Running Head: QUALITATIVE STUDY PROPOSAL 1

Visual Communication Qualitative Study Proposal

Kaylie Beacham

Kennesaw State University

QUALITATIVE STUDY PROPOSAL 2

Visual Communication Qualitative Study Proposal

As I have researched the impact of visual communication on human interaction, I have

found that it is difficult to ask which mode of communication people prefer when it comes to the

preference for face-to-face communication versus online communication. This is because

sometimes, humans may believe that they are more skilled in one area, when really their

behavior directs towards a different answer. The question of why we are so affected by the

language of symbols is still prevalent when it comes to determining how communication has

changed over the years. I believe the best way to study how we behave in a digital world would

be to observe this behavior in a more natural setting. Humans rarely take into account how many

hours we spend on social media, and it is even rarer that we check how it is affecting our

communication. With our brains being able to process so much information, it is easy for us to

fall into the digital black hole and minimize the time we spend speaking to others face-to-face.

Technology has not only created visual messages through advertisements and television that

shape our communication style, but technology as a whole has allowed colleges to offer courses

online to reach an even broader spectrum of learners. “Opportunities for communication and

collaboration have also been expanded by technology. Traditionally, classrooms have been

relatively isolated, and collaboration has been limited to other students in the same classroom or

building. Today, technology enables forms of communication and collaboration undreamt of in

the past” (Purdue Online, 2021). This concept of online learning is a great example of how we

can study the behavior of human communication through the different forms of visual

communication. So for this study, I will be proposing an ethnography study in which I would

place myself in a position where I would be able to participate in a short online course as well as

a short in person course, and then conclude which method my generation prefers.
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Summary

For this study, I will be studying the larger population of the Millennial and Gen Z

population to see what mode of communication is more efficient and effective for these

populations. My goal for the study would be to have another researcher “teach” a course where I

could participate as a student to see how students interact with one another in an in-person course

and an online course. Since I will be conducting an ethnography, I will be attending a course

offered to college students preferably between the ages of 17 and 24. This is the typical age of

students who are enrolled in college, but I would not try and limit those who are younger or older

than this age range because there are students who are outside of this age range in universities.

There is no specific demographic because I would allow all social identities to participate. For

this study, I would need IRB approval because the participants would not be aware that this

course was an ethnography study since I would be participating in the course like a typical

university student to immerse myself and allow the students to not feel the pressure of doing well

on either of the assignments that I would be collecting at the end of the study. For this study to

gain a larger sample size, I would work with the school to use this course as an internship credit

or as volunteer hours.

The course would be gender-neutral and age-inclusive to have a diverse

demographic so it does not limit the study to one specific gender/age. I think a course on how to

professionalize your social media accounts (such as LinkedIn) to gain a better presence for job

recruiters would be something that may attract a diverse demographic. This course would be a

four-week course, and for the first two weeks I would be creating two assignments a week for

completion in person, and for the second two weeks, I would have the course online and have the

teacher assigning two assignments each week online. These assignments would be
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comprehensive of the material given out each week and would require reflection on what the

individual learned each week. These assignments would be outlined like a quiz, having ten

multiple-choice questions and two free-response questions. The outline of the assignments would

stay the same for the four weeks that I would give them out to avoid having results based on

which method of assignments people prefer. These assignments will reflect on each individual

which method of teaching was more effective. I also would require attendance for both modes of

teaching. For the online course, I would have the other researcher (the teacher) lecture each week

for students to join. This would allow me to gather data on participation as well. If I was able to

get this course approved as an internship, I would post the internship opportunity to the

application Handshake, and for volunteering, I would post it to GivePulse. From this, I would

select at least 50 participants who applied with random sampling.

Since this is an ethnography, I would be taking detailed notes of this study. My

main source of information would come from the interaction I have with students and how they

communicate through Groupme or other social media applications, and which form of teaching I

see the most students reaching out for help in. I would also analyze at the end of the course the

amount of participation received from each mode of teaching, and the results of the assignments.

I would analyze how differently each individual responded to the quizzes and compare their

in-person results and the online results. My observation notes would encompass the behavior of

the students when taught in person and the behavior of the students when conducting online

lectures. Being a student would allow me to immerse myself and come across as a regular

classmate, and allow me to study the behavior of the students. By being a student, I would be

able to communicate as though I am not doing any research and gain their trust as just another

student looking for help so I could engage with how they go about each mode of communication.
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Things I would look for are how likely students were to reach out in person versus online for

help, and how much they are paying attention during each of the instructed modes of teaching.

At the end of the course, I would like to conduct small interviews to receive insight into what the

participants thought they learned from more. I could ask questions such as, “which method of

teaching did you prefer?” Another good question would be, “which assignments did you find to

be more difficult, the ones you took in person or the ones taken online?” This may stimulate a

response that I would be able to determine whether or not the ethnography study produced

different findings, and find answers that people may have never known that they needed. To code

for this I would try and look for surprising or repeating answers. I would aim for a

conceptualization of patterns of student’s preferences.

After explaining the purpose of the study and after conducting the interview I would

compare their opinions from the interview versus the observation notes of the study and the

results of the assignments. I think by immersing myself into a setting where I could see how

students communicated on both ends of the instructions and then speaking after the study with all

participants, would allow me to investigate my hypothesis that the Millennial and Gen Z

populations are more skilled in communicating and producing results through online

communication because of how technology has changed the way we communicate. I would

compare the average of the assignment grades of the first two weeks to the average of the grades

of the second two weeks for each individual. The results I am expecting to find would be results

that show that the students did better online than in person. I would also compare their scores to

their participation level in each mode of teaching, and how often they came to each class. I think

looking at my field notes of the behavior of how students interact with both the teacher, the

students and the assignments based on their environment would allow me to prove that
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communication has changed and the impact of visual communication has impacted the way

Millenials and Gen Z navigate life.

Conclusion

I believe an ethnography study is most appropriate to study how visual communication

has affected how we communicate because many people may believe they are better at one mode

of communication than another when in reality they are not. I believe that I learn very well from

online instruction, but when it comes to learning a new skill or job, I prefer in person. The

strength of this study is that it eliminates the possibility of students trying harder in one mode of

teaching because they have convinced themselves that they are better in one area. This study

would simply prove from graded results and observation which teaching method they performed

better in. This would also place me in a setting with a diverse demographic ranging from all

ages, genders, and races so that I have no biased sampling.

The limitations of this study can be explained as, “ethnographers must commit the time

and energy necessary to become more than just familiar with their research surroundings—they

must become intimate with the communication environment” (Keyton, 2022, p. 323). It may be

hard for me to engage with every single student and gain their trust to communicate about the

course. I would have to understand the way they communicate to analyze observations, but since

I am a current college student this may come with ease. However, I cannot account for people’s

moods that day, family or personal emergencies, and how they react to the material given. These

kinds of extraneous variables may skew the results because I cannot expect all students to give

their best every week and their full time and dedication. The materials may be harder for others

and easier for some, so they also could come into play when analyzing results.
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While there are limitations to this study, I believe that immersing myself in the world of

in-person and online college courses would allow me to observe the behavior of the students and

make a conclusion about how technology and visual communication has shaped the way we live

our lives. This study would get participants to act in a natural setting of how they behave in a

college course. I think my proposed study would gain a lot of insight into the effects of visual

communication on human communication, as well as how technology has shaped how fast and

how well we learn online. I think this study also opens up new opportunities for researchers to

study why college students are taking more and more online courses, and why they are doing

better. This study would scratch the surface of seeing how technology savvy is present in the

Millennial and Gen Z generations, and open new doors for universities and researchers to change

the way they teach and offer their courses. I believe visual communication in a digital world will

always have opportunities to be examined and researched.

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Resources

Keyton, J. (2022). Communication Research: Asking Questions, Finding Answers (6th ed.).

McGraw-Hill Higher Education (US).

https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781265662042

Purdue Online. (2021). How Has Technology Changed Education | Purdue Online. Purdue

University Online.

https://online.purdue.edu/blog/education/how-has-technology-changed-education