Communication Commons^™

Talking Through Our Difference: Testing The Moral Attitude Dynamic Model For Mitigating The Polarization Along Cultural War Issues, Mengyao Xu

Academic Affairs

This study examines the dynamic nature of polarization by applying the Moral Attitude Dynamic Model (MADM) to immigration discourse. Combining computational analysis of congressional debates with a randomized experiment (N = 1,402), it identifies context-specific moral foundations and evaluates MADM-informed moral reframing strategies. Results show that such messages reduce reactance and, under certain conditions, decrease social distance. Findings extend Contingency Theory by validating MADM as a dynamic, data-driven approach to polarization mitigation.

A Policy Analysis Of Accountability And Governance In Journalism By Artificial Intelligence (Ai) In Egypt, Amira Ahmed Salama

Theses and Dissertations

The growing use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and AI-assisted tools in journalism raises governance questions concerning accountability, human oversight, transparency, verification, editorial responsibility, and implementation. In Egypt, these issues arise within an emerging but fragmented governance environment that includes national AI guidance, media regulation, professional self-regulation, and developing newsroom practices. This study examines how these arrangements can be integrated into a coherent national sector-specific policy framework for GenAI and AI-assisted journalism.

The study adopts a qualitative methodology combining a descriptive qualitative document analysis with stakeholder semi-structured interviews. Four governance instruments were analyzed: the Council of Europe’s Guidelines on the …

Nourishing Births: A Program Evaluation Proposal For Community-Based Nutrition Education, Food Access, And Garden Engagement Among Black Birthing People, Naa Deedei-Vera Hammond

Master's Projects and Capstones

Black birthing people in the United States continue to experience unequal maternal health outcomes, shaped in part by racism and barriers to nutritious food, culturally relevant health education, and supportive community spaces. While prenatal nutrition education and food assistance programs can provide important resources, information alone cannot address the challenges many people face when trying to access healthy and affordable food during pregnancy. The Nourishing Births Initiative is a proposed community-based maternal health program designed to respond to these needs by bringing together prenatal nutrition education, help connecting to food resources, community gardening, and peer support for Black birthing people …

Working Mothers Of Children With Disabilities: Professional And Social Identity Negotiation, Christy D. Boyles

Dissertations

Women who have children with disabilities may struggle with both employment and childcare, and have barriers to re-entering the workforce. One struggle is the role identification and negotiation that occur when one transitions from one role to another. This research sought to answer the following questions: RQ 1. How does professional identity influence the “return to work” decisions for mothers who have children with disabilities? RQ 2. How do working mothers of children with disabilities negotiate their identities as caregivers and professionals? RQ 3. What other emerging factors affect women’s decisions to return to the workforce? A purposeful sample of …

Providing Effective Student Feedback: Effects Of Sociotropy, Student-Teacher Connectedness, And Expressed Disappointment And Praise On Students' Self-Esteem And Motivation, Emily Davied

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examined how different types of teacher feedback (i.e., expressed pride, expressed disappointment, and near-neutral feedback) impact students’ motivation to learn and self-esteem. It also explored whether such effects vary depending on students' personality and how connected they feel to their teacher. Undergraduate students (N = 221) imagined receiving feedback from a teacher and completed surveys assessing their motivation, self-esteem, sociotropy, and connectedness with the teacher. The results showed that feedback expressing disappointment lowered students' self esteem compared to expressing pride and lowered students' motivation compared to near neutral feedback. Although sociotropy (i.e., dependence on others' approval) and teacher …

The Economics Of Modern Basketball Fandom, Holden Velasco

Capstones

In an increasingly money-sucking economy, many Americans are feeling the aching of their wallets. Basketball, once serving as an escape from the outside world, has now turned into a money-making machine where fans are paying to keep it running. It’s inescapable, whether it’s the rising costs to watch the professionals, forking thousands of dollars for children to play or sports gambling being plastered everywhere. Basketball no longer feels like basketball.

Listening As Method: She Speaks And The Case For Podcasting As A Feminist Research Methodology In Women's Non-Medicalised Self-Care, Narelle Lemon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Women's non-medicalised self-care — the everyday, relational practices through which women tend to themselves — remains largely illegible to conventional health research methods. This article argues that podcasting constitutes a feminist research methodology rather than a supplementary dissemination tool and makes the case for its adoption in qualitative health research on women's wellbeing. The argument develops through an extended case study of She Speaks , an Australian podcast series produced by the author across four seasons and sixty-two episodes. Situated within arts-based research and feminist methodological traditions, the study treats the podcast itself as the research vehicle: a site where …

Navigating Text-To-Speech (Tts): Ethical Leadership In The Use Of Generative Ai For Extension, Xue A Dong, Paul A Hill

Journal of Extension

Text-to-speech (TTS) AI technology transforms written content into natural-sounding speech, offering a useful tool to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in Extension work. This article examines the role of TTS AI in bridging communication gaps, particularly for diverse and multilingual communities, and demonstrates the importance of ethical leadership in its adoption. By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, Extension professionals can leverage TTS AI to foster greater connection and engagement. Practical applications and examples are provided to guide the integration of TTS AI into programs. The article also offers recommendations for experimenting with innovative technologies to improve educational outcomes and increase the …

How Wisconsin Extension Educators Talk About Climate Change Without Talking About ``Climate Change'', Sky Hershberger, Todd P. Newman

Journal of Extension

Climate change touches all areas of Extension's programming. To understand how educators approach talking about climate change with constituents, we interviewed 15 Extension educators and three program managers in Wisconsin. Crops and Soils educators view climate change as interwoven with their work, Financial Education educators view it as mostly disconnected, and Community Economic Development educators range between these extremes. Educators in all three programs avoid the polarizing phrase ``climate change,'' instead focusing on specific, local, and relatable issues. Educators show empathy and emphasize resilience (adaptation) rather than mitigation. These findings can inform Extension's organizational strategy on climate change.

“None Of Them Use Facebook Anymore, It’S Just For Us, Internet Dinosaurs” Czech Media Education Teachers And Social Media, Karolína Šimková, Ana F. Oliveira, Annamária Neag

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

In today’s digital age, media education teachers are expected to be at the forefront of guiding young people through the complex digital world. This study aimed to explore how media education teachers’ personal and professional engagement with social media shapes their teaching practices in Czech primary schools (teaching pupils aged 11–15). Through 17 semi-structured interviews, we delved into teachers’ social media use, classroom discussions, and pedagogical approaches to media education to identify the distinct attitudes these teachers hold toward social media. The study shows that Czech media education teachers’ diverse strategies for integrating social media into their curriculum are primarily …

The Other Visual Acuity, Paul B. Freeman Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Editorial

A Word From The Writing Team (October 2026), Pam Walter, Mfa, Laura Deloretta, Phd

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Mapping St. Louis History: Slavery, Redlining, And The May 16th Tornado, Safa M. Altamimi, Aster Horbanova, Riley J. Bearden, Vivian B. Rhodes, Bridget Ragan

Undergraduate Research Symposium

For this project, our group members are traveling across St.Louis to areas that are affected by the May 16th tornado. We will be taking pictures and using ArcGIS survey123 to input data connecting the tornado to historical forces such as Redlining and Slavery. Using this data, we will be creating an ArcGIS StoryMap and presenting our findings.

The Algorithmic Narcissus: Ai Validation And The Atrophy Of The 'Athletic' Social Self, Ilham Phalosa Reswara, Anggi Mayangsari

Jurnal Psikologi Sosial

Artificial intelligence systems designed around continuous affirmation and minimal friction are becoming increasingly prominent as social and relational partners in everyday life. This article examines how sustained interaction with such frictionless AI systems may reshape the developmental conditions under which social selfhood forms and is maintained. Drawing on Cooley's (1902) looking glass self, Kohut's (1971) concept of optimal frustration, and the developmental literature on social competence, the article argues that frictionless AI may distort the social mirror through which identity forms, remove the manageable frustration that appears necessary for psychological growth, weaken empathic capacity, and erode the social stakes that …

The Value Of Information Shared By Indonesian Social Media Influencers Living In Germany, Atika Aisyarahmi Munzir

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This article examines the informational value and influence of Indonesian Social Media Influencers (SMIs) in Germany as informal information intermediaries, highlighting how they disseminate knowledge about living in Germany and shape Indonesians' perceptions of educational and employment opportunities abroad. The study adopts a critical narrative literature review combined with reflexive digital observation of publicly available content produced by Indonesian SMIs residing in Germany. The findings suggest that the informational value of SMI content is shaped by three interrelated dimensions: utility, relatability, and credibility. Indonesian SMIs provide practical information about education, employment, migration, culture, and everyday life in Germany, while their …

Youth Participation In Kediri, Indonesia: An Urban Communication Perspective, Nissa C. Adinia, Budi Guntoro, Roso Witjaksono

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

This article examines how young people in a mid-sized Indonesian city participate in producing the meaning of urban space, and how far a participatory communication intervention succeeds in opening dialogue with city stakeholders. Urban communication scholarship has developed primarily around metropolitan cities in the Global North, while participatory communication research often assumes that facilitated dialogue leads to empowerment. This article addresses both gaps through a Photovoice study conducted in Kediri, East Java, involving 37 young people from three social typologies: pelajar (students), santri (Islamic boarding school-affiliated youth), and pekerja/wirausaha (young workers and entrepreneurs). Drawing on Lefebvre’s spatial triad and Couldry’s …

Lindenwood Digest, September 30, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 30, 2026, announcing campus events including the National Weather Service Severe Weather Tabletop Exercise on October 14, 2026, and the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Hockey Game on October 8, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: The events are scheduled across Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri, including the AB Leadership Room and the Centene Community Ice Center.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Lindenwood University received the Best College/University award for the second consecutive year in the 2026 St. Louis Headliners presented by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Associate Professor Joe Weber and Associate Professor Erica Blum …

Roblox-Related Protest And Political Opposition In Indonesia: Game-Native Repertoires And Discursive Resistance, Ruth Stany Melisa

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Digital games increasingly intersect with political communication as environments in which political grievances are reformulated through gaming cultures and vernaculars. This study examines Roblox-related protests associated with the Indonesia Gelap movement and the controversy surrounding the Indonesian Armed Forces Law (UU TNI) in March 2025. It asks how political opposition is constructed through game-native and symbolic repertoires and how these discourses invoke socially shared representations and relate to political power. Using a qualitative design, the study analyses six selected digital artefacts retrieved from X and TikTok. Visual and textual material constitute the primary data, while captured comments are …

Lindenwood Digest, September 23, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 23, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Documented campus proceedings are situated across Harmon Hall, the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, and the Library and Academic Resources Center (LARC) at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Recognized personnel include inaugural Leadership Institute cohort members Sara Wiedman, Kevin Manley, Jameson Adams, Jennifer Hennings, and Danyelle Marshall; guest speaker Yeonmi Park, designated one of the BBC's "Top 100 Global Women"; and Q2 Moments employee honorees Clayton Janvrin, Carrie Ponder, Miranda Zuk, and Jared Nelson.

• Institutional Context: The record marks the …

Examining The Effect Of Having A Disability On The College Experience, Grace Dudley

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Among people 25 or older in the United States in 2022, just 21% of individuals with a disability had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, while 38% of individuals without a disability had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Previous research has identified a variety of barriers that students with disabilities may face as they pursue postsecondary education. The purpose of this study was to examine barriers students with disabilities (SWDs) face once they arrive at college in order to investigate how higher education may be made more accessible. Barriers were assessed by surveying SWDs attending James Madison University, a …