Communication Commons^™

Digital Staff Trainings Tools For Rural Public Libraries In Georgia: Challenges, Trends, And Recommendations, Jenny Herring

The Southeastern Librarian

For many public libraries, particularly those in rural areas, a lack of funding, staff time, and distance from training locations create barriers to providing training and development to their staff. While stud-ies exist on issues facing rural libraries and on the use of digital training tools in libraries, few studies have combined the two topics. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of digital staff training methods at rural public libraries and includes describing the formats and content of that training. The sampling method will target library administrators and trainers, reached through Georgia Public Library Service’s listservs …

External Funding Bulletin, January - June 2021, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Sponsored Programs Bulletins

No abstract provided.

Frameaxis: Characterizing Microframe Bias And Intensity With Word Embedding, Haewoon Kwak, Jisun An, Elise Jing Jing, Yong-Yeol Ahn

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Framing is a process of emphasizing a certain aspect of an issue over the others, nudging readers or listeners towards different positions on the issue even without making a biased argument. Here, we propose FrameAxis, a method for characterizing documents by identifying the most relevant semantic axes (“microframes”) that are overrepresented in the text using word embedding. Our unsupervised approach can be readily applied to large datasets because it does not require manual annotations. It can also provide nuanced insights by considering a rich set of semantic axes. FrameAxis is designed to quantitatively tease out two important dimensions of how …

The Importance Of Communication Skills To Independent Crop Consultants, Lindsay Overmyer

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Independent crop consulting companies provide services to farmers by scouting (i.e., collecting field observations of plants and pests) and developing management recommendations for individual fields. In production agriculture, independent crop consultants (ICCs) are professionals who are independent of product sales. They are knowledgeable in many disciplines including plant pathology, entomology, weed science, plant science, economics, water management, and soil science. However, ICCs must also have extensive communication skills to communicate to their audience of field scout(s), farmers, industry professionals, and government officials. The goal of this document is to examine how ICCs use their communication skills and how they can …

Let’S Talk About Animals, Saskia Van Manen, Claudine Jaenichen, Klaus Kremer, Tingyi Lin, Rodrigo Ramírez

Art Faculty Articles and Research

"Pets and other animals can act as a protective factor in an emergency if we leverage design to communicate more effectively. A new prototype website does just that."

Community Journalism In Zambia: The Case Of Chikuni Radio, Vincent Tilimboyi Nchimunya

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Community journalism is steadily gaining prominence in most African nations. It is a conduit through which different communities develop social interaction. It is also a platform through which the public create connections among themselves to identify and resolve local and national problems that affect citizens. The goal of this study was to examine how community journalists at Chikuni Radio practiced their craft in an effort to build a sense of community in southern Zambia. The study presents a qualitative thematic content analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews with three Chikuni Radio editors and six journalists. The journalists’ community journalism experience ranged …

Using Social Listening To Inform Integrated Social And Behavior Change Programs In Burkina Faso, Nrupa Jani, Leanne Dougherty, Martha Silva

Reproductive Health

No abstract provided.

Cldv 100 Introduction To Multicultural Studies In The 21st Century, Oluremi "Remi" Alapo

Open Educational Resources

A study of what "culture" is; how we see it based on several factors, how it influences the choices and decision we make; how to deal positively with conflicts that inevitably arise in working /living situations with people of diverse cultures. This is a course structured to raise multicultural awareness and fortify students' social skills in dealing with cultural differences. It includes ethnographic study of cultural groups in the U.S.A and responses to shared values, observations or experiences based on student's ancestry, heritage, travels. Students will learn about culture "do and donts" around the world and provide the class with …

Media Competency And Media Literacy Education (Mle) Among Tribal Religious/Seminarians (Trs), Justin Tirkey

Dissertations (1934 -)

The media and technological advances have enormously transformed our lives, including the lives and training of Tribal religious/seminarians in India. The emerging media landscape in the 21st century has also expanded the notion of literacy from reading and writing to being competent in accessing media, becoming creative and critical consumers, and judicious participants in media as responsible and compassionate citizens. This requires inclusion of MLE curriculum for the TRS in their early stage of religious formation. The current quantitative study explored the media competency (media habits, attitude, purpose, and participation) the relationship, and difference among TRS. For this purpose, survey …

Populism And The Civil Sphere: A Textual Analysis Of The Photographs Of The “War On Drugs” In The Philippines, Nathaniel Lubanga

Master's Theses (2009 -)

A poignant photograph on the front page of a leading newspaper in the Philippines showing a woman cradling the lifeless body of her dead partner drew both local and international attention and outcry over the new president’s approach to the “war on drugs.” The purpose of this study was to determine the overarching story told by the photographs of the “war on drugs” in the Philippines. A textual analysis drawing upon both narrative and semiotic analysis was used to examine the settings, characters, plots, and symbolism in 143 photographs of “Killings” and “Protests” drawn from various news media agencies. Key …

Understanding The 1918-1920 Cultural Narrative Of The Spanish Flu As Told Through The New York Times And The Wall Street Journal, Gertrude Misornu Ofori-Parku

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Global pandemics have become one of the major health crises that happen to society from time to time. Past occurrences, including disasters and pandemics, are events that we learn from and draw upon to better understand current happenings. One way by which we build and understand historical trends and events, including pandemics, is through press coverage of those events. One significant pandemic in history was the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. This thesis explores the cultural narrative about the Spanish Flu as told through The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal between 1918 and 1920. Through the constant comparison …

The Future Of Tv And Online Video Platforms: A Study On Predictors Of Use And Interaction With Content In The Egyptian Evolving Telecomm, Media & Entertainment Industries, Hesham O. Dinana, Rasha Allam

Faculty Journal Articles

This study examines the future of TV and online video platforms in the evolving Egyptian market through using the predictors of use and interaction. Built on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, and the theory of technology discontinuities and platforms development, this study extends its framework to explore the relationship between the intention of use and the interaction with content behavior. A sample size of 396 university students answered the survey questions. Unlike other studies, the study found that the perceived ease of use (PEU) is the only variable that is positively correlated to the intention to …

Portion Of Profit Donations: Csr As Public Relations Strategy And Its Relationships With Trust And Purchase Intentions, Branden Dylan Cameron Birmingham

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to apply POP donations and messaging as a form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) research. Specifically, this study seeks to understand the relationships between communication factors of portion of the profit (POP) donations and a consumer’s intentions to purchase an item from a corporation, and the level of trust between a consumer and corporation. A key focus of this study was to determine if there is skepticism of POP donations and the impact on overall purchasing intentions, CSR communication factors, engagement, and trustworthiness. This emphasized how ethical values, decision making, relationship building, and trustworthiness are obligations between …

Characteristics Of Face-To-Face Communications In Agriculture Marketing And Customer Service, Ashlyn Ussery

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As communication forms evolve, it is important for business leaders to not only follow the trends, but to be data-driven and make calculated decisions that are beneficial for their businesses. In this qualitative study, the researcher sought to describe how Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation used face-to-face and computer-mediated communication methods to communicate as an organization and the value their employees and members place on each communication method. Uses and Gratifications theory was used to guide this research and evaluate the results. This theory is unique in that it does not describe the effect media has on people, like many human …

Go With The Flow: Testing The Effects Of Emotional Flow On Psychophysiological, Attitudinal, And Behavioral Changes, Chris R. Noland

Theses and Dissertations

Emotions are important constructs that affect the lives of everyone. Emotions play a particularly strong role in persuasion. This study examines the concept of emotional flow, a sequencing of specific discrete emotions in a strategic manner to affect attitudes and behaviors. In an experiment to understand the functions and applicability of emotional flow, an experiment was conducted using a public service announcement about melanoma that contained a sequence that flowed from humor to sadness to hope. This dissertation used both self-report as well as biometric measures of the emotional responses valence and arousal. Using Affect Priming Theory, Mood Management Theory, …

Inoculating The Public Against Misinformation: Testing The Effectiveness Of “Pre-Bunking” Techniques In The Context Of Mental Illness And Violence, Nanlan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

The publics might be misinformed about mental illness due to frequently mentioned violence and inaccurate notions in news coverage that underlie people who have a history of mental illness are prone to be dangerous or violent. Drawing from the theories of inoculation and the psychological reactance, the author seeks to investigate the effects of using preemptive corrective message techniques (labeling, appeal to consensus, and provision of an alternative explanation) as on the method of promoting resistance to misinformation linking mental illness and violence, which is a harmful and unsubstantiated stereotype. To accomplish this research aim, the author conducted two experiments …

I’M More Than A Farmer’S Wife, Stevie Munz

The Qualitative Report

Women have always contributed to family farming operations; however, their labor was largely positioned as “women’s work” and ignored as contributing to the economics of the farming enterprise. Through examining the stories of farmers’ wives, this essay examined how the gender division of work and the ideology of domesticity silenced women’s contributions to family farming operations. Through oral history interviews and thematic analysis, this research project presents stories from two farmers’ wives (Annie and Belle) from western Illinois. The resultant analysis reveals that Annie and Belle labored on their family farming operations for most of their lives.

Live The Local: Exploring The Relationship Between Local News Media And Cities Undergoing Downtown Revitalization, Allison Wise

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rise in suburban development has caused many downtowns across the United States to lose residents, businesses, attractions and community engagement. City officials and planners work to create policies, designs and urban development that help to revitalize downtowns. However, how do we bring people into our downtowns to live, work and play? That is where local news coverage can have an impact. The question arises: What can city officials, event organizers, business leaders do to foster a vibrant downtown? News outlets (e.g., television, print, digital) and their corresponding social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, can act as " …

Mental Disengagement Mediates The Effect Of Rumination On Smartphone Use: A Latent Growth Curve Analysis, Shi Ann Shuna Khoo, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Rumination has consistently been found to predict excessive smartphone use. However, a paucity of research has examined the mechanism that underlies this relation. Drawing on relevant theoretical accounts, we examined whether specific coping functions that can be fulfilled through smartphones—i.e., mental disengagement, problem-focused, and socioemotional coping—mediate, in parallel, the positive link between rumination and smartphone use. Using latent growth curve and structural equation modeling (N = 217), we found that only mental disengagement fully mediated the link between rumination and the intercept (i.e., initial baseline levels) of smartphone use, which was objectively quantified using screen time monitoring applications installed on …

Communicating With Muted Groups: The Case Of Human Trafficking, Amy Matzke-Fawcett

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

The problem of human trafficking is global, affecting men and women, adults, and children, with exploitation of various forms including (but not limited to) sex work, hospitality and entertainment, labor, agriculture, soldiering, forced begging and organ removal. While it has been the focus of movies, news articles, documentaries, legislation and research, the discussion of the communication surrounding human trafficking is still in the formative stages. What is the messaging about human trafficking in legislation, both historically and in the present day, and how did news and popular media help to frame the discourse around trafficking in the United States? Using …

One Year On Since Ge2020: Thinking Afresh For The Post-Covid Era, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this commentary, the author opined that even as political competition in Singapore sharpens, a deeper understanding and broader consensus must develop on critical issues. He believes that remaking Singapore to be a fairer, more just, and compassionate society in a post-Covid world is a key responsibility for Parliament.

Outcomes Of Training In Smart Home Technology Adoption: A Living Laboratory Study, David Wright, Daniel Burton Shank, Thomas Yarbrough

English and Technical Communication Faculty Research & Creative Works

While various forms of smart home technology have been available for decades, they have yet to achieve widespread adoption. Although they have risen in popularity during recent years, the general public continue to rate smart home devices as overly complex compared to their benefits. This article reports the results of an eight-month study into the effects of training on smart home technology adoption. Building upon the results of a previous study, and using the same living laboratory approach, we studied the effects of training on the attitudes of a group of residents toward use of smart home technology. Results show …

Towards A Large-Scale Intelligent Mobile-Argumentation And Discovering Arguments, Controversial Topics And Topic-Oriented Focal Sets In Cyber-Argumentation, Najla Althuniyan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

User-generated content (UGC) platforms host different forms of information, such as audio, video, pictures, and text. They have many online applications, such as social media, blogs, photo and video sharing, customer reviews, debate, and deliberation platforms. Usually, the content of these platforms is provided and consumed by users. Most of these platforms, mainly social media and blogs, are often used for online discussion. These platforms offer tools for users to share and express opinions. Commonly, people from different backgrounds and origins discuss opinions about various issues over the Internet. Furthermore, discussions among users contain substantial information from which knowledge about …

This Is A Patriotism Check: Political Economy, Corruption, And Duty To America In The 2020 Primary Debates, Calvin Coker, Joel L. Reed

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The 2020 Democratic presidential primaries involved the largest and most diverse slate of candidates in the modern era of party nominee selection, a diversity that allowed some candidates to reject neoliberal discourses endemic to American politics. In this essay, we analyze the 2020 Democratic primary debates to demonstrate the emergence of an alternative political economy that stands in opposition to standard economic orthodoxy. Candidates organized their critiques of the extant political economy around corruption, presenting it as rot at the heart of the present capitalist order, with Donald Trump more symptom than cause of America’s unjust and deeply flawed economic …

“Acts Of Pure Evil”: The Portrayal Of Mass Shooting Events On Online Media Platforms, Elizabeth Twitty

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

As media continues to integrate into everyday life, it is essential to critically examine the media and the messages that are forwarded to the public, who often lack personal knowledge of crime and justice issues, and thus rely on news media to glean information. This effort, also called media criminology, seeks to understand the media and the effect it has on understanding societal issues. This project forwards media criminology by examining online news articles, as media criminology has historically focused on traditional media formats, such as newspaper and television. Online news has surpassed these traditional formats and has become a …

A Comparative Thematic Analysis Of Newspaper Articles In France After The Bataclan And In The United States Of America After Pulse, Simon Rousset

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project interrogates unequal power relations that underlie newspaper representation of terrorism and reinforced Orientalism discourse following the 13 November 2015 mass murders in Saint-Denis and Paris, France, and following the 12 June 2016 mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, United States of America (U.S.A.). It was not surprising to bear witness to the ways national media took hold of these major socio-political events. These events, and the stories that have been published about them, are interpreted through the prism of terrorism, moral panic, and Orientalism, in the sense that the media tend to transcribe the shock of the attacks as …

Framing Of Female Leading Roles In Drama Series On Video Streaming Platforms, Manatalah Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

This comparative study examines the female-centered drama series aired on VOD services from three different genres. While several studies have established the stereotypical representation of women in the drama series, most research has focused on individual countries. The significance of this study relies upon the fact that the series is from VOD services, notably Netflix and Shahid VIP. The study bridges a gap in the literature by adopting a comparative perspective to analyze gender portrayals from six drama series, three from each country, from three genres. The contemporary drama genre included Valeria from Spain and Leh Laa?! Why Not?! from …

Normalization Through The Visual: How International Media Depicted The Abraham Accords, Mohamed Salama

Theses and Dissertations

This study is concerned with understanding the political dimensions of the visual coverage of the Abraham Accords and the shift that might have occurred in the visual portrayal of the Arab-Israeli conflict as a result of that agreement. The study offers quantitative and qualitative contributions to examine how international news websites on the Google News platform used photographs to draw on and contribute to the narrative of Arab-Israeli relations in the wake of the Accords. By establishing operational definitions for positive, negative, anti-normalization, and pro-normalization visual frames, and exploring the use of the emphasis framing device, this study content analyzed …

The Guardian, Week Of June 28, 2021, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the week of June 28, 2021. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since March of 1965.

The Value Of Republishing Scientific Literature In Institutional Repositories, Sue Ann Gardner, Linnea Fredrickson, Paul Royster

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Background: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln University Libraries institutional repository was founded in 2005 on the Digital Commons platform. It currently contains more than 118,000 full-text scholarly works that have been downloaded over 73,000,000 times.

Problem that drove the project: Older scientific literature may only occasionally circulate from university library collections or be purchased by readers from remaindered publishers' stock.

Methods: This research will employ statistical analyses to demonstrate the value of making available four series of scientific literature in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln University Libraries Digital Commons: Insecta Mundi, the Nebraska Bird Review, the Transactions of the Nebraska …