Digital Commons Network^™

“I Did N’T Even Think Of This ”: Examining The Influence Of Student Disability Accommodation Training On Basic Course Instructor Attitudes And Self-Efficacy, Jillian A. Joyce

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the growing number of students with disabilities in the university setting, few resources are offered to teach instructors about specific disabilities or provide direction for how to accommodate these students. This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the influence of disability accommodation training on basic communication course instructors’ attitudes and self-efficacy regarding students with disabilities. The training used attribution theory as a lens to specifically focus on stuttering, a disability that is often stigmatized and uniquely affects the basic communication course classroom. I gathered pre-test and posttest data from 12 basic course instructors who attended the training …

Open Mic: A Documentary Film Exploring Humorous Narratives, Ryan T. Cashman

Theses and Dissertations

This documentary investigates hardship and identity through humor. The film shadows the lives of three individuals who are all going through a watershed experience with their identities ranging from changes in their family dynamics, gender, or environment. Participants will be writing and performing a stand-up routine in front of a live audience that focuses on a story about their identity. The film underscores how, or if, the sender’s use of humor helps them cope or achieve closure. The film does not explore the audience’s reaction to humor. Using in-depth interviews with each comic, the film centers around the sender, highlighting …

Good Game Well Played: An Esports Documentary, Gabriella Clare Devia-Allen

Theses and Dissertations

This film explores the operations and cultural practices of the esports community with an emphasis on Twitch as the dominant community platform. Explored sub-communities include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Duelyst, and League of Legends. A focus on Duelyst allows us to explore the characteristics of an accessible esports culture while also referencing League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive offers an objective look at two of the industry’s most developed esports scenes. This documentary tracks the production of broadcast content, the lifestyles of professional players, and the narratives of the industry’s most involved employees. In doing so, the research draws conclusions …

Ahead In Our Bulletin … Examining Kenyans’ Perceptions Of Cancer Messages In Television News And Use Of These Messages, James Ndone

Theses and Dissertations

Using the data collected from 212 participants, this study examined the perceptions that

Kenyans have toward television news with cancer messages and how the audiences use the messages. Using both close-ended and open-ended survey questions, this study investigated the motives that Kenyans have prior to watching news, how these motives affect their frequency of watching such news, how engaged they are with the news, their views of such news, how television news contribute to their knowledge about cancer, and their personal experiences with cancer.

Some of the results suggest that the motives that Kenyans have are to gain knowledge on …

The Byline Of Europe: An Examination Of Foreign Correspondents' Reporting From 1930 To 1941, Kerry J. Garvey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on two of the largest foreign correspondents’ networks the one of the Chicago Tribune and New York Times- in prewar Europe and especially in Germany, thus providing a wider perspective on the foreign correspondents’ role in news reporting and, more importantly, how their reporting appeared in the published newspaper. It provides a new, broader perspective on how foreign news reporting portrayed European events to the American public. It describes the correspondents’ role in publishing articles over three time periods- 1930 to 1933, 1933-1939, and 1939 to 1941. Reporting and consequently the published paper depended on the correspondents’ …

Computer-Mediated Communication Usage And Perceptions Amongst Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Laura A. Massier

Theses and Dissertations

This was a mixed methods study designed to examine the perceptions of young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regarding usage of computer-mediated communication (CMC), with a focus on benefits, challenges, and support needs. People with ASD are often prone to social and communication difficulties, making it difficult for them to maintain relationships, find and retain employment, and be active members of their communities. Deficits in these areas are particularly hard for young adults who may no longer have regular routines or opportunities for socializing because they have transitioned out of school-based activities. CMC is a relatively new form of …

Mythology Of The Angry Black Man: An Analysis Of Cornelius Eady’S Brutal Imagination As A Rhetorical Counter-Narrative, Junior Ocasio

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how Cornelius Eady’s book of poetry, Brutal Imagination, rhetorically serves as a counter-narrative to the fictional construction of Black characters blamed for committing crimes. Brutal Imagination gives voice to Mr. Zero, Eady’s name for the fictional character Susan Smith created in 1994, whom Smith blamed for kidnapping her children. Thus, by using a counter-narrative lens, this thesis analyzes how fictional creations can alter the socially constructed identity of the “angry” Black man.

"I Knew College Was In The Cards For Me: "A Thematic Analysis Of The Communicative Messages Foster Youth Receive About Post -Secondary Education, Lashawnda Kilgore

Theses and Dissertations

A college education is an indicator of success. Unfortunately, research shows that foster youth are attending college at a very low rate. This research study was conducted to understand the messages foster youth receive about college and the impact those messages have on their post-secondary education decisions. Using qualitative interviews, I investigated the communicative messages former and current foster youth received that encouraged or discouraged them in their pursuit of a post-secondary degree. Specifically, I focused on messages former and current foster youth received from their parents/caregivers, peers, school counselors, and social workers.

Through data analysis, three message types were …

Mass Media’S Cultivation Effect On Islamic, Muslim, And Qur’Anic Prejudice, Shanna J. Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the power of the mass media’s ability to cultivate reality in terms of the threat of Islam. A rhetorical analysis of the messages portrayed by the mass media is then compared to the findings of the study. While the study did not find any significant correlation between consumption of media and fear of Muslims, the Qur’an, or Islam, it did find a strong negative correlation between inter-group contact and salience of stereotypes.

To Promote Or Prevent When Near Or Far: Exploring Regulatory Focus In Geographically-Close And Long-Distance Relationships, Adam James Hampton

Theses and Dissertations

No research to date has examined how regulatory focus theory applies to relationships that are maintained long-distance, nor if individuals’ regulatory orientations differ in predicting relationship maintenance efforts between relationships that are geographically-close and those that are long-distance. The current study explores the communication efforts, ideal perceptions, and regulatory behaviors of individuals as a function of their regulatory focus (promotion focus vs. prevention focus) and relationship type (geographically-close vs. long-distance). One hundred eighty participants completed a survey that assessed their relationship type, regulatory focus, and relationship maintenance efforts (i.e., communications, perceptions, and behavior). Overall, it was found that individuals in …

Social Positioning: Positioning Adults With Severe And Multiple Disabilities And Complex Communication Needs For Social Interaction, Dena Bonnike

Theses and Dissertations

This single subject multiple probe study across dyads investigated the effects of social positioning on the nonsymbolic and symbolic communication of adult peers with severe and multiple disabilities and complex communication needs (SMD-CCN) when they were out of their wheelchairs. Social positioning referred to the positioning of adults with SMD-CCN in proximity and facing one another (no more than three ft apart) with access to speech generating devices (SGDs) with appropriate messages for communicating and socializing with peers. Videotapes of the adults were analyzed to collect event recording data of their nonsymbolic (eye gaze, reaching, and vocalization) and symbolic (SGD …

Beyond The Millennium Development Goals: An Evaluation Of The War On Hiv / Aids In Kenya, Robert G. Nyaga

Theses and Dissertations

HIV/AIDS remains a threat to Kenya and other developing nations. This thesis aimed at assessing the HIV/AIDS situation in Kenya by examining the knowledge of Kenyans towards infection and spread HIV/AIDS, attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS, involvement of community opinion leaders in the HIV/AIDS campaigns, sharing of HIV/AIDS information, and government efforts to control HIV/AIDS. A sample of Kenyans (N= 103) was surveyed and asked to respond to several scales assessing each of the above items. Quantitative and qualitative methods reveal the knowledge and attitudes portrayed by Kenyans and show that, although much has been achieved, there is need …

Macro And Micro Levels Of University Identification: Using Social Network Sites To Reactivate Latent Social Identities Within College Alumni, Eric James Varney

Theses and Dissertations

This master's thesis sought to extend social identification research further into social network sites by examine how online interactions may affect offline behaviors. In particular, this thesis argues that alumni who interact with their university or major via a social network site, should have an increased intention to donate back to their university or major. Despite a large body of research on both social identification and social network use, less research has combined the two in order to predict external behaviors. As such, data was collected from 277 undergraduate and graduate students at Illinois State University regarding their university and …

Hillman College Is A Different World From Where You Come From: A Thematic Analysis Of Relationships In A Different World, Natilie Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the identity and relationships portrayed in the television series, A Different World. Although the popular series ended in 1993, this show continues to resonate with the African-American community. Specifically, Ron, D. Wayne, and Whitley are the primary characters of focus. Ron and D. Wayne maintain a brotherhood, while Whitley and D. Wayne maintain a romantic relationship. Both of these relationships include implicit expectations, illustrate varying levels of reciprocity, and provide identity-shaping communicative feedback.

Catcalling As A"Double Edged Sword": Midwestern Women, Their Experiences, And The Implications Of Men's Catcalling Behaviors, Colleen O'Leary

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the lack of research surrounding the topic of catcalling, it is essential to give voice to women who have experienced the harm, its effects, and those who perceive it as a societal issue. This study generates discourse regarding Midwestern women's standpoints on catcalling through in-depth respondent interviews about women's experiences and perceptions of catcalling. Thematic analysis of the interviews reveals that catcalling is complex. Women conceptualized catcalling as a primarily negative experience as they associated it with negative emotions and affective states. Women never described catcalling as complimentary, rather, they believed that men perceived their own comments to …

Financial Conflict Messages And Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role Of Financial Communication Satisfaction, Samantha Josephine Shebib

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explores how methods of handling financial disagreements contribute to, or detracts from, marital satisfaction. In addition, satisfaction with communicating about financial obligations in marriage is predicted to contribute to marital satisfaction.

Caution, Traffick Ahead: Determining Message Design Features From Anti-Human Trafficking Non-Profit Organizations, Elayne Goldman

Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks at the effectiveness of the messages distributed by Anti-Human Trafficking Non-Profit Organizations, from the perspective of the individual Non-Profit Organizations themselves. Anti-Human Trafficking messages are disseminated to the public by non-profit organizations on a daily basis, but are constantly ignored. This paper tries to determine why. Research suggests that Non-Profit Organizations use either fear appeal or a call-to-action when creating and distributing their messages, and the goal of the study conducted was to determine the effectiveness of those messages from the perspectives of those who create the messages. Participants were individuals from Anti-Human Trafficking Non-Profit Organizations that …

The Goals Of Communicative Responses To Short-Term Worrisome Events In Close Relationships, Pamela Jane Steskal

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores communicative responses to short-term worrisome events in close relationships and goals behind the communicative responses through thematically analyzing seventy participants' responses.

"Do You Even Lift Bro? "An Investigation Of The Male Viewer's Response To Idealized Body Images In Competitive Reality Television., Caitlin Marie Shaffer

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the influence of exposure to idealized body images on competitive reality television shows, specifically the effects on men and their body satisfaction, including a drive for masculinity and a drive for muscularity, as well as the perception of a potential partner. An overwhelming amount of research on the effects on women exposed to idealized images has been completed by previous researchers, but men have been disregarded in comparison regarding this topic. Furthermore, this study will rely on social comparison theory and cultivation theory as theoretical lenses to analyze how male viewers respond to idealized images of males …

Technical Communication As Teaching: A Grounded Theory Study Of Cognitive Empathy And Audience Engagement Among Computer Science Majors In A Technical Communication Classroom, Robert Michael Rowan

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a grounded theory study of empathy, ethical awareness, and audience engagement activities in students in a technical writing service course. The course was designed around an empathy-oriented approach to teaching technical writing and writing research. The students are primarily computer science majors, and the teaching methods include a genre and writing research approach as well as the use of an extended metaphor of technical communication as a form of teaching. Findings indicate that students respond to the metaphor by drawing upon positive and empathetically-informed models of teachers and teaching to guide how they would work with and …

God's Eye News: The Use Of Drones In Journalism, A Documentary Film, Robert Lance Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses the format of documentary film to investigate the aesthetic, legal, and ethical issues surrounding the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, commonly known as drones, in journalism. Particularly important are the topics of public perception, safety, freedom of speech, and privacy. Do journalists' First Amendment protections extend to the right to gather images using drones? How will the privacy of citizens be protected against aerial cameras that can go virtually unnoticed? Can drones be safely integrated into the National Airspace System? The goal of the documentary is not necessarily to answer these questions, but to gather opinions from …

Success From The Sideline: How Communicative Processes Of Coaches' Decision-Making Styles Relate To Rugby Team Success, Kelley Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the relationship between communication processes collegiate rugby coaches utilize when making decisions and team success. Along with measuring coaches' collaborative decision-making levels, this study explored various communication opportunities coaches report offering to players during decision-making processes. The results show there is no linear relationship between collaborative decision-making levels and winning percentage, nor is there a linear relationship between offering communication opportunities and winning percentage. Analysis revealed no one specific communication opportunity was a significant predictor variable of team success. While the variables tested did not have any correlation with college rugby winning percentage, it was found that …

Waking Dormant Researchers: Student Co-Research As Writing Research Methodology And Pedagogy, Angela Renee Sheets

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the ways that students took up writing researcher skills, knowledges, and identities through a teacher-student co-research investigation of writing in an online writing research course. The following questions guided this study:

* How did literate activity occur in an online Composition as Critical Inquiry Course?

* What writing research skills, knowledges, and identities did the students take up and demonstrate as they participated in a co-research project?

The study also examined the efficacy of co-research as a methodology and pedagogy.

Chapter 1 reviews literature from the relevant English studies fields. Central topics include the rationale for writing …

Watch And Learn: A Documentary Exploring The Effects Of Video-Based Pedagogy, Chris Matthew Noel

Theses and Dissertations

This 20 minute film explores the use of hybrid lesson plans, those consisting of traditional in-class teaching and interactive video outside of the classroom. Using six voluntary Graduate Teaching Assistants as participants, the documentary follows the participants as they give their ideologies on teaching, perform either a traditional lesson plan or the hybrid lesson plan, and participate in a focus group to give their opinion on the perceived benefits or drawbacks of having hybrid lesson plans in the classroom.

Shift Happens: Enactment Of Third-Shift Work And Gendered Identity Negotiation Of Working Mothers, Caitlin Brooke Landsman

Theses and Dissertations

For a working mother, the public sphere is frequently conceptualized in previous literature as a first shift of work in the paid labor force, and a second shift of work conceptualized as her motherhood responsibilities, taking place in the home. The present study focuses on a third shift of work for women, conceptualized as bodywork, and the identity negotiation strategies, as well as sensemaking techniques, working mothers employ in order to make sense of this third shift of work. Thematic analysis indicated several sources women draw upon for identity construction purposes, including discourses of comparison, shift obligations, and imaginative emotion …

Living In And Between"Two Different Worlds": Arab American Women, Identity, And Their Interethnic Romantic Relationships, Samar Dababneh

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the growth of Middle Easterners living in America, the study of interethnic

romantic relationships among Arab American women is crucial. The primary objective of this study is to achieve a deeper understanding through in-depth respondent interviews about the Arab American woman's interethnic romantic relationships, familial relationships, and platonic relationships specifically, to discover her use of identity negotiation and management with use of thematic analysis. The pressure for an Arab American woman to find a partner based on parental guidelines creates this notion of living "two separate worlds," thus, affecting the negotiation of her multiple identities. While some Arab …

A Prescription For Better Health: The Role Of On-Line Research In Doctor-Nurse-Patient Communication, Julie Anne Maio

Theses and Dissertations

As more technological media are made available to health consumers, patients take to the Internet to research ailments, side effects, and pressing health matters. Patients widely use this information to feel empowered and in control of their health. Yet, many sources perpetuate false information, or are deemed untrustworthy by healthcare professionals (HCPs). This dissonance can create a lack of collaborative communication between patients and the healthcare team. As such, the present study examined perceived credibility of online sources (.org websites, .com websites, forums, social media, etc.), patient intent to disclose online information, patient empowerment, HCPs communication styles, HCP-patient partnerships and …

When Lovers Become Friends: Rules Of Post-Dissolutional Friendships, Annelise Nicole Ewing

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the communication between former dating partners that have chosen to remain friends following the break-up. Post-dissolutional friendships are relationships with a legacy of romantic behavior turned into friends. Rules are a guide to behavior in relationships. Rules for both romantic relationships and friendships exist. This study discovered what rules guide the behavior in post-dissolutional friendship and how they relate to interpersonal solidarity.

Mexican / Mexican American Foodways As Communication Of Cultural Identity, Charity Jo Mendoza

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines Mexican American foodways to determine if and how cultural identity is formed, performed, maintained, and negotiated through the lens of food. Foodways are a salient marker of cultural identity. While language of origin sharply decreases after the first generation, foodways can last for generations. An ethnographic examination of Mexican/Mexican American women preparing food provides insightful descriptions of family life and interpersonal processes that are useful for understanding and appreciating the culture of Mexican Americans and Mexican American identity. The communication theory of identity is applied to allow for examination of multiple layers of identity and identification of …

Measuring Predictors Of Groupthink: Instrument Development And Validation, Richard Walter Baptist

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals in any organization will often find themselves working in groups, either by force, necessity, or through volunteering. Group work is something everyone must do, and learning how to make the best of every situation and group opportunity can be the difference between a positive or negative experience. This study explores the communication within decision-making groups where a poor outcome or decision occurred. By examining the concept of groupthink, we can enhance our understanding of the factors influencing the group decision-making process and how communication can benefit organizations. This specific study expands the current body of knowledge on groupthink by …