PANDEMIC IN THE PANHANDLE: AN EVALUATION OF COMMUNICATION USED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BY COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorDrumheller, Kristina
dc.contributor.advisorDrumheller, Kristina
dc.contributor.committeeMemberBrooks, Mary E.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberKinsky, Emily
dc.creatorHamilton, Aaron
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-09T21:23:50Z
dc.date.available2023-11-09T21:23:50Z
dc.date.created2023-08
dc.date.issuedAugust 2023
dc.date.submittedAugust 2023
dc.date.updated2023-11-09T21:23:51Z
dc.description.abstractSituational crisis communication theory, developed by Coombs (2007), was used to evaluate and code communication used by higher educational institutions in the Texas Panhandle during December 2019 through December 2020. This time period was determined relevant because the COVID-19 pandemic closed institutions down, and impacted fall 2020 enrollment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Communication posted by the institutions across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and COVID-19 webpages was collected and coded. Communication was coded with a rubric that evaluated calls-to-action, crisis response types, and institutional responses. Calls-to-action were related to public health, admissions, enrollment, information relevant to the institutions. Crisis response types were deny, diminish, and rebuild based upon research by Liu et al. (2018). Institutional responses were guidance (connected to calls-to-action), informative, and neutral. The amount of communication institutions published was weighted against enrollment and admissions data. One finding is institutions of a larger size had more defined communication patterns than smaller institutions. The institutions in the study did not experience a secondary crisis that would warrant deny or diminish response. More beneficial communication an institution used could have a possible impact in retaining stakeholders. Ultimately institutions in the Panhandle may have used communication that would allow them to retain stakeholders during the crisis.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.uri
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11310/5906
dc.subjectMass Communications
dc.subject.otherCOVID-19
dc.subject.otherHigher Education
dc.subject.otherCrisis Communication
dc.titlePANDEMIC IN THE PANHANDLE: AN EVALUATION OF COMMUNICATION USED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BY COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialtext
thesis.degree.collegeSybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities
thesis.degree.departmentCommunication
thesis.degree.disciplineCommunication
thesis.degree.grantorWest Texas A&M University
thesis.degree.nameM. A.

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
HAMILTON-PRIMARY-2023.pdf
Size:
2.37 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
proquest_license.txt
Size:
6.37 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.99 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Electronic Theses and Dissertations