Angela M. Hosek

Communication Privacy Management and College Instruction: Exploring the Rules and Boundaries that Frame Instructor Private Disclosures

This study examines the ways in which privacy rules are developed and boundaries are coordinated within the student–teacher relationship using Petronios Communication Privacy Management theory as a framework. Forty-one college instructors described the specific criteria they use to develop privacy rules and the conditions under which boundaries become permeable surrounding the private information they shared with their students. Findings suggest that rules were created based on content and relational motivations and contextual factors. Teachers also assessed the risks and benefits to such disclosures and enacted various avoidant strategies to prevent sanctions, damage to their credibility, and to maintain student comfort. Privacy boundaries became permeable based on the relationship with the student and shared experiences. Interestingly, tensions arose for some teachers as they worked to negotiate the desire to remain true to their personal identities and maintain the expectations of their teaching role.

“If You Can Dream It, You Can Achieve It.” Parent Memorable Messages as Indicators of College Student Success

This study investigated various aspects of parents’ memorable messages about college as they relate to indicators of college student success. Findings revealed that parents’ memorable messages about college focused on working (and playing) hard, the necessity of attending college, providing encouragement and support, and general advice based on parents’ own experiences. Although these message themes were not uniquely predictive of college student success, the students’ perceptions of message and sender characteristics emerged as significant predictors of cognitive learning indicators, learner empowerment, college motivation, and satisfaction with college. Theoretical and practical implications for findings are discussed.

The Intergroup Perspective in the Classroom: An Examination of Group-Based Categorization and Relational Outcomes Between Students and Teachers

This brief report highlights a study that applied the intergroup perspective to the instructional context in order to examine the ways in which group-based categorization (i.e., attitude homophily, background homophily, and global shared social identity) related to satisfaction and affect in the educational context. The results demonstrated that all three group-based categorizers were positively related to student-teacher relational satisfaction, student communication satisfaction with their teachers, and affect for teachers; yet attitude homophily emerged as the strongest contributor to feelings of shared identity.

Visual representations of academic misconduct: Enhancing information literacy skills

Courses: This unit activity is suited for courses with research and source citation components, such as the Basic Communication; Interpersonal, and Organizational Communication courses. Objectives: Students will (a) visually interpret and analyze instances of plagiarism; (b) revise their work to use proper citations and reduce instances of plagiarism; and (c) understand source citation as a form of academic honesty.

“It’s Better to Be Depressed Skinny than Happy Fat:” College Women’s Memorable Body Messages and Their Impact on Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Rape Myth Acceptance

ABSTRACT This study investigated the content of memorable body messages that college women recall receiving in their childhood, and the relationship of those messages to state body image satisfaction, self-esteem, rape myth acceptance, and likelihood to report rape or sexual assault. Memorable messages were mostly about body size, body type, body parts, haptic messages, body positivity, and development. Mothers were the most frequent source of memorable body messages during childhood. Although there was no difference in any of the dependent variables based on the content of the message, there was a relationship between perceived message valence with body image, self-esteem, and rape myth acceptance. Messages that participants interpreted as more positive and beneficial were associated with higher body image satisfaction, higher self-esteem, and increased rape myth acceptance.

College Student Perceptions of the (In)Appropriateness and Functions of Teacher Disclosure.

ABSTRACT This study investigated college student perceptions of the (in)appropriateness of instructor disclosures and perceived functions of instructor disclosures. An interpretive analysis of 35 college students identified that family relationships, life experiences and background, and everyday talk and activities were forms of appropriate disclosures; whereas, intimate relationship details, personal problems, personal opinions, and drinking behavior were considered inappropriate topics for instructors to disclose. In terms of the function of instructor disclosures, students perceived that these disclosures worked to humanize instructors, make instructors approachable, and create affect for instructors and courses. Implications and future research are also discussed.

Exploring Pedagogical and Emotional Response in Higher Education Classrooms During the Boston Marathon Bombing Crisis

Using qualitative interviews, the study explored pedagogy and emotional responses of undergraduate and graduate teaching faculty during and after the Boston Marathon bombing crisis. The study interviewed nine undergraduate and graduate faculty members who were teaching across six Boston area universities and colleges when the Boston Marathon crisis occurred. Results found instructors felt a responsibility to emotionally respond to students during the crisis by acknowledging the crisis and highlighting resources in the classroom. The study further found that instructors often maintain curricular structure and invoke the crisis as a teaching tool to manage the classroom dynamic post-crisis. Limitations, directions for future research, and practical applications are discussed.