Mass Communication Commons^™

Radio Waves And Curriculum Pathways: Jamaican “At Risk” Learners Construct Media, Paulette J. Feraria

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper explores radio play as an alternative space for learning language and literacy for Jamaican students labelled as ‘at-risk’ learners. Through the creation of a make-believe radio station in the classroom, students developed oral language skills as a necessary precursor for social literacy. They connected reading and writing activities and the simulated classroom radio station promoted the development of learners’ self-efficacy. The students’ use of the learning space as newscasters, hosts, writers and reporters revealed that those who took risks in learning language and literacy in these spaces subverted the label of ‘at-risk-learners’ and repositioned themselves as risk-takers in …

Parasocial Romantic Relationships, Romantic Beliefs, And Relationship Outcomes In Usa Adolescents: Rehearsing Love Or Setting Oneself Up To Fail?, Riva Tukachinsky, Sybilla M. Dorros

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

The study examines the associations between adolescents’ emotional and physical aspects of parasocial romantic relationships with media figures, idealized romantic beliefs, perceptions of a current dating partner, and relationship satisfaction. A two-study design included concurrent data from 153 adolescents ages 13–17 (55.6% female), and retrospective data from 274 college students ages 18–22 (79.8% female). Across both samples, emotional involvement in a PSRR was related to more idealized romantic beliefs. The intensity of emotional involvement with the media figure during adolescence was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and less favorable perceptions of a current romantic partner in college students. However, there …

What’S Next In Communications? Panel Discussion, Wendy S. Perez, Jessica Green, Rachel Schaefer

Media Literacy: How the Era of Fake News Affects Public Service

Moderator: Staci M. Zavattaro, Ph.D

Panel Participants:

• Tom Hope, Assistant VP for Communications and Marketing, UCF
• Jamie Floer, Public Relations/Outreach Specialist, Orange County Utilities Dept
• Brian Schulte, Marketing Manager, Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership

Abstract:

As society has evolved, so have preferred communications, people today prefer to send a text message versus making a call or talking in person. Everywhere we go technology has a great impact on today’s society. These technological advances have affected everything we do, including how we read, interpret, and disseminate information. More than ever, media literacy has become an important part of …

Finding Meaning At Work: The Role Of Inspiring And Funny Youtube Videos On Work-Related Well-Being, Sophie Janicke-Bowles, Diana Rieger, Winston Connor Iii

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Watching online videos on social media is a common activity in today’s digital age, but its’ impact on employee well-being at work has not been investigated yet. The current study tried to fill this gap by investigating the role hedonic and eudaimonic online videos play on employee’s stress levels and well-being at work. An online experiment with 200 full time employees in the US was conducted exploring the role of inspiring affect and positive affect on three distinct well-being outcomes: subjective well-being, psychological well-being and social well-being at the workplace. A path model suggests unique effects for inspiring videos on …

The Psychology Of Marathon Television Viewing: Antecedents And Viewer Involvement, Riva Tukachinsky, Keren Eyal

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study focuses on the expanding trend of marathon (“binge”) television viewing. It examines the personality antecedents of such media consumption (attachment style, depression, and self-regulation deficiency) as well as the psychological experiences of marathon viewers relative to the narrative (transportation, enjoyment) and its characters (parasocial relationship, identification). In a two-study design, theoretical models of media use and involvement, on one hand, and models of media addiction, on the other hand, are applied to predict the extent of marathon viewing and to compare it with “traditional” viewing. Results advance understanding of enjoyment and involvement theory and support cognitive theories of …

Call For Manuscripts

Basic Communication Course Annual

Submissions are invited for publication consideration in Volume 31 (2019) of the Basic Communication Course Annual. Managed by the Basic Course Division of the National Communication Association and published by the University of Dayton, the Annual publishes the best scholarship available on topics related to the basic course and is distributed nationally to scholars and educators interested in the basic communication course. Each article will be published online at http://ecommons.udayton.edu/bcca/ and indexed on the journal’s website. All manuscripts submitted to the Annual will undergo blind peer review. Two or three members of the editorial board read and review each manuscript. …

The Impact Of Class Size On The Speech/Time Ratio In The Public Speaking Course, Brent Kice

Basic Communication Course Annual

Authors were asked to prepare an essay as if they were writing a letter to their dean (whose academic training was in another discipline) who (1) asked that enrollment in each basic course section be increased to a level that compromises the pedagogy of the basic course or (2) proposed that the required basic communication course be eliminated from the university’s general education program.

Here, the author discusses the pressures of increased class sizes. The nature of public speaking requires that class time be divided between instruction and graded student speeches. An increase in allotted time in one area results …

Class Size For The Basic Communication Course: A Recommendation For The Dean, Delia O'Steen, Luke Lefebvre, Brian Ott

Basic Communication Course Annual

Authors were asked to prepare an essay as if they were writing a letter to their dean (whose academic training was in another discipline) who (1) asked that enrollment in each basic course section be increased to a level that compromises the pedagogy of the basic course or (2) proposed that the required basic communication course be eliminated from the university’s general education program.

Making The Case For The Basic Communication Course In General Education, Kristina Ruiz-Mesa, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post

Basic Communication Course Annual

Authors were asked to prepare an essay as if they were writing a letter to their dean (whose academic training was in another discipline) who (1) asked that enrollment in each basic course section be increased to a level that compromises the pedagogy of the basic course or (2) proposed that the required basic communication course be eliminated from the university’s general education program.

In this essay, the authors discuss the academic, career, and social benefits stemming from strong effective communication skills.

Basic Course Forum: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

Volume 30 highlights advocating for the basic course. Authors were asked to prepare an essay as if they were writing a letter to their dean (whose academic training was in another discipline) who (1) asked that enrollment in each basic course section be increased to a level that compromises the pedagogy of the basic course or (2) proposed that the required basic communication course be eliminated from the university’s general education program. The essays featured here provide strong arguments against such a move and, as you might expect, strongly defend the basic course.

Communication Apprehension: Understanding Communication Skills And Cultural Identity In The Basic Communication Course, Stevie M. Munz, Janet Colvin

Basic Communication Course Annual

Students enrolled in a basic communication course are required to self-examine their communication apprehension by means of the PRPSA (McCroskey 1970). The present study qualitatively examined pretest and posttest responses from 793 students enrolled in a basic communication course to assess their understanding of their communication apprehension. Our findings reveal that students articulate their communication apprehension in relationship to their public speaking skills (e.g., writing/outlining, audience analysis, and argumentation skills) and cultural identity (e.g., ESL, peer relationship, and religious identity). Our findings contribute to previous understanding of communication apprehension and are discussed in great detail alongside implications and future directions.

Conceptualizing Positive And Negative Experiences And Responses In The Basic Communication Course, Angela Hosek, Caroline Waldbuesser, Eric Mishne, Brandi Frisby

Basic Communication Course Annual

The present study used qualitative analysis of 259 students’ positive and negative experiences in the basic course and the ways in which they responded to these events. Students described four negative experiences: poor academic performance, time management, communication apprehension, and teacher driven challenges and four positive experiences: relational, growth, and presentation success. Students responded to these negative experiences using behavioral change, support seeking, doing nothing, and responded to positive experiences using emotive responses, communication with others, engaging in celebrating activities, applying skills, and lacking celebration.

“I Didn’T Even Think Of This”: Examining The Influence Of Student Disability Accommodation Training On Basic Course Instructors’ Attitudes And Self-Efficacy, Jillian A. Joyce

Basic Communication Course Annual

Despite the growing number of students with disabilities in the university setting, few resources are offered to teach instructors about specific disabilities or provide direction for how to accommodate these students. This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the influence of accommodation training on basic communication course graduate teaching assistants’ attitudes and self-efficacy regarding students with disabilities. The training used attribution theory as a lens to examine stuttering, a stigmatized disability that can uniquely affect the basic course classroom, and explore the logistical requirements for accommodating students in postsecondary education. This study used pretest and posttest data from …

Assessing Markers Of Student Development For Dually And Non-Dually Enrolled Students In An Online Basic Public Speaking Course, Joshua N. Westwick, Karla M. Hunter, Kelli J. Chromey

Basic Communication Course Annual

Critics of college dual enrollment programs suggest that online courses could pose significant challenges for dually enrolled students due to the online learning environment structure, concerns of academic achievement, and limited access to academic support. These concerns call into question the merits of online instruction for institutions who offer the basic public speaking course online to provide access to a broader base of students (e.g., in inner cities and rural areas). Dual enrollment continues to increase in popularity, especially within the general education curriculum, which includes the basic public speaking course at many institutions. Research shows these students excel academically, …

Engaging Students In The Basic Course By Asking Big Questions, Bryan Abendschein, Grace Giorgio, Adam D. Roth, Jennifer Bender

Basic Communication Course Annual

This paper advocates for the inclusion of big questions into the basic course curriculum. It begins by exploring the nature of big questions as those that engage pressing and perennial civic and global issues, and details their effectiveness in encouraging students and faculty to think about interpersonal responsibility and social space as dynamically interfacing and mutually reflexive, thus challenging us to negotiate the civic call of engaging in democratic processes. The basic course, whether public speaking or hybrid, offers a crucial opportunity for big questions to emerge because it brings people together to critically question and produce messages about the …

Research Articles: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

The Basic Communication Course Annual publishes the best scholarship available on topics related to the basic course and is distributed nationally to scholars and educators interested in the basic communication course. Each article is indexed in its entirety in the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), an authoritative database of educational literature and resources. Essential for education researchers of all kinds, it features journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. Manuscripts published in the Basic Communication Course Annual are not restricted to any particular methodology or approach. They address issues that are significant …

Editor's Page, Joseph P. Mazer

Basic Communication Course Annual

Publication of Volume 30 of the Basic Communication Course Annual marks 30 since the journal’s official launch. In those decades, the Annual has featured the best scholarship on topics pertaining to our discipline’s “bread-and-butter” course, “front porch” class, or whatever metaphor you would like to use to characterize the great work that happens here. Although 30 years have elapsed, our scholarship is more important now than ever before; it is mission-critical to our country and our democracy.

As we know, the basic communication course equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed as communicatively competent citizens prepared to …

Front Cover, Title Page, Contents, Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Wildlife As Pets: Reshaping Public Perceptions Through Targeted Communication, Rosanna M. Vail

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Female Superhero Body Types On Parasocial Relationships, Perceived Homophily And Self-Esteem Of College Women, Ashe C. Cleveland, Michael John Farzinpour, Alyssa Aroz Vega

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This study examines how exposure to female superheroes’ body images increases the strength of parasocial relationships, perceived homophily, and level of self-esteem that female college students experience. Three images of female superheroes were manipulated into round, muscular, and hyper-thin body types. Eighty-one students at a west coast university were randomly assigned to view one of three images of the female superhero. After viewing the images, the participants were asked to answer three Likert scales to determine the strength of parasocial relationships to the superheroine (bonds with the character), perceived homophily (perceived similarity), and self-esteem. The results of the study indicate …

Deflection, Disassociation, & Acknowledgement: A Content Analysis Of The 2011-2014 Media Framing Of Hydraulic Fracturing And Oklahoma Earthquakes, Alicia Mason, Catherine Hooey, James Triplett

Faculty Submissions

In June of 2014, geologists reported that, for the first time, more earthquakes greater than magnitude 3.0 occurred in Oklahoma than in California [Terry-Cobo, 2014]. In Oklahoma, the frequency of earthquakes that are strong enough to be felt has increased 44 times in recent years and this has been correlated to a dramatic increase in high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing (HVHHF) operations [Hume, 2014]. The aims of this study are: (1) to determine how hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, and Oklahoma earthquakes are framed by print-based media at the local, national, and international levels; (2) to understand how the association between …

Resources Review: Adaptive (Podcast), Montreal*In/Accessible (Mobile App), Accessible Arcade Tables (Diy Project), Giuliana Cucinelli

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Thisresourcesreview spotlights a variety of DIY (do-it yourself) innovative media projects. Examples of these projects include: a podcast series on adaptive technologies, building mobile applications that allow participants to publish images, text and sound recordings, an interactive map that documents disability discrimination in the certain cities and the DIY creation of accessible arcade tables.

The social production of disability is seen in barriers created by society to restrict access to certain places or even certain cultural forms. The internet offers a space to share media productions and social media initiatives that use digital media to intervene, creatively, in theableistassumptions embedded …

Access Denied: Ending The Exclusion Of Disabled Students From Media Production Courses In Higher Education, Jayne Cubbage

Journal of Media Literacy Education

As the acceptance of media literacy increases among educators, media producers and consumers, one group is often missing from the dialogue—persons with disabilities. This absence is witnessed in the marginalized media depictions of the disabled. To gain entry into the media professions, some form of higher education is required. Using muted group theory as a backdrop, this work, a narrative analysis of the author’s experience with students with disabilities in media production courses, explores the de facto exclusion of persons with disabilities in such classes, due to the poorly outfitted and non-compliant nature of audio and video production facilities.

The Book Trailer Project: Media Production Within An Integrated Classroom, Karen Festa

Journal of Media Literacy Education

A special education co-teacher in an integrated elementary classroom describes key aspects of media literacy pedagogy for all students, including opportunities for critical analysis and creative media production. After elementary school students learned about author’s craft, purpose, theme/message, three types of writing, and target audience, they began looking at these elements using Super Bowl ads and participated in rich discussions which demonstrated their analysis and reflection on advertising. Students created a book trailer project, working in small groups to create videos to promote a book written by a local author and illustrator. Such work bridges gaps in social-emotional development, communication …

Teaching The Presidential Elections Using Media Literacy In The Ld Classroom, Jaclyn K. Siegel

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper examines how an educator at a school for students with learning disabilities (LD) used various types of media to engage her students, to develop their academic and executive functioning skills, and to heighten their awareness of media literacy and the 2012 and 2106 Presidential elections. Teacher-created curriculum materials and activities are provided that support students’ ability to analysis media coverage in the context of a special education history classroom. Both media literacy and academic skills were developed through activities that enabled students to find and select resources from their media use at home.

Universal Design For Learning: Guiding Principles To Reduce Barriers To Digital & Media Literacy Competence, Elizabeth M. Dalton

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework for designing instruction to address the wide range of learner variation in today’s inclusive classrooms, can be applied effectively to broaden access, understanding, and engagement in digital and media literacy learning for ALL. UDL supports constructivist learning principles. UDL strategiesand methods encouragedevelopment of expert learners though personal engagement and motivation. UDL transforms one-size-fits-all instruction into diverse, multiple, and accessible learning opportunities that embrace student variation. UDL principles and guidelines offer a unique way for educators in digital and media literacy fields to ensure that their work will benefit the widest range of learners, …

Beyond Accessibility: How Media Literacy Education Addresses Issues Of Disabilities, Yonty Friesem

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This special issue on media literacy and disability provides a variety of examples and case studies to showcase the importance of addressing issues of disability in the media literacy community. The literature on the intersection of media literacy and disability is slender but suggests four distinct uses of media for students with disabilities. However, none include applying a critical lens to the use of media for students with disabilities. By connecting the practice of critical media literacy with disability theory, this paper offers a theoretical and practical framework for media literacy educators, extending NAMLE’s principles of media literacy education to …

Watching Online Videos At Work: The Role Of Positive And Meaningful Affect For Recovery Experiences And Well-Being At The Workplace, Sophie Janicke, Diana Rieger, Leonard Reinecke, Winston Connor Iii

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study extends research on the relationship between hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment and its potential for recovery experiences and aspects of well-being (e.g., Rieger, Reinecke, Frischlich, & Bente, 2014). With the broad notion of what hedonic and eudaimonic media can entail, this research focused on unique affective experiences—namely, positive affect—and an expanded concept of meaningful affect (including elevation and gratitude). An online experiment with 148 full-time employees in the United States was conducted to investigate the unique role of positive and meaningful affect eliciting YouTube videos (compared to neutral control video) on recovery experiences and vitality and work satisfaction in …

The Basic Course In Communication, Media Literacy, And The College Curriculum, Evelyn M. Ramsey

Journal of Media Literacy Education

V Various authors make excellent suggestions about the inclusion of public address, civility critical communication pedagogy and social justice into the basic course in communication studies. Media literacy pedagogy encourages students to actively and critically consider the messages they send and receive, critically assess all forms of communication, be encouraged to engage more actively with governmental affairs, understand the role of media and other messages in the construction of their own identities, and more effectively understand the role of values, standpoints, beliefs, etc. on their communication choices, as well as on those of others. However, the National Communication Association does …

News Media Literacy And Political Engagement: What’S The Connection?, Seth Ashley, Adam Maksl, Stephanie Craft

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Scholars and educators have long hoped that media education is positively related to pro-social goals such as political and civic engagement. With a focus on measuring news media literacy with emphasis on media knowledge, need for cognition and media locus of control, this study surveyed 537 college students and found positive relationships between news media literacy and two political engagement measures: current events knowledge and internal political efficacy. Findings show that news media literacy is not associated with political activity, although some dimensions of news media literacy are associated with lower levels of political trust. Results help to define significant …