Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons^™

“I Need Numbers Before I Will Buy It”: Reading And Writing Qualitative Scholarship On Close Relationships, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Julia Moore, Jenna Stephenson Abetz

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The authors highlight important contributions of qualitative research for the study of close relationships, arguing for greater representation of this scholarship in the journals. Four challenges experienced by interpretive researchers trying to publish in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and close relationship journals are discussed.

Meeting Information Needs Of Cocoa Farmers In Selected Communities In The Eastern Region Of Ghana, Dominic Agyei Dankwah, Osman Hawa

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the information needs of cocoa farmers in Oda, Asamankese, Kade and Nkawkaw districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It seeks to identify the value cocoa farmers place on information, the various sources and services of information available to them and the level of satisfaction they derive from these sources and services.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper used the survey research. It made use of both the purposive and snowball sampling techniques to select the 4 communities and 160 respondents respectively. A total of 136 questionnaires out of 160 questionnaires that were administered were retrieved. …

Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Criminal Court Mediation As A Tool Of Restorative Justice, Teresa Hoerres

Capstone Collection

This capstone research paper aims to capture the personal narratives of how participants of criminal court mediation in Brooklyn, New York actual experience the program. The program, which is facilitated by New York Peace Institute, is a cornerstone of the organization’s restorative justice program. Restorative justice has been gaining traction over the last few decades, and its application to criminal matters as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service, is unprecedented.

The research was conducted using a mixed methodology approach, relying on the researcher’s ethnographic observations of the criminal court mediation program from August 2013 through March 2014, as well as …

Master Of The Universe: The Theatrical Director As Artist And Communicator, Audrey Thomas

Masters Theses

This qualitative study was undertaken to examine the processes by which theatrical directors determine the theme for a production and communicate their unifying artistic visions to the agents who, in turn, relay it to the audience. The research revealed that the director's message is formed through comprehensive study of the text, the artifact around which the system is formed, as well as information which provides context for the work of the playwright; consideration of the theatrical organization's missional objectives (the environment in which the system exists); and concerns of artistic leadership. Communication of the concept to stakeholders, and ultimately to …

Cognitive Dissonance In The Classroom: The Effects Of Hypocrisy On Academic Dishonesty, Joanna Goldonowicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic dishonesty and academic entitlement plague many college campuses. This research applies the theory of cognitive dissonance to the classroom in an attempt to curb academic dishonesty. Hypocrisy, a branch of the theory of cognitive dissonance, has been induced with regards to health and pro-social causes, but has not been applied to the field of higher education. In order to apply the concept of hypocrisy to academic dishonesty, a two-part experiment was conducted. The first portion of the experiment was an in-class manipulation and the second portion was an online survey conducted one month after the manipulation. Two hundred two …

An Examination Of The Connection Between Genuine Dialogue And Improv, Kathleen O'Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The value of improv training extends beyond the stage. Improv has been successfully utilized and applied in a variety of ways in the workplace, school, and community. This study examines the connection between genuine dialogue and improv to determine if improv exhibits dialogic qualities. Three focus groups were conducted with a total of nineteen improv students. Additionally, an interview was conducted with the director of a hospital's Innovation Lab where improv is used in an organizational setting. The conditions for dialogue set by Gordon (2006) served as a guideline for analyzing data. Thematic analysis generated categories used to analyze data. …

Dog Ownership As A Catalyst Of Conflict And Relationship Maintenance In Romantic Relationships, Ashley Elrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pets are a common aspect of life for many Americans. In 2012, 36.5% of American household owned dogs and 30.4% owned cats (American Veterinary Medical Foundation, 2012). The purpose on this study was to explore the influence of dog ownership on romantic relationships. Specifically, this thesis investigates how dog ownership acts as a catalyst of relational maintenance and conflict behavior in interactions about the couple's dog. No prior research has been conducted on the role dogs' play in enacting relational maintenance or conflict in romantic relationships, so it is unclear if there is an influence to the these behaviors. This …

The Jim Lindsey Story, Clinton Robert Fullen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The history of Arkansas Razorback football is composed of legends, and without a doubt, Jim Lindsey is one of its most successful players—on and off the field. Lindsey won a national championship, became an NFL captain and built a thriving real–estate empire across the South.

Narrated by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, “The Jim Lindsey Story” begins in the Arkansas Delta. Back then, Lindsey was simply a small boy who dreamt of playing ball. Weekdays were spent in the cotton fields, and weekends were used for cow–pasture baseball. In time, that boy grew up to be a very big man. …

Attitudes And Behaviors In Online Communities: Empirical Studies Of The Effects Of Social, Community, And Individual Characteristics, Richard Kumi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Online communities and communities of practice bring people together to promote and support shared goals and exchange information. Personal interactions are important to many of these communities and one of the important outcomes of personal interactions in online communities and communities of practice is user-generated content. The three essays in the current study examines behavior motivation in online communities and communities of practice to understand how Social and personal psychological factors, and user-generated influence attitudes, intentions and behaviors in online communities.

The first essay addresses two research questions. First, how does Social capital influence exchange and combination behaviors in online …

Managing The Veterinary Clinic Enterprise, Shelby N. Smyly

Animal Science

This document serves as a guideline for the student management of the Veterinary Clinic Enterprise.

Are Supervisory Feedback Messages A Motivational Factor To Enhance Employee Retention?, Yang Yali

Masters Theses

Employee retention is one of most valuable resources in an organization. Feedback from supervisors provides opportunities to clarify expectations, adjust goal difficulty, improve job performance, and enhance job satisfaction. The present study is intended to investigate the role that supervisory feedback messages play in employee retention decisions. The participants took a three-session survey that aimed to examine their perception of supervisory feedback received through direction-giving messages, empathy-giving messages, and meaning-making messages, as well as the effect that each kind of message had on each participant's retention intent. The follow-up interviews were conducted to explore in-depth insights on the factors motivating …

Identifying Emerging Researchers Using Social Network Analysis, Syed Masum Billah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Finding rising stars in academia early in their careers has many implications when hiring new faculty, applying for promotion, and/or requesting grants. Typically, the impact and productivity of a researcher are assessed by a popular measurement called the h-index that grows linearly with the academic age of a researcher. Therefore, h-indices of researchers in the early stages of their careers are almost uniformly low, making it difficult to identify those who will, in future, emerge as influential leaders in their field. To overcome this problem, we make use of Social network analysis to identify young researchers most likely to become …

The Mechanisms Of Interpersonal Privacy In Social Networking Websites: A Study Of Subconscious Processes, Social Network Analysis, And Fear Of Social Exclusion, Bryan I. Hammer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With increasing usage of Social networking sites like Facebook there is a need to study privacy. Previous research has placed more emphasis on outcome-oriented contexts, such as e-commerce sites. In process-oriented contexts, like Facebook, privacy has become a source of conflict for users. The majority of architectural privacy (e.g. privacy policies, website mechanisms) enables the relationship between a user and business, focusing on the institutional privacy concern and trust; however, architectural privacy mechanisms that enables relationships between and among users is lacking. This leaves users the responsibility to manage privacy for their interpersonal relationships. This research focuses on the following …

Love, Reason, And Romantic Relationships, Justin Leonard Clardy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The capacity to love is without a doubt one of the most prized features of our existence. However, love offers us a wide range of complex questions with very few answers. Yet, it is important that we get an accurate view of love because knowing what to love and how to live aids us in trying to manage our lives sensibly. In this paper, I plan to present a reasons-responsive account of romantic love that involves the valuing of qualities that the beloved has as well as the valuing of the relationship shared with the beloved. I will also show …

“Their Image Of Me”: A Phenomenological Study Of Professional Dress Choices Of Female Professors, Laura Abbasi

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

In recent years, scholarly attention to professional dress as a form of nonverbal communication has faded into the background. However, I believe professional dress is an important area of study, considering the changing conditions in the world of work. Therefore, I decided to conduct this phenomenological study of the dress choices of female professors at a small, liberal arts college to discover what professional dress did for them internally and professionally. The analysis of the data suggests that these women try to use dress to represent themselves as who they are internally, without losing sight of their image as a …

Grouped To Achieve: Are There Benefits To Assigning Students To Heterogeneous Cooperative Learning Groups Based On Pre-Test Scores?, Arman Karl Werth

Dissertations and Theses

Cooperative learning has been one of the most widely used instructional practices around the world since the early 1980's. Small learning groups have been in existence since the beginning of the human race. These groups have grown in their variance and complexity overtime. Classrooms are getting more diverse every year and instructors need a way to take advantage of this diversity to improve learning. The purpose of this study was to see if heterogeneous cooperative learning groups based on student achievement can be used as a differentiated instructional strategy to increase students' ability to demonstrate knowledge of science concepts and …

Facebook And Relationships: A Study Of How Social Media Use Is Affecting Long-Term Relationships, Rianne C. Farrugia

Theses

An online survey was conducted where 255 respondents provided information about their significant other. Respondents answered questions dealing with elements of relationship satisfaction, Facebook usage, surveillance, and jealousy. Results indicate a correlation between Facebook usage and relationship satisfaction. Individuals with varying levels of Facebook usage were shown to have a positive correlation with jealousy levels in their relationship, meaning as Facebook use increased, jealousy also increased. Altman and Taylor's theory of social penetration (1973) was used to describe the stages in a relationship from orientation into a relationship of stable exchange. This developmental theory illustrated the growth in relationship phases. …

Preserving Moral Recognition In The Face Of Aggression: Aikido As A Practice Of Physical Intersubjectivity, Charles W. Wright

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Practitioners of Aikido advance the claim, peculiar to many, that martial training can support moral action. This essay examines the claim by exploring communicative structures implicit in the response to attack made possible by this art's techniques. This exploration reveals three dimensions of intersubjectivity embedded in the practice of Aikido, dimensions that explicate the ethical imperative of the art.

Forgiveness-Granting Communication As A Facework Phenomenon, Ryan Cummings

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study sought to conceptualize forgiveness-granting communication as a facework phenomenon through utilizing the concepts of face concerns, degree of face loss, and facework strategies. Participants from public speaking courses (N = 248) completed a self-report survey questionnaire asking them to recall a recent forgiveness episode. Statistical analyses were conducted to discover the relationship between face and forgiveness-granting communication. The results of this study indicated the following important findings: (a) the greater one’s self-face concern, the less likely one’s forgiveness-granting communication is to be direct; (b) self-face concern positively predicted conditional forgiveness-granting communication; (c) degree of face loss was a …

Coping With Pediatric Cancer: Conversational Methods Utilized By Parents And Children When Dealing With Pediatric Cancer, Chelsi Morgan Walls

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study analyzed how people perceived parents should communicate with their child regarding pediatric cancer treatments. When dealing with pediatric cancer, it is vital that parents and their child communicate about the illness in order to effectively cope with the cancer. Using Uncertainty Management Theory, appraisals, inferences, and illusions, are examined in this study to discover how much affect-management and buffering would be used to manage the illness. Under UMT, the coping mechanisms of affect-management (i.e., religious coping and behavioral disengagement), and buffering (avoidance and child distraction) depend upon how individuals appraise the uncertain situation (positive vs. negative), the inferences …