Theses/Dissertations - Communication Studies

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2104/4478

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Browsing Theses/Dissertations - Communication Studies by Author "Browning, Blair W."

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    (S)tumbling blocks : making sense of and creating a model for mental blocks in sport.
    (May 2023) Butterbaugh, Nicole, 1999-; Browning, Blair W.
    The purpose of this study is to contribute to the literature on athletic skill mental blocks (ASMBs) by providing a nuanced theoretical and methodological perspective on the topic. Through sensemaking theory, this study is one of the first qualitative methodological approaches to explain the experiences and sensemaking processes of athletes affected by ASMBs. Following a pilot study with 12 female acrobatics and tumbling, gymnastics, and cheerleading athletes, this research study interviewed 16 collegiate and/or professional athletes in order to describe and provide a model and grounded theory for the experiences and sensemaking processes of ASMBs. This study contributes to the academic literature on ASMBs by employing a nuanced methodological approach for studying this phenomenon. This approach uncovered themes that have not been reported in similar existing research while also contributing to the sensemaking communication literature by extending the theoretical framework to a new context. This research has numerous practical contributions to the coaching practice and sport organizations’ mental health resources, and it has the opportunity for front-facing research about the ASMB experience to reach stakeholders. This study allows increased understanding of ASMBs to surface within the population, while additionally providing advice for coping with and strategies for reintegration into athletic skills.
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    What do you think? Applied research in class discussion communication.
    (August 2022) Oliver, Lauren A., 2000-; Browning, Blair W.
    The purposes of this study are to investigate non-credentialed English teachers’ experiences facilitating class discussions and analyze the information communicated in extant discussion facilitation resources targeted towards non-credentialed English teachers. The study created themes from semi-structured interviews with 29 non-credentialed English teachers and eight resources of multiple modalities. First, the study reviews relevant literature related to dialogue, class discussions, and applied research in education. Second, the study methods are discussed. Third, the thematic findings from both research questions are explained. The themes that emerged from interviews include experiences with student participation level, experiences with student participation quality, experiences with student buy-in, experiences with student benefits, and experiences with resources for discussions. The themes that emerged from the resource archival analysis include discussion philosophy, discussion preparation, discussion questions, discussion strategies, and post-discussion assignments. Fourth, the findings are discussed in relation to implications for teacher practitioners, resource developers, and teachers. Study limitations and future directions for research are also discussed.