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 …

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.

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 …

Exploring Listening As A Relational Process: A Qualitative Study Of Intimate Partner Experiences Of Listening Following Moments Of Conflict Using Event-Contingent Audio Diaries, Rikki Ann Rodriguez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Listening is recognized as a fundamental part of the communication process; however, there is relatively little known about how individuals experience and interpret listening during naturally occurring moments of relational conflict. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how intimate partners described listening behaviors, interpreted their listening experiences, and identified patterns of listening following moments of conflict. Guided by Bodie’s (2011) listening theory, Halone and Pecchioni’s (2001) relational listening theory, and Dance’s (1967) helical model of communication, this study employed qualitative content analysis informed by a phenomenological perspective.

Participants consisted of 18 adults which represented nine married heterosexual …

Digital Media Usage For Academic Success Among Black Female College Students At North Carolina Central University: A Sophomore And Senior Comparison, Ariel V. Germain

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This exploratory qualitative study explored how Black female sophomore and senior students at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a historically Black college and university (HBCU), described their use of digital communication tools in relation to their academic success and examined whether differences existed between the experiences of sophomore and senior students. While digital technologies have become integral in higher education, limited research has explored how Black female college students use these tools within culturally affirming educational environments. Grounded in uses and gratifications theory and the socio-psychological communication tradition, this study explored the motivations, meanings, and lived experiences surrounding participants’ use …

A Qualitative Sociocultural Study Of Social Constructionism In Youtube Videos Of The Permaculture Community, Penny L. Uzzetta

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study addressed a gap in communication literature by examining how the permaculture community used YouTube to communicate knowledge about regenerative agriculture. Guided by a social constructionism framework within the sociocultural tradition, the study explored how narratives, symbols, audio, and video were used to communicate experiences, knowledge, and values related to permaculture and regenerative agriculture. The dataset consisted of 40 hours of publicly available YouTube videos from leading permaculture channels. The YouTube videos were examined using qualitative content analysis to better understand how the permaculture community communicated knowledge about regenerative agriculture. Across the videos, creators used stories from their …

Lindenwood Digest, November 11, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Document Type & Date: Official institutional employee newsletter, specifically the Lindenwood University Employee Digest published on November 11, 2026.

• Core Entities & Provenance: Distributed by Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, documenting activities involving The Little Bit Foundation, Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), and university staff members Molly Moran, Tim Ellis, Matthew Adams, and Brittany Brown.

• Key Themes & Context: Highlights internal university operations including an employee appreciation raffle from November 16-24, logistical preparations for 300-400 prospective students attending the What's Next Fair on November 13, OVC Men's Soccer Championship hosting, and faculty development …

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Transforming Hardship Through Heartship: A Therapeutic Positive Autoethnography Of Recovery Through Rereading And Rewriting Past Journal Entries, Laura D. Russell

The Qualitative Report

Journal writing has long been recommended as a therapeutic practice for growth and healing. Receiving less attention, however, are techniques for revisiting past journal entries to learn from and/or expand them. What might autoethnographers and journalers alike discover about themselves and their potential for growth by looking back on and interacting with these entries through a positive inquiry lens? In the key of therapeutic positive autoethnography (ThePosAE), the author experiments with artistic, inquiry-evoking techniques to demonstrate how reflexively rereading and rewriting excerpts from one’s personal journal serves both generative and transformative purposes. Reflecting on and working with her personal journal …

Taylor Publishing Company History Of Lauderdale County Book From Jesse C. White, Jan. 5, 1989, Jesse C. White

Correspondence

Correspondence from Jesse C. White of Taylor Publishing Company to William L. McDonald concerning the potential of publishing a book on local Florence, Alabama history.

The Erosion Of Journalists’ Freedoms In A Time Of Populism And Illiberalism, Gemma Horton Dr.

International Journal on Responsibility

Recently, Europe has seen the various freedoms that journalists enjoy becoming undermined by governmental efforts to regulate free speech and journalistic freedom. The role of journalists to report on all matters of public interest, a responsibility emphasised by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), is under attack during a time of escalating populist sentiment. This article will examine the importance of journalistic responsibility in relation to free speech in challenging environments that journalists are facing across Europe. Firstly, it will examine the typical role that journalists have played in society and the responsibilities that they hold. Secondly, it will …

Lindenwood Digest, November 4, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Document Type & Date: "20261104 Lindenwood Digest.pdf" is an internal institutional employee newsletter published on November 4, 2026.

• Core Entities & Provenance: Aggregated by Lindenwood University Communications and Public Relations, featuring operational directives from the President's Office, Information Technology, Learning Academy, Student Academic and Support Services, and Athletics.

• Key Themes & Context: Institutional updates outline a Fall II 8-week midterm grade reporting deadline of November 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., explicitly defining special attendance failure codes; a transition of campus network closet battery backups to lithium-ion units scheduled for completion by June 2027; and a mandatory faculty self-evaluation period in …

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Fear And Loathing In Political Social Media: Online Discourse Ahead Of The 206 U.S. Midterms, Yi Luo, Bond Benton, Jin-A Choi

College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

This study examines online discourse surrounding the 2026 U.S. midterm elections to identify which political actors received the greatest visibility, what emotions characterized election-related conversations, and how sentiment developed within partisan online spaces. Using data collected through Brandwatch and Tweet Binder, the analysis draws on more than 1.69 million online mentions and a sample of 35,000 X posts between September and October 2026. Findings indicate that Trump- and Republican-related narratives dominated online visibility, accounting for substantially more discussion than Democratic-related content. However, heightened visibility did not correspond with positive sentiment. Fear emerged as the predominant emotional response, representing over half …

College Dating Across Cultures: Exploring Online And Offline Motives, Religiosity, Uncertainty Avoidance, And Perceived Dating Success, Maria Murad

SMU Journal of Undergraduate Research

Drawing on uses and gratification theory, this quantitative study examined the relationship between dating motives (long-term vs. casual), dating modes (online vs. offline), perceived dating success, as well as uncertainty avoidance among college students (n=270) seeking relationships across the globe. Additionally, it studied the cultural and religious aspects of dating behavior, adding to a more complex understanding of modern dating situations.

Results showed that online daters more frequently reported long-term relationship motives than offline daters, and offline daters more frequently reported dating for casual sex than online daters. Long-term motives were positively correlated with perceived dating success, and …

Nov. 2026 The Back Page - Life Membership Status Awarded To 70 Members, Mda Membership Department Staff

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The Back Page celebrates seventy Michigan Dental Association members who achieved Life Membership status in 2026. Organized by local dental districts (including Central, Cloverland, Detroit, Jackson, Kalamazoo Valley, Lakeland Valley, Oakland County, and West Michigan), the feature honors their decades of clinical practice, dedicated service, and sustained support for organized dentistry across Michigan.

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

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Updated Library Publishing Curriculum Policy Module: Policy Narrative, Alexandra Marcaccio, Talea Anderson, Corinne Guimont, Esther Jackson, Michelle Wilson, Perry Collins

Library Publishing Curriculum

The Policy Module covers how library publishers develop policies that guide specific areas of their work. Policy is an area where publishing programs interface with the legal and political environment, which has seen dramatic changes since the original Policy Module was written, and these units provide the up-to-date guidance that library publishers need. The units in the updated Policy Module are:

• Accessibility by Alexandra Marcaccio
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by Talea Anderson
• Preservation by Corinne Guimont
• Publishing Ethics by Esther Jackson & Michelle Wilson
• Rights & Rights Management by Perry Collins

This version of the Policy Module differs from the …

Nov. 2026 Finding Your Place In Dentistry: The Value Of Belonging To The Mda, Rich Evans

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The cover story explores workplace culture, peer support, and organizational mentorship through the experiences of dentists at Great Lakes Dental Care. It illustrates how association membership provides valuable advocacy, professional growth, networking, and legislative oversight, supporting dental professionals at every career stage—from associates managing student debt to seasoned practice owners.