Online Communication Attitude Research Articles

Studying in Online Environment: Students' Attitude Towards Online Open Electives in Karnataka

With the increasing popularity of the online environment, universities and colleges have started offering open online elective courses to provide students with a wide range of options to choose from. However, the success of these courses largely depends on the students attitudes toward them. The current study aimed to investigate the attitudes of undergraduate and postgraduate students toward online open electives in Karnataka. The sample consisted of 393 students chosen through purposive sampling and employed MOCA (Measure of Online Communication Attitude), developed by Ledbetter in 2009. The study revealed that students reported higher levels of apprehension and self-disclosure when compared to other domains, with social connection, ease, and miscommunication following suit. Males were observed to have higher levels of self-disclosure and social connection when compared to females. Apprehension was found to be more prevalent among students under 20 years old, whereas miscommunication, social connection, and ease were more prevalent among those between 23 and 25 years of age. Students from rural areas tended to exhibit higher levels of self-disclosure, apprehension, and miscommunication compared to their urban counterparts. Government college students reported higher levels of apprehension, while self-disclosure, social connection, and ease were higher among students studying in unaided colleges. Miscommunication was found to be more common among humanities and social science students, while science students reported higher levels of social connection and ease. The results of the study will help understand the factors that influence students’ attitudes towards online open electives and provide insights into how universities and colleges can improve the design and delivery of these courses to enhance students’ learning experiences.

Articulated dissent and immediacy: a cross-national analysis of the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns

PurposeIn the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aims to explore how working remotely might impact the superior–subordinate relationship. Specifically, this study examines how immediacy explains articulated dissent, considers how an individual’s attitudes toward online communication predicts immediacy and articulated dissent and compares these relationships in England, Australia and the USA.Design/methodology/approachThree nations were examined: Australia, England and the USA (n = 1,776). Surveys included demographic questions and the following measures: organizational dissent scale, perceived immediacy measure, computer-mediated immediate behaviors measure and measure of online communication attitude.FindingsThe results reveal supervisors’ computer-mediated immediate behaviors and perceived immediacy both positively predict dissent. Some aspects of online communication attitudes positively predict computer-mediated immediate behaviors and perceived immediacy. In addition, attitudes toward online communication positively predict dissent. National culture influences some of these relationships; in each case the effects were substantively larger for the USA when compared to the other nations.Originality/valueThis study is the first to cross-culturally analyze dissent and immediacy. In addition, this study considers the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic influences the superior–subordinate relationship.

Role of Technology Access and Technical Self-Efficacy Towards Lecturers’ Readiness in Blended Learning

Landscape of classroom teaching and learnings has changed Integrating information and communication technology (ICT) as a source of blended teaching and learning, either in the classroom or outside the classroom, has become one of the evolutions in classroom learning. To be part of this evolution, UTMSPACE has started to implement blended learning in teaching and learning. Therefore, the study intended to examine the readiness of UTMSPACE lecturers towards the implementation of blended learning and to explore the current practice of blended learning among the lecturers. The findings confirmed the lecturers’ readiness for blended learning implementation.
 This study also examines how personal factors affected the success of e-learning systems and provided better results. Structural equation models on the data of 101 targeted respondents showed that online communication self-efficacy, attitude, and online media are the multiple mediators between the technology access and technical usage self-efficacy and lead to increased blended learning readiness among the lecturers at UTMSPACE. It appears that despite technological factors, the lecturers with a high belief in their ability and attitude are more prepared to adopt the alternative ways of teaching and learning as they gain more experience.
 Keywords: Blended learning, UTMSPACE, readiness.

Young adults’ attitudes toward online self-disclosure and social connection as predictors of a preference for online social interactions: the mediating effect of relational closeness

ABSTRACT Nowadays, computer-mediated-communication (CMC) has become integral to the interpersonal relationships, but the preference for CMC might produce negative outcomes. Specifically, attitudes toward online communication have been found concurrently associated with online relational closeness (RC) and problematic preference for online social interactions (POSI). Thus, mixed evidence regarding the effect of online communication attitudes has been found. The present paper aimed at validating online communication attitudes measures and exploring their direct and indirect effect on POSI, via RC. Two studies have been conducted. Study 1 evaluated the psychometric properties of online self-disclosure (OSD) and online social connection (OSC) subscales on a young adult sample (N = 820). Study 2 (N = 588) explored the direct and indirect predictive role of OSD and OSC on POSI via RC. The OSD and OSC subscales showed good internal consistency and reliability providing reliable instruments. Concerning the mediation analyses, the findings showed that both OSD and OSC predicted POSI. RC only partially mediated the relationship between online communication attitudes and POSI. Therefore, the online communication promotes online intimacy but, concurrently, it might represent a risk factor for psychological outcomes, such as POSI. The study provided novel findings concerning CMC and contributes toward the ongoing debate on possible predictors of POSI.

The Effects of the Fear of Missing Out on People's Social Networking Sites Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Online Relational Closeness and Individuals' Online Communication Attitude.

Forced isolation induced by COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted individuals' well-being, reducing the opportunities for social encounters, consequently resulting in a greater use of social media in order to maintain social relationships. Although the range of friend-related activities appeared to be severely constrained during quarantine, the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) needs to be carefully examined, especially in relation to problematic social networking site use (PSNSU). Indeed, FoMO might enhance individuals' need to stay connected and communicate with other people, leading to PSNSU, in order to face the fear of being invisible in the world of social media in circumstances of physical isolation. The present study sought to evaluate the predictive role of FoMO on PSNSU during the COVID-19 pandemic, testing the mediating effect of online relational closeness and online communication attitude. A total of 487 Italian adults (59.3% women), aged between 18 and 70 years (mean age = 29.85 years; SD = 9.76), responded to an online survey during the period of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Italy. The survey included self-report measures assessing perceived FoMO, online communication attitude, relational closeness with online friends, and PSNSU. Participants declared they spent significantly more time social networking during the pandemic, particularly women. The total model accounted for a significant amount of variance in participants' PSNSU [R2 = 0.54; F(9, 447) = 58.285, p < 0.001). Despite the other people's social rewarding experiences had been drastically reduced by the lockdown, findings showed a direct effect of FoMO on PSNSU. Moreover, FoMO had an effect on online communication attitude and online relational closeness, although only online communication attitude predicted, in turn, PSNSU. Conversely, relational closeness on social networking sites did not predict PSNSU. The present study suggests that, during COVID-19 lockdown, FoMO levels may have strengthened attitudes toward online communication, which, in turn, may have put some individuals at risk of PSNSU.

Toward an Integrated Model of Online Communication Attitudes, Communication Frequency, and Relational Closeness

ABSTRACTThis article proposes an integrative model of how attitudes about online communication are associated with relational closeness, extending the work of Ledbetter and colleagues. The model stipulates the attitudes about online communication encouraging misunderstandings between relational partners, and causing apprehension in users, negatively predicting attitudes about the ease of online communication. In turn, attitudes about online communication’s ease positively predict attitudes toward online social connection and attitudes toward online self-disclosure. Attitudes toward online social connection and self-disclosure then predict the frequency of offline and online communication, with the type of communicative goal, type of relationship, and culture moderating these associations. Offline and online communication, in turn, influences relational closeness, and that relationship is moderated by in-group identity. The model presents a unified framework with eight propositions, and generates opportunities for future research.

A mixed-method analysis of the role of online communication attitudes in the relationship between self-monitoring and emerging adult text intensity

Text messaging is increasingly central in the lives of emerging adults in the United States, yet compulsive texting is related to poor grades, lack of school bonding, and lower perceived scholastic competence. This mixed-method study aimed to discover whether online communication attitudes (OCA) mediate the relationship between self-monitoring, the trait-like propensity for awareness and adaptation to social situations, and text intensity, a behavioral indicator of the centrality of texting in one's life. A mediation model was tested utilizing survey data from 414 college students from the Midwestern and Western U.S. At the zero-order level, all five OCA were associated with text-intensity. In the mediational model, high self-monitoring was associated with less text intensity, except when participants endorsed attitudes that texting facilitates social connection and they did not feel apprehensive about texting. The indirect effect of self-monitoring on text intensity through those attitudes was positive. Theoretical implications for technologically mediated communication (TMC) scholarship and the impression management model (IMM) are discussed.

Opting Out of Social Media: Online Communication Attitudes Mediate the Relationship Between Personality Factors and Facebook Non-Use

ABSTRACTSocial networking sites (SNSs) are becoming an increasingly normalized aspect of people’s daily social lives. Although questions relating to how individuals use SNSs such as Facebook for social purposes have been examined, less research has investigated why people may decide to abstain from SNS use. The present study extends existing work into technology non-use, personality, and online communication attitudes to better understand the predictors of Facebook abstention. A diverse sample was recruited to complete an online survey in which participants reported on their shyness, sociability, and sociotropy, as well as their attitudes towards online communication. Facebook non-users were less shy, but also less sociable and sociotropic than their Facebook using counterparts. In addition, attitudes towards online communication mediated the relationship between personality and Facebook non-use. Results and implications are framed using previous research into technology non-use.

Initial Specification and Empirical Test of Media Enjoyment Theory

Building upon online communication attitude research, this article explains why people use certain media in their social relationships by offering an initial formulation and test of media enjoyment theory (MET). We investigated whether medium enjoyment mediated the effects of social influence and communication competence on media use. We proposed that perceived miscommunication would moderate the mediating effect of medium enjoyment. Results were consistent with MET across voice phone calls, email, text messaging, and Facebook. The results indicate an indirect effect of social influence and communication competence on media use through the mediator of medium enjoyment. The pattern of mediation was strongest when participants held low levels of perceived miscommunication. These results suggest that people are most likely to use media when they perceive high levels of enjoyment from medium and low levels of perceived miscommunication. Theoretical implications highlight how MET can be developed in multimodal and dyadic contexts.

Twitter in the classroom: Modeling online communication attitudes and student motivations to connect

As instructors continue to incorporate technology into the college classroom and use social media as a site of connection, it is important to consider the ways student attitudes impact their use of technology and how that impacts social connection. In this study, we examine the relationship between the online communication attitudes of students and their motivations to communicate, specifically as they relate to student engagement via Twitter. Informed by media choice and polymediation theories and using the Online Communication Attitudes Measure (Ledbetter, 2009) and a scale that measures student motivation to communicate (Myers, Martin, & Mottet, 2002), we develop a model that indicates the ways students choose to interact with teachers in and around the college classroom via Twitter. Implications and future research are discussed, especially in consideration of how students might use other interpersonal communication technologies to connect in classroom settings.

Why Do Students Use Mobile Technology for Social Purposes during Class? Modeling Teacher Credibility, Learner Empowerment, and Online Communication Attitude as Predictors

Following research indicating prevalent and deleterious use of social communication technology in college classrooms, this study investigated teacher credibility, learner empowerment, and online communication attitude as predictors of such use. The sample included 379 participants who completed an online survey about a college course. Results identified alleviating loneliness and relational maintenance as two distinct forms of social use, with somewhat divergent predictors for each dimension. Teacher competence inversely predicted both use types, although teacher character exhibited an unexpected positive association with relational maintenance use. Learner empowerment demonstrated a curvilinear association with alleviating loneliness use, and relational maintenance use was predicted by the interaction between learner empowerment and online communication attitude. Thus, although teacher credibility and learner empowerment generally buffer against social use, learner empowerment may foster such use for students who particularly enjoy communicating online.

Online Communication Attitude Similarity in Romantic Dyads: Predicting Couples' Frequency of E-Mail, Instant Messaging, and Social Networking Site Communication

Following the interaction enjoyment approach (Burleson & Denton, 1992), this investigation examined whether (a) romantic couples possess similar online communication attitudes and (b) such attitudes predict frequency of email, instant messaging, and social networking site communication between dyad members. Results indicated couples possessed similar attitudes toward online social connection but not online self-disclosure; moreover, couples' attitudes predicted media use in a communal pattern, with equivalent actor and partner effects. Attitude toward online social connection positively predicted all forms of online communication, with attitude toward online self-disclosure positively predicting social networking site communication and inversely predicting e-mail communication. One implication of these results is that relational context may moderate the extent to which individual attitudes predict media use patterns.

Do online communication attitudes mitigate the association between Facebook use and relational interdependence? An extension of media multiplexity theory

Given Facebook’s popularity for the maintenance of interpersonal relationships, this investigation examined the extent to which frequency of Facebook communication with a specific friend predicts relational interdependence. The chief goal of the investigation was to extend media multiplexity theory by examining whether attitudes toward (a) online self-disclosure and (b) online social connection moderated this association. Results not only replicated previous findings that multiple media are associated with relational interdependence, but also supported the hypothesized moderation of online communication attitude. Based on these results, the manuscript explores how media multiplexity theory might be extended to account for communicator cognitions about communication media.

Online Communication Attitudes as Predictors of Problematic Internet Use and Well-Being Outcomes

This investigation involved testing a theoretical model whereby online communication attitudes (including self-disclosure, social connection, apprehension, convenience, and miscommunication) predict problematic Internet use and, in turn, poor well-being outcomes. The results generally supported the model with self-disclosure and social connection being predictive of compulsive Internet use and excessive Internet use. Apprehension emerged as a significant predictor of compulsive Internet use, whereas convenience and miscommunication were predictive of excessive Internet use. Compulsive, but not excessive, Internet use was predictive of poor well-being outcomes. The data also suggest that compulsive Internet use mediates the relationship between online communication attitude and well-being.

ATTITUDES TOWARD ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING

This article intended to reveal the results of a survey study in which the students’ attitudes toward online communication in open and distance learning were investigated. In the study, affects of the students’ gender and computer experience on their attitudes were also examined. A total of 626 subjects participated in the study and ‘Online Communication Attitude Scale’, developed by Ledbetter, was adapted as the data collection instrument. Mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Tukey HSD tests were used to analyze the data gathered. The results of the study indicated that students have in general positive attitudes toward online communication in ODL. Also, it showed that there is a significant difference in ‘miscommunication’, ‘social connection’ and ‘ease’ dimensions of online communication between the males and the female students. The female students see online environments as open to communication errors. On the other hand, the study supported the literature about the affect of the students’ computer experience and their attitudes toward online communication in ODL.

Modeling everyday talk: Differences across communication media and sex composition of friendship dyads

This manuscript advances a mesolevel approach to everyday talk. Given frequent use of mediated communication within interpersonal relationships, we use a technique akin to multitrait/multimethod decomposition to separate content- and medium-specific variance sources. The results find that cross-sex friends enact everyday talk behaviors less frequently than do same-sex friends when communicating face-to-face and via telephone, but these differences do not emerge when online. After controlling for these sex differences, online communication attitudes predict everyday talk across specific media. Beyond offering methodological tools, these results may suggest cross-sex dyads communicate online to buffer against intimacy and thus preserve friendship as platonic.

Family Communication Patterns and Communication Competence as Predictors of Online Communication Attitude: Evaluating a Dual Pathway Model

This manuscript reports an empirical study investigating the extent to which family communication patterns predict attitudes toward online communication within interpersonal relationships. Grounded in both Koerner and Fitzpatrick's (2002a) generalized family communication theory and Bandura's (1977) social cognitive theory, structural equation modeling tests a model whereby family communication patterns act as both direct and indirect (i.e., via communication competence) predictors. Results find support for both theoretical perspectives, albeit more strongly for Koerner and Fitzpatrick's approach. Practical application of these results suggests that high conversation and moderate conformity orientations most likely produce healthy attitudes toward online communication in young adult children.

Measuring Online Communication Attitude: Instrument Development and Validation

This paper reports a series of studies that develop an empirically-derived instrument for assessing online communication attitude, a multidimensional set of individual cognitive-affective constructs that influence media choice. The first study inductively develops an initial item pool and tests dimensional structure via exploratory factor analysis. The second study further refines this structure and also tests the association between online communication attitude and media use in same-sex friendships. Finally, the third study deductively tests global model fit via confirmatory factor analysis, and establishes concurrent validity with theoretically related communication constructs. Beyond identifying motives underlying media choice, the instrument developed here possesses heuristic potential for clarifying media choice theory and elaborating the association between communication competence and media choice.