CMM 311 Fall 1999 Paper #1
General Information
This paper involves three steps:
1. Locate an article on a communication topic from the journals
listed below.
2. Read the article and write a 1-2 paragraph summary of it.
3. Based on that article, write two research questions or hypotheses
that seem to you to be logical to raise given what the article says.
Journals
You must select an article from a 1997 issue of any of the following:
Journal of Communication
Communication Quarterly
Western Journal of Speech Communication
Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Communication Research Reports
Journalism Quarterly
Journal of Applied Communication Research
Communication Education
Journal of Advertising
Central States Speech Communication Journal
Management Communication Quarterly
Communication Reports
Small Group Research
Research Questions and/or Hypotheses
On the basis of what you learned about the particular topic of
the article, you are to ask two research questions or pose two hypotheses
or you can have one of each. No single study answers all of the questions
about a topic. Researchers read other people's studies and then develop
new research questions. If for example, you read an article which
found that people who use humor are perceived as communicatively competent,
there are many questions that remain. For instance, "What type or
types of humor lead to perceptions of communication competence?" or "In
what types of situations does the use of humor lead to perceptions of communication
competence?"
Requirements
1. The paper should be 1 typed page (double spaced)
2. You must attach a readable copy of the article to your paper.
3. Put the full citation for the article at the top of your paper (journal
name, volume #, year, and pages).
4. Your summary should be no longer than 1 or 2 paragraphs. Just
give the
main points of the study.
THIS PAPER IS DUE ON WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 22
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CMM 311 Fall 1999 Electronic Search Assignment
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity
to work with electronic data bases and identify sources for a literature
review.
Description
1. Pick one of the following research questions:
RQ1: Is there a relationship between teachersí use of humor in the college classroom and student learning?
RQ2: Is there a relationship between heavy viewing of daytime soap operas among college students and stereotyped perceptions of romantic relationships?
2. Using the CIOS database, conduct a search to find references on the topic of your research question. Provide the full citations for two references you find.
3. Then using Ebscohost, conduct a search to find additional references on the same topic. You will probably find some citations that are produced by both databases. Provide the full citations for two additional references.
4. Then discuss your process. Did you have any difficulty? What was the difficulty? How long did it take to complete this assignment? How much similarity was there in the list of references you obtained from Ebscohost and CIOS?
What to Turn in
A short paper in which you indicate at the top which research question
you chose, the full citations for the two CIOS references, the full citations
for the two Ebscohost citations, and then your answers to question in step
4 above.
This assignment is due on Monday, Sept. 27.
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CMM 311 PAPER #2 Fall 1999
General Information
This paper involves locating an article that reports an experiment
from the journals listed below, and writing a 4-6 page paper in which you
summarize the article, identifying various aspects of the research process
as described below.
Journals
You must select a research article (one that reports an experimental
study) from a 1999 issue of one of the following:
Communication Quarterly
Communication Reports
Journal of Communication
Communication Education
Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Journalism Quarterly (now called Journalism and Mass Communication
Quarterly)
Western Journal of Speech Communication
Communication Studies
Journal of Advertising Research
Journal of Applied Communication Research
Communication Research Reports
Communication Research
The Paper
Your paper must include all of the following (Use headings):
1. The research questions and/or hypotheses (If both are listed, include
both).
2. Key concepts (variables) in the study and how they were conceptualized.
Quote the article when you provide conceptualizations and put page numbers
in parentheses. List all key variables, even if they are not abstract and
therefore do not need to be conceptualized. If the authors failed
to conceptualize a concept, say that.
3. Independent and dependent variables. Obviously, these will overlap
with the key concepts, but I want to see if you can identify IV's and DV's.
4. The sample. Include size and name of sampling technique used.
5. How dependent variables were operationalized and the reliabilities
if reported.
6. How independent variables were manipulated.
7. A description of the design of the study. Was there a control
group? How many experimental groups were there? Was a pretest
and posttest used? Was there a manipulation check?
8. A brief summary of the results.
Bonus: If you can correctly identify potential sources of internal
and external invalidity in the study, I'll boost your grade a half letter
grade.
Requirements
1. The paper must be typed, double-spaced.
2. At the top put the complete citation for the article.
3. Attach a readable copy of the article.
4. Use a 1999 journal from the above list.
THE PAPER IS DUE ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27