Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Even Playing Field? Examining Challenges Female Sportswriters Face, David Hinojosa

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of the study was to examine what obstacles female sports writers face. Because sports writing has been and still remains a male-dominated field, there have been documented incidents in the past that have made the job more difficult for females than males. This study sought to see if there those obstacles remain. With the rising popularity of sports and the increase of females entering the sports writing field, it is important to research, among other things, whether female sports journalists believe they are seen as equals by their male counterparts; whether they are believe their sources take them …

Companies' Responses To Negative Online Reviews, Claudia L. Ramos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Past research has revealed that very little research had examined services recovery strategies in the online context. The study investigated different types of companies’ responses to negative online reviews as a service recovery strategy after a service failure. The current research centers on the relationship between one service recovery strategy and three online customer behavioral reactions: post-purchase cognitive dissonance, post-recovery satisfaction and re-purchase intentions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of five conditions and were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured cognitive dissonance, post-recovery satisfaction and re-purchase intention scores, as well as demographic items. Results showed that the apology …

The Effects Of Perceived Gender Coaching Styles Of Female Coaches On Extrinsic Motivation Of Female Athletes On Team Sports, Cameron Sitler

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigated the effect of perceived gender coaching style and gender stereotypes on the extrinsic motivation of female athletes. A t-test was utilized, with Masculine and feminine coaching styles as independent variables. The research question asked whether female athlete’s extrinsic motivation could be affect based on the type of gender coaching style used by female head coaches. H1 predicted that a masculine coaching style, respectively, would negatively influence the extrinsic motivation of female athletes. Fifty-four college female athletes filled out an online survey consisting of The Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) (Pelletier, Fortier, Vallerand, Tuson, Biere, and Blaise, 1995) and …

Family-Friendly Work Environment? An Investigation Of Women's Job Stress And Satisfaction, Nina Ciric

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Little research has focused on women with and without children in the workplace and their work-life balance. This study is conducted through the lens of organizational culture in order to determine how different workplace policies can influence women and their job satisfaction and level of job stress. The participants for this study included 172 female students and staff (working full and part time) from an institution of higher education in South Texas. Results showed no significant differences in women's job satisfaction or stress level at work, regardless of having children or not. However, there is a positive relationship between women's …

Family Members' Support Approaches Toward Veterans Exhibiting Symptoms Of Ptsd: A First Step Toward Validating The Inconsistent Nurturing As Control Theory Scale, Danielle M. Reed

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study was an initial step toward validating a new quantitative measure, the Inconsistent Nurturing as Control Theory (INCT) Scale, designed to quantitatively operationalize the INCT and assess whether functional family members take a controlling, nurturing, or inconsistent support approach to deal with their veteran’s PTSD behavior. Functional family members (88%) indicated that their veteran relative exhibited signs indicative of PTSD, using the PTSD Checklist (PCL-M). The INCT Scale was then used to determine which support approach family members used to deal with their veteran’s behavior. Results indicated that question items on nurturing and controlling yielded .70 or above internal …

The Value Of Literary Journalism: Searching For Truths Through An Objective/Subjective Dialectic, Omar Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Literary Journalism is a hybrid genre that combines literary devices with advanced journalistic techniques to create nonfiction narratives. The distinctive qualities of literary journalism, working in addition to so-called objective approaches of conventional journalism, provide the reader with an alternative observation of specific social phenomena. In the introduction, issues revolving around the genre will be discussed followed by the introduction of the objective/subjective dialectic thus formulating my thesis that insists combining the two approaches allows the reader to see truth beyond ideology. The three chapters that follow offer readings of three key and representative works of literary journalism. The Armies …

Perception Of Communication Training Need Among Pediatric Trauma Team Members, Monica M. Mercado

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study is to use the APRC (Assessment of Pediatric Resuscitation Communication) as a guide to determine if trauma nurses and surgeons believe communication training is necessary. Many trauma team members have not received team communication effectiveness training in pediatric trauma settings. As a result, miscommunication between team members leads to medical errors during pediatric trauma activations. Thus, it is important to discover whether or not trauma team members believe communication training will help trauma teams improve the overall effectiveness of pediatric trauma activations. The present study provides a descriptive analysis that illustrates nurses’ and trauma surgeons’ …

The Search For Health Information On The Internet: Perceptions Of Patient Medical Communication Competence During The Medical Appointment, Kelli K. Owen

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Internet is an influential contrivance that has the potential to improve healthcare information dispersion, healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. Specifically, patient preparation prior to the medical appointment, such as seeking information about his/ her health situation on the Internet, has been linked to competent medical communication behaviors. As such, the Internet can potentially be used to introduce educational health materials that will help the patient prepare for the medical appointment. But, it is important to first determine Internet usage rates among the study population and assess patient and physician perceptions of the degree to which access to health information …

The Effects Of Teacher Nonverbal Immediacy And Teacher Confirmation On The Affective Learning Of Students With Special Needs, Jacquelyn R. Rex

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigated the effect of teacher nonverbal immediacy and teacher confirmation on the perceived affective learning of students with special needs. A 2 × 2 factorial design was utilized, with teacher nonverbal immediacy and teacher confirmation as independent variables. Two research questions asked whether students with special needs could accurately rate the immediacy and confirmation levels of teachers when exposed to manipulated stimuli. H1 and H2 predicted that nonverbal immediacy and confirmation, respectively, would positively influence the affective learning of special needs students. H3 predicted that special needs students would report greater levels of affective learning when exposed to …

“To Reveal Or Not To Reveal”?: A Comparison Of Hispanic Daughters' Openness Toward Mothers & Risky Behavior As A Function Of Father-Involvement, Cynthia A. Chavez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Using Communication Privacy Management Theory as a framework, this study examined the relationship between father-involvement, daughter-mother openness, and risky behavior. All participants were given a questionnaire that measured their openness toward their mother, perceived/desired father involvement, and their risk behavior. The questionnaire addressed subject’s willingness to disclose information on specific topics (i.e. sex, pregnancy, contraception and drugs) that involve high risks when disclosed. This specificity of topics will serve as an aid to measure the extent or degree of openness that may exist within the daughter-mother relationship as a function of father-involvement and at risk behaviors. Predicted results are expected …

Assessing The Interrater Reliability Of The Assessment Of Pediatric Resuscitation Communication (Aprc), Alyssa Cerroni

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to further validate the Assessment of Pediatric Resuscitation Communication (APRC), by establishing the interrater reliability of the instrument. The aim was to determine if the APRC instrument can be used by trained coders from a range of disciplines to assess the communication effectiveness of trauma team members and leaders during pediatric trauma resuscitations. These scores will be used to determine if team and leader communication is correlated with medical performance during trauma resuscitations. The sample included 8 participants from diverse backgrounds. A calculation of the Percentage of Agreement (1996) of 4 pediatric resuscitations was …

Testing The Neutralizing Effects Of Nonverbal Teacher Immediacy Cues On Offensive Teacher Misbehaviors In Higher Education Classrooms, Claudia Esther Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of nonverbal teacher immediacy cues can neutralize the negative impact that offensive teacher misbehaviors have on student perceptions of teacher credibility, affective learning, and motivation. The sample included a total of 140 participants enrolled in various undergraduate communication and theater courses from a southwestern university. Three one-way ANOVA tests were conducted to test the three hypotheses which proposed that nonverbal teacher immediacy cues may neutralize the negative impact that offensive teacher misbehaviors have on students’ perception of teacher credibility, affective learning, and motivation. Ultimately, findings revealed that teacher immediacy …

Examining The Relationship Between Ethnic Identity And Spanish-Language Media Use Among Bilingual Hispanics, Using The Media Gratifications And Social Identity Theories, Arminda Munoz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Ethnic Identity and Spanish-language media use among bilingual Hispanics following the Media Uses and Gratifications Theory. Participants in survey included 83 undergraduate university students enrolled in entry-level communication courses. Relationships between participants’ bilingual skills, ethnic identity, Spanish-language media use and gratifications outcomes were examined. Research questions focused on participants’ use of English and Spanish media use. Hypotheses focused on testing relationships between ethnicity, bilingual skills and media use. Results of the study are discussed. Conclusions, limitations and topics for further research are addressed.

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Public Speaking Instruction On Students Cognitive Learning, Skill Development, And Communication Apprehension, Gilberto A. Castillo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of public speaking instruction on students’ cognitive learning, skill development, and communication apprehension. Participants in this study included 140 undergraduate students at a university in the Southwestern United States. Hypotheses and research questions focused on determining whether public speaking instruction makes a difference for students who receive instruction as opposed to students who do not on three learning outcomes: cognitive, behavioral, and affective. Results of the study are discussed. Conclusions, limitations, and topics for further research are addressed.

Reel Talk: Deconstructing Communication Disorders In A Sampling Of Modern Films, Lisa M. Beccera

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study focused on films that depicted characters that had a communication disorder or characters that have a disability which resulted in a communication disorder. This study examined types of communication disorders depicted in films and the accuracy to which communication disorders are portrayed in films. Thirty films were used in this study and 32 characters were found to have communication disorders. The author used qualitative methods and quantitative methods to examine and deconstruct the depiction of communication disorders in modern films. This paper also illustrates the effective and efficient manner films can be used to educate society and college …

South Texas Journalism: A Case Study Of Historical Agenda-Setting, 1861-1865, Diana Rosa Ybañez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In a span of two decades, agenda-setting has been a topic of interest in the communication field. Despite this interest, agenda-setting studies lack attempts to make the concept of agenda-setting useful in an historical context. This content analysis was designed to determine what agenda South Texas newspapers set with the Civil War coverage between January 1861 and May 1865. The process of agenda-setting is described by quantity and kind of war coverage. The findings of this thesis lend support to the research question that South Texas newspapers did make the Civil War part of their agenda. This thesis indicates that …

School Public Relations: Relating With Lep Families, Annette Serventi Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this paper was to examine newsletters disseminated by school public relations programs to their community in districts where Spanish is the primary home language. A content analysis examined district newsletters of school districts located in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The examination of district-issued newsletters determined the percentage of stories written in English or Spanish to compare with the demographic make-up, specifically the percentage of the non-English speaking parents of the district and the percentage of Limited English Proficient students. Stories were also analyzed to determine whether there were recurring themes in the English versus Spanish …

Myspace, Write Space: An Analysis Of Student Achievement In Texts For Digital Audiences, Stephanie Marie Sauceda

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis study analyzes students’ connection to audience in writing samples, gauging the performance of texts written for an actual audience, the classroom teacher and an implied audience, the web. Using Steven Toulmin’s concepts of intimate and stranger interactions, this study suggests that students may make an intimate connection with the mass web audience, thereby allowing an increase in writing performance. On the other end, students identify assignments for classroom teachers as work for the stranger audience, thus creating a writing performance gap. The following is a discussion of possible factors and elements creating this particular paradox in audience identification.

Rio Grande Hispanic Consumers' Perceptions Of Spanglish Dialogue Use In Print And Television Advertising, Nick Taylor

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Along with this population growth, greater affluence has occurred. Advertisers are taking notice of these facts and are scrambling to find the most effective way of marketing to Hispanics. Spanglish dialogue use in advertising is an increasingly popular method marketers use in attempts to advertise to Hispanics. The Texas/Mexico border provides a unique opportunity for the study of Spanglish in advertising. The population of the RGV identifies as overwhelmingly Hispanic, 89.1 percent according the U.S. Census Bureau (2006). The population of this region, then, represents the target audience of advertisements that utilize Spanglish dialogue. This study investigated the valence (positive, …

The Effect Of Instructor Nonverbal Immediacy Behaviors And Feedback Sensitivity On Student Affective Learning Outcomes In Writing Conferences, Laura Martin

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of teacher nonverbal immediacy and verbal feedback sensitivity on affective learning outcomes in one-on-one writing conferences. The assumption is that if the teacher-student relationship is made stronger through the use of teacher nonverbal immediacy behaviors, then verbal feedback can be more direct and task-oriented, thereby allowing teachers to be more efficient in their evaluation. The hypotheses presented are that students who experience an immediate instructor during a writing conference will have more affect for the teacher, more affect for writing conferences, and more affect for writing in general than students …

Cultivation In Female College Students, Veronica Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the cultivation effects based on the sex of the subject and the amount of television watched. Specifically, this study examines the effect of television viewing on female and male college students in order to understand what affect television viewing may have on the consumer. A modified version of the Cultivation Index Scale was administered to 157 college students. A series of ANOVA's were performed on these data. Results indicate that men and women differ significantly in terms of cultivation effects. The statistical tests also revealed that subjects who watch larger amounts of television displayed more cultivation effects …

A Study Of Self-Imposed Silence And Perceived Listening Effectiveness, Cynthia Marroquin-Baldwin

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the affects of self-imposed silence on perceived listening effectiveness. The subjects used in this study were 15 males and 17 females from the McAllen area (n = 32). These subjects were nonsystematically approached at the Lark Community Center/Library to solicit participation in the study. Four tests were performed to test the possible affects that 12 hours of self-imposed silence may have on listening. The independent t-test used to analyze differences in posttest scores between the treatment group and the control group revealed that no significant difference was found. The independent t-test used to analyze differences in pretest …

A Cross-Cultural Content Analysis Of Television News: Weslaco And Abilene, Texas And Matamoros, Mexico, Biada Pena

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study is a cross-cultural research project involving two small Texas television markets and a third in Matamoros, Mexico. The study compares, through a research content analysis of video-taped TV newscasts, differences and similarities between three markets.

These three markets were selected because of their geographical and cultural characteristics to determine whether geographic proximity or cultural proximity is an indication of similarities.

The study concluded that the Matamoros TV newscasts concentrated more heavily on politics and the economy rather than on crime. The Weslaco newscasts aired the highest numbers of crime related stories while the newscasts in Abilene focused more …

A Burkean Analysis Of Aung San Suu Kyi's Leadership Role In The Political Development Of Burma, Jayshri H. Patel

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The focus of this thesis is the historical and analytical role, influence and effect of Aung San, U Nu, and Ne Win in the struggle of independent post-war Burma between the philosophy of Buddhism and the aims of a Socialist welfare-state and its effect on Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle for democracy in present day Burma. There has not been any rhetorical analysis of Aung San Suu Kyi as of yet. Chapter 1 covers the political history of Burma in detail; it will cover the monarchy period, the British colonization, and the struggle for independence. Chapter 2 will concentrate on …

The Political Realities Of Rio Grande Valley Women, Linda Buxton

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The inclusion of minority women in literature on electoral politics is scarce. Although they do exist in this realm, officially and unofficially, their influence has not been a popular topic of study. This study attempts to gain insight into the meaning that politically-active Mexican American women attach to their involvement in politics. The rhetorical criticism approach of fantasy theme analysis has been chosen as the framework for this thesis, which is linked to the general communication theory of symbolic convergence. Responses from 24 in-depth interviews with Mexican American women of Hidalgo County in south Texas were analyzed for common themes …

Silent Messages In Negotiation: A Descriptive Study Of Negotiators' Perceptions Of The Role Of Nonverbal Communication In Multi-National Business Negotiations, Yun Chu

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study specifically explored the perceived importance of the following nonverbal factors in the negotiation process: proxemics (location and negotiation site), physical arrangement (seating and furniture arrangement), and kinesics (eye contact, facial expressions and gestures). The findings show that the negotiators' perception about the three categories and their role in negotiation are consistent with nonverbal communication theory.

Voces De Las Buenas Mujeres: An Ethnographic Study Of Marianismo Among Mexican American And Mexican Women, Lori Anne Ruiz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Research has focused on gender roles of the Hispanic male and female in regards to the machismo social construct. The current study examines the other side of machismo, via Gil and Vasquez's (1996) Ten Commandments of Marianismo, and explores the validity of this social construct through interviews with Mexican American and Mexican women. Twenty Mexican American and Mexican women were selected through a nonrandom purposive sample to participate in the interviews. The taped interviews were analyzed verbatim. Eight categories emerged which are directly related to marianismo. The women's responses are used to convey their attitudes, roles, and relationships and to …

20th Century Rhetorical Influences On United States-Mexico Relations, A. Gene Wendorf

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The thesis documents the important influences that have shaped Mexican-American relations in the late 19th century and in the 20th century. These influences uncover areas that go over and beyond the conventional schools of diplomacy. They include a whole myriad of forces. The thread of our relations is found to be based largely on self determination made by each Presidential administration.

It is demonstrated that many Presidents have acted as their own statesmen in regard to Mexico. In searching for influences the researcher finds culture, language, technology, politics, economics, history, geography and religion as relevant. The nature of United States …