Communication Discipline Research Articles

Instytut Edukacji Medialnej i Dziennikarstwa UKSW w Warszawie – Wybrane refleksje w 20. rocznicę działalności Instytutu

The aim of the article is an attempt to determinate the scientific and research condition of the Institute of Media Education and Journalism of UKSW in Warsaw on its 20th anniversary. The analysis covered the position of the Institute in the discipline of social communication and media science, the structure and research profile of the Institute, student activity and study program.

Academic staff on their engagement with curriculum internationalisation: an organisational change perspective

ABSTRACT Studies about curriculum internationalisation in higher education frequently report poor academic staff engagement hindering implementation in practice. However, such research does not consider the organisational context in which academics operate. This research applies an organisational change perspective to explore how the context affects the process of engagement and implementation and what to change (content). In a comparative case study of four disciplinary contexts in a West-European university from 2012 to 2020, we disclose the perceptions and experiences of twenty-nine academic staff through in-depth interviews. The academics explain how multiple contextual tensions and inadequate resource management complicate their engagement with curriculum internationalisation. Still, they also reveal evidence of many achievements and strong individual drivers with curriculum internationalisation. Our findings show how disciplinary contextual influences and dynamics create specific perceptions and experiences of curriculum internationalisation in each study programme. This article presents a comprehensive framework of organisational change to explain and facilitate academic staff engagement with curriculum internationalisation in disciplinary communities.

THE POSITION AND TRANSFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE IN THE INTERNET ENVIRONMENT

Contemporary media theories increasingly encounter intense changes in social relations that are the result of changes in communication techniques and means. McLuhan called this dynamic a media-centric driver of social change. Media theories and communication disciplines are becoming more current because they have a historical opportunity to follow (post)modern society, which is in a state of constant change mediated by digital technologies. The aim of this paper is to examine whether communication and organizing people through social networks can lead to the transformation of the public sphere as defined by Habermas and related authors. We will build on Habermas’ categorization of historical transformations of the public sphere in order to understand the context and epoch of the current transformation. The second hypothetical question of the paper is whether the Internet could replace some social institutions and question the authorities and conventions achieved, especially if we pay attention to the criticism of democracy by authors like Colin Crouch (2018: 9) who questions the legitimacy of current democratic elections concluding that “people are not offered essential possibility to participate in political processes”. Finally, the question remains whether the Internet as a mass medium has a systemictechnocratic character of maintaining the status quo or whether it can serve as a driver of change or a means of direct democracy for users. We believe that this kind of work will be a nice link or a quality overview of theories and anticipations concerning the issue of political and electoral motivation - the topic with which Columbia University’s major research on media effects began.

Analysis of News Communication Law Based on PSR Model

Abstract Based on the PSR model, the author proposes a research on news communication. PSR is a model proposed by OECD for system pressure, state and response analysis. On the basis of in-depth analysis of various factors in the process of coordinated development of the social, economic and natural environment composite system, the author constructs a kind of PSR composite model, by using the theory and method of system dynamics, the sustainable development of social, economic and environmental systems is studied, and the knowledge atlas is used to describe and evaluate the current situation and development trend of the education of news communication discipline, conduct a comprehensive and visual analysis of journalism and communication education research to show the frontier, hot spots, knowledge base and cooperation network of the discipline's education research, and try to clarify the relationship and interaction between various studies.

Picturing National History: Turkey’s Popular Nationalism on the Rise Through the 1950s New Print Culture

Abstract This article interrogates the role of print culture and visual communication design in the permeation of Turkish national consciousness into everyday practices. It seeks to understand the phenomenon of “banal nationalism,” argued by Michael Billig, in a broader context of cultural production advocated by Tim Edensor. It does this by looking into Turkey’s first liberalization period in the 1950s where a boosting print industry, a standard print language, and high literacy contributed to the daily reproduction of a collective historical past through representations. This period is analyzed through publications like Sunday comic strips, advertorial giveaways, and illustrated history journals that emulate popular American formats in the commodification of history. These are treated as material tools to present and disseminate an imaginary reconciliation of secular modernism with imperial history in a new print culture. This analysis reveals how representations in the foreground of everyday cultural artifacts are used to produce and reproduce difference that designates a distinct national consciousness detached from the realm of state. It also sheds light on the prevalence of identity negotiation and the commoditization of culture in the professionalization of visual communication disciplines in non-Western design paradigms.

Introduction to the special issue of social media: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Abstract As social media scholarship pervades the communication discipline, it is time to reflect on the good, bad, and ugly of social media. The theme for this special issue is inspired in part by the 1966 film, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.” Like its portrayal of the American Civil War, we again face deep divisions. The question is what role is social media helping us to heal those divides versus fragmenting us further? The seven articles in this issue reflect the complexity of the answer. Although we aimed for diversity, this issue focuses on the Global North. This reflects the field and the need to decenter Western epistemology. Nevertheless, the articles help us see that social media is not easily reduced to simplistic framings, but instead enables new connections and collective action, while also risking further fragmentation of our information environment and greater polarization—while technology companies profit.

Media Psychophysiology and Strategic Communications: A Scientific Paradigm for Advancing Theory and Research Grounded in Evolutionary Psychology

ABSTRACT Researchers working in the discipline of Strategic Communications can significantly enrich strategic communication by grounding theorizing in evolutionary psychology. This opportunity can be more fully realized through the application of a rigorous scientific paradigm for strategic communication that conceptualizes human brain processes as well as the attitudes and behaviors produced by brain activity through the lens of evolutionary psychology. The importance of scientific paradigms in mass communication research has been outlined before. Many of these ideas seem to apply to strategic communication research as well. We present media psychophysiology as a theoretically rigorous and practically valuable scientific paradigm for advancing the application of evolutionary psychology and the mind sciences in the strategic communication discipline. This article reviews the necessity of a newer scientific paradigm for strategic communication research, overviews the media psychophysiology paradigm, and provides recommendations for applying evolutionary theory and the media psychophysiology paradigm to advancing mind-science-based strategic communication research and theory.

Irreplicability in methodology: embracing the historical contingencies of educational technology research during the 2020–2021 United States school year

ABSTRACT The claim that research should prioritize qualities of replicability is foundational to scientific knowledge production. At the same time, replication is not an algorithm but instead based on a disciplinary community’s values and norms. With this understanding, we reflect on how varying degrees of replicability and irreplicability are always co-constituted in research projects through historically situated relationships between humans, methods, and technologies. We explore our own research collaborations and choices during the 2020–2021 US school year – defined by the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency remote teaching – to recast irreplicability not as a mark of pseudo-science but instead as an inherent part of studying teaching and learning during emergency conditions. We argue that explicit attention to irreplicability can not only be generative in research design but can help researchers think about themselves as historical actors who are accountable to the particularities and contingencies of the conditions in which they work.

Investigating the Role of English as a Second Language in Supporting Career Development at Tertiary Level Education in Pakistan

This study has taken the initiation to focus on the interrelatedness and discontinuity of ESL among the students of four leading International universities: Punjab University, Lahore College for Women University, University of Management and Technology, and the University of Central Punjab. To observe the usage of ESL competencies in information searching, contrivance treatment, and construction for research purposes, and for applied intercultural professionalism, communication accommodation theory with career development indicators has been applied. A questionnaire (α = .702), comprising 37 statements based upon six domains was administered. The data was collected from 850 students of different degree programs in journalism and mass communication discipline. ANOVA (one-way) and t-tests (Independent Samples) were brought into play to find out the relationship between the study’s variables. Both government-regulated and non-government varsities bespoke similarities feting positive treatment of ESL’s functions while managing its impact according to their atmospheric obligations. The students of PU and LCWU proportionately adjudged second language more as confluent, dispenser, endorser, broker, liaison, and facilitator to be the source of providence for media in Pakistan as compared to the students of UMT and UCP. Overall results show that students took more precedence over practice patterns of ESL in their career building.

Preface: 6th International Conference on Financial Management, Education and Social Science (FMESS 2023)

2023 6th International Conference on Financial Management, Education and Social Science (FMESS 2023) aims to impart research skills to the researchers and faculty members to improve the quality of research in the area of financial management and education application. This conference brought a positive transformation among the students and faculty members towards research work and enable the participants to develop competence in understanding the advances and ongoing research.
 FMESS 2023 was held in Paris, France during January 7-8, 2023 in virtual mode. The purpose of the conference is to bring together the multi - disciplinary community to discuss recent trends and future developments. The conference features invited and contributed talks organized in different sessions.
 Around 70 papers were received for the conference, out of which 36 papers were selected for presentation. The papers were presented in 4 parallel sessions in 2 days. A time of 10-15 minutes was given to the authors for presentation and next 5-10 minutes was for the discussion as well as Q&A. Participants were presenting from their homes/offices and spread throughout the country and abroad as well.
 The organizing committee thanks the keynote speakers for their valuable, encouraging and motivating messages for this conference. The committee also thanks the authors and reviewers for the inspiring messages for the conference.
 FMESS 2023 Organizing Committees
 Paris, France

An Analysis of Structural Bundles Clustered within Rhetorical Moves of Qualitative and Quantitative Discussion Section of Research Articles

One of the most significant activities that writers can engage in to share their knowledge and establish a voice within the disciplinary community is writing academic research articles. To have a greater understanding of this commonly practiced genre, exploring the linguistic realisations which are used to classify the rhetorical structures of academic research articles is beneficial. This study’s main objective was to analyse structural bundles clustered in rhetorical moves in the Discussion parts of the specialised corpora of qualitative and quantitative datasets of Applied Linguistics Research articles (RAs), wherein each corpus contains Discussion sections of 50 RAs, as well as structural elements of those lexical bundles. For rhetorical move identification, the data were analysed based on Ruiying and Allison’s (2003) model. For lexical bundle analysis, the corpus-driven approach was used to extract four-word lexical bundles. Hence, the data were analysed using Biber et al.'s (1999) structural taxonomy. The analysis of Discussion sections identified some discrepancies in terms of lexical bundle frequency, which has also shown that some moves incorporated more bundles as compared to others. In terms of similarity of usage, the two groups of RA writers significantly used phrasal more than clausal. RA writers used more NP-based bundles at the expense of other phrasal sub-categories. The results of the current study provides insightful knowledge of genre convention as well as cluster of lexical bundles in Qualitative and Quantitative research articles. This knowledge enables authors, especially novice ones, to dive into their academic writing approach.

The importance, significance, and relevance of communication: a fourth study of the criticality of the discipline’s content and pedagogy

ABSTRACT The results of this study argue that communication, and specifically oral communication education, is critical to students’ future personal and professional success. Similar to three earlier studies, thematic analysis of 2,155 articles, identified in academic and popular press publications extending from 2016 to 2020, provides support for the centrality of the communication discipline’s content and pedagogy. These results reinforce the importance of communication to promoting health communication; growing individually and in relation to others; enriching the educational enterprise; enhancing organizational processes; being a responsible community member locally, nationally, internationally, and globally; and addressing crises, safety, risk, security, and science communication. Subthemes are identified in each of these six thematic categories, and the results are compared with those of the three earlier iterations of this study and in light of major shifts in the sociopolitical and cultural environment in the U.S. and the globe since the last iteration.

“Hooked”: How Undergraduate Students Become Anthropology Majors

AbstractHow and why do undergraduate students decide to become anthropology majors? We explore this question through mixed methods research conducted by undergraduate students at two public universities in the United States and one in New Zealand. We found that students often discovered anthropology once in college and many spoke about it as a dynamic major through which they might enact change. The major can affirm students’ identity, interests, and ways of thinking, even as it elicits anxieties about the state of the world, past and present, and concerns about the discourse of race in anthropology. We explore the major as a doorway into departmental and disciplinary communities of practice, arguing that undergraduate decisions to major in anthropology are connected to past experiences, family contexts, interdepartmental experiences, and global conditions. This research is part of the larger project organized through the American Anthropological Association that is discussed in this special issue.

Measuring The Effectiveness of Celebrity Activism: Celebrity Advocate v Celebrity Endorser

The influence of celebrities in politics has long been underestimated in political science and political communications disciplines. This research explores the effectiveness of two types of celebrity activism—celebrity advocacy and celebrity endorsements—to determine which type produces broader and more focused media coverage. Through case study analysis, this essay finds that although celebrity advocates and celebrity endorsers generate similarly broad media coverage, celebrity advocates generate media coverage that is more focused on their cause. In addition, by taking into consideration celebrities’ gender, race, and the political leaning of the cause advocated or endorsed by the celebrity, the research finds that all three variables also affect the breadth and the focus of the media coverage, but more quantitative research is required to confirm a causal relationship. This research has important implications for governmental and non-governmental actors engaging with celebrity endorsers and celebrity advocates—while both are equally capable of generating broad media coverage, celebrity advocates are better suited to retaining the focus of the media coverage on the cause, and not themselves.

POST-DISCIPLINE COMMUNICATION ON THE STRAIGHT WAY

The development of communication studies is currently driven by the information technology paradigm, making the discipline of communication a very sexy study, leaving other disciplines behind. Old communication studies traditions such as media effects, framing studies, agenda- setting, as well as various media impact studies, public relations, broadcasting, journalism and the like are grouped as traditional communication studies. Meanwhile, the development of the world of communication driven by social media and internet-based technology has made the world of communication very sexy and has attracted the attention of various disciplines by starting to connect disciplines outside of communication with communication disciplines, so that communication is referred to as post-communication. discipline. This study examines thinking by classifying the development of thinking in traditional communication disciplines and post- discipline communication. Collecting data using interviews and conducting library research. The conclusion of this study is that the communication discipline in today's world is distinguished between traditional and post-discipline disciplines. In developed countries, these two disciplines become an equally important conversation, while in new developing countries, communication of traditional disciplines becomes dominant. In Indonesia, communication stakeholders must maintain these two communication disciplines, this is what is meant by straight way communication.

Engagement in science communication among science and communication scholars in selected Nigerian universities

There is a gross paucity of science communication researches in Nigeria and no research data exists on engagement in science communication between science and communication scholars in Nigeria. This gap necessitated this study. To gather data, we analyzed twelve departmental handbooks of six universities offering science and communication courses to determine the extent to which science communication was provided for in their curricula. We also conducted interviews with science and communication leaders in the selected twelve departments in the six universities to gauge their involvement in science communication. Some of the key findings were that both science and communication disciplines did not give science communication a commendable emphasis. Also, many academic leaders interviewed did not actually get involved in various science communication activities examined. Based on these findings, we conclude that science communication pedagogy, practice, and scholarship in Nigeria are very low. Therefore, it is recommended that science and communication scholars include more science communication courses into their academic curricula, and get more deeply involved in public and citizen science, media science, and virtual/online science communication efforts. These steps, it is believed, would help advance science communication in Nigeria.

“I Try Not to Be a ‘Neutral Teacher’”: Teacher Identity Formation of Non-Tenured Early-Career Academics in the Humanities

With internationally growing attention to the quality of higher education, a formal teaching qualification has become at many universities a requirement for non-tenured staff to be eligible for tenure. To obtain a qualification, participants in this case study reflect in a portfolio on their teacher identity by describing what they think is important and what guides the choices they make. Based on a thematic analysis of 47 portfolios by aspiring non-tenured early-career humanities scholars in The Netherlands, I will describe the recurring stories about beliefs, values, and commitments toward being a teacher in the humanities. The analysis will provide insight into how teacher identity is determined by the cultural rules of their disciplinary community to which they want to gain access as non-tenured academics.

Citation behavior, audience awareness, and identity construction in Arabic and EFL research

Citations are an integral component of writer-reader dialogic interaction in academic discourse. One under-researched question concerns the role of audience as a contextual factor that impacts writers’ citation choices and the nature of the identity and disciplinary knowledge that they construct. The present study adopts a discourse analytic, case-study research design. First, it aims to investigate the citation behavior in five Arabic education research articles. Second, it examines whether the writers of these papers would modify their intertextual style to enact different identity and disciplinary community when writing in English as a foreign language (EFL). Findings revealed a unique character for the Arabic-based citation behavior that contrasted, sometimes, markedly with conventional academic norms, indicating the pivotal role that culture plays in shaping rhetorical preferences. Arabic-based tendencies involved predominance of integral citations, use of combined citations and non-citations, and reliance on what is herein termed intertextual saturation and diffused intertextuality as rhetorical strategies to contract dialogic space and persuade audience. The findings also showed marginal modification of intertextual style in the EFL texts. This suggests lack of significant orientation toward target audiences’ characteristics that would have resulted from enculturation into disciplinary community. The findings imply the need to introduce novice writers to the concept of audience if they are to produce academic discourse that is interpersonally optimal from the perspective of the international discourse community.

The rhetoric of negation in research articles: A cross-disciplinary analysis of appraisal resources

Research on negation has generally explored the cross-linguistic similarities and differences of a host of widely spoken languages with little attention to its nuances within academic genres and disciplines. Accordingly, and given the co-articulation of negation with various interpersonal and evaluative resources, this study examined appraisal subsystems in 360 research articles on astrophysics, chemistry, geology, psychology, linguistics, and political science (60 papers from each discipline) published between 2018 and 2020. Comparative analyses of appraisal resources revealed significantly greater employment of total engagement and graduation, acknowledge, concede, counter, denial, distance, entertain, pronounce, justifying, affect, judgment, positive polarity of attitude, force, and softening devices in soft disciplines. However, hard sciences allowed denser employment of appreciation, neutral polarity of attitude, and sharpening resources. The results of the text/pragmatic analysis of denial further indicated a stronger preference for disalignment, cautious detachment, and unfulfilled expectations functions in soft sciences and varying negation patterns across both subcorpora. The line-by-line annotations revealed either the independent use of denial markers or their co-articulation with other appraisal options. An important implication of this study is awareness-raising about the rhetorical conventions of maintaining an authorial stance and promoting a sense of disciplinary community.

FOCUSED EVALUATION IN ACADEMIC BOOK REVIEWS: REALISATIONS AND FUNCTIONS

Book reviews are highly evaluative academic genre as they essentially convey the assessment of the novel academic content within disciplinary communities. In terms of the (rhetorical) structure of the review, it has been observed that certain sections that contain fo- cused evaluation (i.e. evaluation of the specific aspects of the reviewed book that is generically called Move 3) might be central to the evaluative rhetorical purpose of the genre. Having in mind that the evaluation in book reviews in Serbian is scarcely researched, this paper explores the positions and functions of Move 3 in the academic book reviews published in the prestigious Serbian journal South Slavic Philologist. The principal aims are to provide qualitative accounts of Move 3 and introduce possibilities for the rhetorical implementation of this section as illus- trated in expert writing in Serbian. Motta-Roth’s (1996) four-move framework as well as Biber et al.’s (2007) steps from top down corpus analysis approach were used to determine the general rhetorical patternings of the reviews as well as the specific realisations of Move 3. The results show that, aside from being a part of the regular pattern (M1‒M2‒M3‒M4) that is widely rec- ognised in literature, Move 3 also interacts with Moves 1 and 2. Move 3 interacts with Move 1 so that it either merges with it or follows it. When it comes to the interactions with Move 2, Move 3 either precedes it or combines with it in information cycles.