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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Sports Podcast Consumption: A Qualitative Media Content Analysis, Eric Philip Thomas Dec 2022

Sports Podcast Consumption: A Qualitative Media Content Analysis, Eric Philip Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The objective of this research is to identify the elements of a podcast production that foster and facilitate audience gratifications. The Uses and Gratifications Theory posits that consumers of media seek out desired content to fulfill their needs or gratifications. This qualitative media content analysis researches gratifications derived from sports podcast consumption by analyzing fifteen podcasts in three different categories: high-ranking, medium-ranking, and low-ranking. Through the qualitative content analysis of over 54 hours of podcast content, the emergence of four structural content elements that seem to foster and facilitate audience gratifications were identified. The implications of the findings of this …


Utilizing Resilience And Persistence Strategies To Reduce African American Doctoral Attrition, Dudley Davis Dec 2022

Utilizing Resilience And Persistence Strategies To Reduce African American Doctoral Attrition, Dudley Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the attrition rate of African American doctoral students and how to improve their retention and graduation using resilience and persistence. Across all disciplines, 40–60% of students who began doctoral programs did not persist to graduation (Falconer & Djokic, 2019; Mirick & Wladkowski, 2020). A semi-structured interview format was used to collect the data from 27 African American participants, 20 females and 7 males, who had already obtained their doctoral degrees. The study sought to explain the phenomenon of African American doctoral students who persevered to finish their degree, in spite …


Technology Acceptance Model (Tam) And Use And Adoption Of Technology By Small Business Owners In Queens, Ny, Gavin Singh Dec 2022

Technology Acceptance Model (Tam) And Use And Adoption Of Technology By Small Business Owners In Queens, Ny, Gavin Singh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many small businesses today experience apprehension or anxiety when adopting new and emerging technologies in their place of business. Though we live in a time of unparalleled access to technology, many businesses still avoid adopting technology or upgrading to the latest version. Despite knowing the advantages of using technology to conduct business (in-person or on the Internet), some businesses purposely choose to not use technology. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative case study was to understand why these businesses choose to do so, and to learn what can be done to help them overcome these barriers to technological adoption. The …


The Method Is The Message: Communicating For Individual Behavior Change Toward Disciple Multiplication, Jeffrey Keith Mcdaniel Oct 2022

The Method Is The Message: Communicating For Individual Behavior Change Toward Disciple Multiplication, Jeffrey Keith Mcdaniel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this ethnographically informed, comparative embedded case study was to understand the lack of disciple-making movements for congregations at three evangelical churches representing the East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast of the United States. The theories guiding this study were Latour’s actor–network theory and Bandura’s social cognitive theory as they provide a theoretical framework to understand the influence of culture on the creation of meaning followed by the influence of meaning on individual behavior. The primary research question that guided this study asked, How can a church organization communicate to increase disciple multiplication? To answer this question, a …


Culture-Building Through Online Communication: A Case Study On The Rabbit Room Nonprofit Organization, Kate Elizabeth Mead Oct 2022

Culture-Building Through Online Communication: A Case Study On The Rabbit Room Nonprofit Organization, Kate Elizabeth Mead

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Communication patterns and techniques have been changed by the continuous evolution of online technology. Research has found that online communities may unify through a myriad of communication techniques. To date, however, there is limited research over the online communication patterns of faith-based organizations, particularly faith-based nonprofits that operate separately from traditional religious bodies. The purpose of this case study was to develop a deeper understanding of how communication presents itself online and thus develops culture within a Christian nonprofit organization. This qualitative case study analyzed the Rabbit Room organization and its online artifacts from November 1, 2021 through April 30, …


Phenomenological Content Analysis Of Information-Seeking Individuals On Healthcare Decision-Making In Facebook, Alexis Joy Woerishofer Oct 2022

Phenomenological Content Analysis Of Information-Seeking Individuals On Healthcare Decision-Making In Facebook, Alexis Joy Woerishofer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the tradition of social construction theory and phenomenology, this content analysis describes the impact of Facebook community groups on individuals with HIV and their activities seeking healthcare information. The central research question was as follows: How are individuals living with HIV utilizing Facebook community groups to seek healthcare information? Sub questions addressed the reasons individuals sought healthcare information and how the information they found influenced their decision-making. The study occurred within a public Facebook group for individuals living with HIV and through a series of online questionnaires. The sample included 20 online questionnaires being completed, with 36 members being …


Effects Of Strategic Communications Of Middle-Level Managers On Strategic Thinking And Organizational Performance: A Quantitative Study, Anthony Uwem Wilson Aug 2022

Effects Of Strategic Communications Of Middle-Level Managers On Strategic Thinking And Organizational Performance: A Quantitative Study, Anthony Uwem Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explored the relationship between Middle-Level Managers' (MLM) strategic communications, strategic thinking, and organizational performance. Pieces of evidence about strategic communications processes and strategic thinking supporting increased organizational performance are critical to an organization. According to researchers, when strategic communications and strategic thinking are not in the manager’s thought processes, any plans based upon such methods might fail to achieve the desired outcomes concerning organizational performance. While strategic communications and strategic thinking are essential to corporate performance, researchers have not fully substantiated their impact on the performance outcomes of an organization. Identifying to the highest Degree how a relationship …


Exploration Of How Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Of Technology Enhances Trust In Communication, Samantha M. Ricciardi Aug 2022

Exploration Of How Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Of Technology Enhances Trust In Communication, Samantha M. Ricciardi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The qualitative study aims to understand the central phenomenon of how trust enhances communication with online grocery shopping for participants who are 25 years and older and are active online grocery shoppers. Venkatesh, Morris, and Davis created a technology acceptance model called Unified created Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, which explains the acceptance and use of information systems and communication technology innovations with consumers (Kim et al., 2008; Phillippi et al., 2021). The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology is an alternative theoretical model that ties into eight existing user acceptance models: (a) Technology Acceptance Model …


Sharenting: A Phenomenological Study Of Sharenting Through The Lens Of The Presentation Of Self, Evie Simmons D'Amico Aug 2022

Sharenting: A Phenomenological Study Of Sharenting Through The Lens Of The Presentation Of Self, Evie Simmons D'Amico

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and interpret the sharenting of moms who post to Facebook. Sharenting is a term to describe the practice of parents sharing about their children on social media. The theory that guided this study was Erving Goffman’s presentation of self. More specifically, the phenomenon was analyzed to understand how moms use their appearance, setting, and mannerisms to construct motherhood with their performance team on social media. This study used a scroll back interview method to gather data to co-create the essence of sharenting and interpret its meaning. Twenty moms who had elementary-aged …


The Silent Secret: College Instructors’ Nonverbal Behavior And Its Correlation With Student Immediacy, Jared Van Fujishin Jul 2022

The Silent Secret: College Instructors’ Nonverbal Behavior And Its Correlation With Student Immediacy, Jared Van Fujishin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative research study focuses on the relationship between college teachers’ nonverbal communication behaviors and the influence that those behaviors have on college students’ perception of immediacy. Understanding the factors of immediacy, or trust and rapport with another, is imperative for educators as the current literature suggests that how students feel toward their instructors plays a role in the retention or attrition of students. Although nonverbal communication is only one part of a complex set of variables that go into the equation of student retention, it is an important aspect of the equation to study because nonverbal communication is constantly …


American Young Adults' Self-Perception Of Interpersonal Communication With Family And Friends Online Through Social Media And In-Person, Patrick Joseph Wolf Jul 2022

American Young Adults' Self-Perception Of Interpersonal Communication With Family And Friends Online Through Social Media And In-Person, Patrick Joseph Wolf

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social media has been a dominant factor in the emerging world of 2022. Nearly all-American young adults (ages 18-24) have some mobile device and form of social media. However, the effects of mass social media consumption have not fully been applied to Communication scholarship, particularly regarding multiple social media applications' effects on young adults' interpersonal communication abilities with family and friends. Applying Walter Ong's Theory of Second Orality to social media today and Social Exchange Theory, Social Penetration Theory, Relational Communication Theory, and Family Systems Theory helped find comparative academic research that aided in grounding the theoretical framework of this …


Four Meta-Literacies Model In Digital Multimodal Communication: A Brick-By-Brick Construction Using Qualitative Interpretative Meta-Synthesis, Jane Elizabeth Keil Strong Jul 2022

Four Meta-Literacies Model In Digital Multimodal Communication: A Brick-By-Brick Construction Using Qualitative Interpretative Meta-Synthesis, Jane Elizabeth Keil Strong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A digital skills gap has been noted in the literature as college students are joining the workforce lacking the communication competencies needed and expected by employers. Workplace communication is characterized by multimodal expression. The multimodal communication environment is complex and ever-changing requiring workers to possess multiple literacies, but what are these multiple literacies? The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative interpretative meta-synthesis (QIMS) of multimodality and multiliteracies to theorize a meta-literacy model in digital multimodal communication. The four meta-literacies may serve as future building blocks to inform pedagogies that may help close the digital workplace gap. The …


The Culture Of Appalachian Coal Miners And Its Affect On Their Culture, Joanna Mary Ferrell May 2022

The Culture Of Appalachian Coal Miners And Its Affect On Their Culture, Joanna Mary Ferrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to understand and describe the culture and history of the Appalachian coal mining community and how the culture is impacting their future if they face a mine closure. The theory guiding this study is the Cultural Identity Theory by Mary Jane Collier as it explains that the miners’ culture is influenced by those around them and can change based on their surroundings. There is also influence from mining history, which was explored in detail. Surveys, interviews, and observations were utilized to collect data as well as historic artifacts.


Video Collaboration: Copresence And Performance, Thomas James Zito Jr. May 2022

Video Collaboration: Copresence And Performance, Thomas James Zito Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative narrative theory study on video collaboration platform use is to explain how an individual's on-screen performance and their interpersonal verbal and nonverbal communication contributes to engagement and copresence with their audience. The literature review analyzes critical interpersonal communication theories to explain how this affects engagement and copresence levels in mediated virtual environments. The research was conducted through interviews with thirty professional businesspeople about their video collaboration experiences during the COVID-19 2020 shutdown. The interview respondents told the stories of business communication successes and failures that correspond to the scholarly theories in the literature review. The …


Tiktok Cyberbully Responses: Communicating The Narrative, Wendy Sommer Zito May 2022

Tiktok Cyberbully Responses: Communicating The Narrative, Wendy Sommer Zito

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study analyzed TikTok cyberbullying response videos to understand how content creators use verbal and nonverbal communication within their performance, creating audience engagement and awareness for cyberbullying and social advocacy issues. This study was conducted with 200 TikTok creator accounts analyzing communication, performance, engagement, and analytics narrative content analysis. Codes were separated into themes that represented the creator's emotional responses. These responses were analyzed to learn how the audience presented the content. The combination of narrative content analysis and analytics data was used to determine the effectiveness of the creators' ability to engage with their audience and create cyberbullying and …


The Power Of Owning Your Narrative And Understanding The Impact Narrative Has On Societal Views Through Media Perception, Anika Ayana James May 2022

The Power Of Owning Your Narrative And Understanding The Impact Narrative Has On Societal Views Through Media Perception, Anika Ayana James

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to understand Black narrative within media communication, particularly how media’s narrative and cultural viewpoints affect society’s perception of the BIPOC culture and perspective. To understand the feelings and effects of false narratives and false ideology on the community, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews and panel interviews with 10 members of the BIPOC community during the months of November and December 2021. The results show


Channel Overload: Can Less Be More?, Benjamin David Yarbrough Apr 2022

Channel Overload: Can Less Be More?, Benjamin David Yarbrough

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative research study used a thematic approach and semi-structured interviews to explore the phenomenon of Channel Overload. The Cybernetic Tradition frames the study and Systems Theory guides the data analysis and the fundamental underpinnings of how communication functions. Systems Theory is used as the guiding theory as it provides a framework to evaluate how different systems work together, influencing each other and creating noise. This study shows the impact of Channel Overload on individuals and organizations. Further implications include concepts of organizational Channel Overload and suggest the need for internal strategic organizational communication policies to protect people and organizations …


Digital Privacy: A Quantitative Study Exploring The Influence Of Privacy Fatigue On Privacy Management Behavior In Generation Z College Students, Sara Allison Brake Apr 2022

Digital Privacy: A Quantitative Study Exploring The Influence Of Privacy Fatigue On Privacy Management Behavior In Generation Z College Students, Sara Allison Brake

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Generation Z has grown up in a digital environment where their physical world is often merged with their digital world. Research has found that students often blindly accept social media terms and agreements because they feel they have no choice. Therefore, many students are often lacking in knowledge regarding privacy protection behavior on social media platforms. Some scholars argue that this creates a privacy paradox, while others argue it elicits privacy fatigue. In addition, there is little centralized regulation for online privacy, and privacy agreements vary by social media platform. The purpose of this study was to explore the variables …


The Medium/Message Is The Message: Intersemiotic Complementarity In James Hogg's The Private Memoirs And Confessions Of A (Justified) Sinner, Jaix Chaix Apr 2022

The Medium/Message Is The Message: Intersemiotic Complementarity In James Hogg's The Private Memoirs And Confessions Of A (Justified) Sinner, Jaix Chaix

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This semiotic analysis identifies and characterizes how textual, compositional, and mathematical resources have been strategically articulated to project intersemiotic complementarity in the book The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner; Written by Himself: With A Detail of Curious Traditionary Facts, And Other Evidence, By The Editor attributed to Scottish author James Hogg. This qualitative study approaches the original 1824 edition as a literary work in its original compositional medium as a printed book—not as a text. A theoretical extension of philosopher and media theorist Marshall McLuhan’s maxim The Medium Is The Message serves as a basis for the …