International and Intercultural Communication Commons^™

The Cognitive Learning Styles Of International Students, Shelley L. Smith

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research was to examine the usefulness of David A. Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) as a tool for categorization and analysis of systematic differences between American and International students. The research addressed five primary questions:

1. Are the learning styles of the International students tested different from those established by Kolb in previous studies of American students?

2. Do the learning styles of the International students tested differ among the various groups?

3. Are there differences among the groups of International students tested that can be related to gender?

4. Do the learning styles of the …

An Attempt To Reduce Actor-Observer Differences In Attributions, Carla A. Green

Dissertations and Theses

The purposes of this study were (a) to replicate previous research reporting actor-observer differences in subjects' attributions about behavioral causality, and (b) to manipulate the availability of causal information so that those actor-observer differences would be eliminated.

Humor Creation And Appreciation As An Indicator Of Intercultural Communication Effectiveness: Toward A Theoretical Model, Richard D. Tavano

Dissertations and Theses

A review of the theoretical and empirical literature from the field of humor and from that of intercultural communication showed that no investigations dealt with the possibility that a sense of humor might serve as an indicator of intercultural communication effectiveness. This study was conducted in order to assess that possibility.

This paper has set out to answer the following questions: What cognitive processes are common to a sense of humor and to intercultural communication effectiveness? What does one's ability to create and appreciate humor say about that individual's potential for intercultural communication effectiveness? Through the review of the literature, …

An Exploration Of Cultural Differences In Japanese/American Intercultural Marriages, Mary Erzen-Toyoshima

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of how certain cultural differences between Japanese and Americans might be problematic in Japanese/American intercultural marriage.

A Comparison Of Theory And Life Experiences In Heteroculturality, Sara June Harper

Dissertations and Theses

This study is a comparison of theory and specific life experiences in heteroculturality. It synthesizes four conceptual frameworks describing individuals who have engaged in multiple culture-learning situations, and compares the themes derived from this synthesis with the attitudes and behaviors communicated by these multiculturally-socialized individuals.

Normative Teacher And Student Role Behaviors In The U.S. With A Contrast To Japan, Kathleen Ulrich

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to (1) discover normative U.S. classroom teacher and student role behaviors; (2) contrast these to one other culture, Japan and (3) anticipate the difficulties both teachers and students would face if placed in a culturally mixed class unaware of the cultural differences between them. This study also (4) extends the issues theoretically beyond the cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan to other cultures.

Modification Of The Western Approach To Intercultural Communication For The Japanese Context, Eiko Tai

Dissertations and Theses

The field of intercultural communication has recently been introduced to Japan from the United States. The theories and concepts of this field have been developed based on Western social sciences, and they are likely to be culture-bound. This thesis investigates the possibility that modifying Western ideas in the field of intercultural communication would make the study of this subject more effective for Japanese learners.

An Assessment Of The Incorporation Of Established Guidelines And Intercultural Communication Concepts Into U.S. College-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs, Thomas Thaxter Bacheller Iv

Dissertations and Theses

This research project had the following goals:

1) To locate, describe, and synthesize recognized authoritative standards of performance and guiding principles of effective good practice for study abroad programs that have been established, endorsed, and supported by professionals and national organizations in the study abroad field.

2) To review selected literature on intercultural communication that has been published in the last fifteen years and examine intercultural communication theories and strategies applicable to the study abroad field to identify aspects which can most clearly benefit the study abroad experience of a sojourner through improved communication competence.

3) To assess the extent …

The Communication Of Wellness Concepts Interculturally In An Alaskan Health-Care Context, Janet A. Allan

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate in what ways cultural value differences between Alaskan Native clients and non-Native health professionals affect the communicating of "wellness" concepts. Specifically, this study focuses on possible difference in the cultural value orientation of "Man's Relationship to Health."

A Descriptive Study Of The Relationship Between Cultural Sensitivity In The Acculturation Process And The Second Language Learning Process, Kazuko Ikeda

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study to investigate the association between the cultural sensitivity in the acculturation process and the second language learning process. This study is also a partial replication of the study by William Acton (1979) who developed the Professed Difference in Attitudes Questionnaire (PDAQ), which is utilized as a measurement instrument in this study. Acton's concept of socio-cultural equidistant is interpreted from the intercultural communication point of view. The results of the hypothesis testing are inconclusive and incongruous with Acton's study.

Intercultural Communication Problems Of Nigerian Students In The Portland Metropolitan Area: A Comparative Study Of A Review Of Literature And Personal Interviews, Sam Tugba

Dissertations and Theses

This study is an attempt to discover the intercultural communication problems and the methods of coping used by the Nigerian students in the Portland metropolitan extent to which these discovered problems and tried solutions compare with those of other international students that are commonly reported in the literature.

The Effect On Culture-Bound Evaluation By The Intercultural Communication Workshop (Icw) At Portland State University, Marion Franc Sørensen

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect on culture-bound evaluation by the Intercultural Communication Workshop (ICW) at Portland State University. An increase in positive evaluation of an intercultural dyad was taken to indicate a decrease in culture-bound evaluation. Methodology consisted of an adaptation of Dawes' "Direct Estimation Techniques" which was utilized in creating the testing instrument. The results are inconclusive but suggest that the ICW training may be more effective in this dimension for the American students than for International students.

Toward A Test For Ethnocentrism And Ethnorelativism Based Upon Reference Group Orientation, James C. Mayer

Dissertations and Theses

The object of this investigation is to determine whether two aspects of reference group orientation, 1) multiplicity and 2) structural variation, are possible indicators of ethnocentrism. Most of the thesis is devoted to a theoretical formulation in which reference group orientation and ethnocentrism are placed in a peroeptual framework. Reference group orientation is defined as a person's use of a frame of reference that is formed through adoption of a reference group's perspective. Ethnocentrism is defined as a person's use of a frame of reference that keeps him from accepting the viability of other cultural frames of reference. The acceptance …

Cultural Values, Educational Methods And Small Group Communicator Styles In The United States And The People's Republic Of China, Lynda Lee Densem

Dissertations and Theses

The increasing contact between countries in today’ shrinking world indicates an urgent need for effective communication between cultures. Fundamental to satisfying this need is an understanding of cultural value systems--what factors have created them and how they interact within society. This paper addresses the value systems of two countries that recently have found themselves in positions of expanding contact, the United States (US) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). The value systems of the cultures are traced from their transference to the young of the cultures through formal educational systems to their effect on learning and perceptual sets. General …