Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Incorporating Research Design In Public Diplomacy: The Role Of Listening To Foreign Publics, Juve J. Cortés, Thomas Jamieson

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Research design involves a set of decisions regarding what or who will be studied and the procedures in acquiring and analyzing information. In this article, we apply lessons from research design to public diplomacy, a field focused on engaging with foreign publics. Much prior scholarship sheds light on what PD is and its programs, but less attention has been given to the role of listening to understand what foreign publics think and believe. We propose three interrelated recommendations to improve the quality of implementing PD programs. First, before any program is implemented, we need to correctly identify a perceived issue …

Employee Engagement In The Federal Sector: An Exploration Of Communication, Respect, Motivation, And Encouragement, Jody Mcdaniel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate and deepen the understanding of employee engagement in the multigenerational workforce of a federal agency. Organizational culture in combination with the dispersion of staff across multiple generations presented the opportunity to inform the case study through scientific management theory and the theory of generations as well as concepts regarding organizational change, employee satisfaction, and organizational leadership. Research questions involved investigating factors influencing the reduction in employee satisfaction and engagement, the impact of generational differences, and the role leadership plays in altering employee engagement. Survey questions were developed based on 4 …

Communication Strategies For Connecting Onevcu, The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute At Virginia Commonwealth University, Jason Jacobus, Amy Lutero, Mary Peace Mcrae, Shravan Renapurkar, Kristin Richardson, Christian Wernz, Tonka Williams

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

This project analyzes and makes improvement suggestions for communication to VCU faculty and staff. The COVID-19 crisis has brought to light a variety of communication needs. Faculty and staff are feeling overwhelmed by a flood of emails, while at the same time are missing key information. We have assessed the current communication infrastructure, and together with the key VCU communicators have identified improved processes and policies.

Apart Yet Still Together: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of How Coparents Navigate Conflict Post-Divorce, Rebecca Anderson

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of parents choosing to coparent after divorce in an effort to understand the challenges and conflicts they encountered and how they managed those conflicts. The qualitative study included the experiences of 18 individuals, 9 mothers and 9 fathers through semi-structured interviews. Participants ranged in age from 31 to 52 years old. While all shared custody, they varied in custody arrangements. The number of years divorced ranged from one year to fifteen years. Parents had anywhere from one to four children between them. At the time of the divorce, children ranged in age from seven months …

Communicating Punishment, Marah Stith Mcleod

Journal Articles

Does it matter whether convicted offenders understand why they are being punished? In the death penalty context, the Supreme Court has said yes; a prisoner who cannot understand the state's reasons for imposing a death sentence may not be executed. Outside of capital punishment, the answer is still open. This Article begins to fill that gap, focusing on why and how states should help all offenders make sense of their sanctions, whether imposed for retribution, for deterrence, for incapacitation, or for rehabilitation.

Judges today sometimes try to explain sentences to criminal offenders so that they know the purposes of their …

Confronting Students’ Personal And Interpersonal Communication Anxieties And Needs Through Constitutive, Experiential Communication Pedagogy, Lawrence R. Frey, Emily Loker

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Today’s college students are experiencing unprecedented high levels of anxiety, resulting in devastating effects. This essay challenges communication educators to respond directly to this significant issue by employing an experiential pedagogy that offers students constitutive opportunities to initiate, experiment with, and receive feedback about new communicative behaviors that will enable them to interact well and achieve positive outcomes in high anxiety-inducing interactions. The essay explicates how that constitutive, experiential pedagogy informs the course “Communication and Human Relations,” enabling students to acquire communication competencies to reduce their anxiety about and to manage effectively their personal and interpersonal communication difficulties.

Successful Strategies To Lead Change Initiatives, Lorice S. Edwards Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As financial systems, global trade, and the regulatory environment integrate, business leaders are often ill equipped to develop and implement strategies to lead changes in organizations. Business leaders who lead change initiatives without proven sustainability strategies are highly susceptible to business closure. Grounded in Lewin's theory of change, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful strategies some business leaders used to develop and manage change initiatives to remain operable beyond 5 years. The participants included 4 industry business leaders with a minimum of 5 years of successful change leadership experience. The data collection included semistructured …

Parental Practices And Maternal Warmth As Protective Factors For Problem Behaviors In Mexican Preadolescents, Jaime Fuentes-Balderrama, Cinthia Cruz Del Castillo, Jose Ruben Parra-Cardona, Bernardo Turnbull Plaza, Angélica Ojeda García, Rolando Díaz-Loving

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Epidemiological estimates indicate that approximately 12% of children and adolescents in Mexico are in clinical ranges for psychological disorders. Low-income families in need of psychological support generally encounter understaffed and sometimes inefficient public health services and thus, families frequently constitute the primary source of support for individuals affected by mental health disorders. Empirical studies in the Mexican context have demonstrated that positive parental practices are associated with positive developmental outcomes and low levels of problem behaviors for both children and adolescents. This study aims to identify if such practices act as protective factors for problem behaviors in 306 Mexican students …

Communication Patterns Between Physicians And Physician Assistants, Joey Valentini

Senior Honors Theses

Communication is imperative to the success of any team-based organization. In healthcare, it is common for patient outcomes to be affected by variables including but not limited to the quality of extraprofessional communication. Physicians and physician assistants are two meaningful and valued members of the medical care team, and the need for collaboration amongst each other is irrefutable. Physicians are the trusted leaders of any medical team, having completed the most amount of schooling and training. Physician assistants are versatile, economically advantageous, and skill-proficient mid-level practitioners that are required by law to be supervised by a collaborating physician. The working …

Instructor-Initiated Communication And Student Success In Online High-Impact Community College Courses, Tonia J. Benton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is low student success in online high-impact courses. Researchers have shown that instructor-initiated communication contributes to student satisfaction and success. The purpose of this study was to determine any relationship between instructor-initiated communication and student pass rates in online high-impact courses offered at a community college in the United States. The Community of Inquiry (CoI), which identifies teacher, social, and cognitive guidelines supporting learning experiences for students, was the theoretical foundation of the study. The research question was designed to explore relationships among the percentage of students passing a course with an A, B, …

Strategies For Increasing Workforce Engagement, Joanne White Hayes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The existence of disengaged employees can reduce productivity and increase organizations’ costs. Engaged employees are vital to many organizations and the success of organizational leaders. Grounded in Herzberg's two factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies managers used to increase employee engagement in the nonprofit industry. Participants were 3 managers in South Carolina who successfully implemented strategies to increase employee engagement. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-step method of analysis, and 3 themes emerged: providing clear and concise communication, recognition and …

Conflict In Communication: Evaluating Potential Predictors For Pro-Social Communication Outcomes, Paul Javier Villa

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The importance of communication in every aspect of our lives cannot be understated, in many ways it is the foundation upon which society rests. As a result of communication being ubiquitous in nature, it becomes inevitable that at some point conflict will occur as competing ideas, world views, or beliefs are exchanged. This inevitability, therefore, necessitates researchers make attempts to better understand the role conflict tendencies can play in influencing communication variables that are generally understood to be pro-social. The researcher administered a questionnaire to 226 college students from one private university and three community colleges on the west coast …

Minority Representations In Crime Drama: An Examination Of Roles, Identity, And Power, Megan E. Chatelain

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The storytelling ability of television can be observed in any genre. Crime drama offers a unique perspective because victims and offenders change every episode increasing stereotypes with each new character. In other words, the more victims and criminals observed by the audience, the more likely the show creates the perception of a mean world. Based on previous literature, three questions emerged which this study focused on by asking the extent of Criminal Minds’ ability to portray crime accurately compared to the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and the Behavioral Analysis Unit’s (BAU-4) report on serial murderers and …

Evaluating The Impact Of Marriage Renewal Workshop On Marital Satisfaction, Communication, Conflict Management, And Forgiveness: A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis, Hien T. Kim Nguyen

Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to examine the impact of the Marriage Renewal Workshop (MRW) program for relationship satisfaction, communication skills, conflict resolution skills and levels of forgiveness among Vietnamese American married couple participants and their perceptions of the program's impact regarding these outcome variables. This evaluation mixed-method study employed a group of 64 participants who participated in before, after (using 4 closed-ended and open-ended questions) and six-week follow-up surveys and a group of 11 program participants who volunteered for in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were examined by using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann-Whitney U Test, whereas qualitative …

Investigating Communicative Dissonance Within Relationships Of Adults With Asperger’S Syndrome (Asd Level 1), Bronwyn Maree Wilson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The key features of Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) include marked and lifelong impairments in social interaction. Social interaction is a fundamental component of relationships. Despite the momentum of worldwide research on ASC, there is insufficient empirical study on adults with ASC and their relationships. Therefore, numerous myths, misunderstandings and confusion exist, especially in the area of adults with ASC, and autism-based impacts on the adults with ASC themselves, their relationships, and on the people who are in relationship with them.

Relationships that involve people with an ASC are often described as neurodiverse. Neurodiverse relationships that include one person with an …

The Changing Face Of The Wildlife Profession: Tools For Creating Women Leaders, Wendy S. Anderson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Women continue to be underrepresented in the natural resource sciences arena, including the field of wildlife biology. The gender gap widens further with advancement to higher level positions. This paper explores potential reasons behind the lack of women in leadership and the array of challenges that women may face in their career paths. A variety of tools are proposed to support and encourage career advancement for women. Studies show that organizations with higher numbers of women in leadership roles perform better and diverse teams are more dedicated and committed to the mission. Understanding gender issues and generating organizational change is …

Supporting Safety Culture In Academia: Giving A Voice To Faculty, Emily K. Faulconer, Chelsea A. Lenoble

Publications

In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, “The difference between mere management and true leadership is communication.” Department leaders have a vital role to play at all institutional levels when it comes to achieving an optimal safety culture that promotes safety voice behavior.

At the university level, this role is to help the university develop a solid foundation that will support a strong safety culture. At this level, it can be a challenge to mobilize and sustain the necessary resources to effectively develop and communicate a clear, consistent message that is aligned with implicit and explicit reward structures.

A Look At Vision: Perspectives Throughout The Organizational Hierarchy Of The Christian University Context, William Kyle Brantley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research supports vision as a central tenet to leadership. Just as important as the content of vision is how it is communicated. However, once a vision is cast, far less is known about how it is communicated throughout the organization and how it influences members throughout the organizational hierarchy. For faith-based organizations like Christian colleges and universities, vision is particularly important as it serves to steer the institution toward a greater realization of its faith-based identity. This study contributes to the empirical research on vision, its communication, and its effect, as both the nature and impact of vision communication within …

How Adolescents Use Text Messaging Through Their High School Years, Samuel E. Ehrenreich, Kurt J. Beron, Kaitlyn Burnell, Diana J. Meter, Marion K. Underwood

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Co‐construction theory suggests adolescents use digital communication to address developmental challenges. For a sample of 214 ethnically diverse adolescents, this research used direct observation to investigate the frequency, content, and timing of texting with parents, peers, and romantic partners through grades 9–12. Analyses showed that texting frequency follows a curvilinear trajectory, peaking in eleventh grade. Adolescents discussed a range of topics, predominantly with peers. Communication with parents was less frequent, but consistent over time. Approximately 45‐65% of adolescents communicated with romantic partners, texting heavily and about topics similar to those discussed with peers. Texting may help adolescents navigate key developmental …

Neologisms In Social Networks, Sayfullo Nurtaev Teacher, Elmira Muratova Phd, Associate Professor

Philology Matters

The article focuses on the neologisms in social networks. The object of the research is the lexical system of modern English in social networks, types of neologisms, methods of their formation and distribution. Studying the mechanisms of neologisms formation in connection with conceptual changes in human consciousness in line with the constant development of technologies and scientific progress, it is possible to extract more informative use of neologisms in everyday life in the Internet world. The relevance of this topic is that neologisms are very important in our life, especially now, because we have the development of science and technology, …

Rival Brands’ Response Strategies To Mitigate The Negative Spillover Effects During A Brand Crisis, Jan-Juba Y. Arway

Theses - ALL

Effectively managing a crisis is highly essential to any company to protect or restore its reputation, including consumer faith and loyalty to the brand, after the crisis has occurred, especially to competing brands. It is also essential that the rival brand approaches the situation with the correct response strategy (Veil, Dillingham, & Sloan, 2016). Extending Rohem and Tybout's (2016) research about the Negative Spillover Effect (NSE), this study’s purpose is to examine the effective communication strategy a rival brand can employ to lessen and or prevent negative spillover from competing brand scandal and or crisis. Furthermore, exploring differentiation and bolstering …

How Responsiveness From A Communication Partner Affects Story Retell In Aphasia: Quantitative And Qualitative Findings, Tyson G. Harmon, Adam Jacks, Katarina L. Haley, Antoine Bailliard

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Because people with aphasia frequently interact with partners who are unresponsive to their communicative attempts, we investigated how partner responsiveness affects quantitative measures of spoken language and subjective reactions during story retell.

Method: A quantitative and a qualitative study were conducted. In study 1, participants with aphasia and controls retold short stories to a communication partner who indicated interest through supportive backchannel responses (responsive) and another who indicated disinterest through unsupportive backchannel responses (unresponsive). Story retell accuracy, delivery speed, and ratings of psychological stress were measured and compared. In study 2, participants completed semi-structured interviews about their story retell …

Barriers And Opportunities For Concussion Communication And Management In Youth Sports: A Qualitative Study, Kelly Sarmiento, Zoe Donnell, Elizabeth Bell, Rosanne Hoffman

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

To identify opportunities to improve coach-athlete communication, this study examined young athletes’ perceptions and concerns about concussion, as well as their information needs. A qualitative data collection approach, based on the grounded theory methodology, was utilized. Six virtual focus groups were conducted with 17 male and female athletes’ ages 12 to 18 years. Results indicated that athletes were concerned about the potential long-term effects of a concussion. Athletes described multiple barriers that interfere with concussion reporting, including: being unfamiliar with concussion signs and symptoms, perceived pressure from teammates, concerns of interference that concussion reporting can have on gameplay, and a …

Role Of Stakeholder Communication In Sustainability Of Indonesia's Conservation Area, Indriyati Kamil, Oekan Abdullah, Herlina Agustin, Iriana Bakti

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Indonesia's environmental policy in the conservation area is carried out by establishing the nature reserve as the highest conservation area in addition to wildlife reserves. The high level of damage in the nature reserve area requires collaboration integrated multi-party. Therefore, preservation activities of nature reserves require stakeholder involvement and multi-stakeholder communication in conservation area management. This study aims to: 1) identify the roles and relationships of stakeholders in preserving the nature reserve area 2) formulating a communication model suitable for conservation of the nature reserve. The research method uses survey methods with qualitative and quantitative descriptive approaches obtained from secondary …

The Cowl - V. 84 - N. 12 - Dec 5, 2019

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 84 - Number 12 - December 5, 2019. 28 pages.

The Role And Effect Of Mindfulness In Intimate Relationships, Mazyar Karandish

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Mindfulness practice, a present-centered approach to experience, has been shown to effectively enhance various dimensions of the human experience. Recent literature has explored how the practice of mindfulness meditation has provided benefits to practitioners seeking to enhance relationship dynamics. There are multiple examples of mindfulness-based relationship enhancement programs aiming to enhance the quality of intimate relationships in adults. This study utilizes a repeated-measures design to address whether a neutral mindfulness-based program, not geared at enhancing relationships, can significantly alter the quality of intimate relationships. The research will further examine the central mechanisms of action through which mindfulness can enhance relationships. …

The Cowl - V. 84 - N. 11 - Nov 21, 2019

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 84 - Number 11 - November 21, 2019. 24 pages.

Report: The 2018 Vincentian Innovation Summit, Anna Morozova, Kevin Rioux

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.

Creating Talk & Texts: Taking The Classroom Into The Community, Yvonne J. Montoya, Vera Coleman, Robert Fitzpatrick, Kevin Cano, Alison Gervais, Kaylynn Mcabee, Devon Miller, Alec Portillos, Eliana Taylor

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

This project report highlights a partnership among Communication & Rhetoric university members and staff and students from El Centro del Quinto Sol which is a community recreation center. We describe the context and background of our project, workshops that employ Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) techniques, and provide some reflections and pictures documenting this joint learning experience.

The Cowl - V. 84 - N. 10 - Nov 14, 2019

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 84 - Number 10 - November 14, 2019. 24 pages.