Other Communication Commons^™

Usability Of Health-Related Websites By Filipino-American Adults And Nursing Informatics Experts, Kathleen Begonia

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Filipino-Americans are an understudied minority group with high prevalence and mortality from chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Facing barriers to care and lack of culturally appropriate health resources, they frequently use the internet to obtain health information. It is unknown whether they perceive health-related websites to be useful or easy to use because there are no published usability studies involving this population. Using the Technology Acceptance Model as a theoretical framework, this study investigated the difference between website design ratings by experts and the perceptions of Filipino-American users to determine if usability guidelines influenced the perceived ease …

Healing Racial Injustice With Mindfulness Research, Training, & Practice, Danielle "Danae" Laura

Mindfulness Studies Theses

This thesis offers a collection of authors and studies in support of improved research, training, and practice connecting mindfulness with racial justice through intergroup applications. The paper identifies barriers at work (e.g., colorblindness, spiritual bypass, white fragility, and implicit bias) in contemplative science, Western Buddhist communities, and secular mindfulness centers, which block the sizeable contributions possible in studying the intergroup application of mindfulness practice—specifically Lovingkindness Meditation, among others—when used as an intervention with anti-racist aims. Through secondary qualitative research, I reviewed six key works from Black authors on mindfulness and race, as well as six sample studies on the prosocial …

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (Dei): Interconnecting Dominant And Subdominant Culture To Understand The Language Of Marginalized Groups In A Corporate Setting, Alexia L. Knox

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

This research task will aim to understand the language of marginalized groups within the social construct of the dominant culture, which spans into the corporate sector, to assert an interconnection between dominant and subdominant groups using observational data, the muted group theory, and intersectionality frameworks. Also, an analysis of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives will be examined to interrelate corporate culture and dominant culture based on the cultural dimensions theory. Social categories such as race, gender, and class that intersect with characteristics of the dominant group are generalized to infer a new communications theory referred to as, the Triangular …

Racial Norming In The National Football League’S Concussion Settlement: A Nested Approach To Addressing An Ongoing Crisis, Terry L. Rentner, Cory Young, Annemarie Farrell

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

For more than two decades, the National Football League (NFL) has been in the spotlight over the concussion crisis, resulting in a lawsuit by 5,000 NFL players and a subsequent 2013 settlement of more than $765 million. In 2020, a new crisis emerged out of the settlement, one of perceived inequities in criteria used to allocate settlement funds. The practice of racial norming, adjusting test scores for race, created another headache for the NFL during a time in which racial injustices in the U.S. spawned public and media discourse. Our case study explores this crisis through the Nested Theory of …

Reputation Management At The Intersection Of Information Seeking And Government Transparency, Robb Lauzon

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Over the past few years, a controversial public works project in Winter Park, Florida has been the center of debate in the city. At the end of 2021, the new Winter Park Library, against the wishes of its opponents, was dedicated to the citizens. Although controversial land use issues are unremarkable, it is the tensions caused by the local government’s opacity surrounding this major project that has become notable. Here, reputation management, specifically the reputation management of municipal administrations, at the intersection of information seeking and government transparency is explored. Transparency means little without demand for the information in question. …

Heir To The Throne: Ron Desantis’S Inheritance Of A Trumpian Covid-19 Ideology, Monica Mayer, Walker Talton

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Despite the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, a surprising number of Americans remain skeptical of vaccines and other preventative measures. This variance in attitude may be explained in part by the diverse pandemic responses of state governors and their political ideologies. Using Florida governor Ron DeSantis as a case study, we analyze an October 2021 press conference using the rhetorical method of ideological criticism to explore the governor’s ideological stance towards public health, personal liberty, and the balance between safety and economic concerns. We find he embraces an ideology of “Trumpism” that emphasizes personal choice over public health and economic …

Bridging The Gap For Online Deception Detection: Uncovering Methodology To Identify Deceptive Content In Mediated Communication, Margaret C. Stewart, Christa L. Arnold

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Detecting deception online and in mediated communication is complex and has gained recognition due to misinformation. Traditionally most deception detection in communication relies on analysing nonverbal cues in body language and facial expression; mediated communication prohibits many of these cues from influencing the interpretation of message meaning. Given the ability for deceptive information to thrive online it becomes necessary to develop an effective method for digital deception data analysis. A method called Statement Analysis (SA) is commonly utilized in law enforcement and may be suitable for use as is or with modifications in mediated communication research. The goals of our …

The Examination Of Social Support Received After Traumatic Experiences, Emily Abellon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore what constitutes effective and ineffective social support after an individual endures trauma. Participants were recruited mainly through social media to complete an online survey with open-ended questions. The survey provided participants with the opportunity to reflect and share the social support they received after the endured trauma, specifically disclosing what support messages were effective and ineffective, and why these messages were effective and ineffective. The messages found to be effectively supportive after the endured trauma, and the ones most frequently mentioned were emotional and appraisal support. These messages were found to be effective due to …

Learning By Playing: A Curriculum Utilizing Improvisational Theater To Develop Prosocial Behavior Skills And Self-Efficacy In Young Adolescents, Lynn Lovett Barr

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Prosocial behavior requires competency in social-emotional skills including interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation. During the developmental stage of early adolescence, youth are learning these skills and are more likely to engage in prosocial behavior if they feel efficacious in them. However, most social-emotional learning programs focus on conceptual knowledge in these areas without providing sufficient opportunities for practice, which does not allow students to develop sufficient procedural knowledge and self-efficacy. Improvisational theater offers a solution to this problem; used in concert with social-emotional lessons, it provides practice scenarios and procedural learning opportunities. This project consists of a curriculum …

Framing, Advice-Seeking, And Medical Trust In The R/Keto Community: An Analysis Of The Medical Flair On R/Keto, Sabrina Finke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First created in 1921, the ketogenic diet was used as a medical intervention for children suffering from severe epilepsy. However, in recent years, this highly restrictive diet has gained mainstream popularity for a number of illness management, wellness, and weight loss uses. Despite its rise in use and popularity, mainstream medical opinion still views the ketogenic diet as a last resort for severe conditions. Using a content analysis of posts tagged with the “medical” flair on the subreddit “r/Keto,” this thesis found commonalities among posts which praised the ketogenic diet and shared positive personal anecdotes were the most likely to …

I’M Not A Tragedy: Speaking Up About Ableist Microaggressions, Kasandra Marguerite Colwell

Communication Senior Capstones

Have you heard of ableist microaggressions? Let me tell you about them, as someone who has experienced them. I have a bi-lateral dislocating knee condition that I was born with. I can walk, but sometimes I need additional stability or reduction of pain while getting around, in which case I tend to use a cane. I have had many othering interactions while using a mobility aid in public, whether that be a knee brace, a cane, or crutches. While it often seemed the stranger didn’t mean any harm, the question is how many invasive questions and comments from strangers can …

Protector And Friend: Turning Points And Discursive Constructions Of The Stepparent Role, Bailey M. Oliver, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Vincent R. Waldron, Robert Hall, Lucas Hackenburg, Braedon G. Worman

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective: To understand turning points (TPs) in the development of positive stepparent–stepchild communication and relationships.

Background: Scholars stress the importance of communication in co-constructing healthy stepparent–stepchild relationships. The researchers focused on positive stepparenting via understanding transformational turning point (TP) events across time. Research questions explored how stepparents with an overall positive relationship with a stepchild characterize TPs and the discursive constructions of the stepparent role.

Method: The team analyzed 877 pages of data from 37 in-depth interviews with stepparents who described self-identified TP events, reflected in visual graphs of 279 TPs.

Results: Data were coded into 11 TP types, focused …

Pants On Fyre: Parasitic Masculinity And The Fyre Festival Documentaries, Kristen Hoerl, Casey Ryan Kelly

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The documentaries Fyre Fraud and FYRE: The Greatest Party that Never Happened recount the fraudulent and imprudent decision-making process that led up to the ill-fated Fyre Fest. These documentaries represent the music festival’s failure through depictions of white masculinity that seek parasitic attachment and proximity to the hegemonic ideal of masculine authority in the neoliberal marketplace. We argue that these movies map the operations of an imitative form of white masculine subjectivity that thrives in precarity, even as they recuperate the status of late-stage neoliberalism by symbolically removing parasitic masculinity from the neoliberal social order that it feeds on.

More Than Just Sticks And Stones: Effects Of Interpersonal Interactions On Liminality And The Negotiation Of Identity, Conlon Muhr

Masters Theses

The following study contains the detailed findings of my lived experiences studied in an autoethnographic method with a focus on the effects of interpersonal communication on identity negotiation during liminality. This study is conducted to expand upon the large and dense web of communication studies. During the use of the autoethnographic process, I provide in-depth insight into my lived experiences during liminality. The main goal of the study is to explore how interpersonal interaction affects liminality and the formation of identity. Liminality support, rejection, complication, and acceptance are the emergent themes found by combining liminality with interpersonal communication.

From Fear To Action: Exploring The Role Of Emotion During Imminent Threat Events Using The Extended Parallel Process Model, Michele K. Olson

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The extended parallel process model (EPPM) is a popular health and risk communication theory that explicates the relationship between perceived threat, perceived efficacy, fear, and adaptive and maladaptive responses. This study examines the EPPM in an imminent threat context and focuses on how warning message content influences EPPM perceptions and how these perceptions, in turn, influence both protective action and information seeking intentions.

The first objective of this study focuses on applying the EPPM to an imminent threat context by designing EPPM informed tornado and flash flood warning messages. After message pretesting with 42 undergraduate students, 312 undergraduate students completed …

Applying The Causal Network Model To Advance Care Planning Messages, Katherine Leigh Harville

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The process of advance care planning often involves conversations that focus on worst case scenarios and discussions of end-of-life, which makes the topic a daunting one. Most of these conversations occur with older adults or individuals who are seriously ill. However, advance care planning is of importance to those who are healthy, young adults as well. Narrative messages could help simplify the process of approaching such conversations and provide tools for conducting them in a more effective manner.

The proposed study makes use of the causal network model, a model that proposes that the location of information within narratives impacts …

Call Your Elected Officials: Identifying Predictors And Audiences For Collective Climate Action, Nathan Scott Bender

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Influential climate action in the United States is beyond the scope of individual actions, and instead requires collective action. This challenges governmental agencies and NGOs to promote enough collective action to inspire systemic change. Though decades of social research have identified broad trends in the drivers of this collective climate action, predictors of specific actions vary across individuals and contexts, and existing theory does not fully account for these shifting relative contributions. Additionally, the scale and urgency at which we must address climate change requires understanding and motivating climate action at all scales, from broad trends to predictors of specific …

2022 International Crisis And Risk Communication Conference Proceedings Table Of Contents, Conference Organizers

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Table of Contents to the to the proceedings of the 11th Annual International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference sponsored by the Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

Promoting Covid-19 Vaccines Among Communities Of Color: An Analysis Of U.S. Minority Serving Higher Education Institutions’ Message Framing Strategies, Najma Akhther, Khairul Islam

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

This study examined how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States used framing as an issue management strategy in promoting COVID-19 vaccine. A content analysis of HBCUs’ (N = 268) COVID-19 vaccine-related messages showed that institutional leaders primarily used thematic frames over episodic frames. In other words, the COVID-19 vaccination was promoted as a community issue by emphasizing safety and well-being of the community. Black leaders’ vaccine communication mostly focused on background information, research data, and statistics related to vaccination and vaccine effectiveness. Such use of framing strategies may indicate black leaders’ trust and openness in vaccine …

Evolution And Effectiveness Of The Governmental Risk And Crisis Communication On Twitter In The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case Of Switzerland, Albena Björck, Audra Diers-Lawson, Felix Dücrey

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the risk and crisis communication capabilities of governmental authorities: A new global phenomenon had to be managed and explained on a national and local level to protect public health. In the form of a single case study, the current research investigates this complex event as a cumulative crisis, the evolution of the communication strategies, and the effectiveness of messaging using Twitter in the context of Switzerland. The study identifies improvement potential in existing theoretical frameworks and provides a method for governmental authorities to track and assess their communication efforts.