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No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Mobile phone use while in the presence of physical conversational partners is a reality in modern day life. Many researchers have investigated how different subgroups use mobile phones and the consequences of such use. The goal of this research was to determine how mobile phones are used in social settings when face-to-face conversations are taking place. The main questions that the research attempted to solve were: (1) If the phone use was related to the conversation at hand, (2) if the intensity of phone use was correlated to how the phone was used, (3) and if phones are used during conversations in different ways depending on the relationships and demographics of the conversational partners. The research was conducted in Malmö, Sweden at bars and cafes´ by administering a semi structured verbal interview on people seen using their cell phones while in face-to-face conversations. Relevant demographic information was recorded as well as five open ended questions. The questions were aimed at understanding how the phone was used, and the phones use in relation to the physical conversation. The research was conducted using the research paradigm of Positivism and the data was analyzed using an Inductive research strategy. Uses and Gratifications theory was the main theory that this research was viewed through. In addition, relevant information was drawn from various psychological theories as well as problematic mobile phone research. The findings show that the majority of phone use is unrelated to the conversations at hand. But often this phone use is re-integrated into the conversation at a later time. It was also found that phone use related to information retrieval was most likely to be related to the face-to-face conversation. Additionally, the data showed that conversational partners that use the phone a lot are highly unlikely to be using the phone in relation to the conversation. The data showed that friends are most likely to not use the phone in relation to the conversation.

This research project applies feminist revisions of Habermas's theory of communicative action to evaluate levels of participation in individually-based development programs through the case study of one such program. Utilizing a triangulated methodology of participant observation, interviews, and discourse analysis, combined with considerations of feminist ethical issues, this research study examines the role of dialogue and "being heard" in the recovery and rehabilitation of women who used prostitution to feed chemical addiction. I utilize a "feminist communicative action" to evaluate a unique type of development program: one aimed at individual development. In addition, this project assesses the place of human communication, emotions, and community in the sustainability of such recovery programs. / Media & Communication

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This dissertation work considers communication between people. I look at coordinating dyads (couples in relationships) and people in working relationships to develop an understanding of how people engage in high-stakes, or emotional communication via various communicative media. The approach for this research is to observe and measure people's behavior during interaction and subsequent reporting of that behavior and associated internal experiences. Qualitative and quantitative methods are employed. Quantitative data are analyzed using a range of statistical analyses, including correlations matrices, ANOVAs, and multivariate statistics. Two controlled laboratory experiments were conducted for this research. These experiments involved couples in relationships. Couples were brought into the lab and argued with each other across one of three technological media: face-to-face, telephone, and instant messaging (IM). In one set of couples' experiments, the couples argued for twenty minutes; in the subsequent couples' experiment, couples were encouraged to take as much time as they needed for their arguments. One of the main results from the first experiment is that couples did, indeed, argue when brought into a laboratory setting. One of the important findings for the second experiment is that time did not affect couples' tendency to reach closure during their arguments. This research is a contribution in that it examines how people engage in highly emotional communication using various technological media. In a society with ever-increasing communication needs that require technology, it becomes necessary to study its communicative affordances. Understanding the context of highly emotional interactions between members of couples gives insight into how technology meets (or fails to meet) these communication needs. / Ph. D.

This study explores the development of teacher professionalism as it is reflected both historically and philosophically in the educational reform movements of the 1830's and 1980's. Within this framework the study argues that interpersonal communication and group dynamics skills training is now a necessary component for the development of professionalism in teacher education programs. The study reviews the Carnegie (1986), Holmes (1986) and Nation At Risk (1983) reports on education, focusing on the issue of the professionalization of teaching. The study evaluates the potential impact of the notion of "critical democracy" (Giroux and Mclaren, 1986) on the preparation of pre-service teachers in the 1990’s. The study reviews the following elements: (1) the educational reform movement of the 1980's, specifically focusing on the issues of teacher professionalism, collaboration in educational settings, shared decision making, and critical literacy, (2) the historical foundations of teacher education in America, specifically focusing on the development of the First Normal School at Lexington, Massachusetts (1839), and the professionalization of teaching in the reform movement of the 1830's, and (3) the theoretical development and the practical application of interpersonal communication and group dynamics skills training in the development of professionalism, specifically exploring the utilization of such training in the curricula of pre-service teacher education programs. The study sets forth a normative philosophical framework for professional development which is grounded in the models of interpersonal communication and group dynamics developed by Jack Gibb (1970) and Gerrard Egan (1976). Specific practical applications are explored and the primary elements of the theory are illustrated in the form of possible curricular elements. These practical applications address the issues of: (1) Team Building and Group Contract Development, (2) Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics Skills Training, and (3) Collaborative Decision Making/Empowerment. The study also critiques the possible benefits associated with the proposed theoretical framework and its practical applications for use in pre-service teacher education programs. Finally, the study makes recommendations for utilization of the theory in various' educational settings and explores the possibility of further research and publication. / Ed. D.