Expanding the research agenda for instructional communication: Raising some unasked questions

Communication Across the Curriculum and in the Disciplines: Speaking in Engineering

“…Scholars in communication have not only issued increased calls for diverse methodologies such as ethnography (Sprague, 1992) but also have indicated the importance of this work in understanding the ways in which cultures exist as communicative systems (Carbaugh, 1995;Hymes, 1962;Philipsen, 1992).…”

Constructing Gender Pedagogies: Desire and Resistance in the "Alternative" Classroom

“…The place of communication in research and theory about education has only recently begun to be questioned (see, for example, Alexander, 1999;Sprague, 1992Sprague, , 1993Warren, 1999). Instructional communication research needs to focus both on providing information about skills and techniques for effective classroom management and teaching and to be reflexive about exercise of power/knowledge through the discourses that circulate both inside and outside of the classroom.…”

“Your fears are appreciated here”: Exploring a humanistic approach to public speaking instruction

“…The process-product paradigm, which has informed a considerable amount of instructional communication scholarship, has largely cast the teacher-student relationship in terms of determining which instructional techniques/methods best maximize pre-defined indicators of student achievement. More recent work, however, predominantly from critical communication scholars (e.g., Alley-Young, 2005;Cooks, 2010;Fassett & Warren, 2007;Hendrix, Jackson, & Warren, 2003;Sprague, 1992Sprague, , 1993Warren, 2010), has highlighted the limitations of the paradigm and given much needed consideration to a host of socio-communicative phenomena that likewise affect the teaching and learning context. The humanistic approach, such as the one characterized in this report, similarly marks a sharp departure from traditional communication pedagogy by dedicating generous attention to the developmental needs, interests, and personal histories of individual students.…”