FICS Theses and Dissertations
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Theses and dissertations by graduate students from the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies.
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ItemRhetoric Undertones of Communication In An EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Online-Teaching Setting( 2019)Teaching discourses essentially presuppose the use of rhetoric. This communication research draws on the Rhetoric Theory of Communication to investigate rhetoric undertones in the teaching discourses of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers engaged in online teaching. The case study involved four participants of equal number of male and female teachers to account for sex-aggregated analysis. It employed Sinclair & Coulthard's method of classroom discourse analysis in the transcription of the teachers' spoken corpora. Findings revealed that (1) male and female teachers used rhetoric in the online teaching of EFL courses, and (2) they used rhetoric in the context of deploying certain discourse functions. On the varied rhetoric intents of the teachers underlying their rhetorical moves, male and female teachers account exhaustively on the use of all types of rhetoric, i.e. Foss' typology of invitational and patriarchal rhetoric (operationalized in this study as "intrusive rhetoric"), and the latter's sub-types. There have been noted difference, both remarkable and less significant, between male and female teachers' rhetoric practices. From the synthesis of the study's findings and conclusions, several recommendations are offered for the improvement of English language pedagogy, for future research, and the interest of advancement in theorizing under the rhetoric tradition in the field of communication.
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ItemIntercultural Communication in the Classroom: A Study of a Foreign Teacher’s Rhetorical Practices that Accomplish Learning( 2019)This study is framed within the Rhetorical Tradition of Communication Theory which theorises communication as the practical art of discourse and problems of communication as social exigencies requiring collective deliberation and judgment (Craig, 1999). The rhetorical nature of classroom teaching as an intercultural communication phenomenon can create a social exigency in communication when the culture of students clashes with the culture of teachers when it comes to teaching. To resolve this social exigency, teachers perform rhetorical practices in classroom teaching that accomplish learning. This dissertation attempted to answer two research questions: (1) What are the rhetorical practices of a foreign teacher? and (2) How do these rhetorical practices accomplish learning? Guided by grounded theory as a methodological tradition with the help of Burke's (1945) dramatistic pentad as an analytical tool, I observed a foreign teacher's multicultural classroom teaching to pin down her rhetorical practices and to analyse how these rhetorical practices accomplish learning. I found that teaching consists of three rhetorical practices, namely: imperatives (I), explanation (E) and appeals (A). In accomplishing learning, imperatives enable students to learn the basic concepts in class; explanation allows them to understand the dimensions or aspects of these concepts; while appeals make them aware, reflective, critical and willing to apply their own learning in real-life situations.
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ItemKnowledge Sharing As Communication: Exploring Academics’ Communicative Disposition, Cognitive Dissonance, and Knowledge Sharing Attitude( 2019)Knowledge sharing, which takes place in organizations within the education sector particularly in higher education because of its knowledge-intensive nature, can be viewed as a form of communication. Knowledge sharing of those who hold knowledge, particularly of research knowledge, can promote research productivity and outputs, which is a core function among the academics in higher education. In conceptualizing knowledge sharing as a communication phenomenon, it was found out that academics' communicative disposition and perceived importance of knowledge sharing are correlated. As their communication self-efficacy, perceived value of message, and anticipated reciprocal relationship increase, their perceived value of knowledge sharing increases. A subgroup of the academics was found to have contrasting cognitions about knowledge sharing, or an experience of cognitive dissonance, and it was further revealed that their age profile and perceived importance of knowledge sharing are strongly correlated. A correlation between the perceived importance of knowledge sharing and the academic's attitude towards knowledge sharing was also found. Through the lens of Cognitive Dissonance Theory, the experience of unpleasant state has driven them to reduce it as evident in their attitude towards knowledge sharing, and their communicative disposition possibly helped restore balance and harmony. A model was developed to represent the relationships among the variables. Decision-makers and research academics themselves can draw out insights that can frame discussions on communication and research plans, policies, and practices within the academia. Future communication studies could benefit by integrating the refinements in understanding context-specific knowledge sharing into their theoretical frameworks.
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ItemA Physician’s Auto-Hermeneutics of Medical Praxis: Curating Meanings and Voice Themes Using Dialogical Prism( 2020)This study is an auto hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry on the lived experience of medical praxis of 40 years of a family medicine specialist. It utilized the\ dialogical lens to extricate the essential meanings she finds most defined in the three main dialogical landscapes of clinical, educational, and societal (administrative/advocative) she has traversed. The dialogical vertical (spiritual) and horizontal (self, others both, in actual and virtual platforms) scaffoldings were elucidated through a structured methodology of collecting self narratives, integrating, and interpreting. The resulting prism, which may be universally applied to any professional praxis, consists of curated meaning typologies of trust-building, nurturing, redeeming, stewarding, and inspiring. These typologies are illustrated by conversational snippets and were juxtaposed with pre-existing theories and models including most upheld Filipino cultural values. The congruence of her analyzed vertical and horizontal scaffoldings along these typologies was also a major explication of this work Implications to professional praxis, life-long learning, and qualitative research were drawn. A reflection on the process of doing (auto) hermeneutic phenomenology as either/both personal and scholarly undertaking informs (and hopefully inspires) readers to do the same.
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ItemExploring Education Communicationally: A Symbolic Interaction Study of Indigenous People Learners( 2020)The main objective of this study was to explore the meanings of education from how it was communicated by the indigenous people through the lens of symbolic interactionism. Mead explained that “our thoughts, self-concept, and the wider community we live in are created through communication—symbolic interaction” (Griffin, 2012). Herbert Blumer, the student of Mead, adapted this concept. For Blumer: Meaning arises out of the social interaction that people have with each other. In other words, meaning is not inherent in objects; it’s not pre-existent in a state of nature. Meaning is negotiated through the use of language —hence the term symbolic interactionism (Griffin, 2012). More than just knowing the views of the IPs about education, the study also explored possible refinement on the existing policies that involve the IPs. As a qualitative type of research, the study utilized narrative approach or pakikipagkuwentuhan (exchanging stories) for the data gathering. Guide questions were used to organize easily the data gathered. The narratives of the IPs were audio recorded and transcribed, and emerging themes were derived. Four female indigenous people served as the research participants. Three were already married and one was still single when the study was conducted. They were selected because they were among the IPs in their community who have resumed their studies after more than ten years of hiatus. They were enrolled in a home-based education program which provided them with the chance to be part of a formal schooling again. Three of the IPs identified themselves as Dumagats and one as a Remontado which implicates that one’s identity is determined by personal choice. Prior to being part of the home- based program, all of them had only reached first year high school due to reasons like lack of financial support, distance of school from their home, and discrimination. Based on the results of the study, the following communication patterns were observed: First, when the indigenous people learners communicate education as a sense of self- fulfillment, they are attributing it to value of education, development of personality, improvement of individual capabilities, good traits and qualities, and obtained academic support. It is interpreted as their cherished desire to finish their studies in order for them to reach their personal goals in life and to develop their self-confidence, which can be considered as an off shoot of the discrimination they experienced when they were still part of the formal school system. Second, the IPs also communicate education as a way to give family support, and they are attributing it to strong family ties, passive interactions, motivation, socio-economic conditions, and discipline. It is interpreted as their uplifted hope to improve the living condition of their family and to give in return to their parents. Finally, when they are communicating education to become relevant to their community, they are attributing it to being involve in the community and to aspire for the development of their community. It is interpreted that for the IPs, education can be their way to support the needs of their community. The study further explained that symbolic interactionism as theoretical framework can be used to locate how communication between individuals and their significant others can be interpreted.