SPEECH-COMMUNICATION IN RUSSIA

This study reports the results of a survey given to Russian educators to assess the status of speech communication instruction in Russia. A stratified random survey was distributed by the Sociological Center of the State Committee on Higher Education of the Russian Federation to 2,200 Russian educators. Results suggest that most Russian educators a re not familiar with speech communication as an academic discipline. E ven though 40% of the respondents disagreed that speech communication should be included in the Russian curriculum, half of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that it should be included in the Russian cu rriculum. Most respondents agreed that if introduced to Russians, it s hould be included first in higher education, beginning with only one c lass included as part of a curriculum offered by another more traditio nal Russian academic department. Russian educators valued communicatio n skills less than did U.S. personnel managers. Of the respondents 85% in the current study were unsure concerning whether they would be int erested in personally teaching speech communication; 15% of the respon dents indicated they would be interested in teaching speech communicat ion. No respondents completely rejected the idea of teaching speech co mmunication. Suggestions for establishing speech communication instruc tion in Russia are presented.