Communication

Permanent URI for this communityhdl:10365/32482

Research from the Department of Communication. The department website may be found at https://www.ndsu.edu/communication/

Browse

Browsing Communication by Issue Date

Filter results by year or month
Now showing 1 - 20 of 118
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    An Analysis of the Arguments Used in the Home School Issue
    (North Dakota State University, 1988) Meyer, Jaime Paul
    "An Analysis of the Arguments Used in the Home School Issue," by Jaime P. Meyer is a study employing a twelve point method of analysis taken from the work of Ch. Perselman and L. Olbrechts-Tyteca. This study sought to answer the question: Are the values in the arguments of those for or against conditional home schooling in North Dakota consistent with the values underlying the laws of the state? Chapter I established the nature of the study. Chapter II provided a review of the literature concerning home schooling in North Dakota. Chapter III identified the similarities of the values in the arguments stated by those for conditional home schooling and the laws of the state. Chapter IV noted the dissimilarities of the values in the arguments stated by those against conditional home schooling and the laws of the state. Chapter V concluded that the values in the arguments of those for conditional home schooling are more consistent with the values underlying the laws of North Dakota than the values in the arguments of those against conditional home schooling.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Case Study: Implementation of the Top Five Freedom of Information Act Cases into Media Law of the Republic of Tajikistan
    (North Dakota State University, 2009) Yakubova, Muhabbat
    The purpose of this study is to explore and study the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in five cases. The study will analyze the importance of FOIA for the growth of media for developing countries like Tajikistan. The study conducts a comparative analysis of the FOIA cases. The study will examine FOIA adoption history in the United States of America's legislative system; the reasons, purposes, and the implementation of FOIA by media personnel; and current media law of the Republic of Tajikistan. Also the study will discuss where certain aspects of FOIA could fit in Media Law of Tajikistan that would lead to the development of media field's and journalists' access to information for a Tajik audience.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The Sojourn and Communication Self-Efficacy Enhancement: A Study of Travelers' Perspectives
    (North Dakota State University, 2009) Waserman, Vanessa
    The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the sojourn, or overseas travel, and the development of traveler intercultural communication self-efficacy. Self-efficacy, an individual's perception of his or her own ability to accomplish tasks (Bandura, 1997), originates from the psychology discipline and has rarely been applied to communication. The study examines and extends the work of Milstein (2005), a communication scholar who investigated the relationship between the sojourn and intercultural communication self-efficacy and found a positive relationship between the two. This study investigated how the experience of the sojourn affects traveler perceptions of their own intercultural communication self-efficacy. Data were collected through individual face-to-face interviews with participants. The researcher selected a convenience sample of 20 respondents who had all participated in separate sojourns. Participants in the study differed in age, ethnic identity, sojourn destination, and purpose for the sojourn. Responses to interview questions were tape recorded and transcribed preceding analysis and categorization of data based on emergent themes. The perceptions of travelers were analyzed to understand how the sojourn affects self-efficacy. Results of the study supported a positive relationship between the sojourn and development of intercultural communication self-efficacy among travelers with no previous exposure to multicultural settings prior to the sojourn. Travelers with prior exposure to multicultural settings in the home culture did not perceive an increase in intercultural communication self-efficacy as a result of the sojourn. How the background of the traveler may affect perceptions of the sojourn and the specific types of events abroad that were perceived as contributors to self-efficacy development are discussed.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Communication Strategies for DPRCA and Other Non-profit Arts Organizations
    (North Dakota State University, 2009) Smith Warren, Sarah Jane
    The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the sojourn, or overseas travel, and the development of traveler intercultural communication self-efficacy. Self-efficacy, an individual's perception of his or her own ability to accomplish tasks (Bandura, 1997), originates from the psychology discipline and has rarely been applied to communication. The study examines and extends the work of Milstein (2005), a communication scholar who investigated the relationship between the sojourn and intercultural communication self-efficacy and found a positive relationship between the two. This study investigated how the experience of the sojourn affects traveler perceptions of their own intercultural communication self-efficacy. Data were collected through individual face-to-face interviews with participants. The researcher selected a convenience sample of 20 respondents who had all participated in separate sojourns. Participants in the study differed in age, ethnic identity, sojourn destination, and purpose for the sojourn. Responses to interview questions were tape recorded and transcribed preceding analysis and categorization of data based on emergent themes. The perceptions of travelers were analyzed to understand how the sojourn affects self-efficacy. Results of the study supported a positive relationship between the sojourn and development of intercultural communication self-efficacy among travelers with no previous exposure to multicultural settings prior to the sojourn. Travelers with prior exposure to multicultural settings in the home culture did not perceive an increase in intercultural communication self-efficacy as a result of the sojourn. How the background of the traveler may affect perceptions of the sojourn and the specific types of events abroad that were perceived as contributors to self-efficacy development are discussed.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Corporate Social Responsibility: A Roadmap for Georgia
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Kvaratskhelia, Tamar
    Today, more than ever, business companies are held accountable and judged for their business practices. They are expected to work in ways that make a positive impact on the environment and the society. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often conceptualized as companies intentionally exceeding their primary responsibility of making profit in order to support the common goal of creating secure, just, and productive communities while protecting the environment. Although CSR is widely practiced in Western countries, the concept is still relatively new and emerging in Georgia, a country with a transitional economy and democracy. Current CSR practices are less stable or efficient, but have a high potential for development. Therefore, this project reviews the literature to identify some of the most common trends of CSR in developed countries, describes successful examples and practices, and proposes a roadmap - a model adapted to the current reality of Georgia. The roadmap is a CSR plan with general activities that could be implemented on a country level to ensure more efficient use of business, public, and government resources for the benefit of the nation.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Extending the Diffusion Model in Risk Communication: A Case Study of Risk in a Public Health Campaign
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Beauchamp, Kimberly A., M.S.
    Everett Rogers' (2003) diffusion model provided a theoretical framework through which to measure change among publics. However, use of Rogers' diffusion model can lead to research shortcomings such as lack of consequence research, change agent tendencies, proinnovation bias, and inadequate research methods. Through new model development, the current study introduced a specific data analysis process that distinctly measured and merged a relationship between communication, outreach, and scientific effects. The application of a public health campaign served to test the new model's ability to overcome previous diffusion research shortcomings. Using an integrated approach of diffusion and gap analysis, the study investigated and quantified effects of risk communication. This new model has value in that it supports the collaborative efforts of multi-disciplinary projects, while promoting and strengthening the position of each discipline through joint research. The model serves to help researchers seek, find, and work within a respected and common ground platform.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Powerful and Powerless Language in Health Media: An Examination of the Effects of Biological Sex and Topic Focus on Language Styles
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Fandrich, Ashley Marie
    Powerless language has been shown to influence audience perceptions, and the media has been shown to influence health behaviors. However, little research has looked at powerless language in health media. This study expands current research regarding powerless language through an examination of written health media. A content analysis on the use of powerless language in health-related articles was conducted for 12 popular magazines over a one-year time span. Analysis compared differences in use of powerless language relative to three variables: biological sex of the author, the biological sex of the audience, and the magazine's overall topic focus. Female authors and health-focused magazines used more powerless language than male authors and generic-focused magazines. Powerless language was more often directed towards a female audience than a male audience. Implications of such findings and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Carl Bildt's Assertive Sweden: Rhetorical Exigence, New Identity, and Prominence
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Carlson, Chris John
    This study examined the text of a speech by Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister, Kingdom of Sweden, in Stockholm on December 19, 2006. Analyzed through the prism of Lloyd Bitzer's (1968) "rhetorical situation" theory, a discourse of re-identification appears as a means to re-establish Swedish relevance and influence in the continent. The elements of exigence, audience, and constraints were analyzed in relation to the text, and emergent discursive themes discussed. A discussion of the inherent limitations and implications was also offered.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Corporate Communication on Facebook: A Multi-Method Approach to Corporate Use and Stakeholder Perceptions of Social Media
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Hedberg, Kathryn Marie
    This study looked at how corporations are currently using Facebook and what stakeholders' perceptions are of current corporate Facebook usage. A content analysis of nine corporate profile pages was conducted. Pages were coded for the presence or absence of relational development strategies under the categories of information dissemination, disclosure and involvement. A survey was also distributed to the fans of the nine corporate profiles in order to gain the fan perspective. Results showed that while corporations include disclosure and information dissemination strategies, they rarely use involvement strategies. This lack of interactivity is inconsistent with the fan perspective of corporate profiles, where fans called for more interaction and use of all relational development strategies on the corporate profile.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Learning the Ropes of Emotion Labor: How are Certified Nursing Assistants Socialized to Manage Emotion?
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Wenzel, Kristina Anne
    This project explores the organizational socialization of emotion among certified nursing assistants employed in nursing homes. Six certified nursing assistants in the encounter phase of organizational socialization participated in this study which seeks to understand how certified nursing assistants learn the ropes of emotion labor. The results of this study offer partial support of Scott and Myers (2005) research as results indicate four essential categories of new certified nursing assistants' experiences: (a) customer service Ill expectations, (b) repeated exposure to emotional events, ( c) observational-infonnation seeking, and (d) being selected for emotion management capacity. Additionally, this study describes the workplace emotion new certified nursing assistants experience during the encounter phase of organizational socialization. This study concludes with theoretical and practical applications and suggests areas for future research.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Theory, Research and Application: An In-Depth Look into the Practice of Mass Communication
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Foy, Blair Ann
    These major papers examined the aspects of theory, research and application in regard to mass communication through examples in each designated paper. As the portfolio title indicates, the methods analyzed throughout these major papers will first feature theory through an analysis of rhetorical criticism, then move to research with the literature review on environmental communication, and finally discuss application with a case study concerning the crisis communication efforts utilized by the state of Minnesota during the I- 35W bridge collapse. Each of these facets of communication were included and analyzed for their contributions to the field of mass communication itself. Through establishing the importance of theory, research and application in the context of mass communication, this portfolio provides insight into the educational foundations of my graduate program with detailed explanations into why each piece was chosen. In addition to this in-depth look into my curriculum, this portfolio also includes suggestions for future research as well as discussion on what lessons I learned through the completion of my graduate program.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Exploring Communication Used Between the Marginalized and the Hegemonic
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Swain, Denise Brown
    The underclass, the underprivileged, and the impoverished are in an ongoing fight to get their voice heard. To accomplish a vocal position in society, this group must overcome a dismantling by their privileged adversaries. Success is first achieved by exhibiting fierce resilience. Next, it is important for this silenced group to defend and justify their need to be heard. The intent of this study is to illustrate the communication that exists between marginalized groups and hegemonic groups. Marginalized groups are faced with oppression by hegemonic groups. How the marginalized sustain themselves through communication is the thrust of this study. The method of observation is through three lenses: rhetorical criticism, ethnography and case study. This portfolio concludes that communication between divergent groups is vital; communication ushers in understanding of other cultures; and communication generates a platform for dialogue.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The Role of Cyber and Face-to-Face Verbal Bullying on Adolescent Victims
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Farrell, Laura Catherine
    The purpose of this study was to examine adolescent verbal bullying across communication media (e.g., face-to-face [F2F], cyber, both). Media Richness Theory (MRT; Daft & Lengel, 1984; 1986) and hyperpersonal communication (Walther, 1996) are the guiding theories in this study. Results suggested three of the four emotional outcomes [happiness, self-esteem, and peer satisfaction] were not significantly different across verbal bullying media, while the fourth emotional outcome [relational victimization] was significantly different. Results also suggested differences in frequency of bullying communication types between bullying media. There was a significant difference in the frequency of bullying type and grade level; however, there were no significant differences in the frequency of bullying medium based upon biological sex. These results indicate a bullied victim is most affected when the verbal bullying occurs though multiple mediums. Directions for future research are also offered.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Life Coaching and VISTA Members: What is the Nature of Impact?
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) McGregor-Pfleger, Deborah
    Research related specifically to coaching has increased gradually over the past few years. Most of the research has revolved around executive coaching, and there are limited research studies about certified coaches. To date, there are no studies that specifically focus on the nature of impact of life coaching on VISTA members. In this study of a pilot project pairing life coaches with VISTA members, five VISTA members participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews and five VISTA members participated in a focus group. It is clear from the research data that the nature of impact included many areas including time management, conflict resolution skills, objective perspectives, core values and career exploration. In addition, the experience of having a life coach as a part of the VISTA member experience made it more manageable and enjoyable.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Military Marriages: A Look at Dialectical Tensions, Deployment, and Military Life Through Navy Wives' Eyes
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Fawcett, Erienne Lee
    This qualitative study explored the lived military relationships of eighteen Navy wives whose husbands were stationed on the Naval Air Station Whidbey Base in Oak Harbor, Washington. The researcher performed interviews to better understand how internal dialectical tensions- autonomy-connection, novelty-predictability, and opennessclosedness - were manifested throughout deployment, and what strategies were used to cope with those tensions. Results suggested that a variety of tensions characterized these marital relationships throughout the course of a deployment. The tensions that coincide with military lifestyles were often addressed by using the reframing coping strategy. A military/non-military external tension emerged from the data that influenced the internal tensions and coping strategies of Navy wives. The knowledge gained from this study may help military couples balance tensions throughout the deployment process and create more satisfactory relationships.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Entertainment Media's Satirical Effects on Teenage and Adult Attitudes of Political News Organizations.
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Chianak:as, Joseph Lawrence
    This study explored the effect of satire in persuasion by comparing attitude changes between adults and teenagers. It revealed that satire was effective in changing attitudes and that satire had a greater effect on changing teenage attitudes than adult attitudes. In this study, participants rated the trustworthiness and competency of political news organizations and then watched comedic segments from entertainment media that satirized the political news organizations. After the satirical segments, participants re-evaluated the trustworthiness and competency of political news organizations. The satire proved to be effective in negatively changing the perception of trustworthiness and competency among political news organizations, and teenage attitudes had greater change than adult attitudes. The factors involved in attitude change were analyzed, and suggestions for future research were also offered.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Chevron's Power of Human Energy: A Case for Corporate Social Responsibility as Identification Inducement
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Roers, Michelle Marie
    With corporate social responsibility (CSR) emerging as an inescapable business priority around the world, organizations are developing elaborate CSR campaigns to highlight their good deeds and influence important stakeholders. Despite its potentially powerful persuasive influence, however, we know surprisingly little about the actual messaging used in contemporary CSR campaigns. Accordingly, this study investigates a major multinational-and controversial-company's CSR campaign to examine CSR messages' propensity for inducing positive organizational identification. A case study applying Cheney's (1983b) organizational identification inducements reveals that Chevron's Power of Human Energy CSR campaign extensively and strategically uses CSR messaging to induce identification. This study thus suggests that organizations are using complex, versatile, and wide-ranging identification inducements in contemporary CSR campaigns-including eliciting identification via employee and outsider voices. Results are discussed in terms of practical and ethical implications for researchers, communication practitioners, and society.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The A3 Report as Knowledge-Accomplishing Activity: A Practice-Oriented Analysis of Situated Organizational Problem Solving
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Hatton, Angela Yvonne
    The A3 report is a lean practice innovated by Toyota motor company. The A3 report, a growing trend in organizations, is promoted as a communication tool, but it has not been studied from a communication perspective. In this study I interview twelve professionals who use A3 reports in their work and identify the ways in which A3 reports enable and constrain organizational communication. This study illustrates the communicative enactment of knowing and identifies how the A3 report structures organizational problem solving and creates knowledge-accomplishing activity. The A3 report constrains information through its concise 11 by 1 7 inch paper size and enables knowledge production through discussion and the Japanese consensus-building concept of nemawashi. I submit that organizational use of the A3 process creates bridges between communities of practice and allows organizational actors to span traditional boundaries and engage in knowledgecreating conversations, thus furthering understanding of the communicative constitution of the organization.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Longdistance Romantic Relationships: Connections Among Conflict, Uncertainty, Maintenance, and Mediated Communication Use
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Frahm, Whitney Allison
    Conflict, uncertainty, and relational maintenance have been frequent topics of study in long-distance relationships (LDRs); however, these concepts have not been studied concurrently. Interviews with 22 college students were used to study the influence of mediated versus face-to-face communication on conflict, uncertainty, and maintenance in LDRs. Interview data indicate that distance, distrust, and frustration with mediated communication are significant sources of conflict in LDRs. Conflict is most often discussed via mediated communication, although couples overwhelmingly prefer face-to-face interaction. Uncertainty and subsequent conflict were highest when using text-based communication (i.e., text messaging and Facebook); the telephone was preferred to maintain LDRs.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Online Interaction and Identity Development: The Relationship between Adolescent Ego Identity and Preferred Communication Activities
    (North Dakota State University, 2011) Tobola, Cloy Douglas
    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the types of communication activities adolescents reported as important and used most frequently, and how these communication preferences were reflected in adolescents' identity development status. Participants were approximately 600 new university students who completed a survey regarding 18 communication activities, along with the Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory identity subscale. Data analysis was conducted in two phases. To reduce the frequency and importance data to a manageable size, exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Two identical factors were identified and validated related to the importance and the frequency of communication activities. The first factor comprised four items related to online ''performance": online gaming, participation in virtual reality settings, live chat with strangers, and live chat with groups unknown to the individual. The second factor comprised four communication activities that occurred on social networking sites as individuals created lasting "exhibits" of themselves: updating a personal profile, viewing the profiles of others, posting status messages, and sharing pictures or other content (articles, jokes, videos) with others. Analysis of means indicated that the three communication activities rated as most important and frequently used were face-to-face interaction, voice calls and text messaging. These were followed by social networking activities, and then writing activities such as blogging. The performative activities identified in the exploratory factor analysis were ranked as least important and least frequently used. Regression analysis revealed small but statistically significant negative relationships between the reported importance of performative activities and identity development status, and between the reported frequency of performative activities and identity development status. Small positive relationships were also identified between the importance of face-to-face interaction and identity development status, and the importance of voice phone calls and identity development status. Small positive relationships were also identified between the frequency of face-to-face communication and identity development, between the frequency of voice phone calls and identity development, and between the frequency of email use and identity development.