Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons^™

Style Shifting In First-Encounter Conversations Between Japanese Speakers, Kenichi Shinkuma

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines style shift between formal and informal styles in first- encounter conversations between Japanese native speakers and demonstrates how the speakers shifted the speech style in the context. Many researchers have studied this type of style shift and demonstrated that style shifts occur within a single speech context where social factors, such as differences in age, status, and formalness remain constant (e.g., Cook, 2008; Geyer, 2008; Ikuta, 1983; Maynard, 1991; Okamoto, 1999). This study contributed support to these previous studies. In this study, both quantitative and qualitative analyses focusing on Japanese native speakers' use of style shifting in …

Impact Of Improving Throughput In The Emergency Department, Katherine J. Edrington

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the patient experience in the emergency department (ED) and in the inpatient setting while correlating increased throughput and patient outcomes at a suburban Acute Care facility in Ohio. The culture in the organization has lacked accountability and ownership of the patients. The ED admitted length of stay (ALOS) was 358 minutes in the beginning of 2013. For the first time in the organization’s history, the ED ALOS is now typically less than the recommended benchmark of 300 minutes. A report of findings among ED’s surveyed showed the ALOS best practice is 244 …

K-12 Teachers And Parents: How Do Length And Frequency Of Serial Arguments Affect Perceived Resolvability In The Parent-Teacher Relationship?, Jimena Galvan, Selena Pang, Paula Pearl, Justin Villasenor, Miranda Wall

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This paper aimed to study the relationship between length of serial arguments and perceived resolvability and number of serial arguments and perceived resolvability in the K-12 setting. Role theory explains people’s predictable behaviors based on the roles they take on; thus, it explains the role of parents and teachers in their unique relationships and how roles play into the level of involvement teachers and parents have in the education of children, which can inadvertently result in serial arguments. Role theory was chosen for this study because it works hand-in-hand with identifying predictable behaviors teachers and parents have that contribute to …

The Psychology Of Performance: A Growing Art, Shaina Hammer

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Somehow, though Chapman University is relatively small, there is a great deal of distance between each of its academic fields; the actors don't know what the music building looks like, the musicians have no idea what the dramatists are up to, and no one has any idea where the dance classes are held. But not only do the students of Chapman University's College of Performing Arts not know one another, they don't understand one another. More than once I have encountered a student with the same self-confidence issue as another. Without a doubt, performance majors have a lot to talk …

Planning For Communication Through Rehearsal Imagined Interactions, Martijn Jos Van Kelegom

Doctoral Dissertations

Imagined interactions are mental representations of conversations with significant others. One function they may serve is as a rehearsal for an anticipated encounter. The process by which this rehearsal occurs is investigated using Dillard’s (1990) Goals-Plans-Action model and Berger’s (1997) Planning Theory of Communication. A causal model is proposed for the relationships between domain knowledge, use of retroactive imagined interactions, specificity, and discrepancy of the proactive imagined interaction. This model is tested using survey data (N = 210), and additional data were collected assessing characteristics of the anticipated conversations. Results and additional analyses suggest that rehearsal occurs in many …

Media For The Masses The Usage Patterns And Social Consequences Of A Mobile-Phone Based Citizen Journalism Platform In Madhya-Pradesh , Sarah Corsa

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a country as diverse and hierarchical as India, certain marginalized populations are bound to be excluded from the mainstream media. In particular, the adivasi and lower caste populations in rural regions receive either no representation or biased coverage. CGNet Swara, a citizen journalism initiative, seeks to remedy these disparities by utilizing cellphone technology to report and distribute news in the Central Gondwana region. Each citizen with a cellphone in his or her hand, regardless of religion, caste, age or literacy level, can disseminate information he or she sees as valuable by leaving a voice recording at a certain number. …

Exploring The Preservation Of Pastoralism And The Natural World In Western Mongolia , Josephine Brownell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

At a time when Mongolia is experiencing the intense effects of land degradation, human activity, and climate change, it is crucial that a new land management framework is developed with conservation in mind. Pastoralism’s unique relationship with the land serves as a method of protecting the natural world for the future. This study focuses on a pastoral community in Western Mongolia while considering a main research question: Is a herder’s historically deep connection with the land enough to protect the modern pastoral lifestyle in Mongolia for years to come? In answering this question, a review of related previous studies on …

Economic Equity In The Annapurna Conservation Area: Effects Of Government And Community-Based Organizations, Hanna Seltz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research addresses the impact of community-based and government organizations on rural livelihoods in protected areas (PAs) by investigating whether benefits of such organizations involved in conservation and community development reach more marginalized members of communities in the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) of Nepal. I conduct a case study focusing on two villages within ACA, Kagbeni and Phalyek, examining how local groups interact with each other and with the government in trying to promote equity through the ACA Project primarily through indepth, unstructured interviews. Locally-created and locally-based groups in these communities appear to be successful in managing local resources and …

The Role Of Leader Communication Patterns, Lmx, And Interactional Justice In Employee Emotional Exhaustion And Outcomes, Ashley Danae Nelson

Masters Theses

Employee burnout contributes to employees’ job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and organizational commitment and it can also cause a variety of serious health issues. Evidence has linked leaders’ transactional and transformational communication patterns, quality of leader-member exchange (LMX), and employees’ perception of justice, and each can affect employee burnout. However, very few researchers have studied the relationships among these variables. This paper provides an overview of the research on the various relationships between transformational and transactional leadership, LMX quality, and interactional justice, and explores how these factors influence employee burnout. Following the literature review, a proposed model of employees’ perceived leader …

A Movement Tool Kit For The Divergent And Convergent Cps Guidelines: Instruction Cards And Activity Floor Mats, Adela Vangelisti

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

A Movement Tool Kit for the Divergent and Convergent CPS Guidelines:

Instruction Cards and Activity Floor Mats

Movement is as natural to humans as breathing is, and, yet, passivity starts early in schools. We are taught to sit still and in silence for long periods of time. By the time we reach adulthood and enter the workforce, we have almost forgotten our sense of embodiment. This lack of movement is counter-productive, not only to learning but to the development of creativity as well. For this project, I designed a tool to recapture the joy and playfulness of movement. Furthermore, the …

Enhancing Patient Experience By Training Local Trainers In Fundamental Communication Skills, Calvin L. Chou, Laura Cooley, Ellen Pearlman, Maysel Kemp White

Patient Experience Journal

Medical centers have a vested interest in improving patient experience through enhancing communication skills. The American Academy on Communication in Healthcare has helped institutions across the country establish internal expertise through delivering train-the-trainer programs. The phases of the program include preparing for implementation of the program, having program participants undergo a fundamental communication skills workshop and then understanding the theoretical and practical rationales underlying the workshop, setting up practice sessions for participants to achieve mastery, and ensuring long-term viability of a communication skills improvement initiative. Outcomes for participants include increased self-assessed personal communication skill, optimism about rolling out a communication …

Cultivating Communities Of Practice To Develop Local Preparedness For Climate Change, Konda Reddy Chavva

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this research was to study the effectiveness of field facilitators’ (FFs) community of practice in improving ways in which FFs and farmers communicate and work together to strengthen farmers’ climate change preparedness through identifying locally suitable adaptation strategies in drought-prone districts of Andhra Pradesh State in India. In development initiatives like the one studied, FFs are often the key liaison person with each community—farmers in this case. FFs interact regularly with farmers, with whom they establish and sustain critical relationships over time. Further, they take the lead in building farmers’ capacities by contextualizing technical information that professionals …

Exploring Communication Apprehension And Its Relationship To Communication Attitude And Socio-Communicative Functioning In Children With Velopharyngeal Insufficiency, Agnieszka Dzioba

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Myriad findings on children with velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) indicate the potential for this population of children to experience feelings of apprehension specific to communication and the potential for other psychological and social difficulties. The purpose of the present investigation was to explore the construct of communication apprehension (CA) and its potential relationship to social and communicative functioning in a diverse group of children with VPI. Potential linkages between CA and multiple socio-communicative constructs including attitude, speech satisfaction, speech and language skill, social competence, and speech severity were explored in a cohort of children with and without VPI, followed by an …

Dialogue In Identity-Based Conflict (Study Of Intergroup-Dialogue With University Students), Lisha Shrestha

Dissertations and Theses

An individual's struggle with "self," which consists of personal identity and social identity, can create both intra- and interpersonal conflict. In this study, I explored how such struggles inform identity-based conflict and how such conflicts are addressed by intergroup dialogue. A dialogue was conducted with University students, consisting of discussions about participants' struggles with "self" and social identity. These conversations were analyzed using a mixed methods and content analysis approach. The study revealed that identities such as gender play significant roles in creating conflict within "self" and with others. National origin, race, and ethnicity also affect personal identity; however, these …

Consistency And Change: The (R)Evolution Of The Basic Communication Course, Joesph M. Valenzano, Samuel P. Wallace, Sherwyn P. Morreale

Communication Faculty Publications

The basic communication course, with its roots in classical Greece and Rome, is frequently a required course in general education. The course often serves as our “front porch,” welcoming new students to the Communication discipline. This essay first outlines early traditions in oral communication instruction and their influence on future iterations of the course. In addition, because fundamental changes in higher education in more modern times affected emphases and delivery of the course, we focus on the relationship between general education and the basic course and the significant curricular changes to the course during the latter part of the 20th …

The Streets Are Cold, The Gangs Are Warm: An Interrogation Of Why People Join Gangs, Sanna Strand

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is looking to examine and understand the reasons why some people join gangs while others avoid involvement with gangsterism. Gangsterism in Cape Town today is an extremely current topic due to the large numbers of gangs and gang members in the region and the violence that is connected to it. The study sought to look into the multiple and possible reasons why a life of gangsterism seem to be so attractive to many young people. To understand the other side of the issue, a second objective was to understand why other people stay away from gangsterism, which include …

Percepciones De La Salud Mental En Cochabamba / Femicide In Bolivia After Perceptions Of Mental Health In Cochabamba, Phoebe House

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El propósito de este proyecto es examinar las actitudes que existen en Cochabamba, Bolivia hacia la salud mental y los trastornos mentales. Usé principalmente las entrevistas para descubrir las opiniones de profesionales de la salud mental, estudiantes de psicología y las trabajadoras de un hogar de niños que se llama la Casa de Amor para Niños, donde hice un voluntariado. Aunque los resultados de este proyecto no son generalizables a la población entera de Cochabamba, hay evidencia de opiniones generalmente negativas hacia la salud mental y los trastornos mentales. Sin embargo, también hay evidencia que estas opiniones se pueden mejorar …

Cultural Discourse Analysis Of Russian Alcohol Consumption, Elena V. Nuciforo

Doctoral Dissertations

The study uses cultural discourse analysis to explore alcohol consumption that is valued as normal and enjoyable, and to examine how alcohol consumption is viewed as a problem in both folk and official discourses in Russia. An event called “posidet’” (to sit) is deeply embedded in Russian cultural discourse in the form of a communication ritual with enjoyable alcohol consumption. The ritual has a structured sequence, commonly upheld norms, and a multilayered “sacred object” that provides access to cultural meanings of Russian personhood, relations, actions, emotions, and location in the nature of things. A ritualistic corrective sequence in case someone …

Interpreting, Stephanie Jo Kent

Doctoral Dissertations

What do community interpreting for the Deaf in western societies, conference interpreting for the European Parliament, and language brokering in international management have in common? Academic research and professional training have historically emphasized the linguistic and cognitive challenges of interpreting, neglecting or ignoring the social aspects that structure communication. All forms of interpreting are inherently social; they involve relationships among at least three people and two languages. The contexts explored here, American Sign Language/English interpreting and spoken language interpreting within the European Parliament, show that simultaneous interpreting involves attitudes, norms and values about intercultural communication that overemphasize information and discount …

Cumulating Evidence About The Social Animal: Meta-Analysis In Social-Personality Psychology, Blair T. Johnson Dr., Marcella H. Boynton Dr.

Blair T. Johnson

Like most scientific fields, social-personality psychology has experienced an explosion of research related to such central topics as aggression, attraction, gender, group processes, motivation, personality, and persuasion, to name a few. The proliferation of research can be a monster unless it is tamed with the scientific review strategy of meta-analysis, literally analyses of past analyses that produce a quantitative and empirical history of research on a particular phenomenon. The purpose of this article is to outline the basic process and statistics of meta-analysis, as they pertain to social-personality psychology. Meta-analysis involves: (i) defining the problem under review; (ii) gathering qualified …

An Ethnographic Study Of The Communication Practices Of A Recovering Alcoholic During The First Month Of Sobriety, Lianna Erickson

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This qualitative research project focuses on the verbal and non-verbal communication practices of a recovering alcoholic during the first month of sobriety. Using an ethnographic research method and analyzing the data by means of interpretive and symbolic interactionism, it explains how the organization, ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’(A.A.), helped a 33-year-old woman face her alcoholism and find the resources to get sober and stay sober. The results of this research show that a variety of verbal practices are displayed by using stories and metaphors. Non-verbal communication practices are used in the rituals that the organization, ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’, exercises and also in what the …

Killing For Fun: A Study Of The Effect Violent Videogames Have On The Player, Mike Goracke

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Many studies have been done to see if there are aggressive effects on people that play violent videogames. Even in the early 80s, there was concern that games like Pac Man were too violent for youth. Most studies have concluded that violent games have a negative effect on young people. Yet, I believe that many of these studies had flaws in the research methods. Therefore, I based my study on a previous study done by Bushman and Anderson (2002). My study consisted of a sample of 10 male Minnesota State University (MSU) students who listened to a scenario that would …

Management Regimes And Its Impact On The Wetland Fisheries Management In Assam, Ganesh Chandra

Ganesh Chandra

Assam is endowed with copious aquatic wealth in the form of beels, swamps, ponds and rivers. The floodplain wetlands (beels) extending over one lakh hectare, constitute the most important fishery resource of the state. The beels are considered as one of the most productive ecosystems owing to their characteristic interactions between land and water system. These wetlands are the common property resource and under different management regimes. These wetlands are under various management regimes, i.e., private management (individuals and groups), fishermen cooperative management, Community-based fisheries management (decentralized management, Government works as facilitator) and open access. Most of the unregistered beels …

Trust Formation Across Multiple Levels Of Virtuality, Amanda Woller

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This study looked at the formation of trust in relation to different levels of group virtuality. Undergraduate students worked in pairs on the game, Command and Conquer: Generals. Teams either worked together face-to-face; met first and then were separated to work together; or were completely separated for the duration of the activity. Face-to-face groups were expected to have higher levels of trust than virtual groups, while the groups that met first were expected to have higher levels of trust than the completely virtual group. Results showed that face-to-face and meeting first groups had higher levels of trust than completely virtual …

The Reality Of Role-Playing Games: How Players Construct Reality Through Language, Jessica Carlson

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Role-playing games have a unique structure and exist in multiple mediums. Although some research is available on communication in computer mediated role-playing games, little exists on communication practices in tabletop role-playing games. In my research, I reviewed existing scholarly literature on tabletop role-playing games, as well as theory on the role language plays in constructing reality. I conducted passive participant observation on a group of people playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. By applying theory to my ethnographic research, I demonstrated how players constructed a collective reality through communication. Players did this by demonstrating their own enthrallment with the game and …

Relationship Violence: Risk Factors For Adolescents, Antionette Wall

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The term domestic violence usually elicits a picture of an adult relationship where the man batters a woman. This picture is an accurate picture, but there are other individuals who are affected by domestic violence. Couple from all socioeconomic backgrounds, including homosexual and adolescent couples can face domestic violence situations. Research on adolescent relationship violence is fairly recent. Adolescents seem to be a population missed by general society when it comes to being involved in relationship violence. This paper strives to examine risk factors such as self-esteem, rigid sex-role ideas, parents‟ in violent relationships, and friends who are in violent …

Impact Of Text Messaging On Communication, Heidi Hemmer

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This study used two focus groups to learn about college students and their use of text messages. All of the students were from the Arts and Humanities College at Minnesota State University. One focus group contained five females and other focus group contained five males. The main focus of this study was to find if text messages displaced face-to-face communication. The results of this study suggest text messages do have a displacing effect on face-to-face communication. But text messaging is not the only technology that has the displacement effect. This study also suggests males and females view text messages differently. …

Roommate Rants: Understanding Roommate Conflicts Among Msu Students, Kimberly Halpin

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Roommates seem to go hand in hand with the college experience. Conflicts are inevitable in life and when a pair or small group of college students live together, conflict is likely to occur. The purpose of this study was to find out what conflicts roommates experience, how they communicate those conflicts, and how they resolve those conflicts. All conflicts would involve a Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) student and their roommate(s). An online survey, consisting of twenty questions, was created and administered to Dr. Kristen Treinen's SPEE 100: Fundamentals of Speech Communication class; twenty out of 750 students responded. The …

Women, Kin-Keeping And The Inscription Of Gender In Mediated Communication Environments., Julie Dare

Julie Dare Dr

The notion of the Internet as a transformative communications platform, through which concepts such as embodiment, gender, and identity can be transcended, deconstructed, or subverted, represents an enduring theme in communications literature over the last two decades.1 Underpinning early analyses was the premise that new opportunities presented by the Internet were driving innovative communication and behavioral practices. For example, the ability to interact anonymously opened the door for identity play and gender swapping, the implications of which, as Nancy Baym suggests, were "theoretically intoxicating"

“I Need Numbers Before I Will Buy It”: Reading And Writing Qualitative Scholarship On Close Relationships, Dawn Braithwaite, Julia Moore, Jenna Abetz

Dawn O. Braithwaite

The authors highlight important contributions of qualitative research for the study of close relationships, arguing for greater representation of this scholarship in the journals. Four challenges experienced by interpretive researchers trying to publish in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and close relationship journals are discussed.