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Undocumented college students face systemic oppression, which they challenge through advocacy. Often, research focuses on one type of advocacy, but Advocacy Communication Theory (ACT) conceptualizes advocacy as multidimensional – minoritized people can engage in communicative strategies at the interpersonal, mediated, community, organizational, and policy levels to challenge oppression. Here, we used three waves of longitudinal survey data from 366 undocumented students, primarily of Latine origin, and conducted latent profile analyses. We found four advocacy communication profiles: Infrequent, Interpersonal, Organizational, and Frequent Advocators. The more students observed their family engage in undocumented advocacy, and the more students saw negative media depictions of undocumented immigrants, the more likely students were to be frequent advocators than infrequent advocators. Our findings support ACT's propositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When customers call a service organization to inquire about a problem with their account or order, they often find themselves dependent on representatives to assist them with their needs. One could argue that, from a customer's perspective, personalized service is a reasonable expectation within a service encounter. By tracking customers' orientation to when personalization is relevant for them, this article describes communication methods customers use to solicit individualized attention in an otherwise scripted service encounter. The findings in this article contribute to the body of work that focuses on the accomplishment of personalization within service encounters, and have implications for future research on communication practices in organizational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations and the relationships they create are rife with tensions that pull individual participants and whole organizations in opposing directions. When multiple organizations form relationships with one another these tensions may take on new forms and create new challenges for individual and organizational participants. This study utilized a focus-group methodology to explore how participants in collaborative interorganizational relationships (IORs) experience and cope communicatively with tensions. The data suggest that tensions exist across two areas: relationships and structures. We found that tensions in collaboration are common, acknowledged, and that the tensions manifest and are addressed through communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study assessed how confirmation from family members (mothers, fathers, siblings) was related to adolescents' (ages 13-22) self-concepts. To extend confirmation theory, two components of confirmation were distinguished-acceptance and challenge-to understand their unique and combined contribution to predicting adolescent sense of self. 206 adolescents completed a general questionnaire, and a subset (n=60) completed daily diaries regarding conversations with family members. Analyses of the general perceptions of family interactions suggested the roles of acceptance and challenge in predicting adolescent sense of self varied by family member, whereas analyses of adolescents' reports of daily conversations suggested acceptance and challenge were strong predictors of sense of self regardless of family member. In addition, although the combination of acceptance and challenge was hypothesized to predict the strongest levels of sense of self, analyses suggested the effects of acceptance and challenge were additive. Adolescent participation in conversations, as hypothesized, also mediated the relationship between confirmation and sense of self. Overall, analyses provide partial support for the theoretical extensions, and directions for further theory development and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports two studies designed to develop and test a weak-tie/strong-tie support network preference scale. A theoretical framework for developing the measure and empirical tests of the underlying dimensions in two distinct populations is presented along with an assessment of the scale's validity and reliability, and hypotheses are tested regarding the support network preferences of the two populations. The application and utility of the four subscales comprising the W/STS is discussed along with the scale's implications for the study and advancement of applied research concerning social support networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the communicative functions of the Arabic religious formula maasaallah in light of speech act theory, Gricean maxims, and Brown and Levinson's politeness model. Analysis of 500 instances of this formula in a variety of naturally occurring settings in colloquial Jordanian Arabic shows that the expression, as an extension of its semantic value of expressing divine will, is used as an invocation, a compliment, an expression of gladness, an expression of modesty, a marker of sarcasm, and as a conversational backchannel. The data suggest that this formula is also used as a mitigating device, whereby it is used to soften face threatening acts such as refusal, complaint and criticism. It is concluded that this formula serves as a membership marker whose use marks the speaker as a social insider who avoids acting in a way that would invite the 'evil eye.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the communicative construction of policy knowledge within and across groups. Participants were 100 professionals and parents involved in special education and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Structurating activity theory guided the interpretive analysis of communication and contradictions as participants developed policy knowledge over time. Results indicate that contradictions emerged as both generative mechanisms for knowledge construction and as hindrances to system transformations that would put that constructed knowledge into practice. Contradictions emerged and were managed in three knowledge construction frames: orientation, amplification, and implementation. The frames occurred in varying sequences that led to different outcomes across groups and issues. Implications are offered for theory, research, and practice regarding policy communication across related groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated associations among one partner's relational satisfaction and the other partner's style of attachment and emotional communication. Findings from a questionnaire study involving 581 couples showed that participants reported more relational satisfaction when their partners scored high in security and low in dismissiveness and preoccupation. These associations between one's relational satisfaction and the partner's attachment style were partially mediated by how the partner reported communicating emotions. Specifically, participants were less satisfied in relationships with preoccupied partners who reported expressing anger using destructive communication. Participants were less satisfied with dismissive partners who reported using detached emotional communication. Finally, participants were more satisfied with secure partners who reported using prosocial emotional communication. These findings suggest that the often-cited relationship between attachment and relational satisfaction is partially explained by emotional communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination of communication process models and the methods that are used to test the how well these models connect a variable with an outcome. The author discusses how communication researchers that are testing process models are, often times, unfamiliar with the most up-to-date advances in statistical methods literature. This can create problems when examining their findings. The author attempts to provide communication researchers with information on advances in the field to statistical methods and explores how they pertain to intervening variable models.

This article discusses the framework in which scholarly attention should be paid to mobile communication systems. The assertion is made that the focus has remained on the products and their diffusion instead of their cultural context, diffusion theory, and the societal changes that could be researched through their proliferation. The author suggests an increase in the conceptual yield of new technologies could be gained by studying technology clusters, context of use, parallels with old technologies, and other ways of expanding communication theories studies by looking beyond technological advances.

This study investigated a model of entertainment education that combined drama theory (Kincaid, 2002) and social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) and tested it in a field study of a government-sponsored health campaign in Ethiopia. Specifically, we explored if the relationships between reported exposure to the Journey of Life radio drama and intentions to practice at least one behavior to prevent HIV transmission (abstinence, monogamy, or condom use) were mediated by emotional involvement, character identification, and perceived efficacy. As listeners (n=126) reported listening to more episodes of the radio serial drama, they identified more with the female protagonist and felt more emotionally involved in the drama. In turn, they reported stronger perceptions of personal efficacy in HIV prevention behaviors, and consequently, reported stronger intentions to practice at least one prevention behavior. Additionally, identification with another character, one who contracts HIV due to noncompliance with these behaviors, correlated positively with stronger behavioral intentions. The results of this study indicate that both drama theory and social cognitive theory explain behavioral intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines whether mainstream communication theory tends to be culturally biased in important ways. According to the author, mainstream communication theory is culturally biased because it neglects to delve into race in critical, substantive ways. Deficiencies in mainstream communication scholarship about race, particularly in organizational communication studies, are discerned and decried. It is observed that the U.S. has made significant strides toward racial equality and harmony due to alliances of dominant and nondominant racial groups. The author is optimistic about the possibility of the discipline to promote positive change related to racial issues within the U.S. and around the world.

Message design logic and interpersonal communication motives were conjointly studied to assess their interaction on receivers' perceptions of senders' competence. Two 8 (motive) X 3 (message design logic) repeated measures ANOVAs indicated significant interaction effects for both effectiveness and appropriateness. Nevertheless, the effects of design logic and motive on perceptions of competence were not as expected for some situations. The results of the study fail to support past research suggesting that perceived effectiveness and appropriateness will be enhanced by using a more complex message design. In addition, no pattern emerged for the instrumental versus the ritualistic motivations in terms of the most competent message design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines communication research as interventive practice. The author relates his experience of being a participant in communication research as an undergraduate student, how the survey he took made him think about the way he communicated, and how his communicative behavior impacted his life. Topics include a discussion on how the author's own participatory experience and the observations he made as a communication researcher have led him to conclude that the research process does makes a difference to the lives of the participants.