Other Communication Commons^™

The Red Thread: Objects As Medium, Hsin-Ning Alin Yang

Masters Theses

There are moments when people hesitate to speak their emotions or needs
—whether it’s love that feels too shy to articulate, needs that risk sounding too forceful, or feelings too vague to verbalize. By shifting the priority of emotion and communication factor ahead of pure functionality, this thesis posits that objects can serve as an alternative medium of communication.

This thesis begins by examining the root causes of communication difficulties and the coping strategies people use, ultimately identifying five situations in which objects can effectively substitute for verbal interaction. Building on these categories, the thesis explores how an object’s features, …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

Grief As Slip: (How Little I Show) An Exploration In Clay, When Words Are Not Enough, Michelle A. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Grief as Slip (how little I show) implies that even as we acknowledge our mortality and the fleeting nature of life, we still only reveal a fraction of our true selves or our deeper realities. The ceramic artwork in this exhibition carries and conveys a journey through the present and remembered emotions of the artists’ personal narrative. By juxtaposing the tactile nature of clay with the ethereal quality of human experience, Smith contemplates the profound interplay between material transformation and emotional resilience. The exhibition’s intent is to translate the essence of complex emotional states into abstracted forms so they can …

Gotta Be Fresh: Comedy Central’S Workaholics, Masculinity, And Paratextual Decay, Adamandrew Lenox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines social media marketing materials for Workaholics, a sitcom aired on Comedy Central from 2011 to 2017, to study paratextual temporality/ephemerality, the “brand as friend” social media strategy, and how masculinity is articulated through paratexts. The project incorporates theories from the fields of social media and internet marketing studies, television content and industry studies, and promotional paratext studies. Research centered on 100 Workaholics X (formerly Twitter) posts, published from January 2012 to March 2017. Posts were collected using Google Chrome extension TwExportly. Qualitative textual and content analysis of these paratexts results in three categories of findings. First, I …

The Influence Of Narrative Point Of View In Fanfiction On Character Identification And Parasocial Romantic Attraction, Rachel Delaurenti, Alex Cocoros, Lourdes Duque, Sean Oriotis, Jonathan Jauregui

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This study examines how narrative point of view influences character identification and parasocial romantic feelings in fan fiction. In order to conduct this research, an experiment was conducted in which participants read fan fiction about their chosen media figure (celebrity or fictional character) written in one of three perspectives: first-person self-insert, third-person self-insert, or third-person original character. Participants then responded to a series of questions regarding identification and physical and emotional parasocial romantic attraction. Following statistical analysis of the survey data, the study yielded results that indicate that there are stronger levels of identification and physical parasocial romantic attraction when …

The Future Of Coaching: Empowering Prospective Educators In Speech And Debate, Willow Keller

Honors Projects

This project addresses a clear and pressing gap in the Ohio Speech and Debate Association’s current strategic plan: the need for formal coach preparation and recruitment. This project combines academic research with actionable, real-world solutions, ensuring that the proposal is both credible and feasible. It is grounded in data and educational best practices, making it highly relevant to the immediate challenges facing Ohio’s forensics community. This project advocates for the creation of a state-approved coaching curriculum, which will be offered to education majors and certify that they are qualified to coach high school and middle school Speech and Debate.

Advertising To Children: A Content Analysis Of Ryan's World, Cora Denny

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Ryan’s World is a children's toy review YouTube channel with over 36 million followers and features kid YouTuber Ryan Kaji. A qualitative content analysis of the YouTube channel Ryan’s World was conducted to observe the rhetorical strategies the videos employ to sell Ryan’s World products, as well as how those strategies compare to traditional advertising. An analysis of twelve videos resulted in dominant themes of increasing brand familiarity and product performance of Ryan’s World products. These were accomplished through the use of traditional advertising rhetorical strategies such as product placement, special effects, appeals, and more. The study shows that the …

Crisis Calling: Fan Relationships With Athletes, Alexis T. Merriman

All Theses

This study identifies the importance and complexities of parasocial relationships, as well as looks at the effects these relationships have on NFL sport consumers in our society. Sport fandom, specifically high-level fandom attachments such as parasocial relationships (PSR), have called for a need to examine what occurs for both athletes and fans when a parasocial relationship is jeopardized in times of inevitable athlete or league crisis. This study applies Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) and Turning Point Approach to examine these complex parasocial relationships. Due to gaps in literature looking at parasocial breakup (PSB) and relationship turbulence through public relations …

Acceptability And Competency Of Motivational Interviewing (Mi) Training And Mi Spirited Communication In An Undergraduate And Graduate Nursing Program, Grace Koons

Honors Theses

Problem- There is a move towards patient-centered care in nursing and Motivational Interviewing (MI) has been one approach to accomplish positive communication. While the use of MI has been increasing in healthcare settings, undergraduate and graduate nursing programs have been slow to incorporate it into their curricula.

Aims- This study aimed to determine the acceptability and MI competency for the use of MI Spirited Communication (MISC) among undergraduate and graduate nursing students at a university in the Southeast region of the U.S. Methods- The design of this pilot study was a descriptive, quasi-experiment with no control group. The …

The French Connection: The Exponential Growth Of Rhode Island Women's Basketball, Mark C. Radigan

Senior Honors Projects

Since the arrival of Head Coach Tammi Reiss and Associate Head Coach Adeniyi Amadou to Kingston in 2019, the University of Rhode Island Women’s Basketball program has emerged from mid-major obscurity to become a regional and conference juggernaut with a reputation for developing young women on the court and in life. Many factors have contributed to this meteoric rise, but one that stands out is the program’s reliance on international recruiting to close the skill gap with other mid-major programs, with a particular focus on recruiting within France. This project aimed to highlight the impact of this recruitment strategy on …

Punk's Not Dead, You Are: Punk, Shock-Effects, & Self-Reflection, Fernando Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this thesis, I argue that punk can be anything, but dead. I honor punk as part of a wider avant-garde movement. In that spirit, I lay out a theoretical framework of shock-effects that I eventually employ as a lens for analyzing data. In “reviewing” the literature, I call attention to the mysteries that early scholarship revealed, how present-day scholars have turned these mysteries into practical approaches to living, and the importance of autoethnographic approaches to studying punk. To employ autoethnography, I generated data through personal memories of punk, self-observation and self-reflection of punk in my life, and considered what …

Quick Response Codes In Extension Outreach Communications: Insights From A Visual Content Analysis And Educators’ Perceptions, Kobina Danful Fanyinkah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increased smartphone use presents an opportunity to enhance the creative inclusion of Quick Response (QR) codes in extension outreach efforts. Tailoring extension programs to communicate with specific audiences has been identified as essential, highlighting the need for targeted and context-specific strategies. The development of QR code technology has provided a unique approach that allows extension professionals to target clientele with specific extension messages and programs. While extension has a commendable record in educational delivery through traditional forms of outreach, research on how best to employ digital tools with extension audiences is thin at best. Though the rising popularity of QR …

Connecting With Millennials: A Guide For Donor Engagement, Sydney A. Hopkins

All Theses

Millennials are emerging as a vital donor demographic, yet many resource-limited nonprofits, including Clemson Community Care (CCC), struggle to effectively engage this generation. This applied thesis project investigates how CCC can build meaningful connections with millennial donors by exploring nonprofit awareness, donor motivations, communication expectations, content preferences, and common barriers to giving. Using qualitative data gathered from two focus groups of millennial participants, this study reveals that millennials represent a diverse and distinct audience with unique expectations for nonprofit communication. Grounded in public relations theories of stewardship and organization-public relationships (OPR), the research highlights the importance of flexibility and autonomy …

From Self To Society: How Threat Type And Message Mode Affect Environmental Intentions Among Young Audiences, Lucas Vogt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the influence of threat type (personal vs. societal) and message mode (narrative vs. utilitarian) on young adults’ environmental intentions. Using the extended parallel process model (EPPM), this study argued for expanding the theory to include threat type (societal vs. personal) to clarify how threat is understood. A 2 x 2 factorial design was utilized to test the effects of threat type and message mode on environmental behavioral intentions. A sample of 266 university students participated in an online survey. Based on prior research, this study hypothesized that personal threats would yield the highest levels of environmental behavioral …

Social Construction Of Technology In Vr Adoption For Science Education, Adipurwa Muslich

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

VR has emerged as a promising tool for revolutionizing science education, offering immersive and interactive experiences that can enhance student understanding. It holds significant potential as a communication medium for explaining the complexities of science in classroom settings. Despite its potential, VR’s penetration in science education remains limited. This research explored the facets influencing VR adoption in education, focusing on science teachers' perspectives in Jakarta. Using a qualitative approach, the study investigates how the SCOT concept, grounded in communication theory, affects the adoption of VR in the educational sector. Key themes identified included the role of networking, school culture, socioeconomic …

Media Quiteracy: Why Digital Disconnection Belongs In The Media Literacy Curriculum, Katie Day Good, Michelle Ciccone

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this essay, we introduce media quiteracy, which we use to conceptualize and describe the valuable learning that can happen through the refusal to take up new media or the act of pausing or ceasing its use. We see media quiteracy as an active and generative approach to learning and argue for its inclusion in the media literacy curriculum. We trace the history of critical engagement with technologies within education and then articulate what media quiteracy can look like in practice. We surface and discuss three potential obstacles to teaching media quiteracy, which include the ways in which it …

Centering Relation In Media Literacy Practice, Paul Mihailidis, Bobbie Foster, Shannon Burth, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Melissa Tully, Patrick Johnson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

As calls for media literacy in formal and informal learning spaces continue to grow, educators’ understanding of media literacies and their purposes remains complex. In 2021, the authors of this paper led a multi-methods research project on media literacy education in the United States, focusing on impact and equity. Findings showed that educators share a commitment to equity and justice but are unclear on how to incorporate them into their work. In response, our research team developed a field guide that maps out equitable media literacy practices for classrooms and communities. In this study, we detail the findings from 11 …

Digital Literacy For Participating In Presidential Election: A Study On Indonesian Students, Marwiyah Marwiyah, Labibah Zain, Aliva D. Kamila, Thoriq T. Prabowo

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Digital literacy is needed during the presidential election. This study aims to determine the level of digital literacy of Indonesian students concerning what they do with social media information in facing the 2024 presidential election. We conducted a survey in which questionnaires were used as a research instrument to measure the four digital competencies: technical skill, information usage, communication, and creation. The questionnaires are sent to four Indonesian public universities. One hundred ninety-seven students from four State Islamic Universities (Universitas Islam Negeri) participated in this study. We used the mean and percentage score for the data analysis. The research result …

Assessing Media And Information Literacy: Scale Development And Measurement Among College Students, Erlis Cela, Alban Tufa, Melsena Danglli

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is a topic discussed by many authors in recent years. Several authors have developed measurement scales and validated them mainly among students and teachers who have media and information literacy knowledge. Although no evidence is tracked for any research conducted, MIL has been an unexplored field in the Western Balkans region. This article delves into developing and testing a scale for measuring the level of Media and Information Literacy among students in Albania. Firstly, it employs an exploratory qualitative approach, with the use of focus groups, the results of which contributed to the design of …

Cognitive Diagnosis Of Media And Digital Literacy Knowledge Schema In Mexican High School Students, Janneth Trejo-Quintana, Guadalupe E. Morales-Martinez, Betsabe Hernandez-Alvarez

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research explored the mental representation of media and digital literacy (MDL) in 242 Mexican high school students through a definitional task based on the natural semantic networks technique. The participants defined ten target concepts related to MDL, using verbs, nouns, and adjectives as definers, and then they rated each definer with a scale from 1 to 10. The smaller the number, the lower the quality of the definer to conceptualize the target, while the higher the rating, the higher the quality of the definer to define it. The participants showed a beginner level in MDL despite their daily navigation …