Jessica L. Thompson

Building Collective Communication Competence in Interdisciplinary Research Teams

Using a grounded theory approach, this investigation addresses how an interdisciplinary research (IDR) team negotiates meaning and struggles to establish and sustain a sense of collective communication competence (CCC). Certain communication processes were foundational to building CCC, such as spending time together, practicing trust, discussing language differences, and engaging in team tasks. Demonstrating presence, engaging in reflexive and backstage communication, and shared laughter facilitated and often expedited CCC development, whereas sarcastic humor, unproductive debates of expertise, expressions of boredom, and jockeying for power challenged and deteriorated the teams CCC.

Changing the Conversation about Climate Change: A Theoretical Framework for Place-Based Climate Change Engagement

In this paper we present and test a theoretical framework for place-based climate change engagement. The framework is based on principles from place attachment theory, place-based education, free-choice learning, and norm activation theory. The framework, which we empirically validate here, demonstrates the power of engaging citizens in action-based learning at physical, material places, which are also symbolic sites for inspiring political action and learning about climate change impacts. Research has shown that climate change will resonate with diverse audiences when: (1) it is situated in cultural values and beliefs, (2) it is meaningful to that audience, and (3) it empowers specific action. We use data collected at 16 national parks and wildlife refuges in the USA; all of which are experiencing the impacts of climate change and struggling to develop climate change communication and outreach activities for their visitors and local communities. Thus, this framework and the empirical validation presented are the result of triangulating quantitative survey data (n = 4,181) and qualitative interviews (n = 359) to argue for the unparalleled potential for Americas parks and refuges to inspire civic engagement in climate change through place-based communication.

Strategies for Communicating About Climate Change Impacts on Public Lands

Natural resource agencies in the United States have a huge responsibility to protect and manage public lands as well as effectively communicate with diverse publics about land management issues. One of these issues is how best to deal with the impacts of climate change on our nation’s treasured landscapes. Fortunately, a recent surge of research and theorizing in the social sciences on communication about climate change can inform natural resource communication efforts. What insights can scholars share with communication practitioners and public land managers? What communication principles will help them create effective strategies for communicating about climate change? How can scholars best communicate the complexity of climate change impacts and nuances of changes at landscape scales? To begin to address these questions, Colorado State University researchers, in partnership with the Office of the Governor of the State of Colorado, hosted a 3-day workshop on the challenges and opportunities associated with communicating about climate change on public lands in the western United States. This commentary summarizes ideas generated from workshop discussions, including 9 key messages and 10 key principles for effective climate change communication in a land management context.

Exploring a Sense of Self-in-Place to Explain the Impulse for Urban Sprawl

Two studies were conducted to examine the perceptual dimensions underlying descriptions of residential choice related to urban sprawl. Study I compares interview data generated by residents living in two different locations. Dominant and shared themes characterizing respondents’ “sense of self-in-place” suggests that eight themes undergird depictions and perceptions of residential location. Study II extends these findings by focusing on individuals who have recently taken up residence on the urban fringe. Analysis reveals a seven-dimension schema for housing preferences in line with reasons respondents from the first study used for wanting to relocate. Findings are discussed in relationship to the management of urban sprawl, the nature of appeals directed at potential homebuyers, and the protection of natural resources.

The Symbolic Transformation of Space

The impetus for this special issue began with the assumption that geographic and social spaces are symbolically transformed into meaningful places through processes of human interaction across time. For example, a geothermal area high in the Andes, such as El Tatio (pictured on the cover), literally means little except for the rituals that have been held there*from being an ancient site for magic and mystery to a source of energy to power civil development to a destination for adventure travelers. Our goal for this issue was to present some of the most recent work from multiple disciplines, all of which explore contemporary nuances in the communicative construction of place. Today, we are witnessing the massive transformation of those places as we are now able to physically and virtually travel through and within more spaces than ever before in human history. Scholarship concerning places, both old and new, has proliferated in recent decades and we hope the contributors to this issue will help future researchers to dissect the communicative complexity and symbolic significance of the places in persons’ hearts and minds. With new perspectives and mediums transforming the symbolic and material aspects of space, we believe the strength of this suite of place-based studies is to be found in their range of approaches. Methodologically, the articles include the use of varying qualitative and quantitative methods and include different US and international comparisons and case studies. Additionally, this combination of articles exposes the diversity of symbolic dimensions embedded in the variety of places we live in, travel through, or experience virtually. Regardless of how and where these authors approach the subject, all seek to understand how we can best preserve local environments through various communicative practices. Whether it is the sublime and sanitized productions of place on promotional websites or the experiential narratives of life-long residents or first-time visitors, our contributors are ultimately