Digital Commons Network^™

Interorganizational Practices That Foster Reciprocal Trust Between Central Office Administrators And Principals, Andrea M. Derdenger

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Reciprocal trust among leaders in education improves the learning outcomes for students, which is the primary goal for educators. Researchers studying administrative teams have found the degree and level of reciprocal trust that exists in a learning organization between district-level leaders and principals can aid or impede the implementation of policies and initiatives. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the practices that develop reciprocal trust between principals and district-level school administrators. This study was informed by semi-structured interviews with five principals who serve in K-8 schools. Participants identified communication, decision-making structures, relationships, and leadership styles as elements …

Improving Communication Access With Deaf People Through Nursing Simulation: A Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration, Jamie L. Mccartney Ph.D., Tracy Gidden, Jennifer Biggs, Kathy Geething, Karl Kosko Ph.D.

Journal of Gender, Ethnic, and Cross-Cultural Studies

Baccalaureate nursing and sign language interpreting students participated in a pediatric discharge simulation with a deaf person playing the role of the baby’s parent. At the conclusion of the simulation, participants were emailed a consent letter and a link to a 17-item questionnaire developed by the authors. Responses were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, whereby nonparametric statistics were calculated to examine Likert-scale items. A Mann-Whitney test statistic was calculated, instead of an independent samples t-test, given the smaller sample in the current study (n = 26). A question was posed to participants that evaluated their self-perception of the effectiveness of …

Developing Interpersonal Relationships Between Deaf And Hearing People Using Instagram, Kimberly Ann Erskine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to understand how deaf and hard of hearing individuals use Instagram to interact with and develop interpersonal relationships with hearing individuals. The researcher used her personal experience as a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community to connect with members of the researched population on a personal level. The theories guiding this study were Elihu Katz’s uses and gratifications theory, Joseph B. Walther’s social information processing theory (SIPT), and Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin DeFleur’s media dependency theory. These theories were applied to help the researcher gain a better understanding of the …

End-Of-Life Care In The Trauma Bay: Six Key Points, Louis Christie Dr

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

The dominant culture across North America, Europe and Australia has been characterized by workers in hospice and palliative care as ‘death denying’ or ‘death phobic’. The last two decades have seen a significant increase in the number of trauma patients with complex background co-morbidities due to advanced age. Effective end-of-life care in trauma requires physicians to begin careful, balanced and sensitive conversations encompassing goals of care and expectation-setting, in the trauma bay. These pointers will help the reader communicate the principles of these clinical decisions clearly to patients and their families.

Destined Failure, Chengjun Pan

Masters Theses

I attempt to examine the complex structure of human communication, explaining why it is bound to fail. By reproducing experienceable phenomena, I demonstrate how they can expose communication structure and reveal the limitations of our perception and symbolization.I divide the process of communication into six stages: input, detection, symbolization, dictionary, interpretation, and output. In this thesis, I examine the flaws and challenges that arise in the first five stages. I argue that reception acts as a filter and that understanding relies on a symbolic system that is full of redundancies. Therefore, every interpretation is destined to be a deviation.

Mothers' Experiences Of A New Early Collaborative Intervention, The Eaci, In The Neonatal Period: A Qualitative Study, Charlotte Sahlén Helmer, Ulrika Birberg Thornberg, Thomas Abrahamsson, Evalotte Mörelius

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: To explore mothers' experiences of the EArly Collaborative Intervention. Background: Preterm birth puts a considerable emotional and psychological burden on parents and families. Parents to moderate and late premature infants have shorter stays at the neonatal intensive care unit and have described a need for support. The EArly Collaborative Intervention was developed to support parents with preterm infants born between gestational Weeks 30 to 36. In this study, mothers' experiences of the new intervention were explored. Design: A qualitative design guided by a reflexive thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke. Interviews were individually performed with 23 mothers experienced …

Patient-Provider Communication About Cognition And The Role Of Memory Concerns: A Descriptive Study, Nikki L. Hill, Emily Bratlee-Whitaker, Heejung Jang, Sakshi Bhargava, Andrea Yevchak Sillner, Justin Do, Jacqueline Mogle

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

BACKGROUND: Early identification of cognitive impairment is an important part of health promotion in aging. However, many older adults do not seek help for cognitive problems until their ability to function independently is substantially impacted. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore older adults' experiences with patient-provider communication specific to cognition as well as compare barriers and facilitators between those with and without memory concerns.

METHODS: We conducted an online survey with individuals aged 65 + years (n = 409; mean age = 71.4(4.73); 54% female; 79% non-Hispanic White), purposively sampled to include those with and without memory …

Improving Surgeon-Patient Communication In Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment Discussions: A Narrative Review, Lauren Schlegel, Roberta S. Perry, Elizabeth Cottrill

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

Background and Objective: Patient experience is greatly influenced by physician-patient communication. Yet, unmet communication needs continue to be well documented in patients with thyroid cancer. This review discusses factors that may impact this communication and presents communication interventions that are currently being used with thyroid cancer patients.

Methods: A narrative review of articles on the physician-patient relationship and communication in thyroid cancer published between 1985 and 2022 was conducted through PubMed and Google. An additional review of the articles referenced in the bibliography of the included articles was performed.

Key Content and Findings: This review discusses communication components impacting the …

Hello There: An Integrative Framing Analysis Of The Disney+ Series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hannah Grace Sawchuck

Masters Theses

The effective communication of emotions within audio-visual content, such as film, was one of the most important aspects that needed to be considered when creating such content. Within the field of communication, there was a limited amount of research that existed on the communication of emotions in film. This was a problem as such content is becoming more prevalent in society. Knowing how those emotions were created and developed would allow communication scholars to better understand how to effectively elicit emotions from their own audio-visual content. By examining a well-known series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, scholars could see how different aural and …

The Grade Is The Message: An Analysis Of The Grading Structure’S Effects On Student Grade/Learning Orientations, Grant Lynn Rye

Masters Theses

This qualitative study was undertaken to study the medium of the grade in education contexts under the assumptions made within the field of media ecology. The goal of this study was to build on previous research that has identified that learning-oriented students are better set up for success in the classroom than grade-oriented students. With this in mind, this study aims to identify, from the student perspective, what different aspects of the grading system communicate to students that they should value in the classroom, especially in regard to grade-oriented or learning-oriented mindsets. After conducting interviews with current students from a …

Communicating Indirect Feelings: American Stories Of Indirect Experiences, Susan Hess Lawson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The words people use to describe indirect human experiences and how narratives play a role are examined within qualitative research. The problem is that some people have difficulty communicating indirect experiences, and few studies have examined the issue. The purpose of this qualitative narrative research study was to examine how people who encountered indirect communication in their lived experiences can communicate the indirect experiences and messages they received. The theory guiding this study is the indirect communication theory as it relates to Communicating Indirect Feelings (CIF). The definition of CIF is how people attempt to communicate indirect feelings for shared …

Chapter 9- Defining Recruitment, Selection, And Matching Strategies, Paul Hernandez, Don Busenbark, Kim Hales, David Law

Making Connections

Chapter 9, “Defining Recruitment, Selection, and Matching Strategies” guides the program coordinator in recruiting mentors and mentees, selecting who will be in the mentoring program, and matching participants. The section on recruitment begins by emphasizing how the needs assessment, university vision, and program goals and objectives should align to create a clear vision and purpose for the mentoring program. It also describes how communication practices in various university ecosystems, rewards and incentives, and activities enhance enrollment. The section on selection delineates mentors’ positive and negative characteristics, exploring in-depth critical mentor communication skills and the characteristics of successful mentees. Finally, the …

Chapter 10- Preparing The Effective Mentor, Natasha Mickel

Making Connections

Mentoring is a central component of teaching and learning in academia that involves mentors ranging from novice to advanced mentoring experience. Mentoring has been found to play a crucial role in successful career development at every professional level in academia. Consequently, it’s imperative that institutions design and implement mentoring programs that prepare mentors, regardless of background, to establish, build, and maintain positive mentoring relationships.

This chapter begins by discussing mentoring and its role in academia. As institutions strive to retain faculty, staff, and students, it serves institutions well to understand how the successful implementation of effective mentoring programs can close …

Enhancing Student Leadership Skills Through Project-Based Learning In The Postgraduate Research Experience, Enung Hasanah, M Ikhsan Al Ghazi, M. Ikhwan Al Badar, Fauzia Fauzia M.A.

The Qualitative Report

Project-based learning (PjBL) is one of the learning models recognized by education experts as an effective method of achieving learning objectives in developing process skills; however, few studies have examined its potential for fostering leadership skills. This study aims to investigate postgraduate teacher students' experiences with project-based learning as a means of developing students leadership skills. The research involved 24 postgraduate students and utilized a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis. The findings reveal that while some aspects of project-based learning were perceived as straightforward, other steps were deemed challenging, particularly those that involved higher order thinking skill and …

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

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

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

Educator Self-Reflection: Parent Communication Methods In Special Education, Katie Hosch

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Communication between educators and parents/guardians increases positive relationships as well as provides opportunities for collaboration. Purposeful and intentional planning for the communication allows for positive moments, thoughts, ideas, and concerns regarding a students’ educational progress (academics, services, social/emotional) to be shared. West and Pirtle (2014) found that parents feel the essential qualities for special education teachers to possess include understanding, training, and effective communication. They felt it was important that their child’s special education teacher was able to effectively communicate with the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team; this included seeing the educator/parent or guardian relationship as a ‘partnership.’

When students …

The Relationship Between Family Communication Patterns, Conflict Strategies, And The Development/Management Of Eating Disorders, Ana Moyers

Honors College Theses

Eating disorders persist as one of the most prominent psychological and physiological illnesses among young adults and adolescents. Nonetheless, most research in the field focuses on external factors that influence the development of these disorders such (i.e., social media and an idolized body image). There is less research to investigate the role of an individual’s environment, more specifically the family dyad and communication related to such eating disorders. The family unit remains, often, the primary means of socialization for individuals during developing years, thus, this study seeks to expand on how current family communication and family climate contribute to eating …

Dad Talk: Father-Child Communication When A Parent Has Cancer, Elizabeth A. Reed

Theses and Dissertations

Most individuals are impacted by a cancer diagnosis, in fact 54% of Americans say they or someone in their immediate family has been diagnosed with cancer at some point (CBS Interactive, 2017). While most Americans have a family member with cancer, most research has been done to understand the mother-daughter relationship during such a time. Unfortunately, there is little research regarding father-child communication during a cancer diagnosis, and father-child communication is understudied. The father-child dyad is an important relationship that impacts a child throughout their lives (Fellers & Schrodt, 2021). To further understand these relationships and how cancer may impact …

Talk Box In Music Therapy With Speech And Language Impairments Resulting From Tracheostomy: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Jonathan Kang

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Tracheostomy patients struggle with one of the most significant and essential components to the human identity, that is, communication. When a person’s communication is obstructed, access to their intangible, inner world is also severed – leaving their thoughts, feelings, and memories, all of which are core to the human experience, unshared. Speech assistance for tracheostomy patients currently includes above cuff vocalization efforts using one-way speaking valves, augmentative and alternative communication methods such as speech generating devices and the electrolarynx. This thesis will introduce and discuss a musical instrument effect called the talk box as an integration of music therapy techniques …

The Semiotic Use Of Emojis In Marketing Communication, Naif Albarzan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the emergence of social media as the primary tool for communication in social and business settings, research on effectiveness of communication using of emojis is limited. This project seeks to bridge the gap in understanding the effectiveness of the use of emojis in marketing communication. In particular, the dissertation will focus on an interpretive exploration of the use of emojis in marketing communication as a semiotic that supports persuasion.

The Intercultural Communicative Meaning Of The Life Of Igbo Diaspora, Judith I. Udechukwu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In his novel, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad describes the African continent as “the heart of darkness” and frames African cultural heritage as barbaric, uncivilized, outlandish and backwards.[1] Unfortunately, this view represents the position of many European scholars who consider these cultures as inimical to civilization. However, in the contemporary era, intercultural communication, postcolonial studies, globalization, and decolonization of methodology have proved the negative western portrayal of Africa and its traditions as wrong and can no longer adequately address the complexities of African culture. Thus, the postcolonial African studies from the perspective of Chinua Achebe challenges the colonial narrative …

Amplifying Tutor Voices: A Qualitative Analysis For Improving Writing Center Tutoring Practices And Pedagogy, Leah Washko

English Department Masters Theses

Within the walls of university writing centers, tutors and tutees collaborate. They discuss writing, but even more than that, they communicate about ideas and theories bigger than themselves, all while discovering their identities. Exploration of how tutors define their authority and agency, while also highlighting the importance of tutors’ voices, is necessary for the continuation of writing center studies. Writing center tutors’ roles may be understood by some, but the mental hurdles, the questioning natures, and the care-giver roles they are emersed into need to be further investigated. Through a study conducted at Kutztown University’s Writing Center, tutors were surveyed …

The Cowl - V. 87 N. 17 - May 4, 2023

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 87 No. 17 - May 4, 2023. 32 pages.

Letter-Sound Correspondence Intervention With Students With Asd, Sarah Hoemann

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate an intervention procedure to teach letter-sound correspondence for students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Similar studies have been conducted; however, further research is needed. Purpose: Evaluation of this intervention to see improvement of letter-sound correspondence over five rounds of exposure to the intervention. Methodology: The research design was a single case study using a multiple baseline across participants. Baseline data were collected before intervention. The target population included three students aged 3-5 diagnosed with ASD who were previously enrolled in the Autism Clinic on campus. Materials included a laminated picture …

Perspective And Perception: How Reddit Trip Reports Convey And Offer Different Knowledges About Psychedelic Drugs, Kevin Lawson Nutt

All Theses

Psychedelics drugs are slowly gaining recognition for their potential medicinal value in therapeutic settings in Western science. However, there remains a great deal of hostility and hesitancy toward psychedelics, largely due to the psychedelics’ collective classification as Schedule I drugs in America, which resulted from a history of the drug class’ demonization. Nonetheless, several US states and cities having decriminalized psychedelic drugs in certain contexts, but the general population is relatively naïve to the potentialities psychedelics can offer. This thesis studies trip reports, which are firsthand accounts of individual psychedelic experiences, on Reddit to shed light on the different knowledges …

Women In Organizations: Leadership And Overcoming Biases, Madison T. Witt

Honors Thesis

This thesis will work to describe the different experiences women have in the workplace compared to men. It will discuss the biases faced: prove-it-again bias, tightrope bias, and the maternal wall bias. These play a large role in why women act as they do in the workplace as well as why they tend to experience different barriers within the corporate ladder. This research notes both gender biases facing women and the additional bias women of color face. These different experiences change how women lead companies when placed in executive positions. These leadership styles of women tend to be more welcoming …

Human Capital Advantage From Fortitude, Resilience, And Perseverance Of Minority Ceos In Stem Organizations: A Phenomenological Study, Torin Mordel Malone

Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored how the inherent lived experiences of minorities can foster the attributes of strength and stamina, collectively referred to as the fortitude, resilience, and perseverance (FRP) of minority executive-level leadership. Specifically, this research considered the lived experiences of ten minority CEOs and assessed the influence of how they lead and communicate within their organizations. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover if and how the attributes of FRP could distinctively serve as a human capital advantage for organizations to consider with regard to utilizing minority executive-level leadership. The implication is that the greater understanding …

Cezzartt: Building Community Through The Arts, Cesar Aguiar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this project, I propose Building Community through the Arts in San Bernardino California. In the recent decade, the city of San Bernardino has lost so much of its motivation and dedication to care for the art community. The local art community has always been present, however, overseen by the lack of resources and efforts in bringing the art community back to life through events, art shows, gatherings, or awareness within the city. The purpose of this project was to educate and bring awareness to the city and its people regarding the forgotten art community in the city of San …

Coded Daily Communication Log Providing Client’S Health Updates, Joy Hodson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Direct care staff of adults with developmental disabilities are not provided with information about changes to clients' physical and mental health. The Gateway Center of Monterey is a non-profit organization that provides a day program for adults with developmental disabilities to assist clients to live as independently as possible. Factors Contributing to this issue include time constraints, inadequate information provided to staff to adjust individual care, and staff resources being taxed to accommodate clients' changing needs. The communication deficiency led to clients’ changing needs not being met, staff needing to be equipped to accommodate changing needs, and communication breakdown between …

Project Emerald: Youth And Their Ability To Shine, Johnatan Portillo Ventura

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This Capstone project was implemented at Growing Greatness located in Watsonville, CA to address the lack of access to leadership programs for the underserved youth in Watsonville with purpose of empowering them to become effective communicators and advocate for them to inspire change through an in-person workshop about speaking to inspire them for action by and speaking with passion, empathy and purpose. The project was implemented using a focus group based approach that involved participants and youth leaders. The evaluation of the project revealed that it met most of the expected outcomes, and that the participants reported significant improvements in …