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Few studies have investigated how individuals with partially intelligible speech choose to communicate, including how, when, and why they might use a speech-generating device (SGD). This study aimed to add to the literature by exploring how this group of individuals use different communication strategies. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 10 participants with partially intelligible speech with the aim of investigating participants' perceptions of modes of communication and communication strategies. Transcripts were analyzed using Framework Analysis to investigate the role of SGDs alongside other communication strategies. Factors that influence why, when, and how a person chooses to communicate were identified and these were interpreted as an explanatory model of communication with partially intelligible speech. Participants described how they made the decision whether to attempt to communicate at all and then which communication method to use. Decision-making was influenced by the importance of the message, how much time is available, past experience, and the communication partner. Each communication attempt adds to an individuals' experience of communicating and influences subsequent decisions. This study suggests that individuals with partially intelligible speech are at risk of reduced communication environments and networks and that current SGDs may not be designed in a way that recognizes their particular needs.

As the main symptom in palliative care, pain requires careful assessment. Repeating patient answers is one recommended communication technique for helping convey to patients that they have been heard, and to encourage them to say more. We examined 23 episodes where experienced doctors repeat patients' answers with mirrored rhythm and downward-final intonation, captured in pain assessments video-recorded in 37 consultations in a large UK hospice. Using conversation analysis, our aim was to determine whether or not the repeats invite additional talk, and if so, how they do so. Our findings reveal lexical and prosodic features of doctors' repeated pain answers that signal completion of the sequence. At the same time, because the patient has greater epistemic access to their own pain, a repeat can also invite confirmation or disconfirmation. The patients in our data sometimes--but not always--respond to the repeat with confirmation or further talk. We conclude that repeating patient answers with mirrored rhythm and downward-final intonation provides a no-obligation opportunity for patient-led confirmation, disconfirmation, or expansion of pain descriptions, particularly when the pain matter is new, revised, or has been problematic to report.

The development of students' professional skills is an important issue in higher education in China. This research reports a 3-month study investigating engineering students' communication strategies (CSs) while they were interacting to do a 12-week mobile-assisted learning project, i.e., "Organizing and Attending a Model International Conference". This learning project was a major teaching module of the English course of Professional Applications, which used a blended teaching mode integrating face-to-face instruction and mobile learning. Sixty-seven students volunteered to participate in the study. The instruments included eight oral communication sessions, a questionnaire, stimulated recall interviews, the participants' WeChat exchanges, etc. Results showed that the participants used a variety of CSs when completing the academic learning project. Moreover, these CSs were closely related to the students' involvement in social interaction. Future research should focus on a longitudinal investigation of the amount of scaffolding that helps students transfer their communication strategies across tasks.

This study investigated students' communication preferences in educational settings, resulting in an empirical model of effective communication between students and lecturers. Students from a psychology department at a UK university were asked about their preferred communication tool for academic purposes, including social networking, emails, university-internal virtual learning environments, and face-to-face communication. The data was analysed using methods of exploratory data analysis and cluster analysis. Students clearly expressed a preference for social networking sites when communicating with peers due to their frequent and widespread use, fast response rate, and ease of access, but preferred face-to-face meetings when sufficient time was available. When communicating with lecturers, students had a preference to use email. The findings also showed that students preferred to attend lectures over reading lecture slides online. Based on these results, an empirical model of students' communication preferences in educational settings was developed aimed to aid in the effective management of student-lead communication. The study concludes with a critical evaluation of ways students and lecturers can improve communication between each other and how this can positively contribute to students' university experience.

Background: Communication strategy training (CST) is a recognized part of UK speech and language therapists' (SLTs) role when working with a person with aphasia. Multiple CST interventions have been published but, to date, there are no published studies exploring clinical practice in this area. Aims: To investigate UK SLTs' current CST practices. Methods & Procedures: Thirty-seven UK SLTs completed an online questionnaire, eight of whom attended a follow-up focus group. A clinical consistency scale was applied to the questionnaire data and tasks that were most consistently used were explored in the focus group and analyzed using a primarily deductive thematic data analysis approach. Outcomes & Results: Three key CST findings arose: (1) the rarity with which SLTs focus equally and explicitly on both communication partners' strategies; (2) SLTs' differing understandings of CST terminologies and concepts and underuse of formal assessment; and (3) the absence of video feedback. Conclusion & Implications: This study's survey findings suggest that conversation partners not only receive half the amount of CST given to people with aphasia but also play a more passive learning role when they are present. This is an interesting point to consider when the current evidence base contains stronger evidence for the effectiveness of conversation partner CST over other CST approaches, it being described as an effective method that may be maintained over time.

This study investigates the different learning opportunities enabled by text-based and video-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) from an interactionist perspective. Six Chinese-speaking learners of English and six English-speaking learners of Chinese were paired up as tandem (reciprocal) learning dyads. Each dyad participated in four kinds of interactions, namely, English text-based SCMC, Chinese text-based SCMC, English video-based SCMC and Chinese video-based SCMC. Their use of communication strategies (CSs) were analyzed along with an after-task questionnaire and with stimulated reflection to explore systematically and comprehensively the differences between text-based and video-based SCMC. In addition to the main role of qualitative analysis, the quantitative analysis was undertaken to provide an overview of the relative frequencies of the occurrence of the different strategies and to understand their distribution in the different conditions. A MANOVA was applied to understand to what extent the differences are likely to have occurred by chance. The results showed that learners used CSs differently in text-based and video-based SCMC and indicated different learning opportunities provided by these two modes of SCMC. While text-based SCMC appears to have greater potential for learning target-like language forms, video-based SCMC seems particularly effective for fluency development as well as pronunciation improvement.

Intensive Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) training courses for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) can have a positive effect on their use of interaction strategies that support children's communication skills. The impact of brief SLT training courses is not yet clearly understood. The aims of these two studies were to assess the impact of a brief SLT training course on ECEs' interaction behaviour, and to explore ECEs' views and experiences of the course. In Study 1, eight ECEs took part in a multiple-baseline study of a brief SLT training course. Video-recordings of interactions with children were used to evaluate ECEs' interaction behaviour using the Conversational Responsiveness Assessment and Fidelity Tool. In Study 2, seven ECEs took part in semi-structured interviews about this training course. Template analysis was used to identify key themes. In Study 1, the group of trained ECEs showed a statistically significant increase in their use of one communication-facilitating strategy (using comments to cue turn-taking) and a statistically significant decrease in their use of one conversation-hindering behaviour (asking yes/no, testing or rhetorical questions). Analysis at the individual level showed a modest increase in some ECEs' use of language-modelling strategies and a more generalized decrease in conversation-hindering behaviours. In Study 2, ECEs more consistently reported learning and using communication-facilitating strategies than language-modelling strategies. ECEs identified several features of the training course that facilitated learning: the practical, interactive nature of the group training sessions, the use of video feedback, and the repetition of key strategies in several training sessions. We conclude that brief SLT training for ECEs can lead to increased use of some interaction strategies that help children's communication skills develop. Further research is needed to evaluate brief SLT training more thoroughly.

In line with "Valuing People Now: A New Three-Year Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities" (Department of Health, 2009), this article details a service evaluation for a learning disability-child and adolescent mental health service (LD-CAMHS) in Chesterfield, North Derbyshire. The aim of the project was to produce a set of quality standards in order to ensure service users' needs are met. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven children between the ages of 11 and 17 years, with moderate to severe learning disabilities. Four themes were derived from a thematic analysis; the "experience of the service", "communication", "impact of the work carried out", and "difficulties encountered". It was recommended that staff working within the service should ensure communication is at a level appropriate for the client; offer a welcoming approach; provide an open approach; and offer a reasonable choice of location. This article provides suggestions for how other LD-CAMHS teams could use these standards for their own purposes.

Tutors' intentions when providing feedback may not be accurately perceived and acted on by students. In this study, 19 biological sciences students and six tutors were interviewed concerning the tutor's intentions when providing specific feedback and the students' perceptions and usage of that feedback. A phenomenological approach was used to analyse the interview data. Additionally, copies of the documented feedback were examined and the feedback style was classified. Student conceptions of the role of feedback included providing guidance, identifying what the tutor wants and giving meaning to the work to develop learning. Analysis of tutor feedback styles indicates that tutors were focussed on giving praise and correcting misunderstandings in the present assignment. Since developmental aspects of students' learning were rarely addressed in tutor feedback, these findings suggest some misalignment in feedback provision. Tutors need to provide more guidance to students regarding the use of feedback, possibly by introducing better scaffolding and variation into their feedback. (Contains 2 tables.)