This study was designed to investigate the following problem: Among a selected group of secondary school students who are considered to be youth-in-trouble, what perceptual patterns exist concerning their personal relationships within the school and the home? The setting is in a rapidly growing community in the southwestern United States. A theoretical framework was selected which emphasized personal processes. It included the categories of: (1) contact, (2) consult, (3) share, (4) choose. A search of literature related to the categories of the framework was conducted. On the basis of the theoretical framework, a questionnaire was designed with statements consisting of 16 items reflecting the four categories of contact, consult, share, and choose and was administered to a sample of youth who were judged to be youth-in-trouble to probe certain relationships experienced by youth-in-trouble in the school and in the home. The data derived from the questionnaire were then organized under the four categories of the theoretical framework. According to "The Theory of Personal Processes" used in this investigation, contact must occur at the outset of any interaction and must persist throughout the relationship. At a very early point in the interaction, consultation becomes an extension of contact and thereby supplies the means by which the interests of the youths are discovered. These interests constitute the basic ingredient for the interaction. As the interactive process continues, sharing, a mutual exchange of ideas and interests, is the basis of cooperative effort. Throughout the interactive process, choosing should be at a maximum if there is to be a high degree of freedom and democratic living. The investigation revealed the followng patterns: (1) Contact: The youth-in-trouble reported little effective contact between themselves and their parents. The youth-in-trouble reported little effective contact between themselves and their teachers. (2) Consult: The youth-in-trouble reported little effective consultation between themselves and their parents. The youth-in-trouble reported little effective consultation between themselves and their teachers. (3) Share: The youth-in-trouble reported little effective sharing between themselves and their parents. The youth-in-trouble reported litttle effective sharing between themselves and their teachers. (4) Choose: The youth-in-trouble reported little effective choosing between themselves and their parents. The youth-in-trouble reported little effective choosing between themselves and their teachers. In light of the above findings, it can be concluded that the youth-in-trouble who were studied in this investigation generally seemed not to perceive themselves as operating in home and school environments of freedom and democratic living.

The purpose of this study was to examine the processes and patterns of communicative interaction which preschool and elementary school-aged deaf and hearing siblings utilized to initiate, maintain and terminate dialogs during play. Specifically, the focus was to determine if the processes and patterns of communication differed when a deaf sibling interacted with an older hearing sibling who has been exposed primarily to a simultaneous visual-auditory (SimVA) pattern of communication, as compared to when a deaf sibling interacted with a younger hearing sibling who has been exposed to both a SimVA and a sequential visual (Seq V) pattern of communication. Video-taped playbouts were observed between each of two sibling dyads at play within a single family: (a) an older dyad composed of a seven-year-old hearing child and her five-year-old deaf sister, and (b) a younger dyad with the second-born deaf sister and her three-year-old hearing brother. The video-tapes were coded to determine: the kinds of play siblings engaged in; the use and expression of behavioral and communicative elements of attention-getting, exchange of information, and termination processes of dialogs; who initiated and terminated dialogs; the occurrence of turn-taking during message delivery; and the expression of patterns of communication used by siblings during dialogs. Only three of five possible kinds of play were actually noted, of which social play was the most frequently observed kind of play taking place between siblings within both dyads. In the older hearing and deaf sibling dyad, it was found that the older hearing sister predominately used visual processes and patterns of communicative interaction when conversing with her deaf sister, whereas the deaf sibling relied extensively on visual-auditory processes and patterns of communication when conversing with her hearing sister. In the younger dyad, visual-auditory patterns of communication predominated both hearing and deaf siblings' expression of processes and patterns of communication with each other. New terminology reflecting siblings' behavioral and communicative patterns of communication are introduced. This study represents the first known research examining the processes and patterns of deaf and hearing siblings' behavioral and communicative interactions of dialog. The findings are discussed in relation to potential applications to early intervention programs for hearing families with deaf and hearing siblings and to future research directions. Overall, the findings from this study appear to indicate that deaf and hearing siblings communicate in ways largely influenced by developmental maturation and the communicative environments to which each child has been exposed during language acquisition processes. The findings are also consistent with Vygotsky's theory of a sociocultural origin of language development.

Yukon is unique in Canada for its four orders of government—federal, territorial, First Nation and municipal. Determining the differences in communication characteristics, strategies, mechanisms, and processes of the governments can assist with effective communication among them, leading to new opportunities. Interviews with 20 participants representing elected, appointed, and senior staff positions from four orders of government extracted thoughts and experiences on intergovernmental communication through the phenomenological tradition. Strong internal communication complements effective external communication; government individuals do not understand all the structures and processes of other governments, but instead make assumptions that can create friction and conflict while a sincere desire to improve communication is evident. Lack of time, capacity, and knowledge are contributing factors to poor communication efforts. Interpersonal communication is the key to establishing stronger relationships and rebuilding trust. Recent self-government status for Yukon‘s First Nations provides opportunities for expansion and inclusiveness of intergovernmental communication. Key words: intergovernmental communication, interpersonal communication, Yukon governments, relationships.

In nursing literature, power is conceptualized as an object transferred, distributed, controlled or conquered by empowerment. In this management care paradigm, the service of care provides power to achieve the product of health. The socio-philosophical framework proposes power as intra-interpersonal set of relationships. Interdisciplinary collaboration allowed discovering power-and-relationships as inseparable mind-body subunits constituting micro and macro health interactions, through a mixed methods instrumental case study. Control and power mechanisms were revealed analyzing body movements and conversations in Case A-15min- and Case B-16.10min- nurse practitioner-patient videotaped encounters. Catalyzed by a hermeneutical music metaphor this thesis proposes relational healing care. Despite interruptions and disruptive postures, nurse practitioners-patients reverse differentials by sharing potentials in simultaneous connections. Power balance is developed by equitable-inequitable communication. Like diverse related tones, nurse practitioner-patient is an Intermelody solving tension continuum in concordance. Health struggles in that way are nothing to be fixed, but healing cycles to be played. / xiv, 436 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm

Problem background: There has been an extensive amount of research done within the field of learning among children. Research regarding the teaching and the context of which this research is aimed to be performed on, is on the other hand scarcer. Costa Rica is one of the countries that has focused on human rights, and with this background, this thesis intends to study how the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is communicated to children in Costa Rica. We will preform our study on two types of schools; both private and public. We will also examine the impact the context has on communication for teachers when instructing about children’s rights. Purpose: We aim to study the development communication and contexts of which the principles of the CRC are communicated and taught to school children in Costa Rica.  Method: This thesis contains qualitative research. We have relied upon conversational interviews with a hermeneutical approach. Conclusion: This thesis clearly indicates that choice of communication channel has an impact on the interaction between teachers and pupils. Digitized channels are effective in the sense of speed and quantity of information regarding the CRC. However, the context in which the pupils receive and the teachers teach about the CRC is of great importance. The teachers experience many difficulties when teaching since the context not only builds barriers but also challenges them to find more creative ways of teaching. The material used when communicating the CRC varied depending on the economic status of the school. The children wanted and expected technology and digitalization to be a fundamental part of their education.

This mixed method study examined differences in how face to face (FtF) and computer-mediated communication (CMC) were experienced for individuals communicating with their romantic partner. Forty-four individuals (22 couples) engaged in discussions in both FtF and CMC conditions in a laboratory environment, measuring communication satisfaction as an indicator of experience. Eight couples were also randomly selected to participate in interviews and their reports were used to add depth to the analyses and further inform the findings. Participants reported similar levels of satisfaction across communication conditions, which extends previous literature suggesting that users are able to adapt to text-based channels of communication to a degree that naturalness similar to that of FtF is achieved. Analyses also indicated a positive relationship between attitudes towards CMC use and history of CMC use. This relationship is discussed in terms of symbolic interactionism theory. Communication satisfaction item analysis and interview reports suggest that couples have varying attitudes and uses for CMC. Some couples report a hesitancy to use CMC given the lack of non-verbal cues and risk of miscommunication while other couples report that CMC is helpful in facilitating de-escalation of conflict and allowing partners to communicate more effectively around sensitive issues.

Satisfying communication is sometimes hard to come by. Due to differences in social expression and reception, individuals tend to express and receive communication in dissimilar ways, especially within different social contexts. In the present study, the effects of personality and channel of communication on individual and mutual satisfaction after a conversation will be tested. Participants will take a personality test to determine introversion or extraversion. They will then be randomly assigned to conversation pairs which will communicate either through an instant messaging (IM) program or face-to-face (FtF). Satisfaction will be determined using a modified version of the Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Inventory (ICSI). It is hypothesized that individual satisfaction will be significantly higher for introverts in the IM condition and extraverts in the FtF condition. With regards to mutual satisfaction, it is hypothesized that pairs with dissimilar personalities in the FtF condition will be significantly lower than all other pairings. Finally, it is expected that individuals with high ratings of satisfaction will also report feeling as though they were able to express themselves more authentically. The results of this study will contribute to our view of interpersonal relationships in the modern digital age, as well as present possibilities for creating more mutually beneficial communication between differing personality types.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived parental sexual communicator style and adolescent sexual behavior and information accuracy. Slightly revised versions of Norton's Communicator Style Measure, Jorgensen and Sonstegard's Sexual and Contraceptive Behavior Inventory, and the Miller-Fisk Sexual Knowledge Inventory examined 234 college students' perceptions of parental sexual communicator style and self-reports of sexual behavior and knowledge. The study also investigated the extent to which gender of the subject and gender of the primary source of sexual information (parent) impacted sexual behavior. Lastly, the study tested the impact of perceived parental communicator style on sexual activity and contraceptive use across three time frames: Junior High School, High School, and College.Pearson product-moment correlations revealed significant relationships between some perceived parental sexual communicator styles and sexual activity, contraceptive use, and sexual knowledge accuracy. Utilization of t-tests revealed significant difference only of parent-adolescent sexual between gender of the subject and sexual knowledge accuracy--female subjects reported a higher level of sexual knowledge than males. It was recommended that research be continued in the area communication. / Department of Speech Communication

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which employees attempt to gain information about the relationship they have with their immediate supervisor. Uncertainty level and gender were predicted to be related variables. Prisbell and Andersen's uncertainty measurement scale, revised Baxter and Wilmot relational information-seeking tactics, and an original information-seeking frequency scale were utilized to examine 50 emergency service personnel on uncertainty level, frequency of information-seeking effort, and specific tactic utilization. Pearson product-moment correlations revealed no significant relationship between amount of uncertainty and frequency of information-seeking. Utilization of t-tests revealed no significant difference by gender in the frequency of information-seeking. The MANOVA results indicated no significant differences in the specific tactic utilization of males and females. However, Chi square values and univariate analyses identified the public presentation, joking, and hinting tactics as being used significantly more by males than females. It was recommended that research be continued in the area of working relationships. / Department of Speech Communication

This thesis consists of two case studies which examine how Greenpeace, an independent global environmental campaigning organization, targeted major multinational corporations, McDonald’s and Unilever, in attempt to stop destructive agricultural processes in the developing world. This multiple case study examined how these corporations responded to activist pressure and offers prescriptive insight on how corporations can turn criticism in to an opportunity to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes when responding to activist pressure. These case studies will suggest that if public relations practitioners can create a dialogue with activists publics through two-way communication the profession of public relations can be a guiding force for creating more sustainable business practices, fostering corporate social and environmental responsibility, and creating positive social change. This paper examined recent literature on changing attitudes toward environmental issues, the credibility of corporate sustainability, and symmetrical communication. By studying the use of two-way dialogue in the practice of corporate communications with environmental activist organizations, these case studies will help to test the real world validity of theoretical propositions about symmetrical communication (L. Grunig 1992). Rather than directing its campaigns toward Cargill and other agriculture suppliers, Greenpeace chose to focus their efforts on McDonald’s and Unilever, two large highly visible international corporations using their products. Both companies chose to work with Greenpeace, pressured their suppliers to change their environmental policies, and worked toward creating moratoriums to end deforestation. / Department of Journalism