Use Of Communication Strategies Research Articles

A Multi-Topic Bystander Intervention Program for Upper-Level Undergraduate Students: Outcomes in Sexual Violence, Racism, and High-Risk Alcohol Situations.

Few bystander intervention trainings programs have evaluated behavioral outcomes in previously trained upper-level undergraduate students. Rigorous study designs are necessary to understand how multi-topic programs influence student outcomes to intervene against sexual violence, racism, and high-risk alcohol situations. A single-session bystander training for emphasizing communication strategies was developed for juniors and seniors on a private, Midwestern college campus. The training addressed sexual violence, racism, and high-risk alcohol situations and was evaluated using a randomized waitlist-control design in student-housing units. Online Qualtrics surveys were completed by 101 student participants (57 in the intervention group and 44 in the control group). Students responded to nine harm scenarios involving sexual violence, racism, and high-risk alcohol situations at baseline and 7 weeks follow-up. Between-group changes in scores were compared to determine the effect of the program on students' (a) readiness to intervene; (b) confidence to intervene; (c) bystander behaviors among students who witnessed actual or potentially harmful events; and (d) bystander reports of their experiences. Qualitative analysis assessed how the program influenced the use of positive verbal communication strategies. Program effects increased positive bystander experiences when helping someone who had too much to drink and needed assistance. Over time both groups reported increased confidence levels to intervene when someone intoxicated was being isolated with sexual intent. There were no further significant findings in readiness, confidence, behaviors, or other experiences, though some positive nonsignificant trends emerged. The program demonstrated little efficacy. Results suggest opportunities to improve bystander outcomes in low-risk primary prevention situations and racist scenarios, suggesting that targeted intervention of these outcomes may be useful when developing programming with previously-trained students. As universities expand prevention work beyond the first year, lessons learned may help inform multi-year programming across health topics to prevent harm and create healthier college campuses.

Combining Language Training and Work Experience for Refugees with Low-Literacy Levels: a Mixed-Methods Case Study

Learning the host society’s language and finding a job are important steps for the societal integration of refugees. Especially language proficiency is a key barrier for the integration of low literates. Often language training and gaining work skills are separated during the integration procedure. We investigated a 1-year pilot program for refugees with low-literacy levels in the Netherlands, which combined language training (daily classes, work-related language) with work experience in sheltered employment (second-hand shop) to facilitate language learning and prepare this group better for the labour market. Building on Ager and Strang’s conceptual integration framework (2008), we expected that this combined program should improve agency (communication strategies, preparedness for the labour market) via intergroup contact at work. We used a mixed-method approach to follow the development of participants (N=10) longitudinally (baseline, after 6 months, after 11 months). We gathered questionnaire data, interviewed teachers and students, and observed interactions in classes and at work. Overall, use of communication strategies increased. Analyzing individual cases (profiles) offered nuanced insights into for whom and why the program seems to have differential impact, especially in terms of labour market preparation. We discuss results and the importance of creating intergroup contact to facilitate integration in a new society.

Exploring the Factors for Successful Oral Presentation and The Source of Fear

Oral presentation requires some level of performance to a crowd of people, unlike reading, writing, or listening. Hence, fear of speaking in a foreign language is a common concern of students, especially when presenting in front of a large audience. Many people who fear public speaking avoid public speaking situations altogether, or struggle in those situations due to lack of confidence and skills. Therefore, learning a foreign language requires the use of communication strategies so that students face less difficulty and become proficient. ?This study aimed to identify the success factors of students in oral presentations and examined the causes of fear among Arabic language students in a Malaysian public university. For that purpose, a set of questionnaires was distributed to students studying three different levels of Arabic as a third language from various faculties at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor Campus. The questionnaire was systematically designed from Endler (1980) for oral communication strategies with the addition source of fear adapted from Yaman and (Kavasog?lu, 2013). The survey has three sections which are demographic profile, communication strategies, and fear of oral presentation. The study involved 321 students that were selected through purposive sampling. The findings of the study show that oral presentation in Arabic is dominant despite being on a moderate scale of use. Also, students’ nervousness and the capacity of the audience have an influence on their speaking skills in simulations and role-play activities. The study recommends recognizing the anxiety sources and levels of anxiety when preparing ?for and delivering an oral presentation. It clearly represents a step closer to a successful ?presentation among non-native speakers. It also suggests that both lecturers and students ?be more aware of foreign language speaking anxiety. ? Overall, as this study investigates effective communication strategies and its associated factors of fear, it is hoped that the study will provide practical suggestions for teachers and meaningful recommendations for future research.

Communication Strategies and Organizational Harmony in Local Government Councils in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study examined communication strategies and organizational harmony in local government councils in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The objectives of this study were to find out the communication strategies employed by the leadership of local government Councils in Akwa Ibom State, find out the rationale for the use of such communication strategies, determine if the communication strategies used by the leadership of local government councils in Akwa Ibom State do enhance organisational harmony, determine communication strategies preferred by the majority stakeholders in the local government councils studied, find out other factors that engender organisational harmony in the local government councils studied. The research design adopted for the study was survey, with questionnaire and interview schedule as research instruments. The population of the study were staff in Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene local government councils in Akwa Ibom State is 1,374. A sample size of 286 was drawn for the study using the Taro Yamane formula. The study which anchored on System theory and the Interactional theory revealed that majority of the respondents in the council studied affirmed that sporting activities contributed to harmony in the council. Also, the study revealed that across the local government councils studied that religious activities similarly led to organisational harmony, the study found out that the leadership of the local government councils in Akwa Ibom State represented by Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene utilised memo, letter, meeting, telephone, seminar and worship (solemn assembly) as a means of reaching out to their employees. Email was not used at all. It was recommended that local government councils should endeavour regularly to carry out communication audit to evaluate their performances. This should prove invaluable in helping them decide necessary changes that they need to make to ensure smooth running of the councils, the leadership of the local government councils need to incorporate the use of email for exchange of messages across the councils, telephone is an important tool that the councils use effectively in communication with subordinates. The principal officers and supervisors need to improve on their telephone etiquette, particularly in the use of language and tone during conversations. The impact of telephone in engendering interaction and relationships are overwhelming and should be embraced by the councils.

O.17.2 - Healthcare professionals’ use of communication strategies in language discordant consultations: Presenter(s): Brittany M.C. Chan, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

O.17.2 - Healthcare professionals’ use of communication strategies in language discordant consultations: Presenter(s): Brittany M.C. Chan, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Understanding COVID: Collaborative Government Campaign for Citizen Digital Health Literacy in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The strategy "Understanding COVID" was a Public Health campaign designed in 2020 and launched in 2021 in Asturias-Spain to provide reliable and comprehensive information oriented to vulnerable populations. The campaign involved groups considered socially vulnerable and/or highly exposed to COVID-19 infection: shopkeepers and hoteliers, worship and religious event participants, school children and their families, and scattered rural populations exposed to the digital divide. The purpose of this article was to describe the design of the "Understanding COVID" strategy and the evaluation of the implementation process. The strategy included the design and use of several educational resources and communication strategies, including some hundred online training sessions based on the published studies and adapted to the language and dissemination approaches, that reached 1056 people of different ages and target groups, an accessible website, an informative video channel, posters and other pedagogical actions in education centers. It required a great coordination effort involving different public and third-sector entities to provide the intended pandemic protection and prevention information at that difficult time. A communication strategy was implemented to achieve different goals: reaching a diverse population and adapting the published studies to different ages and groups, focusing on making it comprehensible and accessible for them. In conclusion, given there is a common and sufficiently important goal, it is possible to achieve effective collaboration between different governmental bodies to develop a coordinated strategy to reach the most vulnerable populations while taking into consideration their different interests and needs.

Is There a Relationship between Communication Strategies and External Causes of Fear?

Oral presentation skills are a universal skill that students need no matter what course they are doing at the universities. Many learners of higher institutions develop fear of oral presentations for many different reasons. The aim of this study is two-fold. Firstly, it is done to explore the external factors that cause learners to fear oral presentations. Next, this study is done to explore the perceptions of language learners on their use of communication strategies. This quantitative study is done to investigate the relationship between external causes of fear of oral presentation and the use of communication strategies. The instrument used in this a survey with three sections. Section A, contains the demographic profile, section B has items on the use of communication strategies while section C has items on external causes of fear of oral presentation. A summary of findings reveal that learners use different type of communication strategies. This study also revealed that there is no association between the use of social affective strategies and external factors. However, the findings also suggest there is also a weak positive relationship between external causes of fear of oral presentation with the use of fluency strategies, the use of negotiation for meaning strategies , the use of accuracy strategies and the use of message reduction strategies. Findings of this study bear interesting implications in the teaching of communication strategies as a strategy to reduce fear of oral presentations.

"ESCHATOLOGICAL THEMES IN ISLAMIC STATE PROPAGANDA MIHAI MURARIU"

This paper will focus on an important but otherwise underresearched change which gradually occurred in the propaganda efforts of Islamic State – namely its transition from an emphasis on eschatological immediacy to one of generational struggle, whilst pointing to the propaganda magazines Dabiq and Rumiyah. By making an effective use of modern communication strategies and eschatological themes, the movement signals its total commitment to its worldview and to the challenge it represents for all those outside of it.

MOTIVATION TO LEARN ENGLISH AND USE OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

The paper is a part of the researcher’s Ph. D. research work in the area of interaction analysis. Motivation, as a state of mind, plays an important role in the learner’s performance in a second/ foreign language. The concept, motivation, has been categorized by Gardener and Lambert (1972) under two labels, namely, instrumental and integrative motivation. The researcher, as a part of her main study, examined the types of motivation to learn English among the non-native Indian learner participants in the study and analysed the correlation between their levels of motivation and their use of communication strategies while they participated in the group tasks devised by the researcher for this purpose. The paper, based on the findings of the study, concludes with an emphasis on a need on the part of teaching fraternity to elevate the levels of learners’ motivation by providing them more opportunities for exposure to the language and building on their own needs for developing ability in English.

INTELLECTUAL ARCHITECTONICS OF REGIONAL INFORMATION AND EDUCATION SPACES IN THE NEW REALIA OF PROFESSIONAL POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

This study is a continuation of longitudinal research in the problem area of humanistic activities of the regional information and education environment, which is currently undergoing significant changes due to the actual value aspects of the polyphony of innovative theoretical research and pedagogical findings. The authors see the mission and goals of this article in presenting some novel results of the investigation of regional peculiarities in the aspect of integrated modeling and design. Based on theoretical, methodological and practical search of modern realities the article focuses on the environmental and cultural approaches as the leading ones. The latter helps to formulate the following methodological message: the constructive self-development of the region professional potential is possible if focused on leadership and communicative strategic guidelines. Modeling and designing of the humanitarian trends of the regional information and educational spaces are to develop the research array in terms of the use of systemic humanistic, humanitarian and communicative strategies. It means the reflexive activity on cultural self-determination of a personality who turns/goes professional, and then is in need of the basic intellectual skill set as a priority. As a result of developing the axiology context of the current target study, this project reflects the innovative dominant value trends integrated into the sociocultural and professional system of the region within the threefold intellectual architectonics covering the findings for professional potential development in terms of a) psychological balance; b) the intellectual component of a goer professional c) the communication management of professionals. In conclusion, the authors state the significance of the target goals and devices to systematically develop, test and implement optimal models of communication models for the existence of the participants of a secure information and communication environment, taking into account regional specifics.

Communication Lapses in the Adoption of Improved Cook Stoves in Kenya

The effective improved cook stoves have been designed to offer environmental, socio-economic and health benefits that facilitates the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. However, there is low adoption of effective improved cook stoves among the rural populations in Kenya. This study therefore sought to analyse communication lapses in the adoption of improved cook stoves in Kenya. The Research Questions of the study is: What are the communication lapses in the adoption of the improved cook-stoves in Uasin Gishu County? The study was anchored on Constructivist Paradigm and Qualitative research approach was adopted for the study. The study is a case study of Uasin Gishu County in Kenya. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 20 respondents for the study and the Qualitative data was collected using interviews research instruments. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse data qualitatively. The collected data was presented in the form of narratives. From the study findings, the study concludes that communication lapses have led to the low adoption of improved cook-stoves. There is limited use of Participatory communication strategies and media channels have not been utilised adequately to sensitise the rural populations on the health, environmental and socio-economic benefits of improved cook-stoves. It is anticipated that the study will be significant in emphasising the importance of using effective communication strategies to educate, create awareness and campaign for the adoption of improved cook-stoves and thus lead to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.

Strategi Komunikasi Pengembangan Pariwisata di Kelurahan Matakando Kota Bima

The implementation of tourism development policies in the Matakando Village Kota Bima requires an appropriate communication strategy. Mapping a communication strategy is one way for the government to develop regional potential in 10 Matakando Villages with all forms of available Natural Resources. Researchers examine tourism development through the implementation of communication strategies in understanding existing regulations as well as describing the use of government communication strategies to collaborate with various parties in tourism development in local areas. This situation requires a relevant collaborative approach and analysis of the suitability of the concept of implementing a communication strategy originating from regulations, observational data, collection of complementary documents to meet the needs of research on tourism development. Examined from this context, the researchers used a type of qualitative research through a literature review approach. This position places researchers to sort, select, analyze phenomena that occur within the scope of implementing communication strategy policies through a number of supporting documents, articles, tourism narratives in interpreting various issues regarding tourism development communication strategies. Based on the results of observations in the field and the results of document analysis, it was found that a number of implementations of policy communication strategies were found in the communication strategy for tourism development in Matakando Village, including adaptation to facility development and implementation of strategic policies. Facility development adaptation is related to environmental management through various supporting facilities in the development of local area spatial planning. Facility development adaptation is related to environmental management through various supporting facilities in the development of local area spatial planning. Meanwhile, the implementation of strategic policies is related to government collaboration with various parties in assisting tourism development in the Matakando sub-district.

REFORMULATING COMMUNICATION STRATEGY TRAINING TO REDUCE TOPIC FRONTING AMONG TESL TEACHERS IN MALAYSIA

Communication strategies involves the vast range of linguistic and paralinguistic techniques such as the use of negotiation of meaning to the very complex facial expressions. Despite being highly human based, the use of communication strategies needs to be learned and developed. The Malaysian classified variety, topic fronting, is a highly utilised communication strategy. However, despite being an achievement strategy, topic fronting does not abide by the English language grammatical rule. Although one of the primary factors of communication strategy is the independence from linguistic rules, a rampant use of this strategy among ESL learners might affect them adversely especially in academic discourse. This study looked into this strategy among the TESL practitioners from Universiti Malaysia Sabah. The findings obtained from their focus group discussions (FGD) identified four themes in the utilisation of topic fronting methods of overcoming it as well as the inculcation of suitable communication strategies. This study’s findings show that low utilisation of topic fronting should be able to allow the reformulation of the current communication strategy training.

Challenges experienced by U.S. K-12 public schools in serving students with special education needs or underlying health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies for improved accessibility

BackgroundStudents with special education needs or underlying health conditions have been disproportionately impacted (e.g., by reduced access to services) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. ObjectiveThis study describes challenges reported by schools in providing services and supports to students with special education needs or underlying health conditions and describes schools’ use of accessible communication strategies for COVID-19 prevention. MethodsThis study analyzes survey data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. K-12 public schools (n = 420, February–March 2022). Weighted prevalence estimates of challenges in serving students with special education needs or underlying health conditions and use of accessible communication strategies are presented. Differences by school locale (city/suburb vs. town/rural) are examined using chi-square tests. ResultsThe two most frequently reported school-based challenges were staff shortages (51.3%) and student compliance with prevention strategies (32.4%), and the two most frequently reported home-based challenges were the lack of learning partners at home (25.5%) and lack of digital literacy among students’ families (21.4%). A minority of schools reported using accessible communications strategies for COVID-19 prevention efforts, such as low-literacy materials (7.3%) and transcripts that accompany podcasts or videos (6.7%). Town/rural schools were more likely to report non-existent or insufficient access to the internet at home and less likely to report use of certain accessible communication than city/suburb schools. ConclusionSchools might need additional supports to address challenges in serving students with special education needs or with underlying health conditions and improve use of accessible communication strategies for COVID-19 and other infectious disease prevention.

Is There a Balance between Causes of Fear and Use of Communication Strategies?

Students' oral presenting skills can be significantly enhanced through the use of communication strategies. Nonetheless, some students struggle to communicate in English due to their lack of proficiency. This is primarily because they lack effective communication techniques. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the communication strategies performed by students during oral presentations and the factors that contribute to their fear of oral presentations. For a more in-depth data analysis, this study utilised a quantitative survey comprising two sections. Respondents to this survey comprised a total of 131 students from a Malaysian public university. The collected results indicate that respondents utilise message reduction, orientation, and non-verbal methods the most, and that they are influenced by a number of internal and external factors that contribute to their dread of oral presentation. It has been demonstrated that the employment of oral communication strategies is beneficial in assisting students to overcome their fear of oral presentation.

Dealing with a New Normal ‘E-leadership’: A Study Using Bibliometric Analysis and Content Analysis

The study explores the concept of e-leadership and determines the different dimensions of leadership in the virtual environment. The paradoxes associated with the ‘e-leadership’ are identified. The different trends of research undertaken on the concept of ‘e-leadership’ are analyzed. The study is conducted using bibliometric and content analysis techniques. The Scopus database was used, and VOSviewer version 1.6.17 was used for analyzing the research trends. Three clusters emerged: Virtual leadership and virtual team performance, leadership and technology adoption, and the use of communication strategies in e-leadership. The article discusses different strategies that can lead to effective performance in a virtual environment. Leaders need to be synergistic, tech-savvy, prompt in their feedback, and trained in nonverbal communication strategies. E-leadership should be based on relationship orientation and not task orientation. The article gives possible future research directions by identifying the relationship across several variables like e-leadership, use of information and communication technologies, and effective communication channels.

The Use of Communication Strategies to Compensate for Gaps in Classroom Communication: The Case of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana


 Classroom interaction is very critical to the teaching and learning process in the second language classroom and speakers may encounter difficulties in expressing their communication intentions as a result of gaps in their linguistic repertoire. Necessarily, this study was conducted to ascertain the strategies students and lecturers of the University of Cape Coast use to compensate for gaps in their classroom interactions. The concurrent mixed method approach was used to study 128 students and 2 lecturers of the Department of Arts Education of the University of Cape Coast. Questionnaires and a structured observation guide were used to collect data from students and lecturers. It was found that students prefer to use non-linguistic means (indirect strategies) to convey their meaning. In contrast, lecturers prefer to use strategies that engage students in the conversation (interactional strategies). Fillers, self-rephrasing, and self-repetition were found to be the most frequently used strategies by students and lecturers. The study concluded that interactional strategies are often used by lecturers as a teaching methodology even though excessive use of communication strategies sometimes disrupts instructional hours and impedes the proper acquisition of the English language. The study also recommends using more learner-centered teaching methodologies, which will allow students to self-learn the second language by practicing it.
 
 
 

Abstract 13533: Communication With Family Caregivers is Beneficial for Improving Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure

I ntroduction: Supportive relationships within dyad members involved in heart failure (HF) self-management are beneficial in improving the outcomes of patients. Perceived control over a health condition and depressive symptoms are known to affect health-related quality of life (QoL). Little is known about how mutual support enhances health-related QoL in patients with HF. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between supportive relationship and QoL and whether the association is mediated by perceived control and depressive symptoms in patients with HF. Methods: A total of 155 patients with HF (mean age = 60 years, 65% male, 77% married) completed questionnaires including supportive relationships in communication, decision-making, and reciprocity (Shared Care Instrument [SCI]), perceived control (Control Attitude Scale-Revised), depressive symptoms (Patients Health Questionnaire), and QoL (Minnesota Living with HF). A parallel mediation model was conducted adjusted for age, sex, and functional status (Duke Activity Status Index). Results: Decision-making and reciprocity were not associated with QoL directly and indirectly through the two mediators. Communication was also not directly associated with QoL (Figure 1), but was indirectly related through perceived control (indirect effect = -.177, 95% CI -.288 to -.004) and depressive symptoms (indirect effect = -.576, 95% CI -.883 to -.310). It means that patients who were highly communicative with family caregivers were more likely to have better QoL because of increased perceived control over health conditions and decreased depressive symptoms. Conclusion: HF management involves interdependent interactions between patients and family caregivers. The findings suggest that the use of supportive communication strategies to increase perceived control and depressive symptoms between dyad members in HF management may be beneficial in improving the quality of life in patients with HF.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE USE OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES BY ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

This review study identified factors that instructors of English as an additional language (EAL) could consider when designing peer interaction-based activities to promote learners' use of effective communication strategies (CSs). In addition, we investigated how the identified factors might benefit inclusive EAL classrooms where learners with special needs participate in peer interactions. This review study aimed to equip EAL instructors with information that could be considered to promote the use of effective CSs by learners in the classroom. To follow the guidelines of the narrative literature review method outlined by Green et al., (2006), articles were extracted from the ERIC, Linguistics, Education, and Arts and Humanities databases, and the information from the articles was reviewed to answer two research questions. Our review identified two factors that EAL instructors should consider: the personal factors of learners and the types of tasks. The first factor includes learners' levels of proficiency, level of anxiety, as well as self-efficacy, learning attitude, and gender, while the second factor suggested three types of tasks that could elicit the use of CSs in classrooms: information gap, reasoning gap, and opinion gap activities. Our discussion led to the conclusion that assigning peers to college/post-secondary learners with autism, based on their personal profiles and elaborating on the instructions for assigned tasks, would better prepare them to participate in peer interaction-based activities in the EAL classroom. In addition, it was suggested that future research investigate inclusive EAL classrooms that include learners with special needs.

Communication strategy use of EFL learners in videoconferencing, virtual world and face-to-face environments

AbstractThis study investigates the communication strategy (CS) use of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in videoconferencing (VC), virtual world (VW), and face-to-face environments. The study was conducted with 30 senior Turkish undergraduate EFL students. The data were collected via video and audio recordings of three opinion-exchange tasks, a background and post-task questionnaire, and an interview that includes a retrospective think-aloud protocol. The participants worked in groups of five to complete the opinion-exchange tasks in each of the three environments. The findings indicated that the participants made use of a wide range of CSs, and although some of the CSs differed, mostly the same types were employed in all the environments. However, the results revealed that the frequency of CSs showed variance among environments, with the highest number in the VC environment and the lowest in the VW. It was possible to establish a connection between the differences in the frequency and the types of strategy use with the distinctive features of the environments, the proficiency level of the participants, and the type of the tasks that was utilized. Additively, 10 new strategy types were discovered.