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Pragmatic Elements In Efl Learners’ Request E-Mails To Teachers: A Study Of Learners’ Communicative Success, Hamzah Ahmad A. Kuriri

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Language is a tool for communication. People use it when they converse with each other. One way to comprehend what is being said is based on understating the intended meanings of the conversation, or what is called the underlined meanings (pragmatics). Pragmatic studies how different meanings are conveyed, depending on the utterances provided. A case study to investigate the phenomenon of pragmatics is selected as the methodology to specifically examine English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors’ perceptions of EFL students’ e-mails sent to their instructors. Qualitative methods are used to examine data for a period of almost three months …

Exploratory Study Of Communication As A Psychosocial Factor Influencing Safer Sex Experiences Among Individuals Who Identify As Polyamorous, Cecilia Brooke Cholka

Communication ETDs

Even with over three decades of research on and promotion of safer sex, the rates of sexually transmitted infections continue to rise in the United States (CDC, 2017). Although communication about risk and protective factors is key to the promotion of safer sex behaviors, the meaning and impact of such communication is contingent upon culturally grounded understandings of safer sex among individuals of diverse sexual subcultures. This dissertation focuses on individuals who self-identified as polyamorous, a style of non-monogamy, and their understandings and experiences with safer sex. Drawing on the application of the AIDS Risk Reduction Model and narrative inquiry …

Developing Intercultural Communication And Understanding With Adolescents Through Virtual Exchange, Sarah E. Wilkinson

Public Administration ETDs

Globalization, advances in communication technology, and growing international contact have resulted in increased interconnection of populations from different social, ethnic, and cultural groups. Intercultural competency skills such as intercultural understanding and communication are now necessary requirements to function in culturally diverse communities, workplaces, and society. Adolescence has been identified as an opportune developmental stage for interventions aimed at improving intergroup attitudes. This study conducted pre- and post-program surveys with 313 U.S. students ages 10 to 17 to examine if participation in an intercultural global virtual exchange impacted attitudes of intercultural awareness, intercultural sensitivity, and perspective-taking. Paired samples t-tests were conducted …

“We Practice Lakota Way, But We Are Not An Indian Church”: The Diverse Ways Lakota Christians Articulate, Perform And Translate Ethnicity In Congregational Life, Kristin A. Fitzgerald

Anthropology ETDs

This study looks at articulations, performances and translations of ethnicity among urban Lakota Christians at St. Matthew’s and St. Isaac Jogues in Rapid City, South Dakota. Within the context of increased ethnic revitalization and recognition, Native American Christians are negotiating new models of ethnicity in typically Western arenas, often manifesting through actions and discourse that are ostensibly traditional. Yet even in this era of recognition, the public performance of cultural authenticity is not the only thing on people’s minds. Native people mark various practices, symbols, and persons as traditional or modern at different points in history or within different contexts …

A Church’S Approach To Intercultural Communication Encounters In Short-Term Missions, Carolotta Anweiler

Communication ETDs

The prevalence of short-term mission trips by churches and/or faith-based organizations has increased tremendously (Howell & Door, 2007, Anaheier & Themudo, 2005). However, no research has been completed on the training offered to in preparation for these types of trips, specifically, training for intercultural trips. I joined a church on their short-term mission experience to examine as a participant observer how they were trained to interact with people of another cultural group and then, how the training affected the interactions on the trip.

Through the use of Grounded Theory, I examined the discourse used in the trainings offered and throughout …

Using Safety Checklists Outside Of The Operating Room, Annabelle Gerhardt

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Abstract

The use of a Time Out checklist for patient safety in non-operating room procedural areas is equally important for positive patient outcomes as in the operating room (OR). In this busy southwestern United States hospital, the procedural teams in the non-operating room areas were reported to not be fully engaged during the performance of the Time Out pre-procedural pause prior to gastroenterological (GI) procedures. This study was conducted to improve compliance with the scripted Time Out checklist and promote full engagement of the GI procedural team during the Time Out thus reducing risks of wrong site surgery. Literature has …

Applying Heterogeneous Teams Of Robotic Agents Using Hybrid Communications To Mapping And Education, Jonathan M. West

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Robotic agents are being increasingly utilized to carry out tasks that are difficult or dangerous for humans. Many of these missions are best performed by heterogeneous teams of agents with various individual abilities. Communication among agents and with operators is a critical element in the performance and efficiency of these missions. Although radio frequency communications dominate the robotic networking field, they are limited in range and bandwidth due to spectrum congestion and subject to interference from noise or hostile jamming and can be intercepted. Optical communication has many advantages such as higher bandwidth and focused beam, however the line-of-sight requirement …

Trans/Formations: A Photovoice Assessment Of Transgender People’S Wellness, E. Ricky Hill

Communication ETDs

The purpose of this study is to identify and understand ways transgender and gender non-conforming people living in Albuquerque, New Mexico are communicating about and understanding their health and wellness needs and the health and wellness needs of their community. Partnering with the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, I used a community-based participatory approach to work on a Photovoice project that identified health and wellness related needs as defined by the community. Emergent themes identified by the participants highlighted various challenges and strengths to health and wellness for transgender and gender non-conforming people. I identify five core cultural premises …

Investigation Of Whether Determining A Patients Personality Results In Better Patient Communication And Oral Health, Cynthia E. Chavez

Dental Hygiene ETDs

One of the dental psychosomatic territories is the link between personality traits and oral health treatment. This present study aims at investigating whether determination of patient personality types leads to enhanced communication between dental hygienists and patients resulting in improved oral health. Some hypothesize that determining patient personality traits results in enhanced communication between the patient and the dental hygienist. Similarly, it is hypothesized that determination of a patient’s personality trait can result in better oral health.

How Do Faculty At The University Of New Mexico Use Humor In Online Teaching, John T. Granato

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Humor is a ubiquitous experience that facilitates learning, social coordination and wellbeing. This study examined how the faculty at the University of New Mexico used humor in its online courses. The process involved faculty interviews, a focus group of instructional online designers, questionnaires and documentation to collect data, and then used thematic analysis and code development to arrive at its findings. The study found that the humor pedagogy at the University of New Mexico has fallen into disuse for online courses because of (1) a hesitation (fear) to use humor, (2) fear of what students would think, and (3), hesitation …

Email And Enron: Using Cmm To Make Better Social Worlds In Organizations, Nicholas Noblet

Communication ETDs

Email as a communication phenomenon has been in existence since the 1970s, and yet researchers are still discovering new information regarding the usage and implications of usage for this medium (Atherton, Sawmynaden, Sheikh, Majeed, & Car, 2012; Zhu and White, 2009). This dissertation seeks to better understand organizational communication through the examination of email. Enron, a very large organization that peaked in the 1990s, utilized email for a variety of different purposes. Enron's email was placed online by the federal government, and includes communication from top executives. These messages represent the largest publicly accessible database of corporate email, and will …

¿De Dónde Eres?: The Construction Of U.S. And Immigrant Culture And Identity In The Esl Adult Education Setting, Chad Perry

Communication ETDs

In this study, I investigated how lessons and interactions in an ESL classroom setting construct U.S. and immigrant cultural identities through narratives and counter-narratives, and how these narratives and counter-narratives reproduced and questioned relations of power along the lines of race, class, and gender difference. The theoretical framework for this intercultural study was informed by Co-cultural theory, CRT, LatCrit, language and power, and Whiteness studies. As the findings of the research show, the narratives constructed through language, interaction, and institutionalized practices in the ESL setting reproduced the ideology of the American Dream. The American Dream emerged as the enduring ideological …

A Content Analysis Spanning 30 Years Of Mental Health Communication Scholarship, Camille Velarde

Communication ETDs

Currently, the communication research concerning mental health is sporadic, unorganized, and disintegrated. Previous research has not looked at organizing the literature through content analysis. To address this gap in the literature, the purpose of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current state of mental health communication research. This thesis has six key objectives: (1) systematically review the communication literature regarding mental health communication and identify current trends and future areas for research; (2) identify the aspects or topics regarding mental health communication in published research; (3) identify the theoretical underpinnings of mental health communication research; (4) …

Optical And Optomechanical Resonators And Their Applications In Communication And Sensing, Fenfei Liu

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

The radiation pressure of the large circulating optical power inside micro-scale high quality factor Whispering-Gallery mode micoresonators couples the mechanical deformation of the resonator structure to the optical resonance. This coupling results in damping or amplification of the corresponding mechanical modes. Self-sustained mechanical oscillation takes place when the optomechanical gain becomes larger than mechanical loss. In this dissertation, several applications of optomechanical oscillator (OMO) in communication and sensing are proposed and explored using silica microtoroid resonator. First we investigate the spectrum of the OMO and define weak' and 'strong' harmonic generation regimes based on two distinct spectral behaviors. In weak …

Organizational Culture Of A Non-Profit Organization: A Study Of Local Congregations Of The United Methodist Church, Alexandra Arjannikova

Communication ETDs

This dissertation applies organizational culture, identification, commitment, and leadership theories to explain how United Methodist Church (UMC) congregations (members and pastors) view the work of the local church and how it differs from the recommendations of the denomination's top leadership. I develop case studies of congregations using a triangulated- methodological framework of observations, interviews, and textual analysis, which captures the experience of leaders and members of three UMC congregations located in different geographical areas. I analyze the data from these research sites using thematic analysis that produced detailed and comprehensive narratives about each congregation. These case studies identify the values …

Immigration In Rural Newfoundland: Individual And Community Change, Willow Jackson Anderson

Communication ETDs

The purpose of this study is to learn about the cultural adaptation experiences of immigrants to rural Newfoundland and what, if any, changes the communities themselves have made. I am particularly interested in what role communication plays in these change processes. To investigate this topic I conducted interviews and focus groups with both immigrants and native-born Newfoundlanders in rural areas and then analyzed the resulting data with a rigorous thematic analysis. To accomplish this purpose, I recruited and interviewed eight immigrants and 10 native-born Newfoundlanders in rural areas of the province. Then I conducted three focus groups with each of …

Social-Environmental Entrepreneurs' Communicative Actions In Communication Networks, Alice Hopkins-Loy

Communication ETDs

Entrepreneurs' communicative plans and actions serve to attract resources to their venture, positioning them for strategic gains. However, there is little understanding of how entrepreneurs perceive, value, navigate, and manage their participation in communication networks. This research finds that entrepreneurs strategically use communication networks to find and engage complementary resources, social support, and human and financial capital. Importantly, entrepreneurs facilitate the development of new networks, around innovative solutions and approaches to social problems.

Navigating Reentry Shock: The Use Of Communication As A Facilitative Tool, Caroline C. Niesen

Communication ETDs

Even though many university students travel and study abroad, there is minimal literature and research about supporting these students when they return from their study abroad experience. In order to understand and incorporate the experience into the students everyday life, communication plays a key role in facilitating the transition back into the United States. Thus, the principal purpose of this study was to expand the research on reentry shock and communication by creating a new scale of reentry shock and testing a proposed model of variables to uncover which factor is most important (individual, interpersonal, and cultural). One hundred fifty …

An Examination Of Communicative Dialectical Tensions And Paradoxes Encountered By Native American Researchers In The Field And In The Academy, Lorenda Belone

Communication ETDs

This study investigated the communicative dialectical tensions and paradoxical situations faced by Native researchers in the academy and in research with their own communities or with other Native communities. Thematic analysis was conducted on narratives from 12 semi-structured interviews from participants across the country. Three major themes emerged regarding communicative struggles for the participants when conducting research with Native communities: a dialectic of insider/outsider; challenge of developing positive communication; and concerns of appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Four major themes emerged with regards to communication challenges for the participants while working in the academy: insider-outsider dialectic, paradox of walking the talk, …

Hispanics Communication Experiences In The Organizational Setting, Nicole Abeyta

Communication ETDs

The purpose of this study is to explore the organizational communication experiences of some Hispanic employees. In this thesis, I employ a narrative analysis method, and share the interviews and standpoint of twelve Hispanic employees to help advance the understanding of how Hispanic employees feel about integrated communication practices in the workplace. I also uncover how Hispanics feel about their work environment, what type of communication practices are utilized, and how Hispanics use technology in the organizational setting. The personal experiences help establish a general understanding of the influences of Hispanic culture, language, values, beliefs, and traditions in organizations, specifically …