Chapter2

Chapter 2: Framing Our Past & Present

Uncertainty Reduction Theory Attempts to

explain…• WHY we want to

reduce uncertainty.• HOW we handle

uncertainty.• GOALS for reducing

uncertainty.• RELATIONSHIP

between uncertainty and relational development.

Understanding Theory What is the

underlying theories of education that RateMyProfessor is based on?

Good teachers are…• Helpful• Clear• Easy• Hot

PP. 42-43 Social Science

Interpretive

Critical Postmodern

Goal of research

To describe, predict, and explain behavior

To describe, explain, and understand behavior in context.

To describe, explain, and understand society in order to affect change.

To understand the contemporary human condition.

View of Reality

External & describable

Subjective Subjective and material

Subjective

View of Human Behavior

Complex but predictable

Creative and voluntary

Resistive Fluid

Primary Methods

Quantitative analysis of surveys, observation, and experiments.

Qualitative analysis of rhetorical texts and ethnographic data, interviews.

Textual analysis, media analysis

Textual analysis, participant observation.

Contributions

Identifies communication patterns and association among variables

Emphasizes in-depth study of communication.

Emphasizes power relations in communication interactions; recognizes societal impacts on communication.

Challenges assumptions about gender, race, ethnicity, and other social categories.

Limitations Does not focus on the influence of power or societal forces.

Limited number of participants: does not focus on power or societal forces.

Does not focus on face-to-face communication.

Does not focus on face-to-face communication; may be viewed as pessimistic and impractical.

What is an experiment?

Controlled environment

Testing a hypothesis

What is a Likert Scale?

Developed by Rensis Likert

Survey rating scale

Makes opinions easily measureable

Popular versus Scholarly! Written by experts

Peer-reviewed

Reports on research

• Literature review

• Methodology

• Results

• Discussion

• citations and a bibliography

Geared for Academic audience.

Anatomy of an APA reference citation

Library Databases

Communication & Mass Media Complete

Finding your article

Ten Questions to Ask When You Are Reading a Research

Article 1. What was the research question(s) or hypothesis/hypotheses? 2. Why did the researchers think this was an important area of

study? 3. Who or what was studied? 4. How many were studied? 5. How did they conduct their research (what method did they

use)? 6. Which approach to communications research did this study

follow (pp. 42-43)? 7. What was the theoretical framework of the study? 8. What did the researchers learn (what was the answer to their

question)? 9. What further research do the researchers feel needs to be

done? 10. What is your evaluation of this research?

Journal Assignment Annotated Example

Journal Article Example Paper

Paragraph format

Thesis

In-text Citations

Reference Citation

Final Thoughts…