The improvisations needed to adapt to COVID-19 teaching and learning conditions affected students and faculty alike. This study uses chaos theory and improvisation to examine an undergraduate communication research methods course that was initially delivered synchronously/face-to-face and then transitioned to asynchronous/online in March 2020.…

Since 2005, the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), with generous funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has been conducting research to understand the needs and practices of faculty for in-progress scholarly communication (i.e., forms of communication employed as research is being executed) as well as archival publication. This…

Although researchers and scholars have extolled the virtues of multi-method approaches to research by triangulation for at least two decades, implementation of these approaches to research has been slow. This is due primarily to the complexities inherent in the combination of different orders of data, theoretical constructs, and methodological…

Communication scholars should be skilled in the use of focus groups in communication research and in interpreting the data this approach generates. The focus group is a discussion group that concentrates on a particular topic or topics and typically consists of eight to 12 participants. The group is facilitated by a moderator who follows a…

Describes the focus group interview as a technique for data collection for researchers interested in a variety of educational issues. Describes and discusses a series of steps for implementing the focus group interview technique. (MG)

Notes many survey respondents are asked to report on frequency of behaviors during a specified reference period. Tests if a given piece of contextual information is more influential when it is unique to the question asked rather than shared by several questions. Finds influence of reference period on question interpretation is only observed when…

Varying amounts of information about the interview, interviewer and research can be provided to potential respondents during the interview introduction. Two studies in a large eastern center city may be interpreted as supporting greater disclosure to ensure informed consent by the respondent, thus improving the public image of survey research.…

Since the telephone interview is often used as a method in survey research, a study was conducted to determine whether use of random digit dialing and sampling by surnames resulted in selection of two different samples from the same ethnic population. A random digit dialing technique was used to conduct interviews with 1,076 Texas residents over…

Examines use of message discrimination in a multicity health campaign project. Addresses three issues: message recall patterns as functions of instrument length and sociodemographic variables; types of messages recalled; and interviewer effects. Suggests that three open-ended "question cycles" are sufficient for recall and that…

Triangulation, the combination of methodologies in the study of the same phenomenon, can be used to address a number of concerns arising in organizational communication research. This approach was used in a study of organizational culture by employing qualitative interview research to help interpret or place in context the results of statistical…

Political analysts have regarded the interview of former President Gerald Ford by newsman Walter Cronkite at the 1980 Republican National Convention as important in determining the final party slate, but they have been unable to explain Ford's politically dangerous openness in that interview. The interview and the events leading up to it were…

Examining both qualitative and quantitative approaches, this introductory text addresses media and communication research methods. Written for beginning research students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the book is clear, concise, and accompanied by many detailed examples. Attention-grabbing dialogue begins each chapter and gives…

The communication patterns of young married couples may affect the satisfaction and longevity of the relationship. A study examined two young married couples who reported about their relationship with each other. Each couple was interviewed together, and then each member of each couple completed a questionnaire based on the ICPS Family Functioning…

This study used interaction process analysis, personal interviews, and Likert's "Profile of Organizational Characteristics" to assess the communication patterns of two television organizations in two selected corporations. By systematic observation of the two corporate executives that directed these television organizations, the study found that…

Noting that the trend in the newspaper industry from the predictive-control model to the explanative-naturalistic model mirrors a trend in the communication discipline toward qualitative research and more meaningful connections between industry and academia, a study investigated Sedgwick County, Kansas residents' concerns regarding politics and…