| Studying communication at the high-school level can have numerous benefits for students in their present and future lives. However, research indicates that high schools, namely English language arts teachers, are often not placing enough emphasis or instruction on communication; instead, teachers are focusing instruction on other language arts, such as reading and writing. One school district in North Dakota realized the need to evaluate its communication curriculum and to make curricular revisions because the district believed that it was not providing students with enough direct instruction in the area of speech communication in its English language arts classes. Thus, using an action-research design, this research aided the school district by examining the specific problems with the current communication curriculum using a novel approach, the use of student voice to evaluate the curriculum.;First, the results of the data indicate that students (1) desire more instruction in certain communication skills as they do not feel prepared to present speeches based upon the current instructional practices, (2) would like to learn to develop and deliver persuasive speeches, (3) recognize that English language arts teachers primarily assess content and not delivery, and (4) recognize the importance of expanding communication across the curriculum. Second, an analysis of student data demonstrates that English language arts teachers are meeting some instructional objectives of the North Dakota Speaking Standards. Third, student responses indicate that the North Dakota Speaking Standards are not comprehensive enough, as students asked for learning objectives not addressed in the state standards. Therefore, this research demonstrates that the National Communication Association's K-12 Speaking Standards could be integrated into the school district's English language arts curriculum to increase the level of the students' learning. Finally, this research demonstrates the usefulness of student voice in a new area, communication curriculum evaluation at the high-school level. |
