A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

In Images of Leadership (1991), Bolman and Deal identified four “frames” that school administrators use when making decisions: structural, symbolic, human resource and political. They discovered that the latter two frames, which focus on relationships, partnerships, and communication, were most frequently identified as predicting a school administrator’s success “as both leader and manager”(12). Strikingly, Bolman and Deal found that little emphasis and professional time are afforded to help school administrators learn about these critical frames. While there is ample logistical advice about language use, there is scant research that examines it from a theatrical perspective. The purpose of this autoethnographic study was to examine my literate life as a school administrator through the use of multimodal interaction analysis (Norris, 2004) and dramaturgical metaphors (Goffman, 1959). The study attempted to address the following research questions: (1.) How does my role as a school administrator dramaturgically define the roles I inhabit as I engage in everyday literacy practices in school? and (2.) How do I use language –both verbal and nonverbal language --to negotiate those roles with my various audiences, specifically with teachers and staff, other leaders, students and parents? The participant was myself –in my former role as an assistant principal at a suburban elementary school. Data collection and analysis began in May 2012 and concluded at the end of August 2012. Data for the study was collected through a journal based on questions using dramaturgical terms and a collection of the author’s/participant’s videotaped “performances” with various audiences. The dramaturgical journal was analyzed through Critical Discourse Analysis and deductive coding, while the videotapes were analyzed using Multimodal Interaction Analysis. Poetry was also used throughout the study to include the author’s voice, to recontextualize the experience, and to challenge the traditional prose form. The study revealed the intersection of language and leadership in the life of a school administrator. It also showed how multimodal interaction analysis and dramaturgical metaphors can help educational leaders understand their own literate lives through new lenses and how they can grow from that understanding.

Due to immense popularity of video games the author investigates the presence of gender portrayal within them. The purpose of this study is to thoroughly analyse a general phenomenon, such as gender, within video games to develop a better understanding of its particularities in this form of media and to expand the general body of knowledge on video games as a research topic. As prior literature shows, gender within video games can be either defined by its biased and sexualized character or by a tendency towards equality and strength for woman. To explain those varied results the author introduces the category of role as an important factor for character representation based on the use of theoretical frameworks of symbolic interactionism, more particularly dramaturgical approach of E. Goffman. She then further proceeds with a qualitative discourse analysis of both protagonist and support characters from 22 different games. The author finds that there is a visible difference within the manners females are presented depending on their role. Lead characters are more likely to be strong, independent and self-sufficient whereas support characters most often require immediate help, are dependent on others and are more likely to be abused. Presented results can account for some of the variety in prior research and they open the field of video game studies to possibly new research topics.

The radio industry is fighting to stay relevant in an age of expanding media options. Scholarship has slackened, and media experts say that radio's best days are in the past. This dissertation investigates how today's radio announcer presents him/herself on the air as a personality, creating and performing a self that is meant for mass consumption by a listening audience. A participant observation of eleven different broadcast sites was conducted, backed by interviews with most key on-air personnel at each site. A grounded theory approach was used for data analysis. The resulting theoretical model focuses on the performance itself as the focal point that determines a successful (positive) interaction for personality and listener. Associated processes include narrative formation of the on-air personality, communication that takes place outside of the performance, effects of setting and situation, the role of the listening audience, and the reduction of social distance between personality and listener. The model demonstrates that a personality performed with the intent of being realistic and relatable will be more likely to cement a connection with the listener that leads to repeated listening and ultimately loyalty and fidelity to that personality. The successful deployments of these on-air identities across multiple channels (in-person, online, and through social media as well as broadcast) suggests that the demand for relatable and informative content will persist, regardless of radio's future delivery mechanisms. / Media & Communication

Mon travail de thèse propose une réflexion au sujet d’un paradoxe ancien mais qui demeure pertinent à travailler dans le contexte renouvelé des "controverses socioscientifiques" publiques. La position épistémique dominante au sein de la communauté scientifique peut être qualifiée de réeliste, à savoir qu’il existe en soi un monde extérieur à la pensée, qu’une connaissance objective et neutre de ce monde est possible, ce qui permettrait un progrès social. Par ailleurs les exigences de la démocratie, comme organisation de gouvernance en vue de construire un monde commun par l'accord du peuple, présupposent que chaque voix individuelle, chaque point de vue singulier est à considérer selon une éthique égalitaire. C'est ainsi que le statut de l'expert en démocratie est paradoxal. En effet, si l’expert est un scientifique appelé à répondre à une question définie par le politique pour laquelle, en contexte de controverse, les données scientifiques disponibles ne permettent pas de conclure, l'expert doit néanmoins proposer une réponse à la question qui lui est posée. C’est ainsi que, même en absence de réponses, l’expert est choisi sur la base de sa présupposée compétence, par le biais d’un accès privilégié au réel. Ce choix suggère que la parole de l'expert est toujours plus intéressante, plus pertinente qu’une parole non-experte, ce qui va à l’encontre du postulat démocratique.Face à la critique de l’expertise, il y a généralement deux craintes, deux spectres (dans le sens « d’apparition effrayante ») de réponses envisageables. D’un côté, il y a le renforcement de la légitimité traditionnelle de l’expertise qui est sous tendue par une épistémologie réeliste, et donc la peur de la confiscation du pouvoir qui en découle. De l’autre côté, altérer les frontières entre science et non-sciences, relativiser le pouvoir de la « grande science » pourrait conduire à une forme de nihilisme, à savoir la perte de la hiérarchie des valeurs, notamment la distinction entre connaissance et croyance, et la perte de la potentialité de fonder une connaissance pertinente nécessaire à une transformation sociale du monde.Mais je me demande également pourquoi l’appel à l’expertise, dont l’une des raisons réside dans la recherche d’une fin (clôture ou finalité, telle est la question) à la discussion, débat au cours duquel on échange des arguments. Selon les partisans d’un réelisme, la discussion scientifique n’est pas de même nature que le débat démocratique, mais dans le cas de mon constructivisme cette différence n’existe pas. Si étymologie de la controverse suppose un face-à-face et une clôture, la discussion pouvant se conclure par une reconstruction ou réarrangement semble plus approprié à une optique constructiviste. L’expertise résistera t-elle à notre enquête dramaturgique ? / My research topics focus on the social responsability of researchers, their involvement and political engagement, all the way from the construction of knowledge to its formulation (research aesthetic) and dissemination.As I study others' engagement and their legitimation strategies, I also aim at formulating mine: a constructivism that holds itself accountable for its creations.This thesis discusses the role of experts in democracy; it is written in French. I highly doubt that I am able to summarize it in English, just as I doubt that exclusively English-speaking readers would be able to understand the manuscript in French.

Grove and Fisk ¡]1983¡^ had used the noun and idea of drama performance in the theater to compare the offering of service, such attendants as known as performer, customers as known as audience, and separate the front and back stage of service encounter clearly. At the same time, they offer the structure to easily understand the process of the wholly service contact and to help estimate the influence of each important link of service contact. So, this research focused on ¡§perceived value¡¨ of customer experiences through which, the ¡§visualized service backstage¡¨ in the service contact promotes the interaction of consumers and suppliers. Moreover, this study used the involvement of the back stage information and attention of attendants¡¦ appearance to moderate consumer experiences. The results showed that ¡§visualized service backstage¡¨ has positive influence on ¡§perceived value¡¨ with different levels, and customers have more consciousness on ¡§experience value¡¨. Actually the service with ¡§visualized service backstage¡¨ can really improve customers¡¦ perceived value. It not only can strengthen consumers¡¦ experience value, but also promote other different values of consumers. In fact, if service providers can use this advantage to create more perfect service performance by which the front stage and the back stage fully support. And it could bring to people more different service value than others. In addition, through the analysis of this study and real practices, it can help the service providers understand which value is the key factor to be attention for offering visualized service backstage.

The Critical Factors of Service Encounter satisfaction: Research on Restaurant Industry Author: Shao-Feng Chao Advisor: Dr. Yi-Heng Chou Abstract According to Directorate-general of Budget Accounting and Statistics Executive Yuan¡¦s survey of commerce and service industries in 1996, the statistics showed that the weight of Taiwan¡¦s restaurant industry became more and more influential in commerce. Its contribution to economic productivity cannot be ignored. However, the smaller business size and the easiness for entry enhance the competition and make it hard for operators to survive. To succeed in operation, the managers of restaurants have to emphasize not only the quality of physical goods but also the excellence of service quality, delivering what customers need and want. Many researchers have studied on service quality in recent years. They mainly use the closed questionnaire to measure how factors influence quality. It helps to understand service quality, but there are still some disadvantages. For example, its measure is closed and customers are no more than attitude accountants. Furthermore, the results can only show a part of service process, expressing no service encounters. To see more details about the service encounter between customers and service providers, this research adopts ¡§Critical Incident Technique¡¨(CIT). Customers¡¦ and service employees¡¦ opinions about the critical incidents which impacts on service encounters of fast-food restaurants and deluxe restaurants were collected, coded, and analyzed under the dramaturgical theory and Bitner¡¦s standard (BBM principle). It is to compare customers¡¦ view with service employees¡¦ and to identify the critical factors to service encounter satisfaction of fast-food restaurants and deluxe restaurants in Taiwan. The finding of the research is as followed. I. The critical factors to service encounter satisfaction of fast-food restaurants are: A. service employees¡¦ attitude and behavior, B. service employees¡¦ professional skills, C. the timely provision of service and the response to unreasonably delay, D. the performance of service processes and systems and the response to core service failure. II. The critical factors to service encounter satisfaction of deluxe restaurants are: A. the allocation of service environment, B. service employees¡¦ attitude and behavior, C. the quality of physical products, D. the timely provision of service and the response to unreasonably delay, E. the performance of service processes and systems and the response to core service failure. III. Service employees¡¦ attitude and behavior, the timely provision of service, and the performance of service processes and systems are all the critical factors to service encounter satisfaction no matter in fast-food restaurants of in deluxe restaurants. V. The factors, service employees¡¦ professional skills and the attention to customers, are only critical to service encounter satisfaction of fast-food restaurants. VI. The factors, the allocation of service environment, the quality of physical products, and the response to customers¡¦ preference, are only critical to service encounter satisfaction of deluxe restaurants. Key words: service quality, service encounter, dramaturgical theory, critical incident technique, restaurant industry

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Theatre, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF document. Text in English and Korean. Includes bibliographical references.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:39:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 912741 bytes, checksum: b3da70b08326b5544ff9fd5c6d893c1b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-06-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This study has as its main focus an analysis of the TV version of the sophoclean tragedy Oedipus the King by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri, considering the dramatic composition of the tragic work, as well as the structural transformations present in its adaptation for the teledramaturgical language. Having in view that Guarnieri s text revisits Sophocles celebrated tragedy, this research begins with a review on the concept of myth and its use in our western literary tradition, examining the subject in the works of theoreticians and philosophers, among them, Eliade, Cassirer, Brandão, Patai, Chauí, Rosenfeld, and illustrating the adaptation of myths for different ideological purposes through critical readings of some relevant plays from different periods of the dramatic tradition. Through a review of the theoretical legacy on tragic drama, based on Aristotle, Ben Jonson, Hegel, Brunetière, Leski, Vernant & Vidal Naquet, Sandra Luna, among others, it was possible to observe the relations of continuity and rupture between modern drama and ancient classical plays. These ruptures occur, more emphatically, after the 18th century, but it will be in the 20th century that drama will experience an expressive formal freedom, making it possible for a myth to be read in the light of challenging political propositions. Departing from the contextualization of Guarnieri s life and works in the scene of Brazilian theatre, and considering the theoretical and historical background for the study of modern drama, the significance of his adaptation of the ancient mythos for TV emerges. The theoretical support for the analysis of the teledramaturgical language comes from Aumont, Betton, Bernadet, Pallotini and others. From this perspective, the analysis of Guarnieri s text shows that drama and teledrama, though using distinct artistic languages, engender dialogues which perpetuate the long tradition of authors who make use of ancient myths to express their own ideals. / Este estudo tem como foco principal uma análise da versão para a TV da tragédia sofocleana Édipo Rei por Gianfrancesco Guarnieri, considerando-se a composição dramática da obra trágica, assim como as transformações estruturais presentes em sua adaptação para a linguagem teledramatúrgica. Tendo em vista que o texto de Guarnieri revisita a celebrada tragédia de Sófocles, esta pesquisa inicia-se com uma revisão sobre o conceito de mito e seu uso em nossa tradição dramática ocidental, examinando o assunto em obras de teóricos e filósofos, dentre os quais, Eliade, Cassirer, Brandão, Patai, Chauí, Rosenfeld, e ilustrando a adaptação de mitos a diferentes propósitos ideológicos através de leituras críticas de algumas peças relevantes de diferentes períodos da tradição dramática. Através de uma revisão do legado teórico sobre a dramaturgia trágica, baseado em Aristóteles, Ben Jonson, Hegel, Brunetière, Leski, Vernant & Vidal Naquet, Sandra Luna, entre outros, foi possível observar as relações de continuidade e ruptura entre o drama moderno e as antigas peças clássicas. Essas rupturas ocorrem, mais enfaticamente, depois do século XVIII, mas será no século XX que o drama experimentará uma expressiva liberdade formal, sendo possível ao mito ser lido à luz de desafiadoras proposições políticas. Partindo da contextualização da vida e obra de Guarnieri na cena do teatro brasileiro e considerando o suporte teórico e histórico para o estudo do drama moderno, emerge a significância de sua adaptação do antigo mythos para a TV. O suporte teórico para a análise da linguagem teledramatúrgica procede de Aumont, Betton, Bernadet, Pallotini e outros. Nesta perspectiva, a análise do texto de Guarnieri mostra que o drama e o teledrama, embora usando linguagens artísticas distintas, engendram diálogos que perpetuam a longa tradição de autores que fazem uso de mitos antigos para expressar seus próprios ideais.

During the year of 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic entailed restrictions that affected Sweden and the world in general. At the request of the Swedish Public Health Agency, Swedish universities were asked to conduct digital distance education. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the attitude to the change from traditional education to distance education among full-time students at Örebro University, can be understood in relation to factors linked to learning. The study also intends to examine whether and how the students experience that their social interaction and sense of coherence has been affected as a result of the change. The results of this qualitative study are based on qualitative interviews with full-time students at Örebro University, who have been involved in the change from traditional education to distance education. Previous research in these subject areas highlight, among other things, the prerequisites for successful distance education, as well as factors that have been found to have an impact on students’ experience of social interaction and sense of coherence. In addition to previous research, the study’s theoretical framework is based on Erving Goffman’s (2014 [1974]) dramaturgical perspective on social interaction and Aaron Antonovsky’s (2005) theory of sense of coherence.The result indicates that the students were predominantly negative about the change, mainly due to the lack of social interaction. The study also shows that the students experienced difficulties within the social interaction during distance education, in terms of impression management, maintenance of traditional norms and the separation between study time and free time. In conclusion, the study shows that the students’ sense of coherence has been affected in various degrees, depending on how they perceive that their sense of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness is met in distance education. / Under år 2020 medförde Covid-19-pandemin restriktioner som påverkade Sverige och världen i stort. På begäran av Folkhälsomyndigheten uppmanades svenska universitet att bedriva digital distansundervisning. Syftet med detta självständiga arbete är att undersöka hur inställningen till förändringen från traditionell undervisning till distansundervisning hos heltidsstudenter vid Örebro Universitet, kan förstås i relation till faktorer kopplat till lärande. Fokus ligger därtill på om och i sådana fall hur studenterna upplever att deras sociala interaktion och känsla av sammanhang har påverkats till följd av förändringen. Denna kvalitativa studie baserar sitt resultat på kvalitativa intervjuer med heltidsstudenter vid Örebro Universitet, som varit med om förändringen från traditionell undervisning till distansundervisning. Tidigare forskning inom dessa ämnesområden belyser bland annat förutsättningar för en lyckad distansundervisning, samt faktorer som har visat sig ha en inverkan på studenters upplevelse av social interaktion och känsla av sammanhang. Utöver tidigare forskning grundas studiens teoretiska ramverk i Erving Goffmans (2014 [1974]) dramaturgiska perspektiv gällande social interaktion samt Aaron Antonovskys (2005) teori om känsla av sammanhang.Resultatet från studien tyder på att studenterna var övervägande negativt inställda till förändringen, främst på grund av avsaknaden av socialt umgänge. Studien visar även att studenterna upplevde svårigheter i den sociala interaktionen vid distansundervisning vad gäller intrycksstyrning, upprätthållning av traditionella normer samt avgränsningen mellan studietid och fritid. Avslutningsvis visar studien att studenternas känsla av sammanhang påverkats i varierande grad, beroende på hur de uppfattar att deras känsla av begriplighet, hanterbarhet samt meningsfullhet tillgodoses vid distansundervisningen.