This study explored the communication strategies of college students majoring in one of five modern foreign languages (i.e., English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish) and their relation to communication confidence. It also explored the association between their strategy use and the difficulty regarding the speaking components, and students'…

In this commentary, we briefly describe our methodology in conducting a remote qualitative investigation with essential workers from southwest Kansas, and then describe some key considerations, challenges, and lessons learned in recruiting and conducting interviews remotely. From August 4, 2020 through August 26, 2020, Centers for Disease Control…

This study of a return to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic at a residential, liberal arts university examines the role communication played to facilitate the safety of students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. The study uses a grounded-theory approach to frame the communication situation, and a thematic analysis to…

Virtual humans are virtual characters within multimedia learning environments designed to aid the learning process. While there is a large variety of research examining how to design the physical appearance of the character or the teaching strategies it should embody, there is comparatively little work around the design of the narrative the…

Declining trust between citizens and public institutions has contributed to already tenuous relationships between schools and the communities they serve, but trusting relationships between families and schools are foundational to student achievement and overall school success. Effective messaging is critical to building trusting relationships,…

Courses: Digital Media, Survey of Social Media, Professional Communication Skills, Interviewing, and Mediated Communication. Objectives: The goals of this classroom activity are for students to understand strategic communication for self-promotion on social media platforms, especially Twitter, and to utilize them effectively for job applications.

The present study aimed to examine the influence of advertising creativity on the effectiveness of commercial and noncommercial advertisements in a situation involving attention competitions. Consequently, a dual-task paradigm in which an additional task of time production was completed while viewing advertisements that were creative or common was…

Courses: This semester-long project is suited for instructors teaching communication courses in health communication, advanced persuasion, applied communication, and media literacy. The pedagogical design features service-learning and integrative-learning (IL) approaches. Objectives: (1) adapt and apply various perspectives learned in the course…

The purpose of this study was to explore Pennsylvania Title I school systems' methods of communication of expectations and standards for school readiness with prospective kindergarten students' parents prior to enrollment. Also explored within this study is the importance of local school systems communicating with parents regarding cognitive and…

Background: Though prenatal nutrition information is critical, it is not known whether information is shared equitably by patient race, financial security, or English proficiency. Purpose: To evaluate whether delivery or receipt of ChooseYourFish.org nutrition information in the first prenatal visit differed by patient demographics. Methods:…

Uncertain language can be used to express genuine uncertainty but can also be used to manage face (e.g., by softening bad news). These conflicting motivations can create ambiguity in health communication. In this preregistered two-part experiment, participants assumed the position of a health specialist and wrote a letter communicating either a…

The results of this study argue that communication, and specifically oral communication education, is critical to students' future personal and professional success. Similar to three earlier studies, thematic analysis of 2,155 articles, identified in academic and popular press publications extending from 2016 to 2020, provides support for the…

"In today's engaging, digitally empowered school setting, stakeholders question whether schools know best about educating their students" (Rose, 2012). Sheninger and Rubin (2017) stated, "We have to do a better job of communicating what we do" (p. 17). Social media has given rise to new tools to help connect with families to…

This dissertation explores the experiences of teachers during a proposed school closure and examines the role of administrative communication in navigating this challenging situation. By employing qualitative research methods, including surveys, the study investigates the nature of communication between teachers and administrators at the school.…

Conversational fluency is important to form meaningful connections and relationships with the people around us but is understudied in children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). Communication breakdowns reduce conversational fluency. They occur when a speaker says something that interrupts the flow of conversation requiring a request for…