Digital Commons Network^™

Old Ideas In New Skins: Examining Discourses Of Diversity On The Websites Of 10 Urban-Serving Universities, Simone Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Deficit discourse, the idea that minorities "lack" intellectually, runs through current ideas about diversity in higher education. Diversity is viewed as a policy that helps the deficient. Recent litigation about diversity, Fisher v. University of Texas (2013), embodied the alignment of deficit and diversity. This study examined portrayals, visual and textual, of diversity on the websites of ten urban-serving universities, using a method of critical discourse analysis and a lens of critical race theory, to uncover the ways they defined diversity and if notions of deficit were attached. This study also addressed the ways these universities, a part of the …

Television Executive Producers' Use Of Twitter As A Public Relations Tool, Scott Joseph Nash

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how television executive producers are utilizing the social media platform of Twitter as a public relations tool. Utilizing a qualitative textual analysis, this study examines 10 executive producers' use of Twitter over a three-week period. The results of the textual analysis indicated executive producers primarily used Twitter as a public relations tool in five different themes: clarification, compliment, gratitude, promotion, and engagement. Future research should utilize additional qualitative research through in-depth interviews with industry professionals such as television executive producers or public relations firms that work directly with the television industry and those who specifically work with …

Family Connections: The Impact Of Self-Disclosure, Solidarity, And Stereotyping On Relational Satisfaction In Grandparent-Adult Grandchild Dyads, Deanne Priddis

Theses and Dissertations

As life expectancy increases, the length of time in both the grandparent and adult grandchild role increase. The grandparent-adult grandchild relationship is integral to the health and preservation of the family system. The sample for this quantitative study included 62 grandparent-adult grandchild dyads, 124 individuals. Findings indicate that both the grandparents and the adult grandchildren experienced meaning and burden in the grandparent-adult grandchild relationship. The six different types of solidarity (affectual, consensual, structural, associational, functional, and normative) had varying associations with relational satisfaction for the grandparents and adult grandchildren. Although there are several self-disclosures in a close grandparent-adult grandchild relationship, …

"Everything Remains Uncertain": Theorizing Parents' Communication About Uncertainty, Hope, And Hopelessness While Managing Complex Pediatric Chronic Conditions, Katherine Ann Rafferty

Theses and Dissertations

Navigating a child’s chronic illness and treatment is particularly challenging for parents and parental surrogates. These experiences may add to parents’ feelings of uncertainty. During this time, many parents report the need to be the “bearer of hope” for their child, regardless of the challenges that may prevent this from being possible. Researchers studying hope and uncertainty have acknowledged that these two concepts co-exist during the parental caregiver experience and effected by external factors (e.g., medical information or conversations with other people); however, a dearth of research remains about parents’ meanings and interactions that influence their social constructions of uncertainty, …

Informational Power On Twitter: A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of User Knowledge And Technological Discourse About Information Flows, Nicholas John Proferes

Theses and Dissertations

Following a number of recent examples where social media users have been confronted by information flows that did not match their understandings of the platforms, there is a pressing need to examine public knowledge of information flows on these systems, to map how this knowledge lines up against the extant flows of these systems, and to explore the factors that contribute to the construction of knowledge about these systems. There is an immediacy to this issue because as social media sites become further entrenched as dominant vehicles for communication, knowledge about these technologies will play an ever increasing role in …

Balancing Business And Art In Music: Gazing Into The Star Texts Of Michelle Branch And Regina Spektor, Max Neibaur

Theses and Dissertations

This research builds on literature presenting ideas on the tension between business and art in the music industry and literature defining what a star is by analyzing star texts. Specifically, it looks at how business and art is balanced in the star texts of Michelle Branch and Regina Spektor and what tension this balancing creates. As the analysis follows the careers of these two case studies along their star texts, it reveals the tension created in relation to the record label, press, and fans of the music artists. The analysis discovers that music artists rely on social media to self-brand …

Online Mormon Self-Presentation: Content Analysis Of Mormon.Org And Ldssingles.Com Profiles, Megan Marie Fereday

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to examine online Mormon self-presentation, specifically in the context of Mormon.org and LDSSingles.com (LDSSO). To examine the different styles of self-presentation used in Mormon.org and LDSSO profiles, this study drew upon self-presentation theory (Goffman, 1959; Jones, 1990; Jones & Pittman, 1982) and analyzed profiles according to Dominick's (1990) definitions of Jones and Pittman's (1982) five self-presentation strategies. In addition, this study examined the relationship between a profile poster's sex and the self-presentation strategies exhibited in his or her Mormon.org or LDSSO profile. Content analysis of 100 (50 male and 50 female) Mormon.org and 100 (50 male and …

History And Impact Of Indian Dubbed Into Arabic Movie Channel "Bollywood": Exploratory Study, Yara Ayman Yosry Omar

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the cultural impact of Indian dubbed into Arabic movies on the knowledge of the Egyptian audience towards the Indian culture. The main channels chosen to conduct this study were MBC Bollywood, Fox, Zee Aflam and Dubai One. The main theoretical framework applied in relation to this study is the Hybridity theory alongside with the term “Glocalization”. The two main methodologies used to test out this exploratory study were Qualitative content analysis aiming to discover the main aspects of the Indian culture portrayed in the Indian dubbed into Arabic movies. The result supported the same aspects mentioned in …

A Risk Based Approach To Node Insertion Within Social Networks, Chancellor A. J. Johnstone

Theses and Dissertations

Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a primary tool for counter-terrorism operations, ranging from resiliency and influence to interdiction on threats stemming from illicit overt and clandestine network operations. In an ideal world, SNA would provide a perfect course of action to eliminate dangerous situations that terrorist organizations bring. Unfortunately, the covert nature of terrorist networks makes the effects of these techniques unknown and possibly detrimental. To avoid potentially harmful changes to enemy networks, tactical involvement must evolve, beginning with the intelligent use of network in filtration through the application of the node insertion problem. The framework for the node insertion …

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 …

An Emotional Spark: Exploring The Role Of Emotions In Organizational Training Programs And Beyond, Olivia Loren Hook

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to identify which emotions are experienced during initial training periods in organizations, and how these emotions affect job satisfaction and employee intent to leave in the long-term in these organizations. Scales were developed to measure 20 positive and negative emotions experienced during initial training programs, how likeable and clear their trainer was perceived to be, and perceptions of job satisfaction and employee intent to leave.

Examining The Pseudonymity Of Sports Message Boards And The Subsequent Effects On Levels Of Self-Disclosure, Expressing Extreme Opinions, Emotional Flaming, And Fandom, Todd Marver

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how not revealing one's identity (i.e., being pseudonymous) on sports message boards affects levels of self-disclosure, expression of extreme opinions, frequency of emotional flaming, and levels of fandom. Quantitative scales were developed to measure self-disclosure, expressing extreme opinions, emotional flaming, and fandom. After participants read two competing sports message board scenarios (one including a positive message and the other a negative message), they responded to the survey questions.

Where They Least Expect It: Product Placement In Children's Picture Books, Steven John Holiday

Theses and Dissertations

Product placement has been intensely studied in almost every mass communications medium. One notable exception is in children's picture books where scholarship on the placement of products and brands has been severely underserved despite a steady presence in a medium integral to socialization and society. The present study recognizes the unique characteristics of the shared reading that takes place in this medium and explores its effects on memory for and attitudes toward product placements within children's picture books. Using a laboratory experiment, quantitative statistical analysis of resulting data, and qualitative exploration of themes resulting from subjects' responses, the present study …

New Mothers And Social Media: The Effects Of Social Media Consumption And Production On Social Support And Parental Stress, Rachel Clawson Nielsen

Theses and Dissertations

The restructuring of roles, responsibilities, and relationships that occurs during the transition to parenthood brings both rewards and challenges to first-time mothers (Bartholomew, Schoppe-Sullivan, Glassman, Dush, & Sullivan, 2012; Horowitz & Damato, 1999) and is often characterized as a time of parental stress (Crnic & Low, 2002; Deater-Deckard, 1998; Leigh & Milgrom, 2008). To effectively manage this stress, first-time mothers must feel a sense of social support (Crnic, Greenberg, Ragozin, Robinson, & Basham, 1983; Cutrona, 1984; Gao, Chan, & Mao, 2009; McDaniel, Coyne, Holmes, 2012; Nakagawa, Teti, & Lamb, 1992). In today's technology-driven era, this essential sense of support may …

Power Distance In Mormon Culture, Sara Isabel Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Religion consists of humanity's beliefs, cultural systems, and worldviews of existence (Geertz, 1973). Its function is not merely a system of symbols that people act according to, but also the establishment of powerful, pervasive motivations in the society. This study intends to analyze the connection of religion and culture by using one of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, power distance (the extent of how power is accepted and expected to be distributed in the society). In this analysis, the researcher investigated the PDI (Power Distance Index) within the Utah Mormon culture. Researcher also compared the PDI scoring of Utah Mormon culture to …

The Chosen One: A Q-Method Analysis Of The “€œHarry Potter”€ Phenomenon, Cindy Phippen

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how pop culture fandoms are formed, based on five communications theories: Escapism, Mood Management, Parasocial Relationships, Identification, and Social Capital. The researcher examined the Harry Potter fandom specifically because of its global pervasiveness. Using Q Methodology, 47 respondents fell into one of four categories: Relationship Experts, Happy Introverts, Identifying Isolationists, and Isolated Self-regulators. Relationship Experts like Harry Potter because of parasocial relationships with the characters as well as the story's capacity for escapism, and Happy Introverts focus on liking Harry Potter for their own enjoyment (not that of others) and mood management. Identifying Isolationists like Harry Potter …

Raising The Standard: An Assessment Of Peer Collaboration As An Enhancer Of Speech Evaluation Fidelity, Terrell Kody Frey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the state of speech evaluation training in the basic communication course at Illinois State University. Specifically, a new type of pedagogy known as the "peer workshop" is integrated into the course as a potential supplement to the speech evaluation training procedures. Quantitative and qualitative methods reveal how the course has become engrained into the academic expectations of the student body and identify written peer feedback as a necessary focus of future training in the classroom. Specific theoretical and pedagogical implications, as well as limitations and future directions, are discussed in detail.

Authentic Relationship Management To Heighten Control Mutuality In Social Media, Diana Catherine Sisson

Theses and Dissertations

Drawing on literature from public relations, marketing, interpersonal communication, and organizational communication, this dissertation focused on the effects of authenticity on relationship management outcomes in nonprofit organizations’ social media efforts. There is significant need for relationship management rooted in authenticity with the rise in inauthentic communication online. This dissertation aims to contribute to relationship management theory by highlighting the role of control mutuality in analyses of authenticity in organization-public relationships in social media for nonprofit organizations like local animal welfare organizations. This dissertation proposes that control mutuality is an ethical outcome of authentic relationship management. This dissertation also proposes that …

Expanding Eco-Visualization: Sculpting Corn Production, Jennifer E. Figg

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation expands upon the definition of eco-visualization artwork. EV was originally defined in 2006 by Tiffany Holmes as a way to display the real time consumption statistics of key environmental resources for the goal of promoting ecological literacy. I assert that the final forms of EV artworks are not necessarily dependent on technology, and can differ in terms of media used, in that they can be sculptural, video-based, or static two-dimensional forms that communicate interpreted environmental information. There are two main categories of EV: one that is predominantly screen-based and another that employs a variety of modes of representation …

A Measure Of Social Behavior In Team-Based, Multiplayer Online Games: The Sociality In Multiplayer Online Games Scale (Smog), Chelsea M. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Video games have become a new platform for social interaction. I review the sociality of video games and the relationship between virtual- and real-world behaviors. I review and address the pros and cons of methods of measuring social behavior. Finally, I present two studies drawn from internet populations. In Study 1 (N = 250), I develop a scale, The Sociality in Multiplayer Online Games Scale (SMOG), which measures the frequency of social gaming behaviors in team-based, multiplayer online games. I hypothesized these to align on dominance and affiliation dimensions of social interaction (Kiesler, 1982). In Study 2 (N …

Impact Of E-Cigarettes On Physician Recommendations Of Tobacco Use Cessation Pharmacotherapy, Omar El Shahawy

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: E-cigarettes have been marketed as smoking cessation aids and harm reduction strategies. Prior regional surveys found that physicians are recommending them to patients despite the lack of evidence supporting these industry claims. Yet, little is known about physicians’ beliefs regarding e-cigarettes and whether these beliefs are associated with them recommending e-cigarette use in clinical practice. Methods: This three-manuscript dissertation used a mixed-methods approach including both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The aims were to: (1) Uncover the factors associated with primary care physicians’ (PCPs) decisions to recommend e-cigarettes to their patients for tobacco use cessation; (2) Estimate the prevalence …