OU - Graduate Student Publications

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/11244/47044

Browse

Browsing OU - Graduate Student Publications by College/Department "College of Arts and Sciences::Department of Communication"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Concerning gamer identity: An examination of individual factors associated with accepting the label of gamer
    (2019-03) Howe, William; Livingston, Dalaki; Lee, Sun Kyong
    This study examined characteristics of players that self-identified as gamers. Participants (N=476) were asked to complete an online survey and provide information about their video game play. Analyses of the survey responses found support for gamers being younger, men, and playing more. We also found that some of the genres of play and technology used diverged from previous research. The two most surprising findings were that gamers preferred to play on consoles more than on computers, and massive-multiplayer online games were not the most played genre. This paper contributed to research in three ways: previous assumptions surrounding gamer identity and demographics were tested, the genre of games and method of play were examined to refine the definition of a gamer, and the implications of gamer identity were discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Manager–employee communication in the# MeToo Era: The role of gender similarity and context ambiguity in ethical leadership
    (2020) Meeks, Lindsey; Howe, William
    Sexual harassment is a widespread problem in the American workplace. Managers must understand how their employees perceive ethical leadership in this context. This includes current undergraduates—managers’ future employees. Undergraduates are entering the workforce in a climate of heightened awareness due to the #MeToo movement and federally required collegiate sexual violence training. Grounded in scholarship on ethical leadership and feminist standpoint theory, the experiment compares U.S. undergraduates’ perceptions of male and female managers across common workplace scenarios and examines their evaluations of managers’ traits and behaviors. Analysis reveals (a) what manager behavior is deemed ethical, (b) a general preference for female managers, and (c) that women evaluate female managers more positively than male managers. This study’s findings provide important implications for employee–manager communicative exchanges.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    On Superherology
    (2018-08) Hammonds, Kyle
    In 2012, Travis Langley’s book Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight introduced the term “superherologist,” indicating Langley’s belief that scholars who study superheroes belong to a unique field of study. This presentation seeks to explore historical academic standards for the constitution of disciplines, fields, and topics, and hold them against Langley’s claim that superhero studies warrant their own field. Further, if “superherology” does indeed qualify as an academic field (versus a mere topic, subject, etc.), what are the boundaries of the field and how should researchers engage in appropriate scholarship for the subject matter? The legitimacy of superhero studies in academia is bound up in whether superherologists fit the historical boundaries of rigorous scholarship. Further, this presentation does not solely seek theoretical ground for determining whether superhero studies belongs in scholarship; a praxical approach to superhero studies is suggested through a discussion of the questions: 1) Who can be a superherologist? and 2) What are the practical aims and scope of superherology? Ultimately, the presentation will conclude that superhero fans all have the opportunity to engage in superherological work.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Social exchange is in the game: Communication and resource flow in an Xbox gaming clan
    (2018) Howe, William; Lee, Sun Kyong
    This study examined the international social network of a bounded Battlefield 4 gaming clan considering social exchange theory. We found that more central members of the clan contributed more time and money to the clan than others. In addition, central members of this clan revived other members in-game more often. This study extends social exchange theory from face-to-face interaction to the virtual world, by showing communicative factors that influence online gaming networks, and to game studies by offering results applicable to online gaming clans. This study also shows how gamers engage in various social exchanges and earn central positions within the network in return for their investment of time, money, and communication.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Socialization, face negotiation, identity, and the United States Military
    (2020) Shpeer, Maria; Howe, William
    In this study, we examine stories told about basic training in the United States military. We question how these experiences are related to stories told post-exit. We collected website stories (N = 100) and in-depth interviews (N = 18) for analysis. The theoretical underpinnings of socialization, face negotiation, and identity guided this analysis. We note three themes throughout these stories that suggest that (1) military members adopt facework strategies performed by drill sergeants, (2) these facework strategies are used after exit, (3) military socialization normalizes typically nonnormative behavior.