Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Unveiling Estrangement: The Ambivalence Of Iranian Cultural Identity In Documentary Films, Vahid Valikhani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines estrangement within Iranian society as depicted in Iranian documentaries, which, I argue, regularly suppress the complexities of Iranian cultural identity. While Iranian narrative cinema has been studied in this context, documentaries have received less scholarly attention, despite their potential to illuminate the shortcomings of conceiving Iranian cultural identity. I examine three documentaries: Tehran Today (Ahmad Faroughi Ghajar, 1962), Newcomers (Kianoush Ayari, 1979) and Tehran Without Permission (Sepideh Farsi, 2009). Through this analysis, I uncover various forms of estrangement, including those induced by westernization, gender oppression, and the political control of what Hamid Naficy calls “mediawork.” Drawing on …

Virtuous Dialogues: A Study On Wisdom And Quiet Ego In Church Settings, Jeffrey A. Dunkerley Ii

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

An individual’s ability to balance the identity of self with the identity of the other, Quiet Ego, consider situations from various perspectives (Reflective Wisdom) and reflect on emotional reactivity (Affective Wisdom) are influential components to engaging in dialogue. The context for dialogue within the United States is increasingly impacted by the backdrop of polarization and defensiveness, impacting one’s ability to develop and maintain the characteristics above. The Christian Church in the United States is not immune to the shifts in dialogue and are experiencing similar difficulties with dialogue seen in the broader society. Virtuous Dialogues is a training curriculum that …

Translating Worlds Of Pleasure: Dialogues Of Cuban Diaspora From The 1960s, To The Post-Soviet Generation, Ismael-Vicente G. Delgado

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Cuéntame algo aunque sea una mentira.

Course Modality And Dialogue As Predictors Of Postsecondary Student Success In Online Programs, Danielle Lawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a growing demand for online education; however, online programs yield consistently lower student retention rates and student success. Students in online programs are typically nontraditional students from underrepresented populations in higher education. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to determine whether dialogue (learner–learner, learner–instructor, and learner–content interactions) and course modality (traditional online and competency-based education [CBE] online) predicted student success (final course grade). Moore’s model of transactional distance served as the theoretical framework for this study, specifically the dialogue component. Participants were 127 online higher education students who took (successfully or unsuccessfully) a traditional online course …

Supporting Teachers During Restorative Justice Implementation : The Role Of Silence, Reflection, And Dialogue, Nicole E. Menting-Wilson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACTAcross the United States, Restorative Justice (RJ) practices are adopted with the intent to transform zero-tolerant and neoliberal school environments into cultures of care. RJ utilizes dialogue, reflection, and silence as tools to honor human relationships, build community, and respect diversity. Although it is known that school change is intricately connected to teacher change, there has been little attention given on how to best support teachers during RJ implementation. This study engaged seven teachers and one school psychologist in bi-weekly circles over a period of three months around the topic of creating a culture of care. The study inquired how …

A Discourse Analysis Of Student-To-Student Conversations In A Secondary School Physical Science Laboratory Setting, Jennifer Faith Oramous

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative grounded theory study applies Discourse Analysis (DA) to focus on the student-to-student (SS) “productive conversation” occurring within groups engaged in several activities in a physical science laboratory with a goal to identify aspects and patterns of such conversation. In this study, Student-to-Student Productive Talk (SSPT) stated in relation to the accepted definitions of classroom productive talk. SSPT is on-topic discussion between students that meet the requirements of productive conversation such as visible thinking and argumentation. The form of analysis applied in this study was derived from Classroom Discourse Analysis by Cazden (2001), Gee (2014a; 2014b), and Rymes (2016). …

Preparing Pk-8 Teachers To Engage In Discussions Regarding Race, Mckenzie Hallstrom

Leadership Education Capstones

The purpose of this study is to discover what PK-8 teachers need to be prepared to engage in discussions regarding race with their students and to explore specific strategies to support teachers. Historically, Black students have been disadvantaged by the educational system and their voices silenced by pervasive racism. Using Critical Race Theory in education, this qualitative study will discuss barriers and strategies to engaging in race-discussions. This study will also discuss leadership implications for better supporting PK-8 teachers to be able to engage in race-discussions with their students. Ultimately, this study argues that PK-8 teachers are unprepared to engage …

The Relationship Between Organizations' Response To Customer Complaints, Customer Trust, And Loyalty, Abimbola Ajibola

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between organizations’ responses to customer complaints and their effects on customer loyalty and trust. Four hypotheses were established for this study to help us gain a greater understanding of the dynamics of the responses to customer complaints and their relationship with trust and loyalty. Five independent variables (apology, timeliness, explanation, compensation, and dialogue/active listening) and two dependent variables (trust and brand loyalty) were used to test the hypotheses. An online survey was conducted through Qualtrics and data were collected from participants who were students at a Midwestern University. Facebook …

No Dogs Allowed: A Qualitative Study About Invisible Barriers Faced By Those With Disability, Kory Gaona

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Service Animals (S.As.) are becoming more common throughout the United States and are seen more frequently on college campuses. This study uncovers the lived experiences of S.A. handlers on college campuses nationwide, to further understand the exclusion or inclusion that S.A. handlers experience throughout their everyday life. Utilizing Critical Disability Theory and Organizational Communication lenses through a series of open-ended questions, this study analyzes a handler’s experience with their S.A. Adopting a qualitative lens, I conducted one on one interviews. It filled a need for academia as present research on S.As. typically focuses on quantitative research. I was able to …

Can A Growth Mindset Intervention Increase Individuals’ Intentions To Engage In Intergroup Dialogue?, Noelle A. Malvar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dialogue initiatives between different status groups foster meaningful conversations about inequality. Low and high status groups, however, frequently avoid discussions on difficult topics and do not participate in these initiatives. To address this, the current research tested an intervention model that aims to increase dialogue intentions using the growth mindset framework. The model proposes that inducing a malleable mindset toward one’s dialogue skills would boost group members’ intentions to engage with the outgroup. The intervention was hypothesized to be especially effective for high status groups, who have higher anxiety relative to lower status groups when anticipating intergroup dialogue. The intervention …

Looking Within The Rainbow: An Action Research Project On The Rainbow Educators, Hannah Gray-Chambers

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to explore the importance of learning about oneself in order to teach others effectively. My overarching question was, how can I cultivate identity development and better equip Rainbow Educators (RE) as facilitators? A secondary question was: how can I create space for identity development and storytelling when people are in different developmental stages and have different experiences to help deepen the learning? Using Coghlan’s Spirals of Action Research as a guiding framework, I conducted one pre-cycle, a needs assessment, as well as three cycles of data collection. As a result of this study, I …

Overcoming Stigma With Dialogue: My Experiences As A Parent Of An Opiate Addict, Melissa Dee Lemar

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Opioid addiction has reached crisis levels in the United States. While as many as 20 million Americans have Substance Use Disorder (SUD), often drug addiction is seen as an immoral choice rather than a medical condition. Little research has been done from the perspective of the parent with an addicted child, and thus there is an absence of scholarly literature on how parents might negotiate the challenges faced when seeking help for a child with SUD. In this thesis, I use autoethnography as a method to tell the story of my eight-year journey with my daughter’s addiction. I reveal my …

The U.S. Approach To Peacebuilding In Afghanistan: A Comparative Analysis Of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, And Donald Trump Administration Policies In Afghanistan, Mohammad Rasouli

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This research paper addresses the efforts of the U.S. to achieve some level of reconciliation with the Taliban after more than 18 years of war in Afghanistan. It deals with the history of U.S.-Taliban negotiations and the U.S. initiatives to engage with the Taliban, as well as outlining the challenges to these initiatives and determining how effective they have been. In addition, the prospects of the U.S.-Taliban peace talks are assessed.

Since the 2001 U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, the first two U.S. administrations under consideration—those of George W. Bush and Barack Obama—justified intrusive interventions into the political, economic, and social …

Why Would I Want To Talk To Them? An Exploration Of Perceptions Of Talking Across Political Divides, Melinda Burrell

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Americans are increasingly reluctant to talk across the political divide, a problematic situation for a system predicated on a citizenry exploring a marketplace of ideas and arriving at policy consensus. This study seeks to illuminate this problem through a qualitative, exploratory study around the research question of how conservatives and liberals experience communicating across the political divide. Results are examined through a research framework that first posits the benefit of deliberative democracy (Habermas, 1996), then identifies two major challenges to such – the tendency to avoid uncomfortable political discussions (Eliasoph, 1998) and the emotional, identity-driven process of polarization (Iyengar and …

Leap Of Faith Megaprojects: The Effect Of Civic Dialogue On Megaproject Legacies In The St. Louis Region, Nathan Theus

Theses

Megaprojects are unique capital improvements that are defined by their large-scale development plans and construction budgets. Industrial Belt cities, like St. Louis, are no stranger to these projects, and both government actors and private developers have walked hand in hand in planning and constructing megaprojects, while assuring the general public that the benefits would always outweigh the costs. Though there has been considerable quantitative research analyzing the statistical economic effects of various megaprojects, there has been relatively little discussion on other, specifically, qualitative means of analysis. This paper will examine the role civic dialogue has on the perceived and real …

Music And Peacebuilding: A Survey Of Two Israeli Ensembles Using Music And Dialogue To Build Understanding, Empathy, And Conflict Transformation, Benjamin Philip Bergey

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the work of two Israeli ensembles that bring diverse musicians together through music and dialogue. Dialogue is a key tool for transforming conflict and building peace that hinges on critical, empathetic listening.[1] Music ensembles, with their opportunities for participants to practice listening, are contexts in which participants and instructors can learn how to communicate and engage in dialogue to improve interpersonal relationships in pursuit of peace.

The Polyphony Foundation and the Jerusalem Youth Chorus bring Arab and Jewish youth together in Israel to make music and practice dialogue. This thesis examines …

Why Study Language? Discussing Language And Its Influence On Gender Discrimination, Katelyn Eisenmann

Honors Projects

An applied research project, with the culminating piece being a panel discussion that focused on the ways in which language use and structure contribute to attitudes and perceptions of gender within our society, and the politics that surround concepts of gender.

Truth Talks: How North America’S Truth And Reconciliation Commissions Engage The Public In Change, Lawrence Schooler

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Within the last 15 years, the first three Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) in North America formed and completed their work. Patterned after similar efforts in South Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere, the TRCs in Greensboro, North Carolina; Maine; and Canada heard voluntarily-offered testimony from members of the general public and key parties to decades-long conflicts. The Commissions also evaluated responsibility for the conflicts and offered recommendations for change in their respective communities and countries, informed by the testimonies they received.

This qualitative methods multiple case study of the three Commissions’ recommendations involved archival research and data analysis of testimony …

Bridging The Gap: Utilizing Socratic Inquiry Facilitation In Cross-Cultural Communication And Conflict Exploration, Mikaela G. Zimmerman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The objective of this research is to explore the possibilities for improving governmental relations (local, national, and international) using microcosms of cross-cultural dialogues facilitated with Socratic Inquiry methodology and their potential to project situational similarities into more formal political conversation. Using twenty-five recorded dialogues from The Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Public Diplomacy (World in Conversation), I have broadly observed the role of Socratic Inquiry facilitation in cross-cultural dialogues whose content varies across a span of contentious social topics. By generally accounting for a range of relevant social factors such as gender, body language, conversational tools, and proxies for empathy, …

Crowdsourcing Consciousness: You Think, Therefore I Am, Justin M. Campbell

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The challenge to understand consciousness is a centuries-old interdisciplinary research program. The search entails fundamental questions about our nature - the desire to understand who we are has been around for nearly as long as experience itself. It is also one of the most important questions we can ask; meaning itself is predicated on having some sort of conscious experiencer for whom something can matter. Given the magnitude and intractability of explaining the paradox of how consciousness can be at once the most obvious thing in the universe, and also the most inaccessible, the endeavor is a tremendous undertaking. Until …

Broadcasting The Search For Understanding: The Essay's Relationship With The Podcast, Miriam Bay Sweeney

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this creative thesis project, I explore the relationship between the modern essay and the podcast. I do so by producing the first three episodes of my own essayistic podcast, called Peer-Refined Health. In this foundational exploration, I consider the value of the podcast as a new medium of communication for the essay. I begin this project report with a background on both the podcast and the essay as well as a discussion of my project development. The transcripts of three episodes of Peer-Refined Health follow. Finally, I analyze the relationship between the essay and the podcast and suggest additional …

Using Dialogue To Interrupt Legacies Of Exclusion, Incite Hope, Invite Change, And Increase Levels Of Awareness At Predominantly White Institutions With Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Rhetoric, Amanda Meise

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation questions how a predominantly white institution (PWI) could infuse dialogue to aid the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and invite institutional change. There has been an increased spotlight on racial tensions permeating predominantly white campuses with DEI initiatives; higher education scholars have identified several factors that prevent institutions from fostering inclusive spaces. This research addresses three specific hurdles for PWIs implementing DEI initiatives: (1) social amnesia characterized by romanticized versions of history; (2) a discontinuity between professed values and the goals of DEI initiatives with policy, structure, and experience; and (3) low awareness of privilege …

#Zika #Olympics: The Use Of Dialogue In Tweets Regarding The Zika Virus And The 2016 Rio Olympics, Daniel W. Vieth

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Previous research has observed the use of social media by health organizations; however, few studies have addressed how health organizations use these media to build relationships with publics. This thesis addresses this gap by applying Kent and Taylor’s (2002) dialogic tenets to Twitter messages regarding the 2015-2016 Zika virus epidemic and the 2016 Rio Olympics. First a pilot study used a quantitative survey to find that individuals were using online media to seek information about Zika, and that the public generally had high threat salience toward the virus. Next, social network analyzer Netlytic was used to collect Tweets that mentioned …

‘It’S Not Rocket Science’: Employees’ Lived Experiences And The Essence Of Employee Engagement, Laura Lou Lemon

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to better understand how employees perceive and experience engagement and participate in its meaning-making process. While employee engagement has been primarily explored within the business, the human resources, and management disciplines, public relations research has only recently taken an interest in furthering its understanding.

Within these disciplines, the functional perspective has dominated employee engagement research, which has potentially limited theoretical developments. In response to the current literature being inundated with a rational, functional approach, the following dissertation attempts: (1) to examine employee engagement from an array of organizational voices using phenomenological methods; (2) to …

The Vicious Cycle Of Mass Polarization And Fear: A Pilot Program Using Comedy And Dialogue To Leverage Political Polarities, Zoë A. Hayman

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

United States polarization has shifted from simple Congressional stalemate to a state of political warfare. While there is debate in the literature as to whether this attitude polarization is mirrored among the general public, the research is clear that American perceptions of their political opposition is marked by fear and animosity (Pew Research Center, 2016). The Impolitic program aims to intervene in this cycle using comedy to reduce anxiety and encourage participation, and dialogue to build understanding and shift relationships among politically divergent participants. This paper details the system of polarization in which Impolitic seeks to intervene, the guiding leadership …

Dialogic Praxes In Gabriel Marcel’S Philosophy: Hope For Being In A Technological World, Margaret M. Mullan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In a technological age, communicators report conflicting experiences of presence and absence, connection and isolation. Dislocation, distraction, and disconnection present challenges for dialogue and reveal a world broken by technology. A world broken by technology invites a response. Philosopher Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973) offers insightful reflections on ways of being in a broken world. Marcel’s philosophical reflections on body, reflection, intersubjectivity, and technology form the primary content for this dissertation.

In Chapter One, Gabriel Marcel, philosopher, playwright, and international speaker, is introduced as participant in twentieth-century Paris, France. Marcel’s philosophy emerged in response to his societal, technological, and cultural contexts. Chapter …

We're Friends Right? Dialogical Strategy Effects In Csr Facebook Posts On Perceived Organizational Trust And Authenticity, Casey J. Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

A study examining the effects of public relations' dialogical communication strategies on stakeholder's perceptions of trust and authenticity of organizations was conducted. The experiment was tested on organizational Facebook posts broadcasting a corporate social responsibility message. While "Human Voice" had no affect on perceived trustworthiness or authenticity, Dialogical Loop was found to significantly effect stakeholder perceptions of authenticity, but not trustworthiness. Due to the presence Dialogical Loop in the form of replies to user comments, users perceived the organization as less authentic. Ruminations about possible implications for public relations theory and practice on social media as well as recommendations for …

Towards Embracing A Critical Love Ethic In Community Development: A Case Study From Nicaragua, Patrick Barnosky

Sustainability and Social Justice

This research is based on a community sanitation project from Cuajchillo Dos, Nicaragua, in which I served as a field volunteer for Walu International and simultaneously conducted interviews and focus groups with project participants.The goal of this research is to determine to what extent dialogues that took place in this project were based on an ethic of critical love, which is has two primary components: relationality and critical social consciousness. The main findings from this research were that the essential components of dialogue based on a critical love ethic are: listening deeply and sharing openly, building trust and relationships, entering …

Creating Peace In Our Communities: An Analysis Of Community Reconciliation Techniques, Jessica Shanken

Honors College Theses

Given the rise in efforts to resolve race issues in American communities and ethnic conflicts internationally through open communication techniques, I examine ways that these efforts can be carried out more effectively by analyzing the structure of dialogue centered on race at a large university in a rural area of the Southeast. For that purpose, survey data was collected from students before and after they attended an open forum about race and race relations on their campus to determine the impact of the forum on students' perceptions and attitudes regarding race in their community. In addition, I draw from two …

Look Who's Talking Now: Representation Of Female Characters In Children's Chapter Books, Rachel Woodhull Markace Swanson

Senior Projects Spring 2016

Literature is an aspect of a child’s environment that can influence a child’s gender development. Throughout the twentieth century, female characters have been underrepresented in comparison to male characters in award-winning children’s picture books. Based on past research, the aim of the current study was to investigate the representation of female characters in contemporary and popular children’s chapter books. A content analysis was conducted for 22 New York Times Middle Grade bestsellers, including 9 female protagonist books and 13 male protagonist books. Character counts and dialogue counts were coded for each book. Male characters outnumbered female characters with a ratio …