Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mountains And Mythology: Folklore In The Alps, Arya Karki

Honors Projects

From nature spirits to secret doorways, an air of mystery and magic surrounds the mountains of Austria. All over the world, mountain ranges inspire rich folklore, each set of tales unique to its respective culture. The purpose of this Honors Project is to answer the question: how does mountain-inspired folklore mirror cultural values and fears? A comparative analysis between Austrian Alpine and American Appalachian folktales is conducted in order to isolate the variables that cause folklore to differ region-to-region. Through research consisting of primary-source folklore anthologies, secondary texts on mountain theory, and direct observation from a study abroad experience, this …

Perceptions Of Speech-Language Therapy Among Generations Of One Mexican-American Family, Sabrina A. Macias

Master's Theses

This research is a modified replication of Salas-Provance et al. (2002) and analyzes the perceptions of speech-language therapy among one Mexican-American family. It investigates opinions about causes of speech-language disorders, for whom speech therapy can be helpful, characteristics and stereotypes about people with hearing and speech disorders, and the influence of education level on such opinions. With the assistance of three family members and two cultural informants, an online survey was developed consisting of demographic factors, Mexican folk and medical beliefs, and potential stereotypes of people with speech, language, and hearing disabilities. Twenty-three family members (response rate = 76.7%) completed …

Health Literacy, Health Information Seeking Behavior, And Vocal Hygiene Amongst Video Game Voice Actors In The United States, Wendy Lau

Master's Theses

Video game voice actors (VGVAs) perform vocally demanding tasks to bring video game characters to life, and are at high risk for voice disorders. This exploratory study aims to characterize vocal health in VGVAs by investigating the relationships between health literacy, health information seeking behavior, and vocal hygiene practices. Thirty-one VGVAs completed an anonymous online survey. Data were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach: quantitative health literacy scores were calculated, and qualitative data underwent inductive thematic analysis in NVivo. Results show that VGVAs are highly proactive with their vocal health due to their desire for career longevity and their professional vocal …

Cognitive Media Literacy In The Digital Age: Structural And Behavioral Dimensions Of Inequality, Elif Pınar Aciyan Şen, Murad Karaduman

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

The expansion of digital technologies has not only transformed media production and consumption but also reshaped the cognitive conditions through which individuals interpret information. Drawing on W. James Potter’s (2004) cognitive model of media literacy, this study explores how cognitive dimensions of media literacy relate to digital inequalities among adults. To operationalize the model, index variables were developed for its four subdimensions, knowledge structures, personal locus, competencies, and skills, using multiple theoretically defined item domains. Based on a stratified face-to-face survey with 400 adults in Antalya, Türkiye, multiple regression analyses reveal that age and education are the strongest predictors of …

Who Do You Think You’Re Talking To? A Longitudinal Study Of How Disclosed Partner Identity Shapes Relational Communication With Ai Among College Students, Vito Anthony Borio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a longitudinal, two-condition, between-subjects experiment in which partner identity is disclosed as either human or AI in text-based chat; however, all participants (N = 60) interacted with the same chatbot. Informed by both Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT; Walther, 1995) and the Computers Are Social Actors Paradigm (CASA; Nass & Moon, 2000), this design draws on the former’s longitudinal measurement tradition to empirically test whether its predictions hold, using the latter as both a framework and procedure for investigating chatbot interactions. The findings inform both theories, indicating that perceived partner identity significantly affects perceptions of relational …

Review Of Supernatural: A History Of Television’S Unearthly Road Trip By Erin Giannini, Duane Ebesu

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

No abstract (book review)

Fostering Responsible Ai Use In Communication: An Integrated Approach To Digital Literacy Education, Omer Keynan, Liron Mishkin Drezner, Yuval Gozansky

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The paper presents an innovative approach to teaching digital literacy to eighty-two B.A. communication students, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI). Over a semester, students developed proficiency in using AI tools for content creation while exploring their ethical implications. The course integrated practical skills with ethical considerations, providing hands-on experience with AI platforms and facilitating critical discussions on issues such as AI biases. For their final projects, students created social media campaigns using AI tools, accompanied by introspective reports on their creative process and ethical reflections. We aimed to equip future communication professionals with skills to navigate AI-driven content creation responsibly. …

Mapping Media Literacy Assessment: A Systematic Review To Connect The Dots, Lara Azar, Casey Frechette, Hafsa Zia, Joy Amulya

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The goal of this study was to address persistent challenges in assessing media literacy by reviewing assessments developed between 2011 and 2020. We combined landscape analysis, research synthesis, and grounded theory to select assessments, identify key attributes, iteratively code, analyze, and create an integrated synthesis of approaches to media literacy assessments. The analysis classified media literacy constructs by learning dimension (knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors) and participation mode (consumption, engagement, creation). The results showed that while most assessments focused on consumption-oriented constructs, engagement- and creation-oriented constructs were also included. Assessments primarily served three research purposes: evaluating media literacy levels in populations, …

How To Incorporate Media Literacy Into General Education Curricula, Dennis O. Frohlich, David Magolis

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media literacy scholars have long championed the inclusion of media literacy courses in all levels of education, from K-12 to collegiate levels. Universities’ general education curricula are one possible site for inclusion of a media literacy course. However, with each discipline vying for a spot in a university’s general education system, a course in media literacy can easily be overlooked or excluded. In this paper, we detail our efforts to successfully incorporate several media literacy courses into our university’s general education curriculum. This is a process we went through twice under two different general education systems. This paper will detail …

Too Close For Comfort: Indigenous ‘Genre’ Film As Impactful In Pedagogies Of Reconciliation, Brendan M. Burrows

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article examines the pedagogical potential of Indigenous-created genre film—specifically, Jeff Barnaby’s Rhymes for Young Ghouls (Barnaby, 2013)—in promoting critical engagement with the legacies of colonial violence in Canada. Drawing on Susan Dion’s (2009) concept of the perfect stranger and film activist Ariel Smith’s analysis of Indigenous horror cinema, the study examines how three educators responded to the film and reflected on its curricular applications. Using constructivist grounded theory and cultural studies frameworks, the research reveals both the transformative promise and institutional constraints of integrating emotionally intense media into classroom settings. Findings suggest that while the film evokes affective responses …

Integrating Ai Into Media Analysis Projects: Students’ Insights On Using Chatgpt, Serpil Yalcinalp, Hacer Turkoglu

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research aims to explore students’ perspectives on their use of ChatGPT during a media analysis project in a media literacy (ML) course. Additionally, it investigates what the assigned media literacy project has contributed to them. Qualitative analysis results from 48 students indicated that they believed their media analysis positively contributed to their media awareness of messages, media genres, social justice, technical aspects, and analytical skills, such as inquiry and creativity. Many students appreciate ChatGPT, noting that it encourages learning across disciplines through deep searches and dialogues with the tool. They especially appreciate its contribution when they compare the results …

Demographic Context Of Media And Information Literacy (Mil) Skills Among Senior High School Students In Ghana, Patience Emefa Dzandza Ocloo, Aurelia Ayisi, Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin, Annie Oye

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper explores the media and information literacy (MIL) competencies of young Ghanaians in senior high schools. It is premised on the rising spate of misinformation, online security breaches, and the avalanche of content young people must navigate. Together, these factors demand young persons to be new media savvy in order to use the affordances of the current media ecology to their benefit. To advocate for comprehensive MIL education in senior high schools in Ghana, the study adopts a comparative analysis logic to examine demographic differences that attend young people’s media and information literacy. A nationwide survey of 1200 senior …

Fact-Checking In The University: The Experience Of The ‘Verificatón Electoral’ As A Model Of Teaching Innovation, Irene Larraz, Samuel Toledano, Jordi Rodríguez-Virgili, Félix Arias Robles, Ángeles Durán, Marta Pérez-Escolar, Rocío Zamora Medina, Rubén Ramos Antón, Óscar Espíritusanto Nicolás, Miguel Ángel Esteban Navarro, Marcos Bermejo Gil

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article analyzes the experience of Verificatón, a teaching innovation project based on a live fact-checking hackathon aimed at identifying and combating disinformation in the electoral context. The initiative, developed by the fact-checking media outlet Newtral in collaboration with nine Spanish universities, brought together a hundred journalism students. The results show that this experience facilitates the adoption of the fact-checking methodology in the students' professional practice and contributes to overcoming the competency gap in university journalism education. The case study validates this training proposal, which, framed within an electoral scenario, reinforces students’ learning of the role of critical thinking in …

Content Literacy In The Digital Age: Integrating The Development Of Digital Language Skills Into Civic Education, Cedric Lawida, Ina-Maria Maahs

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The digital transformation creates new demands on reading and writing. This entails the expansion of the goals of content literacy to explicitly include the development of digital reading and writing skills. The study explores how a social media project at a school in Germany supports students in developing digital language competencies. In the civics education project politik.informiert (informed politics), students create and share political content via an Instagram channel. The qualitative case study, based on observations and interviews, finds that the project offers rich opportunities for digital reading and writing, especially in researching information, evaluating sources, and producing audience oriented …

The Role Of Media Literacy In Shaping Campus Student Leaders’ Perceptions Of Media Activism, Online Risks, And Social Support, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Minnie S. Mcmillian, Shumaila J. Bhatti, Shannon Burth, Julius Matthew Riles, Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, Melody Wilson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

in social movements. Within contemporary contexts, media is an important site through which campus student leaders raise awareness, share relevant information, distribute online petitions, and shape public discourses on various social issues. Media literacy is an essential skill for student leaders to be effective in their activist initiatives and be able to cope with the inevitable pushback through trolling and cyberbullying that such activism would likely bring up. This survey (N = 855) with college student leaders across three universities explores how they rate themselves on media literacy skills, how well they understand the risks involved with media activism, and …

Empowerment Or Oppression? College Students’ Interpretations Of Sex And Relationships In The Popular Media, Nicola Mcclung, Riana Pella

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Scholars have long emphasized the harmful effects of overtly sexist and oppressive media images on young people’s understandings of sex and relationships. Yet, this emphasis on explicit harm leaves a gap in understanding how college students interpret subtle, hidden, and ambiguous media messages. To address this gap, we asked 196 California college students at a large public university to critique a range of mainstream media content— from overtly oppressive, to affirming of nondominant gender identities, to containing mixed messages about empowerment and oppression. Responses were coded using our media literacy scoring guide for assessing students’ ability to critically analyze media …

Automated Media: Challenges And Opportunities For Media Literacy Education, Arnaud Claes, Jerry Jacques, Antonin Descampe, Victor Wiard

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper offers a theoretical reflection on the evolving landscape of automated media, focusing on how automation and so-called Artificial Intelligence (AI) are reshaping traditional media-related practices and the competences required for media literacy. It examines how automated media technologies, such as recommendation algorithms and generative AI, might reshape the critical skills necessary to navigate a complex digital ecosystem. By framing AI-driven media practices through a social-action perspective and treating media as human activities, we argue that media literacy models should encompass competences related to the operation of computational automata, particularly through the management of inbound and outbound information flows. …

Tiktok Vs. Instagram: How Audiences Engage With James Charles, Kristina M. Hart

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This study examines how audiences engage with beauty influencer content across social media platforms, with a focus on James Charles on TikTok and Instagram. While existing research highlights the importance of authenticity, content strategy, and influencer characteristics in driving engagement, less attention has been given to how engagement varies across platforms and how users express interaction qualitatively. To address this gap, this study employs qualitative content analysis to examine 100 audience comments, with fifty comments collected from each platform.

Using thematic coding, comments were categorized into four primary forms of engagement: audience participation, product interest, entertainment, and trust/credibility. In addition, …

Staying Relevant: Radio’S Shift Toward Gen Z’S Listening Habits, Rocky Prasetyo Jati

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

The digital transformation of media has reshaped audio consumption and challenged traditional radio to stay relevant, particularly among Generation Z, the digital-native cohort. This article examines how community and hyperlocal radio stations are adapting to shifting media dynamics by combining conventional broadcasting with digital innovations. The study employs qualitative methods. As Gen Z prefers flexible, personalized, and on-demand content, radio stations are repositioning broadcasters as multi-platform content creators and online community managers. Adaptation strategies include integrating radio with visually oriented social media platforms, offering curated playlists, and adopting participatory models such as digital tipping (saweran). Radio stations are …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Artificial Intelligence In The Indonesian Film Industry, Louisa Christine Hartanto, Patrisia Amanda Pascarina, Cosmas Gatot Haryono

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

This study explores how stakeholders in the Indonesian film industry perceive the emergence and use of artificial intelligence (AI). Framed by Roger's Diffusion of Innovation theory, this study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is positioned as an emergent technological innovation, spreading via communication channels across the film industry's social ecosystem. This approach illuminates how distinct categories of adopters collectively construct the meaning of AI and shape their varied responses to its encroachment on creative labour. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, the study draws on data from two Focus Group Discussions involving directors, actors, government experts, academics, emerging filmmakers, students, and …

Civil Discourse: A 3-Part Lesson Plan With Media Literacy Connections, Greg Davis

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This article presents a three-part lesson plan designed to help students develop civil discourse skills through emotional self-regulation, value exploration, and structured debate. Drawing inspiration from Alaa Al-Musalli’s work on “Unteaching Divisive Argumentation,” the lesson introduces students to the emotional dynamics of disagreement, the ethical diversity that underlies opposing viewpoints, and the practice of respectful argumentation. The culminating activity—a classroom debate over a fictitious local law regulating electric bikes and scooters—invites students to reflect on how tone, listening, and self-awareness affect discourse. Integrating media literacy, the lesson concludes with a discussion of memes and online bias, prompting students to evaluate …

Information Exposure, Communication Channels, And Ssgi 2024 Data Utilization In Health Bureaucracy, Fachrudin Ali Ahmad, Tetrian Widyanto, Leny Wulandari, Ully Adhie Mulyani, Evi Suryani, Grace Lovita Tewu, Herianti Herianti

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

This study aims to analyze the influence of information exposure frequency and communication channel choice on the utilization of SSGI 2024 data. This study used mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative. Data were collected through a survey of 153 respondents, predominantly government officials, and in-depth interviews with 7 key informants. Analysis was conducted using the Chi-Square test and source triangulation. The frequency of information exposure was shown to have a significant effect on data utilization (p=0.001), where high exposure increased the likelihood of data utilization by 1.7 times. In contrast, the type of communication channel (formal vs. informal) did not have …

Coordinating Meaning With Ai System Cards: A Thematic Analysis, Jennifer Rene French Cyrek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As the meaning of AI risk remains unsettled across sociotechnical and public discourse, AI system cards are an emergent, yet understudied, genre of technical documentation through which AI technology developers publicly frame new AI system capabilities including risks. This thematic content analysis study examines how AI technology developers coordinate meaning regarding risk and responsible development in stewardship of AI. Guided by a constitutive view of communication and systems theory, second-order cybernetics, and the cybernetic tradition, this study analyzes a purposive corpus of AI system cards collected from 2023-2025 using thematic content analysis and the hierarchy of meaning heuristic from coordinated …

Internalized Colorism As A Gendered Barrier To Skin Cancer Information Avoidance Among Hispanic College Students, Soo Yun Kim, Wan-Lin Chang

Communication Faculty Publications

Skin cancer disparities persist among racial and ethnic minority populations, yet sociocultural factors shaping engagement with preventive health information remain understudied. This study examines whether internalized colorism functions as a barrier to skin cancer information avoidance among Hispanic college students and whether these associations differ by sex. Using survey data from 300 undergraduates at a Hispanic-serving institution, hierarchical regression analyses examined how three dimensions of colorism, including self-concept, attractiveness, and upward mobility, were associated with skin cancer information avoidance. Results indicated that only the attractiveness dimension predicted information avoidance. This association was moderated by sex, such that attractiveness-based colorism was …

Cooperation, Collaboration, And Community In Horror And Suspense Games, Rachel Kerr, Monica Evans, Cameron Irby, Cheri Tang

ELO (un)supervised 2026

Cooperation has been a staple in video and analog games since their inception. From couch co-op to social deduction games, there are few games that cannot be enjoyed cooperatively in some way. Even games that are not inherently cooperative can be played collaboratively, from single-player games enjoyed by multiple people in the same room to PvP games where players opt for teamwork despite explicitly competitive mechanics. In horror and suspense games, cooperation tends to form strong communicative bonds between players. The four papers in this panel examine how communities form in and around horror and suspense games, and how those …

Open The Case, Detective! A Story-Driven Game Approach To Combat Human Trafficking In Hospitality, Aili Wu, Wei Wei, Lu Zhang

ICHRIE Research Reports

Executive Summary: Human trafficking is a pervasive global crime that significantly impacts the hospitality industry, with several major hotel chains facing lawsuits for human trafficking negligence. As a highly sensitive issue that is often misunderstood, it poses challenges for hospitality businesses to effectively educate their customers. Meanwhile, existing interventions remain limited and largely rely on passive methods, highlighting the need for interactive interventions to help individuals respond effectively. This research addresses these challenges by proposing and testing a story-driven detective game as an interactive alternative. In the game, hospitality customers play the role of a detective investigating a trafficking case …

Lindenwood Digest, July 15, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: Lindenwood University Employee Digest published on July 15, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Assistant Coach Andrew Magera was recognized in Q2 Moments for developing a customized spreadsheet tool to assist the compliance office and NCAA teams evaluate athlete status.

• Institutional Context: Highlights campus operational updates, including Move-In Day scheduled for August 20, 2026, call for 2026 Alumni Awards nominations by August 28, 2026, and upcoming Learning Academy sessions on gratitude, performance calibration, and LinkedIn Learning AI courses.

Proceedings: Nownet Arts Conference 2019, Sarah Rose Weaver, Chris Chafe, Scott Oshiro, Margaret Schedel

Journal of Network Music and Arts

Proceedings of the 2nd Annual NowNet Arts Conference 2019 “Social Purpose in Contemporary Network Arts.” The conference was held November 7–10, 2019. The primary in-person site was the Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS), Stony Brook University. Satellite in-person sites included Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University, Edinburgh Napier University, Orpheus Institute in Belgium, and Electronic Studios at the Technical University, Berlin. More locations participated remotely via the internet.

Proceedings: Nownet Arts Conference 2018, Sarah Rose Weaver, Chris Chafe, Margaret Schedel, Min Xiao-Fen

Journal of Network Music and Arts

Proceedings of the NowNet Arts Conference 2018, “Network Music: Artistic and Technological Strategies for Public and Private Networks.” This was the first of the NowNet Arts Conferences, which have been held annually from 2018 to the present. The conference took place from April 19–22, 2018, at the Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS), Stony Brook University, and at multiple remote locations connected via the internet.

Comparing Text Score Strategies For Online Music Making, Craig Pedersen, Lindsay R. Vickery, Stuart James

Journal of Network Music and Arts

This paper investigates a range of approaches to using text scores in online and networked music performance, focusing on their alignment with strategies proposed by Wilson (2020) for aesthetic and technical approaches to networked music performance. Text scores, emerging from the experimental music movement of the 1960s, communicate musical ideas through words rather than traditional notation, taking instructional, allusive, and hybrid forms. Although there are many aesthetic and pragmatic approaches to text score composition, the temporal openness of many such works makes the medium well-suited to the latency-challenged practice of telematic performance. The study evaluates four text scores—Craig Pedersen’s July …