This study investigated the influence of sourcing and relatedness on the integration of events embedded in simple stories. Participants read pairs of "breaking news stories" from either 1 or 2 news agencies that were believed to be from the Internet. The stories within each pair were either related by virtue of shared situational dimensions (e.g.,…

A growing number of community college faculty incorporate Internet technology into their course delivery, including the use of a supplemental Web site for classroom courses. This study employed hypothetical scenarios and experimental research design to examine students' initial perceptions of teacher credibility and their expectations for learning…

This study hypothesized that teacher nonverbal immediacy and credibility interact to impact student motivation and affective learning. Utilizing an experimental 2 x 2 (immediacy high/low, credibility high/low) factorial design, 586 students were exposed to one of four written scenarios and completed motivation and affective learning scales.…

Concerns about the potentially dubious nature of online information and users' ability to evaluate it appropriately prompted this research on college students' use of Web-based information, their perceptions of information credibility, and their online verification behaviors. Two studies were conducted to address these issues. Results of the first…

Based on a survey of 158 educational leaders situated in public schools, the level of educational leadership, whether a school superintendent or a principal in a secondary, middle-school, or elementary school, was not a significant factor in operational online strategies utilized or benchmarks relied upon for determining the credibility of…

The Internet is a significant information resource for students due to the ease of access it allows to a vast amount of information. As the quality of the information on the Internet varies, it is important that students are able to evaluate such information critically. The aim of the study was to investigate how students evaluate Internet sources…

IMHE-Info is the newsletter published by the Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) programme. This issue includes: (1) How Do Rankings Impact on Higher Education?; and (2) OECD International Assessment of Higher Education Outcomes. IMHE News, publications of interest and upcoming events are included.

Faculty members at a large state university engaged in discussions of 21st century communication, new media, and the demands for new communication skills as they elected to establish a Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) program in 2005. Faculty leaders reviewed communication theory (e.g., from McLuhan to Kress), best practices from other…

Political scientists have noted that, in a variety of communication settings, people are less receptive to information that comes from a politically disagreeable source. Yet, there is little research on patterns of communication across lines of political difference in an educational setting, which we argue is unique in a number of ways. Using a…

In this article authenticity is defined by componential concepts, common to spoken and written communication through language, which frame assessments of interchanges produced for "high-stakes" examination purposes. They are referents for analysis and critique of International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme evaluations of second and foreign…

Background: Many studies have described associations between adult psychiatric disorder among adults and their biographic, socio-demographic and social capital characteristics. Fewer studies have focused on children, and most of these have looked at structural indicators of the neighbourhood. Our objective was to examine one aspect of social…

A mail survey of 86 daily college newspapers (91% of the population) measured the adoption rate of digital imaging technology for the routine processing of news photographs to establish the stage of adoption and to assess possible effects of the technology on students' perceptions of newsphoto credibility. Results indicated that 63% reported…

According to narrative theory, stories are told when there is a need to resolve conflicts. Like history, the law, too, has the task of choosing among many stories, designating one as "what really happened." Bernard Jackson suggests that judges, in deciding cases, look for "narrative coherence," that is, internal and external…

The Mass Media Studies section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following 20 papers: "Media Awareness of Media Manipulation: The Use of the Term 'Spin Doctor'" (James W. Tankard, Jr. and Randy Sumpter); "Prime Time Network TV Sex as a Counterprogramming Strategy during the 1992 Winter Olympics: An Analysis…

Examines the role of satire in immunizing receivers to counterarguments and concludes that attitude changes effected in low ego involved subjects are not maintained when influenced by counterarguments. (MH)