At the end of the semester, Sarah Parsloe (one of the other co-authors) and I decided the paper had potential so we spent the first half of this year editing it further with the help of our Professor, Cochece Davis. After a few months of long nights of revision we felt our paper was ready to be submitted to the ICA. It was a long-shot we knew because only 40% of papers were accepted and undergraduate papers were unheard of.
To our elation however, we received an e-mail in February congratulating us and asking us to come to Singapore this June to present our findings. I myself cannot attend due to the costs of a plane ticket and a hotel room, but I am proud to announce that both Professor Davis and Sarah Parsloe will be attending this year's International Communication Association conference to present our paper "Preferred Communication Channels Between Students and Faculty in Extra Class Interactions".
As the paper encompasses many theories and goes in-depth into our study, it is much to long to post here for your perusal. You are invited, however, to read our abstract:
The present study explores how different communication theories can explain student preferences in their communication with authority figures, specifically professors. Using convenience survey methods, we selected 350 students and professors at a small liberal arts college in the northeastern United States to answer questions regarding their communication preferences. Further information was gathered from a student focus group to ascertain the reasoning behind student communication preferences. In order to understand medium choices based on task needs, cognitive ease of use, and cultural preferences, responses were analyzed in the context of several communication theories. These theories include the media richness model, the schema alignment proposition, the media naturalness proposition, and the cultural element of power distance. Results support that while students are more comfortable communicating via face-to-face and telephone communication with their peers and family, they prefer asynchronous forms of communication when contacting professors. It was found that students are less comfortable using newer media with their professors based on perceived cultural norms and a disconnect between students’ and professors’ technological knowledge.
If you would like further details, or an opportunity to read more merely let me know and that can be arranged.
