Showing papers by "Jeffrey T. Child published in 2006"

Preparation Meeting Opportunity: How Do College Students Prepare for Public Speeches?

Abstract: Nearly half a million students prepare classroom speeches each year, but little is known about overall preparation time and the relative proportions of time used for each speech preparation activity. Further, we do not know the specific speech preparation activities that result in higher speech grades. Public speaking students completed journal entries over the course of a semester detailing their speech preparation process. Multiple regression revealed the relationship of time spent in five writing activities and overall speech grade averages. Overall preparation time correlated significantly with higher speech grades; in addition, students who spent more time in delivery and practice earned higher speech grades.

What are Students Being Taught about Ethics in Public Speaking Textbooks

Abstract: Current conceptions of communication and ethics were investigated in the top ten public speaking textbooks in the communication discipline. Content analysis was used to examine eight ethical topic areas within each textbook. Results indicate the textbooks by Lucas, Jaffe, Beebe and Beebe, and Brydon and Scott provide the most overall coverage to ethics. In addition, plagiarism, ethnical listening, honesty, and ethical research are discussed most frequently while freedom of speech, hate words, and codes of ethics are least discussed among the top ten selling public speaking books. Each author references different philosophers, defines ethics, and describes the consequences of cheating in diverse ways. The implications of how ethics is not given the same amount of space in the top ten best-selling public speaking textbooks are discussed.

Healthy research perspectives: incorporating college student experiences with alcohol.

Abstract: College student alcohol consumption is pervasive and problematic at most U.S. college and university campuses. This study focuses on understanding college students who consume high levels of alcohol, providing healthy insight into what have been perceived by researchers as unhealthy behaviors. Researchers conducted 6 mediated focus group discussions. Five strategies are warranted: normalize alcohol consumption, consider alcohol socialization practices used in other cultures, educate parents about the importance of their role, modify current high school alcohol education strategies, and provide student responsibility through peer interaction.

Elusive Family Problems Reported by Japanese College Students: An Examination of Theme Variation and Methodology

Abstract: Family problems are ubiquitous, consequential, and experienced by families around the world. The current study examines how the methods of inquiry used to gather information from Japanese college students about their family problems shape the reported problems. Fifty-five students completed a survey through a direct question protocol and 20 participants answered indirect in-depth interviews with a cultural agent. Participant themes for perceptions of family problems were distinguished between the two groups. Participants in the indirect method discussed unexpected family problems significantly more and identified not having family problems significantly less than those in the direct question method.

It's More Than Drinking, Drugs, and Sex: College Student Perceptions of Family Problems

Abstract: The colorful misbehavior of college students trumps Considerations of college students' relationships with their families With broad coverage of behaviors such as binge drinking, on-line gambling, and risky sexual behavior, the image of the college student is one of a person worrying about what time the bar opens, rather than problems at home This image may be a myth, just as believing a parent who drinks too much on a given evening forgets about his or her family problems is a myth Understanding the role of family influence on college students expands the view of the concerns of college students This study will identify problems facing college students' families today Literature Review Family influence on college students Despite publicity suggesting parents no longer are connected to their young adult children, parents continue to have an influence on their college-age children (Booth-Butterfield & Sidelinger, 1998; Wilks, 1986) Family interaction patterns are a factor in children's subsequent behaviors (Booth-Butterfield & Sidelinger, 1998) Psychologically healthy college students report better communication with their parents (Amerikaner, Monks, Wolfe, & Thomas, 1994) College students pay attention to what is happening with their families While they are experimenting with a variety of behaviors, college students are still communicating with their family members and learning the status of lingering issues The ready availability of email and dominance of cell phones has made that communication easier and more frequent Family Problems Communication behaviors play a key role in diffusing distress Linker, Stolberg, and Green (1999) found that when parents communicate effectively during a divorce, children experience fewer behavioral problems Daily communication, or everyday talk, between children and noncustodial parents has been found to be a significant factor in maintaining a close relationship after a divorce (Afifi & Kieth, 2004) The identification of family problems is fundamental to resolving them Problem identification gives a common understanding of the problem to each family member Identifying and analyzing the sources of family stress has been a dominant research theme (Rollins, Garrison, & Pierce, 2002) Turner and West (2002) note, however, that shared family perceptions do not mean that every member of the family responds the same way to a stressor An understanding of family problems from the perspective of the young adult son or daughter is lacking Thus, the following research question merits further investigation: RQ 1: What problems do college students identify as affecting their families? Method Participants Participants in this study attended a medium sized Midwestern university (N = 156) The average age of the child participant was 21, with a range from 18 years to 45 years old Participants indicated having a wide range of siblings From the sample, 58 participants (372%) indicated having one sibling, 53 participants (340%) had two siblings, and the remaining participants indicated a range of zero to eleven siblings (1) From the sample, 134 individuals (859%) did not live at home with their parents Additionally, 105 respondents (676%) had a job at the time of the survey Among students who worked, they averaged 2419 hours a week (SD = 949) with a range of 5 to 56 hours (2) Procedure Students from a variety of classes were asked to complete an open-ended survey during their class session The surveys were distributed in the summer and fall semesters of 2004 Five individuals transcribed the survey responses The survey instrument consisted of a section on demographics and eleven open-ended questions The open-ended questions asked what the participants identified as problems, what they would classify as the most significant problem, why this was the most significant problem, what they wished they could do about the problem, what they would do about the problem, a story of a time a problem was resolved, and any viable solutions for the problem …