ABSTRACT
Making sense out of the unknown world begins early for most people. It is not uncommon to hear children asking their parents: What is that? How does it work? and Why does it work? In short, children are theorizing about their world. Similarly, instructional communication researchers try to make sense out of the communication
that occurs in instructional settings by asking the same three questions in an effort to explain and predict classroom behavior. A theory helps manage the uncertainty of our world. As summarized by Dubin (1978), "The need for theories lies in the human behavior of wanting to impose order on unordered experiences" (p. 6).
