Questionable Research Practices in Experimental Communication Research: A Systematic Analysis From 1980 to 2013

Questionable research practices (QRPs) pose a major threat to any scientific discipline. This article analyzes QRPs with a content analysis of more than three decades of published experimental research in four flagship communication journals: Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Media Psychology. Findings reveal indications of small and insufficiently justified sample sizes, a lack of reported effect sizes, an indiscriminate removal of cases and items, an increasing inflation of p-values directly below p < .05, and a rising share of verified (as opposed to falsified) hypotheses. Implications for authors, reviewers, and editors are discussed.     

Traditional Media and Their Internet Spin-Offs: An Explorative Study on Key Levers for Online Success and the Impact of Offline Reach

This study examines factors that account for the success of traditional media's Internet spin-offs in terms of attracted users and the page impressions they generate. Based on empirical data pertaining to the German market, we derive a model explaining online success through the reach of the parent offline medium regarded as given, and the varying degrees to which 5 key levers are employed by the Web site management. The analysis demonstrates that differences in offline reach, considered as one of the main assets of traditional media to leverage online, account for only about a third of the differences in the number of users and for about a tenth of the differences in page impressions. Although the argument for the importance of offline reach (i.e., the brand equity to be leveraged online) is theoretically convincing, this analysis illustrates that the large differences in page impressions and the number of users still are predominantly due to the considerable disparities in manageable levers, inherently independent of offline reach. By benchmarking these levers, the analysis elucidates that managers of online spin-offs are far from maximizing online success.     

Find Your Niches: A Guide for Managing Intermedia Effects Among Content Distribution Channels

Abstract

This empirical study examines potential size effects in the US media and communications industry. Motivated by investors’ demand for continuous profit growth, media and communications executives attempt to leverage size effects, be it by growing the core business or by diversifying into other media segments, thereby exploiting cross‐media synergies. However, contrary to conventional wisdom, the authors could not find a general correlation between size and diversification on the one hand and performance on the other hand. The authors’ reason that exploiting size effects in the media and communications industry is far from simplistic and cross‐media synergies may take more time and effort to leverage than assumed. Therefore, research is recommended to focus on the operational level of size effects and their development over time. For media managers, the findings imply that more emphasis should be placed on strategy implementation and operational effectiveness, rather than on sophisticated M&A and growth initiatives.     

Amplifying John Muir’s life: a third sector intervention in providing alternative narrative resources to secondary schools*

In 2014, Scottish Book Trust (SBT) published and distributed classroom sets of a graphic novel about the life of pioneering environmental activist John Muir to all secondary schools in Scotland, where he is still relatively unknown. This paper outlines the collaborative process SBT used in producing the graphic novel and sets out to trace the impact of this intervention through teacher and pupil surveys. The former survey reveals that not all teachers were able to make use of the classroom sets but that those who did found it useful in bringing up environmental issues in a range of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary contexts. The book served as a narrative resource for some teachers in designing lesson plans and even in designing entire courses. The pupil survey found significant mean shifts in the New Environmental Paradigm Scale for Children and the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale in participating classes and across all classes. Building on insights from narrative therapy and narrative ethics, we argue that shifting attitudes and values requires new narratives alongside new experiences and the space in which to dialogue about the two in community. Further research into reading and environmental education is advocated.     

The automation of curriculum development using the Authoring Instructional Materials (AIM) system

The Authoring Instructional Materials (AIM) program is a set of software tools for curriculum design and maintenance for use in the Navy. Several Navy test sites are conducting cooperative development and testing of the AIM software. This paper describes the rationale for the AIM system, the development process and products, and some possibilities for further development.     

You cannot do this alone! Increasing task interdependence in cooperative educational videogames to encourage collaboration

Complex, multimedia software such as educational videogames offer a wide range of elements to modify learner behavior. The adjustment of such software might support learning, especially in complex settings like collaborative or cooperative scenarios. Coming from a theoretical background of educational psychology, our experiment seeks to implement the “jigsaw strategy” within educational videogames. We conducted an experiment with sixty participants to compare conditions with or without increased task interdependence through the jigsaw strategy (i.e., the distribution of game elements and essential information). The participants had to rebuild a house from the 1894 novel Effi Briest within an adjusted version of the “sandbox” game Minecraft. The results show increased play performance, and learning outcomes with increased task interdependence. We conducted mediator and moderator analysis, which revealed a strong impact of play performance on learning outcomes. Additional analyses of mental effort, cognitive load, and efficiency allowed for deep insights into the playing and learning process. These insights enrich current theories about collaboration, mental strain, and the working memory effect and highlight the applicability of collaborative mechanics within educational videogames.     

Kinetics of elite unilateral below-elbow amputee running

The role of the upper limbs in human locomotion and their influence on ground reaction force (GRF) have been extensively examined for walking and slow running. However, research has focused on unimpaired populations and has not evaluated high-speed running. In this study, the GRFs of an unilateral upper limb amputee athlete [missing right forearm, personal bests (PB): 400 m: 0:48.45 min, 800 m: 1:50.92 min] running at speeds of 5.4 and 8 m/s were collected using four floor-mounted force plates in a 100 m tartan track recording at 1000 Hz. The amputee athlete also performed trials with a running speed of 8 m/s wearing a weighted cuff on his impaired arm (0.5 and 1 kg, respectively). GRF data (without additional weight) were compared to those of an unimpaired athlete with similar PBs and anthropometry (age, height, weight). All data were evaluated for anterior–posterior, medial–lateral and vertical GRF as well as for stance phase (SP) duration and free moment (FM) values and a paired Student-t test (\(\alpha =5\) %) was performed on maximum and minimum values of the respective data sets comparing the left and right side of both athletes with each other, but no intersubjective comparisons were performed. The results revealed that vertical GRF showed significant differences for the impaired athlete at both running speeds comparing left and right foot, whereas the unimpaired athlete showed no significant differences in this matter at all. Medial–lateral GRF showed highly significant differences between the left and right foot of both athletes at both running speeds, whereas the results for anterior–posterior GRF and FM, however, showed ambiguous results. The trials with additional weight on the impaired limb led to significant differences for SP duration, but not for all conditions, and left–right differences did not change with additional weight. GRFs were found to differ in minimum medial–lateral GRF with no and heavy weight, maximum medial–lateral GRF within all weight conditions and maximum vertical GRF with no and heavy weight. For the FM, the overall pattern changed drastically and maximum FM showed a highly significant difference between the left and right foot, but none between the different conditions for both feet. Even though more significant asymmetries could be revealed for the impaired athlete, no general conclusion can be drawn at this point, given the limitations of the here presented study (low number of subjects available, anthropometric data of the impaired athlete could not be assessed).     

Preparing Students for Middle School Through After-School STEM Activities

Journal of Science Education and Technology - The middle school years are a crucial time for cultivating students’ interest in and preparedness for future STEM careers. However, not all...     

Erratum to: Preparing Students for Middle School Through After-School STEM Activities

Journal of Science Education and Technology -