in the brother relationship

Social support is an important factor in peoples' physical and psychological well‐being. Pierce, Sarason, & Sarason (1991) identified three social support styles: relationship support, relationship conflict, and interpersonal depth. This study was interested in the relationship between these three styles with perceived understanding in the brother‐brother relationship. Ninety‐six sets of brothers completed a questionnaire reporting on the styles they use with their brothers and their feelings of being understood. Results showed overall positive relationships between the styles of relationship support and interpersonal depth with perceived understanding. The style of relationship conflict was negatively related to perceived understanding. Additionally, brothers reported using similar support styles with one another.     

Self‐handicapping orientation and tendencies toward verbal aggressiveness

This study explored tendencies toward verbal aggressiveness by individuals who differ in the extent to which they engage in face saving strategies. Two‐hundred ten participants completed the Self‐Handicapping and Verbal Aggressiveness Scales. Results indicated that differences exist between high and moderate, and law self‐handicappers on their tendencies toward verbal aggressiveness. Participants who reported using more self‐handicapping behaviors (highs and moderates) reported higher levels of verbal aggressiveness than low self‐handicappers. The results suggest that verbal aggressiveness may be considered as a self‐handicapping strategy for those higher in self‐handicapping orientation.     

Dissension in the organization as it relates to control expectancies

The purpose of this study was to examine how employees’ strategies for expressing dissent relate to work locus of control expectancies. Employees (N = 280) completed measures of organizational dissent and work specific locus of control. Results indicated that employees reporting an internal control orientation used significantly more articulated dissent than either moderate or external control oriented employees. Additionally, findings indicated that external oriented employees used significantly more latent dissent than employees reporting either moderate or external control orientations did.     

Special symposium: Reviews of books in applied communication

CONDITIONS OF LIBERTY: CIVIL SOCIETY AND ITS RIVALS by Ernest Gellner. New York: Penguin, 1994; $27.95.

LISTEN UP: VOICES FROM THE NEXT FEMINIST GENERATION. Edited by Barbara Findlen. Seattle, Washington: Seal, 1995; pp. xi‐264. $12.95.

“I GOTTA TELL YOU”;: SPEECHES OF LEE IACOCCA. Edited by Matthew W. Seeger. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1994. 335 pages. $27.50 (hardcover). $15.00 (paperback).

A IS FOR OX: VIOLENCE, ELECTRONIC MEDIA, AND THE SILENCING OF THE WRITTEN WORD by Barry Sanders; New York: Pantheon Books; 1994; 271 pages, $23.00.

HOW THINGS GOT BETTER: SPEECH, WRITING, PRINTING, AND CULTURAL CHANGE by Henry J. Perkinson; Westport, Connecticut: Bergin & Garvey; 1995; 173 pages; $49.95.

CONCEPTUALIZING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AS DISCURSIVE PRACTICE. Edited by Shereen G. Bingham. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1994; pp. 206. $55.00

APPLIED COMMUNICATION IN THE 21^st CENTURY; edited by Kenneth N. Cissna; Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erbaum Associates, 1995; 218 pages, $19.95     

Improving course evaluations to improve instruction and complex learning in higher education

Recent research has touted the benefits of learner-centered instruction, problem-based learning, and a focus on complex learning. Instructors often struggle to put these goals into practice as well as to measure the effectiveness of these new teaching strategies in terms of mastery of course objectives. Enter the course evaluation, often a standardized tool that yields little practical information for an instructor, but is nonetheless utilized in making high-level career decisions, such as tenure and monetary awards to faculty. The present researchers have developed a new instrument to measure teaching and learning quality (TALQ). In the current study of 464 students in 12 courses, if students agreed that their instructors used First Principles of Instruction and also agreed that they experienced academic learning time (ALT), then students were about 5 times more likely to achieve high levels of mastery of course objectives and 26 times less likely to achieve low levels of mastery, according to independent instructor assessments. TALQ can measure improvements in use of First Principles in teaching and course design. The feedback from this instrument can assist teachers who wish to implement the recommendation made by Kuh et al. (2007) that universities and colleges should focus their assessment efforts on factors that influence student success.