Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mothers, Daughters, And The Intent To Breastfeed, Aquila Brooke Mendez-Valdez

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The decision to breastfeed is a deeply personal one for every woman. There are often factors such as family and medical support that are outside a new mother's control and can influence her in how she views the nourishment of her infant. Previous studies have documented the effect doctors, nurses, and lactation consultants have on breastfeeding success. Less popular, however, is investigating how familial support and interpersonal communication plays a role in encouraging or discouraging the practice. This study examines how mothers and daughters communicate about breastfeeding, and the role it plays in both Mexico and the United States in …

Understanding The Role Of Communication Anxiety/Uncertainty Management (Aum) Among Female Teenage Bloggers, Heather Carleston

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examines how and what female teenagers communicate through blogging; how they manage uncertainty and anxiety within their posts and/or comments; the role communication anxiety/uncertainty plays in self-presentation and self-disclosure for this population; and how, when faced with bullying, flaming and adverse responses, they express and manage anxiety and uncertainty online. Using both Buber’s (1970) I-It and I-Thou philosophy and Gudykunst’s (2005) Anxiety and Uncertainty Management theory, this study examined the blog sites of three female U.S. teenagers. Examining the five most recently published blog posts, the study analyzed the details and self-disclosure levels, from site design and development; …

Communication And Longevity In Deaf-Hearing Marriage, Michael B. Ballard

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

"Marriage with a hearing person is frowned upon. Deaf marry Deaf approximately nine times out of ten" (Lane et al, 1996, p. 71). With the assistance of Burgoon's (1988) Expectancy Violations Theory and Philipsen's (1997) Speech Codes Theory, this thesis identifies cultural and language conflicts that may arise in Deaf-hearing marriages and questions the general assumption that 90% of all Deaf-hearing marriages end in divorce. This assumed statistic prompts the research question: What communicative practices do spouses use to contribute to the longevity of Deaf-hearing marriages? Fifty-seven individuals completed an original mixed-method survey identifying how they resolve cultural and language …

Communication At Tradeshows--Face-To-Face Versus Online, Megan C. Powers

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The question is regularly posed within communication academia as to whether computer mediated communication (CMC) is a “richer” form of communication than face-to-face (FtF). Similarly, the necessity of meeting FtF with regard to business has been repeatedly called into question since the downturn of the economy in 2008-2009. One reason professionals gather FtF is for tradeshows. This thesis looks at the quality of the communication that takes place at FtF tradeshows, and reveals attitudes and opinions with regard to the importance of the relationship-building and commerce that occurs in person and/or online. The results inform what we can and cannot …

Non Profit Organizations And Social Media: An Exploration Into How Non Profit Organizations Use And Misuse Social Media Outlets Utilizing Framing And Public Spheres, Alexandra Chiulli

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis researched how well social media works with NPOs to effectively communicate with their supporters. Being in a technology age, NPOs have had to embrace social media as being the main form of communication; however, this does not mean that all like to use it. One of the main conflicts in NPOs using social media as the main communicative tool is the loss of personal interaction with their supporters. NPOs began with having to utilize interpersonal communication only and with the new age of technology, they are struggling with keeping up with the different sites as well as the …

Health Media Literacy: Developing A Training Course For Health Professionals, Cara Scanze

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Media has clear impacts on children and teens’ health behaviors and choices. It is imperative that youth become critical media users in order to understand how media can impact their health and to challenge influential media messages. Media literacy education is a viable option for teaching youth how to become savvy media users and media creators. Though elements of media literacy education have been incorporated into some classroom curricula, public health professionals can also serve as youth educators on media literacy. To fill this opportunity in media literacy education, a training course was developed for public health practitioners, other health …

A Qualitative Study Analyzing Cps Social Workers: Creating Meaning Through Communication And Hidden Internal Biases, Heather A. Parker

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The goal of this study is to determine how social workers create meaning through communication with their clients and if internalized oppression influences their communication behaviors. The literature review and research reveal a number of subareas that need to be addressed in order to understand why dialogue takes a primary role in the positive outcome of a Child Protective Service (CPS) case. A review of educational material and scholarly literature was combined with an ethnographic study which included individual interviews and focus groups. It explored the societal dilemma of racism and internalized biases; along with the dynamics of communication between …

Expressed Best Communication Practices At Television Station X, James Keith

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

American news organizations are evolving as new technologies emerge and alter the way information is reported. The same electronic tools that help connect television news providers with their audiences are being utilized internally between managers and employees. Using an electronic survey, face-to-face interviews, and ethnographic based observations, this study set out to determine best perceived communication practices in a television news environment. The research subjects were all employees at one San Antonio television station that for the sake of anonymity is referred to as Station X. Participants were asked their preferred means of communication for resolving conflict or addressing issues …

The Cookie Jar Dilemma, Kelcy Dolan

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

This article explores the possibilities in both men and women’s refusal to take responsibility in the war against rape as well as rape culture. Beginning with Zerlina Maxwell’s viral criticized appearance on the Sean Hannity’s talk show, the article questions not only why responsibility is not taken for rape throughout society, but who is responsible and how. It then moves through this question citing several specific articles, an interview and media sources. The article contemplates whether, patriarchy, masculinity, or even instinctual and primitive thought processes dictate the assumptions and responses to the responsibility in the war against rape.

Linking Pre-Meeting Communication To Meeting Effectiveness, Joseph A. Allen, Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nicole Landowski

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose – This study investigates the importance of communication that occurs just before workplace meetings (i.e., pre-meeting talk). We explore how four specific types of pre-meeting talk (small talk, work talk, meeting preparatory talk, and shop talk) impact participants' experiences of meeting effectiveness. Moreover, we investigate the role of participants’ personality in the link between pre-meeting talk and perceived meeting effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained using an online survey of working adults (N = 252). Because pre-meeting talk has not been studied previously, a new survey measure of meeting talk was developed.

Findings – Pre-meeting small talk was a …

Dog Ownership As A Catalyst Of Conflict And Relationship Maintenance In Romantic Relationships, Ashley Elrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pets are a common aspect of life for many Americans. In 2012, 36.5% of American household owned dogs and 30.4% owned cats (American Veterinary Medical Foundation, 2012). The purpose on this study was to explore the influence of dog ownership on romantic relationships. Specifically, this thesis investigates how dog ownership acts as a catalyst of relational maintenance and conflict behavior in interactions about the couple's dog. No prior research has been conducted on the role dogs' play in enacting relational maintenance or conflict in romantic relationships, so it is unclear if there is an influence to the these behaviors. This …

Characteristics Of Effective Communication About Mental Health In An African American Urban Community: A Qualitative Analysis, Jeannette Porter

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown African Americans experience mental health issues at the same rate as the general population but seek treatment at only one-third that rate. Eleven African American low-income urban community leaders with basic training in mental health issues were interviewed about their perceptions of African American patterns of communication on mental health issues. Findings included a general consensus that the topic is generally not discussed, although passing references to a party’s perceived mental illness may be made using humor. When such discussion does take place, it happens only in a “safe space” with a trusted dialogue partner. Non-verbal cues …

Arab Spring In Tunisia And Egypt: The Impact Of New Media On Contemporary Social Movements And Challenges For Social Movement Theory, Victoria Carty

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

The events of Arab Spring were shocking for those who study societal movements as long-term dictators were swiftly removed from office and a democratic wave hit the region. Although the outcomes of the Arab Spring revolutions are yet to be determined, what we can gleam from these outbursts of collective behavior is that new media platforms played a significant role in the planning and mobilization efforts that brought people onto the streets and posed serious challenges to the existing political systems. This paper examines the importance of the communication field in influencing the political environment and motivating ordinary citizens to …

A Theme Analysis Of Experiences Reported By Adult Children Of Alcoholics In Online Support Forums, Marie Haverfield, Jennifer Theiss

Faculty Publications

Growing up with an alcoholic parent can have a lasting effect on children and contribute to a variety of challenging outcomes in adulthood. This study identified the various experiences that adult children of alcoholics (ACoA) discuss with their peers in online support groups. Trained coders conducted a thematic analysis of 504 message board posts collected over a period of 60 days from three different online support groups to identify issues that children of alcoholics face in adulthood. Seven themes emerged from the analysis: (a) empowerment through support, (b) interference of parent in adulthood, (c) connection to inner child and need …

Communication Channels: The Effects Of Frequency, Duration, And Function On Gratification Obtained, Laura Zizka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The way people choose to communicate can affect current and future relationships between sender and receiver. Business professionals communicate internally and externally using a variety of communication channels, such as e-mail, letters, phone, or face-to-face and must choose the best channel for the message they are trying to convey. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine how business professionals choose between the available channels, the premise being that users choose communication channels due to the gratification obtained (GO). Guided by gratifications theory, which proposes that choice of a communication channel depends upon the GO, this study assessed 15 …

(Dis)Abled Gaming: An Autoethnographic Analysis Of Decreasing Accessibility For Disabled Gamers, Kyle David Romano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the context of culture, disability has long existed as a stigmatizing quality (Goffman, 1963). As a result, people with disabilities are often overlooked or completely omitted from various, cultural artifacts. This exclusion of people with disabilities is largely recognized as unproblematic because their disabilities imply an inevitable failing. Through my own experiences as a disabled gamer, I have recognized that video games have also framed gamers with disabilities as problematic. Video games are largely constructed in a one-size-fits-all mentality (Grammenos, 2014), where very specific people, with very specific kinds of bodies, are granted access to play them. Since disabled …

Online On The Mobile: Internet Use On Smartphones And Associated Risks Among Youth In Europe, G Stald, Lelia Green, M Barbovski, L Haddon, G Mascheroni, B Sagvari, B Scifo, L Tsaliki

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This report analyses how children aged 9-16 changed their internet use between 2010, when most children used fixed computers and laptops, and 2013, with over one-quarter (c. 28%) of 9-12 year olds, and three-fifths (c. 60%) of 13-16 year olds, accessing the internet via a smartphone.

The Cowl - V.78 - N.12 - Dec 5, 2013

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 78 - No. 12 - December 5, 2013. 24 pages.

In What Ways Can Social Media Impact Communication And Improve How Businesses Are Marketed In Heidelberg German?, Madeline Marie Gregory

Theses & Dissertations

Social media is impacting society at an extremely fast pace. With so many social media platforms available to individuals, social media is becoming a necessary method of communication. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln, Pinterest, and many other international sites are being used to to communicate with others and share information. Since this method has become highly used, local businesses and corporate companies are now needing to implement a social media marketing strategy to reach their target audience and interact with customers. The international statistical data gathered in Heidelberg Germany expresses this necessity of social media implementation due to the high volume of …

The Effects On Students' Intercultural Competence From Intensive Intercultural Service-Learning Through The $100 Solution™ Model, Nadia De León Sautú

Dissertations

This study evaluates the effects of an intensive intercultural service-learning program on the intercultural competence of undergraduate students enrolled in Cultural Diversity in the U.S., a general education course at Western Kentucky University. This program utilized The $100 Solution™ model, in which groups of students partnered with local immigrant and refugee families, to teach them about U.S. culture, learn about their cultures, and implement a project to assist them in their integration process. The program included two hours of out-of-classroom work for over twelve weeks. Through the principle of reciprocity, The $100 Solution™ model provided an interaction framework in which …

Mexican-American Anglophile, Lorena A. Saldana

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Move Aside Scotty, Jing Is The Thing: Individualized Student-Created Tutorial Collections, Performance Assessment, And Easy Instructor Feedback, Stephanie Wiegand

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2011

If only Scotty could beam us around the world, to wherever and whenever students need our help… But, wait, there's Jing freeware! Engage students in video creation for performance assessment as they build personalized libraries of research tutorials. But, wait, there's more! Address and correct errors in class assignments in seconds. But, wait, there's more! Create individualized instruction for students not enrolled in information literacy courses and videos as follow-ups to one-shot sessions. Attend this session and discover a new frontier of easy and efficient online video utilization for instruction.

Talking Across Borders : Information And Communication Technology Use Among Iraqi Refugees In Amman, Jordan, And Louisville, Kentucky., Irene Levy

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

A series of interviews conducted in Amman, Jordan and Louisville, Kentucky posed the following questions: “How is information and communication technology (ICT) use affecting interpersonal communication patterns within the displaced Iraqi community in the US and Jordan?” and “What are the factors that limit the proliferation of the internet as a communication tool in that community?” Participants were individuals with legal refugee status and Iraqi nationality who left Iraq after the beginning of the 2003 Iraq War. Eight interviews were conducted in Louisville during the summer of 2012 and twelve were conducted in Amman during November 2012. Participants were asked …

The Cowl - V.78 - N.11 - Nov 21, 2013

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 78 - No. 11 - November 21, 2013. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V.78 - N.10 - Nov 14, 2013

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 78 - No. 10 - November 14, 2013. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V.78 - N.9 - Nov 7, 2013

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 78 - No. 9 - November 7, 2013. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V.78 - N.8 - Oct 31, 2013

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol 78 - No. 8 - October 31, 2013. 24 pages.

Conversations About The Weight Of America's Children: Barriers Which Prevent Healthcare Providers From Discussing Childhood Obesity, Catherine Blow, Alisa Allicock, Carolynn Desandre, Chandra Cooper-Samuels

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify the barriers that prevent practitioners from identifying and counseling parents and caregivers of overweight or obese children. Once identified, barriers were organized into thematic categories (parental, provider, and professional barriers) and recommendations were generated to facilitate discussion about childhood obesity between professionals and parents. Childhood obesity is a significant public health problem. Healthcare providers must be able to effectively communicate with caregivers and put childhood obesity at the front of healthcare discussions. This article provides a synthesis of the relevant literature and makes recommendations for healthcare providers to overcome the …

Search, Share, & Embed: Multimedia Resources For Popular Culture Research, Julie Decesare Cicilline

Library Faculty and Staff papers

The Internet has provided a wealth of multimedia and video content to teachers, students, and researchers. It is saturated by user-created materials (YouTube, Vimeo), digitized or born digital special collections by non-profit institutions (ArtBabble, Arkive, Duke AdViews), educational distributors and producers (Learner.org, WGBH), for-fee providers of on-demand streaming media (NetFlix, HuluPlus, Amazon Instant), and library database vendors (Swank Digital, Alexander St. Press) -- and more. Educators are often challenged by searching for and access to digitized feature film content. Copyright is always a consideration, but also just the ability to find the materials in the format they need, can be …

The Cowl - V.78 - N.7 - Oct 24, 2013

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol 78 - No. 7 - October 24, 2013. 24 pages.