Digital Commons Network^™

A Quantitative Content Analysis Of Major United States-Based Religious Organizations' Framing Of Mask-Wearing On X (Formerly Twitter) During Covid-19, Michael J. Farzinpour

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative content analysis was to examine how major U.S.-based religious organizations framed mask-wearing on X (formerly Twitter) during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether identifiable framing cues were associated with observable audience engagement. Grounded in framing theory and prospect theory, the study analyzed publicly available tweets posted by 14 nationally prominent U.S. megachurches and affiliated public-facing organizational representatives between March 2020 and December 2022. The final sample consisted of 1,288 tweets. Tweets were coded for gain- and loss-framed valence-framing cues, compliance- and resistance-oriented frame-orientation cues, and engagement outcomes measured through publicly visible likes, comments, and retweets. Because …

The Social Construction Of Firearm Meaning In 2022 Hollywood Films: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Anthony L. Paduano

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study investigated how meaning was socially constructed around firearms in mainstream American cinema. The study used Berger and Luckmann’s (1966) social construction of reality as the primary framework, with semiotic analysis and Bandura’s (1977, 1986) social learning theory as supporting lenses, treating firearms as culturally loaded signs whose meanings were encoded and stabilized through narrative convention. A qualitative content analysis of 50 films, 2022 Hollywood films in which firearms were prominent enough to meet the study’s inclusion criteria, was conducted using a two-pool design that combined purposive selection with random selection from a bounded pool of commercially prominent …

“Don’T Tell Me To Keep Doing What I’M Doing, When I’M Risking My Life Trying To Get You To Do Your Job”: Thoughts On The Politics Of Distance, Alice Chapman

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Current - Volume 37 Issue 02, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Digest, September 16, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 16, 2026, announcing the President's Town Hall on September 16, 2026, and the Fall Business Ethics Panel on October 1, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Documented events take place at Scheidegger Theater and Dunseth Auditorium in Harmon Hall, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Director of Operations and Engineering of Mane Media Productions Brandon McKinney received Q2 recognition for broadcast engineering support; Senior Professor of Psychology Dr. Rebecca Foushee received Q2 recognition for providing independent research materials to biology students; Associate Professor of Art and Design Joe Weber received …

God's Not Neutral: Narrative Tropes, Spiritual Warfare, And The Construction Of Evangelical Political Identity In American Christian Fiction, Evelyn L. Mccullough

Dissertations and Theses

Evangelical Christian fiction has reached tens of millions of readers and viewers during the most sustained period of evangelical political mobilization in American history, yet its narrative construction remains largely unexamined. This study asks how recurrent tropes in this genre build the attitudinal and emotional preconditions for political engagement. Combining systematic qualitative content analysis of eight texts spanning four decades (1986–2024) with Critical Discourse Analysis grounded in van Dijk's sociocognitive framework, it traces how storytelling devices connect theological belief to political behavior. The analysis reveals a single organizing logic: the corpus holds one regressive heroic disposition constant while making it …

Growing, Connecting, And Reflecting: Interpersonal Communication In Relationships, Gordon Alley-Young

Open Educational Resources

"Growing, Connecting, and Reflecting: Interpersonal Communication in Relationships" by Gordon Alley-Young is an Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook exploring communication in interpersonal relationships. The text emphasizing that communication is a collaborative, co-creation of meaning across many contexts and channels. The text recognizes the pervasive influence of culture on communication to recognize how our diverse backgrounds shape relational dynamics and dialogue. Topics and themes explored in the text include: self-concept, perception, cultural awareness, effective listening, emotion, verbal and nonverbal communication, relational climates and conflict, and the formation and evolution of foundational interpersonal relationships. The text encourages individual reflection on the reader's …

Mission Over Bureaucracy: Special Operations Command’S Warrior-Driven Model For Defense Innovation, Robert D. Seader

Joint Force Quarterly

In an era of accelerating technological change, military organizations must rapidly develop and field new capabilities to maintain battlefield superiority. Traditional defense acquisition processes, optimized for peacetime oversight and risk avoidance, now take four times longer than in the 1950s, threatening to undermine military effectiveness against rapidly modernizing adversaries. This paper examines how the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has pioneered a fundamentally different acquisition approach that delivers new capabilities in months rather than the decades typical of conventional programs.

Through extensive interviews with senior acquisition leaders, this analysis identifies three core elements of USSOCOM’s success: a mission-centric culture …

Lindenwood Digest, September 9, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 9, 2026, detailing university operations, academic deadlines, and the Taste the Cause community event scheduled for September 19, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Programmed events are situated at the Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, as well as rooms LARC 09 and LARC 10 inside the Library and Academic Resources Center, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Faculty recognized for institutional service include Dr. Stephanie Afful, Professor of Psychology; Dr. Colleen Biri, Senior Professor of Psychology; Weston Anderson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; Brynne Schroeder, Assistant Professor of Psychology; Suzanne …

Advancing A Familial Understanding Of International Students, Prof-Collins Ifeonu Dr

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Remembering The Great Gumpert, Susan Drucker

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

No abstract provided.

Nonverbal Communication In New York Fashion Week, Lianna Cruz, Maia Coyle

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Nonverbal communication research has largely explored materiality and performance independently, leaving their joint role in meaning-making underexamined. The authors applied Langerian aesthetic theory and examined how three key kinesic variables intersect with clothing to create significance and symbolism by asking, “How do rhythm, body movement, and dance build meaning in New York Fashion Week?” Following Langer and Edward T. Hall, we conducted close visual analyses of three Spring and Fall 2025 New York Fashion Week shows: Coach, Off-White, and Thom Browne. Findings indicate that these variables build meaning by creating degrees of professionalism, reinforcing meanings through clothes, and renegotiating meanings …

The Unintended Consequences Of Metaphors On Navigating Careers In The U.S.: Focus On International Students And Women Of Color, Yeongbin (Ellen) Jeon

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

This paper examines how workplace metaphors such as the glass ceiling, sticky floor, maternal wall, and motherhood/fatherhood penalty continue to illuminate structural inequality in the contemporary U.S. labor market. Focusing on the experiences of international students and women of color, it argues that these metaphors are not merely symbolic descriptions but practical frameworks for understanding how race, gender, immigration status, and caregiving expectations shape unequal career outcomes. Drawing on class readings, policy analysis, and personal experience, the paper shows how visa-based hiring restrictions, limited parental leave protections, and racialized gender stereotypes constrain access to employment, advancement, and leadership. It further …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Drinking Culture For Women In The Workforce, Anna Savage

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

This study investigates how the drinking culture of companies differ for women in male-dominated industries compared to female-dominated industries. Through interviews with six women in a convenience sample, I compared the experiences of women in different industries to examine a variety of factors including whether they felt pressured to drink alcohol in social settings, how their experiences at office events impacted how they view and are viewed by their coworkers and managers, and what the effects of the drinking culture are on the culture inside their company. I found that women in male-dominated industries were much more likely to be …

J Mich Dent Assoc Sept. 2026

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association delivers news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200-plus members. It remains the main publication reaching Michigan dentists and is available worldwide through ADA Commons.

The September 2026 (Volume 108, No. 9) issue of the Journal is published in print format to provide updates and insights for Michigan's oral health community and MDA members. Print editions occur every other month beginning with January.

This full compilation of the September 2026 Journal of the Michigan Dental Association features the deans' reports from the …

Coping Beyond Cancer: Exploring Fear Of Recurrence In Colorectal Cancer Survivors—A Pilot Investigation, Emily M. Su, Steve Paciorek, Erica L. Laipply, Anuja L. Sarode

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Evidence is limited on the fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors in the US, especially regarding patterns and trends of post-recovery coping mechanisms. This pilot mixed-methods study quantified FCR, examined its associations with Brief COPE domains, and contextualized coping through qualitative analysis.

Methods

Twenty-three patients who successfully underwent CRC surgery were included in this pilot study. Fear of cancer recurrence was measured using the FCR Inventory (FCRI) Short Form, and coping strategies were assessed with the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) survey. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics, FCR, and COPE scores. Spearman correlation …

Representasi Identitas Dan Gastronomi Budaya Kuliner Jawa Dalam Lima Lagu Karya Ki Narto Sabdo, Aditya Pratama, Darmoko -, Ari Prasetiyo, Dwi Woro Retno Mastuti

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Culinary is not just food and drink, but has transformed into a study of culinary gastronomy which focuses on aspects of history, values, philosophy, taste and components. The study of the problems discussed in this research is related to the cultural identity of Javanese culinary gastronomy in the five songs by Ki Narto Sabdo. Descriptive qualitative research methods with an objective approach were applied in this research. This research uses Santich's culinary gastronomy theory and Stuart Hall's theory of cultural identity representation with a constructionist approach. As a result, the representation of Javanese culinary gastronomic cultural identity is built on …

Comm 11 Fundamentals Of Interpersonal Communication Textbook, Teresa A. Fisher

Open Educational Resources

A survey of interpersonal communication.

Nihilistic Violence Aesthetics In Public Online Communication, Heath Nicholas Landress

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Public online communication has increasingly included violence-related content that is meme-based, ironic, visually stylized, multimodal, and only partially ideological. This comprehensive literature review synthesized research on online extremism, extremist memes, toxic multimodal content, dehumanizing digital communication, nihilistic violent extremism, warning behaviors, platform affordances, and youth-facing online environments. The purpose was to clarify what the literature had established; identify where the scholarship remained fragmented; and map research domains relevant to social, behavioral, public safety, and human services scholarship. The review used a structured, comprehensive literature review strategy supported by integrative synthesis procedures. The final corpus contained 34 scholarly sources, including 32 …

“When I’M Not Heard, I Feel Like I Don’T Matter”: Advancing Equity In Disability Policy Through Critical Participatory Action Research With People With Intellectual Disability, Cris Marchionne

Student Theses

People with intellectual disability deserve a system that offers flexible, timely, and person-centered support — one that is innovative, sustainable, and holistic in enabling them to live fulfilling lives. This qualitative study, grounded in Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), examines how people with intellectual disability experience participation in decision-making within New York State's disability service system. By centering lived experience, the study identifies factors that facilitate or hinder participation in decision-making and examines structural, social, and policy-related barriers that limit agency. Through six focus groups and a Photovoice project with self-advocates receiving OPWDD services, participants described systemic barriers that limited …

‘Passing’ The Baton Of Trauma: Queer Failure Of The Women’S Sport Policy Working Group’S Anti-Trans ‘Position’, Meredith M. Bagley, Mary Anne Taylor, Sarah F. Price

Publications and Research

Engaging in critical rhetorical theory and methodology, we interrogate the contemporary landscape of anti-trans backlash in women’s sport. Specifically, we read the ‘TERF wars’ (Pearce et al.) across critiques of biofeminism (Pape) and whiteness (Fischer) while drawing upon critical social science research into trauma-bonding, bullying, and the structural impacts of gender verification policies. Our analysis focuses on the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group (WSPWG), offering a trauma-informed reading of the WSPWG’s ‘Position’ statement to illuminate how lesbian female athletes who were previously slandered for failing to meet femininity norms in sport are unable to overcome that trauma to recognize and …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) As A Communication Pedagogy Mega-Risk, Deanna Sellnow

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

With the ever-expanding capabilities offered by artificial intelligence (AI), communication teachers, scholars, and practitioners are currently in the midst of heated debates about whether and how to use AI both in our classrooms and in our research. This essay contextualizes the debate by describing generative AI as a technological mega-risk that, if left unchecked, may manifest into a mega-crisis impacting people and planet in extraordinarily harmful ways. Consequently, I argue that it is our responsibility as instructional communication scholars, communication education teachers, and communication pedagogy experts to discover strategies for harnessing its power to manage the potential threats posed by …

The Mundanity Of Ai, David Westerman, Nicholas Bowman

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The emergence of ChatGPT in late 2022 brought with it a reemergence of utopian and dystopian claims of the grand power of AI. Yet, AI has failed to achieve such lofty expectations and instead has trended toward far more banal, yet productive, tasks and goals. We argue that this mundanity is precisely what makes AI an important technology, and moreover, those “mundane tasks” are central to communication education. Specifically, we advocate for a decreased focus on the hyped ideas of AI that dominate popular discourse and obfuscate more reasoned analyses of AI as communication technology. A more pragmatic focus should …

Speaking In Color: Code-Meshing Against Standard Language Ideology In The Public Speaking Classroom, Darrion A. Walker

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Public speaking courses do more than teach presentation skills; they also teach students which voices count as credible. In Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), instructional norms tied to standard language ideology position standardized English as the unmarked benchmark of professional communication. For students who speak African American Language (AAL) or other culturally informed language varieties, this creates a double bind: conform linguistically or risk being penalized for rhetorical authenticity. This reflective essay identifies the double bind as an underexamined problem in communication pedagogy and suggests that code-meshing—the intentional blending of multiple language varieties within a single communicative act—offers a more equitable, …

Creating Safe(R) Classrooms: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices In Higher Education, Shannon Pappas, Nolan Bowers, Lili R. Romann

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Trauma is a public health issue, with effects being increasingly harmful for adolescents. While instructors cannot control how students respond to trauma, they can work to create traumainformed teaching practices to support student learning and safety. Based on the principles of trauma-informed pedagogy, this manuscript details how safety, trustworthiness and transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment can be implemented in higher education communication courses. Additionally, a sixth principle, responding to the current climate, is introduced. Currently, instructors are grappling with supporting vulnerable students and answering to those in power. These practices offer insights into classroom adaptations to assist instructors in these …

Meeting Rhetorical And Relational Goals In Online Higher Education: Insights From A South African Case Study, Rentia Du Plessis, Diana Breshears, Luzelle Naudé Prof

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This qualitative study examines the degree to which synchronous and asynchronous online learning platforms both supported and constrained the achievement of rhetorical and relational goals in a resource-constrained South African higher education context. As online teaching practices persist in the post-COVID era, understanding how to design pedagogically sound online environments is increasingly important, particularly in the Global South where cost, access, and connectivity pose significant constraints. Drawing on the Rhetorical and Relational Goals Theory (RRGT; Mottet et al., 2006) and Kaufmann et al.’s (2016) online learning climate dimensions, the study analyzes undergraduate students’ perceptions of Blackboard Collaborate, PowerPoint voice-overs, WhatsApp, …

Exploring Power In The Classroom Through The Lens Of Relational Power, Aubree A. Herman, Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter Phd

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study explores how French and Raven’s relational power model shapes student communication in higher education. Through a survey of 530 undergraduates, the research investigates how TA age and gender, and student gender, impact student perceptions of power. Results indicate that TA gender and age impact student perceptions of referent power, but not expert power; however, expert and referent power emerged as the strongest predictors of course satisfaction and intention to take future courses, while coercive power negatively predicted both outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of expertise and interpersonal interaction in the TA–student relationship and suggest that French and …

Beyond Human Bonds: Understanding Relationship Development With Humanized Ai Companions, Maria Nikolajczyk, Elisa Maier, Julia Prawitz, Leyla Dogruel

Human-Machine Communication

This study investigates the development of relationships between humans and Humanized AI Companions (HACs), focusing on the chatbot Replika. Drawing on interpersonal relationship theories, we explore how these relationships evolve, emphasizing the role of self-disclosure and communication. Through 12 in-depth interviews with Replika users we reveal that users perceive HACs as emotionally supportive, nonjudgmental companions, fostering meaningful bonds despite the AI’s lack of true reciprocity. Relationship development follows stages similar to human relationships, with self-disclosure playing a key role in deepening intimacy. However, the relationships are often asymmetrical, with users deriving emotional benefits without expecting mutual exchange. Technical limitations, such …

Tool Or Social Actor? How Ai Perception And Interaction Modality Influence Perceived Credibility Of Communicative Ai Over Time, Stefanie H. Klein, Sonja Utz

Human-Machine Communication

People increasingly interact with conversational agents based on artificial intelligence (AI) for a variety of tasks. While these communicative AI (comAI) systems often produce responses that are natural and engaging, the information they provide is not always correct and unbiased. This makes it essential to understand how users perceive the credibility of such systems. Drawing on data from four waves of a longitudinal survey (NT1 = 618, NT4 = 485), we investigated how active users’ perceptions of comAI as a tool or social actor and their primary interaction modality (text vs. voice) influence the credibility perceptions of comAI, both cross-sectionally …

The Comforting Potential Of A Social Robot, Regardless Of Looks And Designed Affordances, Peggy Van Minkelen, Elly A. Konijn

Human-Machine Communication

Two field studies examined the comforting potential of an autonomously functioning humanoid robot and whether participants formed an affective bond with it, guided by a new Human-Robot Bonding framework. We designed a 2 (Designed Humanness: high versus low) × 2 (Designed Affordances: high versus low) mixed-factorial repeatedmeasures field experiment. Participants completed a stress-inducing task, followed by an interaction with the robot, which provided comfort. We measured participants’ stress levels (objectively via heart rate and subjectively via perceived stress) and their level of Bonding with the robot. Results showed that perceived stress, but not heart rate, decreased after human-robot interaction across …