It is hard to remember a time when social media usage was not a ubiquitous part of U.S. culture. Social media's reach into almost every facet of U.S. life--from entertainment to politics--signals a revolution on par with the invention of Guttenberg Press or the television. Social media's prevalence and reach on campuses and its use (and potential…

The essays that comprise "Communication Education's" Forum on Instructional Communication and Millennial Students provide excellent summaries of existing research on this new generational cohort as college students. Taken as a whole, the writings paint an intriguing picture of this cohort, including both challenges and opportunities to…

This study was conducted to determine how various teaching behaviors influence students' emotional and cognitive experiences in class, and how these experiences relate to students' use of cell phones while considering contextual factors that might influence this outcome. Two hundred and seventy-four students responded to questions regarding their…

The current analysis examines the relationship between measures (R-scores, S-scores, faculty productivity) utilized in the recently published National Research Council NRC report and communication doctoral programs' centrality in the faculty-hiring network. Correlations among the network indicators and the NRC ratings were generally moderate and…

This study investigates college student perceptions of instructor credibility based on the content of an instructor's Twitterfeed and student beliefs about Twitter as a communication tool. Quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized to explore the effects of three manipulated Twitter feeds (e.g., tweeting social topics, professional topics,…

In the third decade of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., African American gay and bisexual men constitute the largest growing part of those testing HIV-positive. Education and prevention efforts are being refocused on this population, but there has been a dearth of research on health promotion efforts specifically tailored for this marginalized group. This…

This study advances research on media literacy by comparing the effectiveness of two versions of a media literacy intervention over time. Participants (156 children in 4th or 5th grade) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups or a control group. Both treatment groups were exposed to an instructional intervention designed to reduce…

Argues that the mass media deprivation experience is a potent means with which to sensitize students to the seductive, yet iron-fisted, grip of the mass media. Offers advice with respect to guiding the experience; describing typical before and after reactions; and identifying theoretical discussion issues. (SR)

Asserts that media systems and pedagogy affect each other, that electronic media increasingly dominate the society, and that pedagogy must respond. Outlines a heuristic model for talking and thinking pedagogically about the process of speech in the electronic media environment. (MG)

Highlights differences between cause-effect and interactive research models that are used to explain television's effects on children. Proposes a schema theory of comprehension and learning that (1) acknowledges the child's prior knowledge, (2) considers television viewing as active communication, and (3) emphasizes critical and literate viewing…

Explores the implications of the interrelationships that exist among the narrative paradigm, children's television, media deregulation, epistemology, and education. Pays particular attention to the concept of narrative fidelity and the impact of television's "first stories" upon the evolution of that concept in children. Addresses…

The introductory survey of media course is a standard offering in many media studies programs. Students' points of view about controversial issues treated in this class are quite susceptible to change. Indeed, a deliberately value-added approach to teaching this class acknowledges and appreciates that student opinions are likely to change in the…

Examines the effects of humorous distortions on children's learning from educational television. Measured information acquisition and funniness after exposure, and concludes that humor in educational messages that distorts information will give children faulty impressions of novel phenomena. (MM)

Provides an historical survey of efforts by social groups to monitor and influence classroom instruction that treats the ethics of political and social practices, beginning with the rediscovery, after World War I, of the importance of ethical communication practices in democratic politics. (NKA)