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This study examines the theory of social presence and its relevancy to distance learning. Short, William, and Christie (1976) originally designed social presence to evaluate the difference between types of dyads (one-to-one interactions) and the quality of the communication media used for those interactions (Rafaeli, 1988; Rice, 1984; Walther, 1992). However, the theory of social presence was not design to explain mediated communication between multiple individuals. Although studies have investigated the effects of social presence in computer-mediated conferencing, little field research exist on the importance of social presence with multiple individuals communicating together within a Web-based instructional program. Moreover, it is evident from the body of literature that a universal meaning of social presence is lacking. For this reason, social presence in this study referred to the degree to which adult learners perceived that they had established some form of rapport with members of an online community. This includes interactions with other learners and support personnel (i.e., faculty, staff, technical support, graders, etc.). Social presence has emerged as an important social factor in the field of distance learning (Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997; Rourke, Anderson, Garrison, & Archer, 1999). Recent field studies emphasize the importance of examining social and psychological factors that affect student satisfaction, impact learning, and influences the way people communicate in distance learning environments (Blocher, 1997; Gunawardena, 1995, Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997; Hackman, 1990, 1996; Hiltz, 1997; Rourke, 1999; Walther, 1992). Researchers in the fields of education and human interpersonal communication have identified "interactivity" (i.e., interaction), "intimacy," and "immediacy" as attributes that enhance social presence (Christophel, 1990; Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997; McIsaac & Gunawardena, 1996; Mehrabian, 1989; Moore, 1989b; Short et al., 1976). Although social presence has been characterized as an important construct in distance learning (McIsaac & Gunawardena, 1996), little existing field research describes the value adult learners place on it, and whether it affects their satisfaction within a mediated learning environment. This descriptive study examined the adult distance learners' perceived value of social presence (based on interactions, intimacy, and immediacy), in addition to whether it existed within an asynchronous Web-based instructional program. / Ph. D.

Experiences of sexual assault remain prevalent worldwide, with one in five women in the United States experiencing attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. Open and supportive communication can facilitate the reconstruction of shame narratives and subsequent identity formation that may protect victims from the detrimental effects of sexual assault victimization. However, self-disclosure involves the risk of receiving negative or unsupportive reactions, leading to clinically significant symptoms of trauma. The risks of and vulnerability to such interpersonal communication warrant investigation and understanding of psychological and physiological processes that lead to emerging behaviors of resilience communication in response to another’s self-disclosure. Utilizing Communication Theory of Resilience and the Theory of Resilience and Relational Load as theoretical frameworks, this study examines relational proximity, communal orientation, emotional reserve, and empathy as predictors of intentions to engage in resilience communication. A posttest-only control group experimental design tested the effects of relational identity salience on participants’ physiological response as well as intentions to engage in communicative acts that nurture resilience upon listening to a self-disclosure of sexual assault. Survey responses (N = 39) indicated that individuals with high levels of empathy and emotional reserve were more likely to reciprocate the self-disclosure and share their own experiences. Analysis of psychophysiological measures of skin conductance (N = 39) and heart rate (N = 37) demonstrated that individuals displayed more emotional arousal and cognitive resource allocation when the relational identity as a friend is made salient. Implications and directions for future research are discussed in relation to a growing line of communication research that studies the dynamic co-construction of resilience through storytelling and everyday conversations among individuals within families, communities, and organizations. / Media & Communication

Man Ka Yin. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-54). / Abstracts in English and Chinese ; questionnaires in Chinese. / Chapter I --- Abstract / English version --- p.i / Chinese version --- p.iii / Chapter II --- Acknowledgement --- p.iv / Chapter III --- Table of Contents --- p.v / Chapter IV --- Introduction / Types of Emotions --- p.2 / Characteristics of Emotional Communication --- p.4 / Psychological Aspect: Personality --- p.7 / Social Aspect: Interaction Pattern --- p.10 / Cognitive Aspect: Communication Concerns --- p.12 / Objectives of the Present Study --- p.14 / Chapter V --- Method / Participants --- p.15 / Instruments --- p.15 / Procedure --- p.17 / Chapter VI --- Results / Reliability Analyses --- p.18 / Emotional Sharing --- p.18 / Predicting Emotional Sharing --- p.21 / Chapter VII --- Discussion / Sharing across the Eight Types of Emotions --- p.28 / Factors Underlying Different Types of Emotional Sharing --- p.29 / Limitation and Further Studies --- p.40 / Implications --- p.41 / Chapter VIII --- References --- p.44 / Chapter IX --- Footnotes --- p.55 / Chapter X --- Tables --- p.56 / Chapter XI --- Figure --- p.65 / Chapter XII --- Appendices / Questionnaire (Chinese version) --- p.Appendix 1 / Zero-order Correlation Results --- p.Appendix 2

This thesis investigates the interrelationship between the two dominant themes, isolation and human ephemerality found in two of Virginia Woolf's books, To the lighthouse and The Waves.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Mobile telephones are impacting societies around the world and text messaging, short type-written messages sent via mobile phones, has also garnered international research efforts. Research demonstrates that text messages are being used primarily to commence, advance, maintain or otherwise impact interpersonal relationships. The present study probes relational benefits of text messaging within familial and fraternal contexts. Specifically, the study seeks to answer the research question: How does text messaging impact feelings of “connectedness” (IJsselsteijn, van Baren & van Lanen, 2003, p. 928) within “strong-tie” (Howard, et. al., 2006), dyadic relationships? Findings from nineteen respondent interviews show that texting becomes a channel through which dialectical tensions in relationships are played out. Respondents use texting to both assert autonomy and to maintain connectedness with relational partners. Several participants noted that financial issues were an important consideration but nevertheless subscribed to texting services. Users also perceived texting as more constant and more private than mobile voice interaction. Romantic pairs vis-à-vis non-romantic dyads perceived the benefits of text messages differently.

This study focuses on confrontational behavior patterns exhibited by Japanese and U.S. college students in the Portland Metropolitan area. Four questions are addressed: 1) is there a difference Japanese and U.S. confrontation styles? 2) do Japanese use differing confrontation styles depending upon whom they are interacting with? 3) do U.S. individuals use differing confrontation styles depending upon whom they are interacting with? and 4) is there a significant gender difference between Japanese and U.S. confrontation styles? In addition, correlations between the Japanese and U.S. reported confrontation styles and their demographic data are examined.

In this study, various communicative strategies that young children employed to create and develop pretend play with peers in the block center were examined. Two preschools, one in Korea and the other in the United States, were selected. Subjects were children in the 4-year-old classroom in each school. The average age of the children at the time of the investigation was 59 months. For data collection, videotaping, audiotaping, field-note taking, interviews with teachers, and school enrollment records were used. During pretend block play, children created talk and actions in order to deal with challenges related to various aspects of play (e.g., accessory play materials, construction, plot, and enactment). Accordingly, children's communicative strategies were categorized as follows: (a) material communication, (b) construction communication, (c) plot communication, and (d) enactment. Also, subcategories under each category were developed. It was found that, in different phases of play in which they faced different types of challenges, children used certain strategies more often (communication about material selection and construction definition were most frequently used in the initiation phase of play). In terms of cultural aspects of the pretend play, in the Korean setting, the following were noticed: (a) a rigidly formed participant structure in which several positions were available, (b) the use of various comparison strategies, and (c) an overwhelmingly prevalent play theme: "The good guys winning over the bad guys." In the American setting, the following aspects were common: (a) frequent calling for the teachers when conflicts involving the ownership issue arose, (b) negotiable play atmosphere, and (c) consequent ample negotiation. Implications for educators as to how to encourage children to participate more in pretend play with peers in the block center were provided. Recommendations for further research pertained to the following: (a) methodological progress in studying children's play, (b) use of categories developed in this study, and (c) detecting individual differences that could shed light on optimal assistance of child development.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This research stems from the problems that may be encountered in an attempt to accompany the non-adult towards proper adulthood in the absence of both communication and educative intervention in the educative occurrence. The educator may fail to render his educative task adequately without communieating with the child and intervening educati vely in his life; and the child may be deprived of his opportunity of becoming a responsible adult. A human child, particularly in the industrialised societies, is confronted by various phenomena with which he often fails to communicate normatively. This investigation is an endeavour to reveal the essentiality of communication during the educative intervention, that is, in guiding the child to refrain from immoral, non-normative and unacceptable activities and all that violates cultural adulthood according to the norms, values and standards prevailing in that particular community. It further aims at disclosing that communication in the educative sense implies educative intervention, failing which communication becomes meaningless. Educative intervention and communication are, in truth, inseparable during the educative occurrence and they should supplement and enhance each other, because their separation may imply the nullification of the educative guidance on the part of the educator and the denial of the child's opportunity of attaining acceptable adulthood. In order to assist the child to gradually actualise his adulthood, the educator who intervenes in his life should be a devoted communicator who strives to communicate (verbally and non-verbally) his knowledge, feelings, beliefs and attitudes to the child while upholding his status of adulthood. It is not expected of the true educator to communicate well about normative adulthood verbally and simultaneously violate this through his nonverbal communication which includes all unacceptable physical activities which erode the dignity of adulthood. It implies, therefore, that in his attempt to guide the child to comply and respect the aspects, conditions and criteria of adulthood the educator should respect and comply with them verbally and non-verbally. A responsible person is expected to maintain and promote adulthood through both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Fundamental Pedagogics)