Department: Communication ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
6 matches in the database.
These are records: 1 - 6.
1.
Fries, Patrick Thomas.
Complementarity In Health Information Media Usage By College Students: An Application of Media Complementarity Theory In The Context of Health Information.
Degree: MA, Communication, 2010, University of Dayton
► With roughly 80% of Americans using the Internet, research into the Internet’s…
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▼ With roughly 80% of Americans using the Internet, research into the Internet’s impact on other media outlets is of growing importance. The present study employs Media Complementarity Theory to explain media consumption behavior and also attempts to expound upon the theory. The present research aims to test Media Complementarity Theory with a college student sample, and attempts to isolate mechanisms key to understanding consumers’ complementary use of media. A sample of 185 undergraduates was solicited to answer surveys that would assess their use of different media channels. The study utilized a newly developed survey instrument. Additionally, the Internet was divided into discrete channels. Results supported Media Complementarity Theory.
Advisors/Committee Members: Robinson, James.
Subjects: Communication; Health; Mass media
Keywords: Health Information; Internet Use; Information Seeking; Media Complementarity Theory; College Students; Media
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2.
Iannarino, Nicholas T.
Laughing at death: The forms and functions of humor in illness trauma narratives.
Degree: MA, Communication, 2010, University of Dayton
► This thesis attempts to demonstrate that public storytelling and memoirs – if…
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▼ This thesis attempts to demonstrate that public storytelling and memoirs – if crafted and shared effectively – may elicit beneficial private/intrapersonal and public/interpersonal functions, and might be utilized as effective media for the formulation and dissemination of humorous health narratives. Through the study of three illness trauma narratives that utilize humor, this thesis analyzes the forms in which productive humor was employed throughout the process of narrative construction, and the information the humorous aspects of the narrative product expresses to audiences about the illness experience. More specifically, this thesis attempts to demonstrate that the integration of humor with health narratives can effectively call attention to health issues such as REM sleep behavior disorder, severe drug addiction, and cancer.
Advisors/Committee Members: Thompson, Teresa.
Subjects: Communication
Keywords: communication; health; narratives; illness; trauma; humor; sleepwalking; drugs; addiction; cancer; figurative language; funny; writing; comedy; death; journaling; storytelling; memoir
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3.
Miller, Nicole Ann.
Individual and Cultural Factors Affecting Students' Anxiety During Language Study Abroad.
Degree: MA, Communication, 2009, University of Dayton
► Submersing oneself in a foreign culture for an extended amount of time…
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▼ Submersing oneself in a foreign culture for an extended amount of time is a complex process, and students who study abroad experience varying degrees of anxiety while doing so. The present study uses Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory and Communication Accommodation Theory to identify certain factors related to this anxiety. Quantitative data in Phase One measured students’ uses of idiomatic expressions in the homestay, ability to tolerate ambiguity, time spent with the host family and proficiency levels to find them all significantly related to anxiety at moderate levels. Phase Two expanded to look at cultural factors associated with anxiety. Students from individualistic cultures experienced significantly lower levels of anxiety while studying a second language in a classroom than students who identify as more collectivistic. Finally, as more time passed, individualistic students displayed higher frequencies of upward convergence behaviors toward individuals from the collectivistic culture.
Advisors/Committee Members: Thompson, Teresa L.
Subjects: Communication; Language
Keywords: study abroad; anxiety; homestay; communication accommodation; cultural identity; AUM Theory; L2 acquisition
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4.
Parker, Jessica Lynn.
The “Party School” Factor: How Messages About Alcohol Use at Universities Influence Prospective Students’ Perceptions.
Degree: MA, Communication, 2009, University of Dayton
► This three-phase study was designed to determine what messages prospective students receive…
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▼ This three-phase study was designed to determine what messages prospective students receive about alcohol use and partying at a university, how these messages affect who is most attracted to the university, and whether different types of university messages attract students with different characteristics. Interviews with first-year students at the University of Dayton (UD) revealed that most students heard messages about alcohol use and partying before deciding to attend. A survey of UD undergraduate students, which asked for retrospective reflection on their experiences as prospective students, found a significant correlation between having a positive view of UD after hearing these messages and being party- and alcohol-oriented, as measured by factors such as viewing partying as important, having the intention to drink alcohol in college, and having previous experiences of drinking to intoxication. A survey of high school students showed that a hypothetical university with many weekend activities and strong enforcement of drinking age laws is most attractive to prospective students. A "party school" and a school with many activities but little law enforcement both attracted primarily party- and alcohol-oriented high school students, whereas a school with many activities and strong enforcement was attractive to all types of students. Post-secondary schools with "party school" reputations are encouraged to focus on weekend activity promotion and enforcement of alcohol laws to avoid continually attracting a concentration of heavy drinkers.
Advisors/Committee Members: Thompson, Teresa L.
Subjects: Academic guidance counseling; Behaviorial sciences; Communication; Community colleges; Education; Health; Higher education; Public health; School administration
Keywords: party school; college choice; binge drinking; college students; alcohol; symbolic interactionism
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5.
Ramaccia, Julie Brady.
What am I Eating? The Use of Health and Environmental Messages in Predicting a Sustainable Diet.
Degree: MA, Communication, 2011, University of Dayton
► This study examines 161 participants’ behavior change in regard to purchasing organic…
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▼ This study examines 161 participants’ behavior change in regard to purchasing organic and/or local foods after message exposure. Although much health research and environmental research exist, no research has combined these fields and applied them to behavior change. Participants were exposed to a health message, an environmental message, or a combined health and environmental message. Using the theory of planned behavior as the theoretical foundation, participants’ attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention were also used as prediction measures for behavior change. Participant cognitions were also coded through a thought-listing measure. The results of this study reveal that participant attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control all predicted behavioral intention; however, these individual variables did not predict actual behavior. Participant cognitions were found to be reflective of the message type that was read. Additionally, while both political preference and age individually and in interaction with message type influenced behavior, sex individually and in interaction with message type did not.
Advisors/Committee Members: Thompson, Teresa L.
Subjects: Agriculture; Behavioral Sciences; Communication; Conservation; Environmental Health; Health; Health Education; Public Health; Public Health Education; Sustainability
Keywords: health messages; environmental message; communication; theory of planned behavior; health behavior; sustainability; agriculture
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6.
Scherer, Carrie L.
Uses and gratifications in college students' media use: A test of media complementarity theory.
Degree: MA, Communication, 2010, University of Dayton
► There is a fear in industries such as print and television that…
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▼ There is a fear in industries such as print and television that the continued expansion of the Internet is the death of traditional media. The present study uses media complementarity theory and uses and gratifications theory to determine if traditional media and the Internet can exist simultaneously for the fulfillment of health information seeking needs. Primary data analysis of college students revealed a relationship between traditional media use and Internet use for health information seeking in general, and when controlling for perceived gratifications. Furthermore, when examining the role of health orientation in this relationship, results showed that complementarity media use for health information seeking can be examined for all college students, regardless of whether they are active or passive in managing their health.
Advisors/Committee Members: Robinson, James D.
Subjects: Communication; Health; Health education; Mass media
Keywords: uses and gratifications; media complementarity; health; Internet; college students; media use
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